Covid Daily: Recent Episodes
Covid Daily - Beams.fm
Keep up with the latest Covid news and insights with Side Effects Public Media’s Health Equity Reporter Farah Yousry.
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technically anyone can get infected and spread monkeypox, but several health authorities across the world, including the CDC, is advising the L. G. B. T. Q. Community to be extra careful. This comes as some health officials at the W. H. O. And in europe say that a big fraction of monkeypox cases recorded in several countries have been among men who have sex with men either gay or bisexual. That concerns experts that perhaps the viruses mode of transmission may have changed. But then again, it's hard to tell if the virus was transmitted through sexual intercourse itself, irrespective of the sexual orientation of the people or if it was transmitted because naturally sex requires intimacy and physical closeness to the other person and so they may have touched blisters on the other person's body. For example, in spain, there was a major L. G. B. T. Q event that had some 80,000 people attending. That's one theory why the virus may have spread in the community. The CDC held a news conference about monkeypox today because L. G. B. T. Q. Pride month events in the US usually starts around the end of May for now. It's hard to know exactly how high the risk is for the community. But some public health experts say monkey pox is no covid in that it does not spread through the droplets in the air and that's somehow reassuring. But if the virus has changed significantly for any reason we may be against a different challenge
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First question does monkeypox come from monkeys? Actually, no, it comes from rodents like squirrels, rats and mice. But when it was first detected in the 50s, it infected some monkeys kept in a lab, according to the CDC. Hence the name, what are the symptoms? And how dangerous is it? It's similar to smallpox in that it gives the person plus filled blisters, but it usually happens in the face, hands and feet. It doesn't spread to other parts of the body. It can also cause fevers, body aches, nausea, fatigue and it takes a few weeks to resolve around 4 to 6 weeks, transmission typically happens when a person comes in touch with bodily fluids from the blisters or saliva of an infected person And obviously from direct contact with infected animals. And there seemed to be two kinds of the virus in Africa. One has 10% fatality rate and the other less than 1% so far, Europe and the us have not reported any deaths. Is there a vaccine for it? Well, yes, a few years ago, the FDA actually approved the vaccine for it that also protects against smallpox. The question is is it suitable for everyone to take and will supplies be enough in case of an unexpected outbreak? That's it for me today. If you have any questions I'd love to hear from you. See you tomorrow
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There are 68 cases of monkeypox detected in Europe so far, specifically in the UK and Portugal. As well as a few cases in the us and Canada. To how concerned should we be? Well up until now people infected with monkeypox transmitted the virus 0-1 other people. So any outbreak of monkeypox usually died very quickly and it was usually easy to see how that person got infected in the first place. Mostly from travels to parts of africa or direct contact with infected animals. But this time around several cases in the U. K. Had no recent travel history and had no contact with someone who traveled either. This worries some health experts in the U. K. And the CDC that maybe the virus is spreading undetected throughout the community or is spreading through new ways. One way UK health officials reckon it might be doing so is through sex. But for now scientists cannot say if the transmission rate has increased or not it's too early. And the cases are limited in 2003 there was a monkey pox outbreak in the US by the way it came from pet dogs that were infected by animals coming from Ghana at that time, 47 people in the midwest called the virus and all of them recovered without spreading the virus to anyone else. This is part one, part two will be the monkey pox Q. And A. You never knew you needed keep listening
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Several health experts across the country warned that there may be an omicron like wave coming soon. Already, the seven day case average of the US climbed to more than 80,000. That's a 30% increase compared to the week before. There is also a 17% rise in hospitalization rates, according to the CDC data. The super transmissible macron sub variant B a 2 12 1, accounts for nearly half the cases in the US right now, Which is why experts are on high alert. If you remember in a previous episode, I talked about how there were media reports of a biden official saying that the next wave will likely infect up to 100 million Americans.
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Kids 5 to 11 years of age can now get a Covid vaccine booster shot. The FDA authorized the boosters for this age group. After Fighter presented data from a small study that showed the third shot is safe and effective at boosting immunity. Covid has generally been kinder to Children. But the latest on Macron wave has actually left more infections, severe illness and hospitalization among kids than other waves, which is why those boosters are welcome, moved by many experts and parents, but that doesn't mean that demand will actually be high. In fact, less than a third of kids aged 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated and about a quarter of teenagers got a booster shot.
