- More movies, more variety, more money: The box office is catching up to pre-Covid levels – CNBC: The domestic box office has been trying to reach the highs of the pre-pandemic era, with blockbuster films helping to bring moviegoers back to cinemas. Mid-budgeted films from a variety of genres have also bolstered ticket sales, and the industry is now close to reaching 2019 levels, which was the second-highest box office year with $11.4 billion.
- ‘I struggled to cope’: over-50s in UK describe Covid’s toll on mental health – The Guardian: Tina Flintham, 61, from Rotherham, experienced high levels of anxiety during the pandemic due to her elderly parents in poor health. Research has found that people in their 50s and early 60s were dealing with higher levels of psychological distress than they had before the pandemic.
- Global Prevalence of Diabetes Associated with COVID-19 Severity – HCPLive: Research has found that diabetes is a major factor in the severity of COVID-19 cases, with almost 50% higher prevalence in severe and deceased patients than in all hospitalized patients. This indicates a correlation between COVID-19 severity and global diabetes prevalence. To combat this, researchers suggest screening for diabetes in the community and optimal glucose control for those with diabetes.
- Report: Spring COVID booster to be authorized for high-risk people in US | Ars Technica: The US government is planning to authorize booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for high-risk populations, such as people 65 and older and those with compromised immune systems, in line with updated recommendations from the World Health Organization.
- Researchers Discover Connection Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Long COVID: The Linseman Laboratory is researching the long-term brain health effects of COVID-19 in individuals with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI). Preliminary findings suggest that those with a history of both COVID-19 and TBI experience more severe long COVID symptoms. The study also explores biomarkers in blood samples, indicating that exosomes from these individuals cause inflammation in lab-grown astrocytes, which could lead to treatments that inhibit the inflammatory pathway.
- COVID-19 Infection Accelerates the Progression of Dementia – Neuroscience News: Research has shown that following infection with SARS-CoV-2, all subtypes of dementia behave like rapidly progressive dementia, regardless of the person’s previous dementia type.
- UPDATE 1-InflaRx COVID injection gets US FDA’s emergency-use authorization: The FDA has granted emergency-use authorization to Inflarx NV’s monoclonal antibody Gohibic for the treatment of hospitalized COVID patients. The data supporting the authorization is based on a late-stage trial which showed that patients treated with Gohibic had a lower risk of death by day 28 and day 60 of treatment compared with a placebo. InflaRx is continuing discussions with the FDA related to the submission of an application.
- Gilead details promising early COVID antiviral data, setting up larger studies | Reuters: Gilead Sciences Inc has released data from the first human study of its experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral, which showed positive results. This has cleared the way for two large Phase III trials of the drug to begin enrolling patients. The drug is designed to keep the coronavirus from replicating in the body and works in the same way as Gilead’s older intravenous COVID treatment Veklury. It is believed that this new drug could help resolve symptoms earlier and more effectively than other treatments.
- MaineHealth awarded more than $800K to study cause of long COVID – News Center Maine: MaineHealth is receiving $800,000 from the National Institutes of Health to study long COVID, which are symptoms that last weeks or months after a COVID-19 infection. The hope is that if a cause can be found, it will lead to specific treatments. The study is expected to take about a year.
- English study finds demographic differences in COVID-19 rates between pandemic waves: A study in England found major differences in the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 between the second and third waves of the pandemic, with Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Muslims, Sikhs, and disadvantaged people most affected in wave two and white British, Christian, healthy, and relatively affluent individuals most affected in wave three. The researchers used national census, health, death, and other data to identify social and demographic inequalities underpinning the infection rates.
- COVID-19 Infection Accelerates the Progression of Dementia – Neuroscience News: Research has found that following infection with SARS-CoV-2, all subtypes of dementia behave like rapidly progressive dementia, regardless of the person’s previous dementia type.
- Pandemic triggered ‘second midlife crisis’ among over-50s, study finds – The Guardian: A study found that the mental health of people over 50 was severely impacted by the pandemic, with women being the worst affected. Data collected from over 16,000 British-born adults showed that those born in 1958 and 1970 experienced higher levels of psychological distress than ever before, surpassing their previous midlife peak. Those born in 1946 had similar levels of psychological distress to their midlife peak in their early 50s.