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This is your reminder that a round of free at home. Covid 19 tests are now available for people living in the U. S. Households can get eight more covid tests delivered in two shipments completely free. To get those you need to go to the website Covid.gov/tests. This is the third round of free tests that the biden administration had sent to Americans as part of their efforts to increase testing capacity. Now some say that there is an upside and downside for that website is people now have tests handy so they can quarantine if they need to in case they test positive, which would limit the spread of the virus. But then the downside is that people test at home and then never report the results to any public health agency, which means the data on covid infections and positivity rates can be misleading.
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The Covid situation in North Korea is evolving but solid information is limited. When the government announced the first Covid case a few days ago, its leader kim jong un, described the situation as the greatest turmoil to happen to the country. Since then, state media say that six people died and more than 200,000 people had mysterious fevers and are in isolation because the country lacks testing and of course transparent flow of information. It's pretty hard to know exactly what's happening or if these deaths are because of covid or something else. North Korea is notorious for downplaying or not recognizing human casualties. In the 1990s, there was a famine which the government never acknowledged its death toll. Some experts and foreign diplomats who lived there say close to two million people had died back then with the country's frail public health infrastructure shortages of basic medications and the super transmissible omicron variant Covid is likely to cause a big stir in north Korea. That's it for me today, if you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you.
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Let's assume that we believe North Korea's covid numbers, you know, the country's official numbers have pointed so far that there was almost no covid cases or deaths since the start of the pandemic. Now, the north korean government says they detected a covid case with the omicron variant B. A. 2. This is the first time the country acknowledges a covid case inside its borders. North Korea is one of the least vaccinated countries, and this leaves some experts pretty concerned — not just about the health and safety of the people there, but also that an unvaccinated population could be an epicenter for new covid variants.
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More Americans died by guns in 2020 than any year in over 25 years. The first year of the pandemic saw a 35% increase in gun-related homicides, compared to the year before, according to CDC data. That’s the biggest increase in a single year in modern American history. Welcome back to the show. Like much of the pandemic’s toll, gun related homicides, disproportionately affected poorer communities and communities of color. And more than half of the overall gun-related deaths were in fact suicides— but that's not much higher than the year before. The CDC analysis of this data says that the rise in gun deaths coincides with the rise in gun sales as the pandemic and lockdowns swept across the US. If you guys remember, there were photos of people waiting in lines across the country in front of gun stores back then. And of course, pandemic stressors, social isolation, economic turmoil, housing instability all contributed to the rise in such deaths.
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China and Taiwan were among the only places to still follow a zero covid policy. But now it seems Taiwan is moving away from that. People who test positive can now isolate at home. Taiwan's health Minister said that they're going to coexist with the virus. If anything, this is a recognition of two things how impossibly hard it is to stop Omicron. It stop variants from spreading, but also how much milder omicron is on average, especially for a highly vaccinated and boosted population. China, however, still has some of its biggest cities, including shanghai, under strict lockdowns. The new york Times reports this shift in covid approach. Maybe Taiwan's attempt to paint a contrast with the Chinese government. You know, in a way they may be trying to show how they're balancing public health and safety with personal freedoms and human rights. That's at a time when stories of abandoned Children and sick people unable to access their medicines in china abound.
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US officials warned that the country could see as many as 100 million covid infections and potentially a wave of deaths this fall and winter. The Washington post reports that these remarks came from a senior biden official today during a background briefing where the biden administration is trying to make the case for more covid funding billions of dollars for more vaccines, therapeutics and testing these bleak projections point to the already circulating omicron sub variants, which seems to be better equipped to bypass immunity like we spoke yesterday. If an unknown sub variant emerges in the future, things may change depending on how dangerous it is. This dramatic infection number also takes into account waning immunity from vaccines and loosened or non existent covid safety precautions.
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a new sub variant is spreading across the US. Epidemiologists call it BA2.12.1. What a weird name! But surely there's a science behind those names — which we can get to discuss in another episode. But anyway this new variant was first detected in the U. S. by New York york health authorities. Already the sub variant makes up 36% of cases in the US. And it seems like it's the original Omicron on steroids. It’s more transmissible than all previous variants which means it is more capable of evading immune defenses but still does not seem to cause more severe disease. The mutations that keep happening to the covid virus are behind this increase in transmissibility but also our social behavior is likely to fan the flames. You know less masks, more gatherings, less social distancing. You know the drill! That’s it for me today, if you have any questions I'd love to hear from you, see you tomorrow.
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COVID-19 was a leading cause of pregnant women dying in Latin America last year. That's according to the World Health Organization. Welcome back to the show. Experts have been saying that pregnant women are at higher risk if they catch covid and really pregnant women are at higher risk in general. You know, their bodies overwhelmed, their immunities lower. You know, they're growing a human being inside of them. And it showed during the pandemic even in the U. S. Some states we're seeing higher rates of maternal deaths, stillbirths and other complications because of Covid. Now this new information coming out of the W. H. O. Says that data from several countries like brazil, peru Mexico Colombia and Ecuador seemed to show that Covid is one of the biggest reasons behind maternal deaths in latin America in 2021. The data is preliminary and could be affected by some gaps and lagging and reporting. But according to W. H. O. Statements, the findings are likely to remain largely similar and experts say that's just more reason for pregnant women to get vaccinated and boosted. That's it for me today. If you have any questions I'd love to hear from you see you tomorrow.
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A new study found that people who get severe Covid infections may see a drop in their I. Q. And mental abilities for months after infection. Welcome back to the show, I'm Farah Yousry. The study, coming out of the University of Cambridge in the UK, looked at dozens of patients and found that the impact on some of them was almost equivalent to aging 20 years, and no that doesn't mean people get wiser or anything. Researchers actually likened the aging to what happens between the age of 50 and 70 years of age, which is when some people's mental acuity may be affected and they get slower. You know, it seems that the more severe the case of Covid is, the more likely patients experience those cognitive problems, which goes to say that a vaccine or a treatment that can give you some immunity and make your Covid case less severe may very well decrease your chances of this cognitive decline. That's it for me today. If you have any questions I'd love to hear from you. See you tomorrow.
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Some people who’ve been vaccinated and boosted say, you know what? We've done everything right. It's time we get some normalcy back or this pandemic is one of the unvaccinated. Well, this latest covid surge seems to have changed a few things. Welcome back to the show. I'm Farah Yousry. An analysis by the Washington Post of CDC data showed that this latest COVID surge has increasingly claimed lives of vaccinated and even boosted people more than nearly any time during the pandemic since vaccines were rolled out. According to the post analysis, the vaccinated made up 42% of deaths in January and February— 42%! That's compared to only 23% back in september during the peak of the delta wave. Two thirds of the deaths were among people 75 years and older, much higher than the delta wave as well. And that could be because, as epidemiologists had said, vaccines seemed to be less effective against the omicron variant. One reason is that those vaccines were developed using the very early covid strain, as I explained in a previous episode. We’re also at this point when several months had passed since many people have been vaccinated and/ or boosted. And so the efficacy of the shots started to wane. Still the group at the highest risk, by far, are the unvaccinated. But if we take away anything from this data analysis, it's that the most vulnerable groups among us are still very much in danger. And so weighing one's own personal risk, however that looks like, is still a thing!
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I've been feeling under the weather the past couple of days and it got me to think, you know before the pandemic. If you had booked a flight for vacation or business trip and you had a bit of a runny nose or even a cough, there was no way you were going to cancel your plans. But then how does this apply to Covid if you test positive but you're not so sick except for a runny nose or so? Would you cancel your plans or would you go on that packed plane? Will you wear a mask even though masks are no longer mandated? Would you ask the person next to you to put a mask on? I mean, what if they're high risk or are caring for someone who is? These are all questions that go through my head as the pandemic starts to shift. Let me know your thoughts. Have a great weekend!