- Cognitive impairment in people living with HIV not made worse by COVID-19 in those who …: A new study presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen, Denmark, finds that people living with HIV performed worse on cognitive tests in the first four months following SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to people without HIV. However, these differences appear to be attributable to HIV and not to COVID-19. The study also suggests that processing speed is impaired in the months following COVID-19 in vaccinated people without HIV.
- Researchers Discover Connection Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Long COVID: The Linseman Laboratory is studying the long-term brain health effects of COVID-19 in individuals with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI). Preliminary findings suggest that those with a history of both COVID-19 and TBI experience more severe long COVID symptoms. The study also explores biomarkers in blood samples, indicating that exosomes from these individuals cause inflammation in lab-grown astrocytes, which could potentially lead to treatments that inhibit the inflammatory pathway.
- EEOC Sues on Behalf of Employee Who Sought Telework Due to COVID-19 Risk – SHRM: The EEOC recently sued Total Systems Services LLC (TSYS) for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by denying an employee with diabetes and hypertension the right to work remotely as a reasonable accommodation, and retaliating against her for taking medical leave to avoid exposure to COVID-19.
- Study suggests psychosocial factors, not acute infections, contribute to long-COVID in young adults: A recent study published in JAMA Network Open investigated the prevalence of post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) condition (PCC), also known as long-COVID, in adolescents and young adults who experienced acute severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) but were not hospitalized. The study found that PCC is common among nonhospitalized adolescents and young adults, with persistent symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, headaches, post-exertional malaise, and ‘brain fog’ or cognitive impairments lasting more than three months after recovering from the virus.
- As a queer disabled person, here’s what I want everyone to understand about the pandemic: I have experienced the feeling of being disposable due to my queer identity and living with HIV. During the pandemic, I was afraid that life would become meaningless and that I would be forgotten, just like those who died of COVID-19 were buried in mass graves on Hart Island.
- NH Business: Long COVID impacting businesses across the country – WMUR: Host Fred Kocher is joined by James Reidy of Sheehan Phinney Bass & Green Law Firm to discuss the challenges of Long COVID in the workforce, including up to four million Americans projected to be out of work.
- Governor Murphy lifts COVID-19 testing requirement in health care centers, jails, and more: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed an executive order lifting the requirement for unvaccinated workers in health care settings and other congregate care facilities to take COVID-19 tests. This is one of the last remaining restrictions put in place when the coronavirus first spread in New Jersey three years ago.
- Long COVID Is Making Some People Choose Not to Have Kids – Time: Tessa, who lives in Massachusetts, developed Long COVID after a case of COVID-19 last May. She had planned to freeze her eggs when she turned 30, but due to the fatigue and other symptoms of Long COVID, she has not been able to act on her plan. She is still able to work from home, but has limited energy for other activities.
- Senate votes to bar any future COVID-19 mask, vaccine mandates in Texas | State: The Texas Senate has passed a bill that would prevent local governments and public schools from requiring face masks, vaccinations or business closures to fight COVID-19. The bill was proposed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott and passed along party lines with no debate. It will now go to the House for consideration. The restrictions were put in place by Abbott in the early months of the pandemic.
- Still no plan for long Covid treatment, doctors say – Politico: Doctors working on the NIH RECOVER study of long-term Covid effects are calling for the federal government to do more to help the millions of Americans affected by the condition. They are asking for more tools to address Long Covid, better clinical practices, and more research into the condition.
- Amid rising Covid cases, Supreme Court says willing to hear lawyers through video conferencing: India is facing a Coronavirus Outbreak, and the Supreme Court is willing to take action to help contain the spread of Covid-19.
- Arbutus files patent lawsuit against Pfizer/BioNTech over COVID vaccines | Reuters: Arbutus Biopharma has sued Pfizer Inc and its partner BioNTech SE in a New Jersey district court, claiming that their mRNA COVID-19 vaccines infringe five of Arbutus’ patents. Arbutus and its licensee Genevant Sciences are seeking damages, including reasonable royalties, for the use of lipid nanoparticle delivery technology in the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines. Genevant is a joint venture between Arbutus and Roivant Sciences Ltd.
Daily Research Pulse for April 05, 2023
April 5, 2023
Summary: A cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on resident physicians’ knowledge and protective behaviors for infection control in a tertiary hospital setting. Another study investigated the incidence of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the post-acute phase of COVID-19.