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The big news today has been moderna applying for emergency use authorization from the FDA for a vaccine for young Children six months to five years of age. The FDA is likely to move fast on this one to review the data. Nearly 18 million young kids in this age group are yet to receive a single shot of the vaccine. But things look like there could be a vaccine as early as this summer. The dose for those kids is a fraction of the adult dose and so far the vaccine efficacy seems to be similar to the adults. One with the omicron variant, nearly 50% protection against symptomatic illness in kids six months to two years and nearly 40% in kids two through four. That's it for me today. If you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you. See you tomorrow.
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There are reports out there of people getting sick with Covid then taking Paxlovid , the Covid antiviral pill by Pfizer, which made their sickness better. They even tested negative. But then a few days later they fell sick and tested positive for Covid again. This left some patients and experts alike scratching their heads. What's happening? Welcome back to Covid Daily. Twitter threads of patients and doctors talking about this resurgence of Covid after Paxlovid as well as media reports in the Washington Post and CNN discussed a few cases going through this experience. This seems a bit concerning for several reasons. Most important among them is the worry about virus resistance to the drug. One boston doctor published a detailed case study of a patient who had virus resurgence after Paxlovid. He sequenced the genetic code of the virus and found that it's the same virus coming back, not a reinfection and not a mutated or resistant form. The doctor's statements in the Washington post basically said that there still seems to be a lot of questions, like do we need to give those antivirals for longer to ensure the virus is gone. In media statements by Pfizer. The company says in its own studies, they had found virus resurgence in the group that got Paxlovid and the group that did not, they say this means that the drug itself is unlikely to be the cause. For now those cases are still rare and doctors say that the drug remains very useful in cutting severe outcomes Like hospitalization and death by more than 80%
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across the U. S. Most states except for six only are tracking covid on a weekly basis, not daily as was the case nearly a month ago. Some states like florida even tracking it every two weeks. Public health experts tell me this means there could be at least a week's delay in catching certain trends. You know whether covid cases hospitalization or deaths are increasing. So even if one expert may think we won't have another surge if they turn out to be wrong, we will only learn about it at least a week later. And so this delay could also translate into a delay in necessary mitigation measures like mask mandates or social distancing. And even if no mandates are involved, some individuals just won't be able to evaluate their own risk tolerance based on this lagging data. Health departments say this move is one step closer to living with the virus and you may have heard the word endemic thrown around in this debate but it needs to be clarified that according to the CDC definition endemic means a disease that's constantly present in a population without infecting an abnormally big number of people. At a recent health conference in Atlanta. Some public health experts took issue with the use of the word endemic saying we are simply not there yet in the US. What are your thoughts about all of this? Is the whole living with the virus situation giving you comfort or the opposite. I'd love to hear from you
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free covid tests have been set up around Beijing in china where the government plans to test all of Beijing's 21 million residents as soon as possible, according to Ap This comes after the Chinese government confirmed nearly 17 new covid cases only. Welcome back to Covid Ellie, I'm Farrah. You strip many in Beijing worry that this mass testing effort is likely the first step before a strict lockdown on the city. Like what's been happening in shanghai where millions of residents are locked at home with limited access to food and medicine. Other cities in china, including Anyang and Dandong, have been locked down recently. The worries about a Beijing lockdown also reverberated outside of china. Many worry about further supply chain and eruptions that would only worsen global shortages and drive inflation up worldwide. Started by the war in Ukraine. That's it for me today. If you have any questions I'd love to hear from. You see you tomorrow.
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Children have suffered quite dramatically during the pandemic. That's no secret from remote learning to isolation and mental health strain. But the pandemic has also curtailed some crucial programs put in place to make their lives better. Like lead testing and routine childhood vaccinations. Welcome back to the show. The CDC reported that 94% of kindergartners got the required vaccinations. That's 1% less than before. The pandemic or 35,000 Children who fell off track. The concern is dangerous diseases like measles could spread wider than before. Then there's also the scale back and routine health department programs testing Children for lead in their blood, especially during the first year of the pandemic. For those who don't know, lead is a toxic chemical that could cause irreversible neurological and brain damage to young kids. Health departments usually test kids for lead exposure and poisoning to ensure proper and timely intervention lead is present in older, less maintained houses built before 1970s, in the paint and window railings and even in the soil in some places with an industrial legacy. Now, with many kids getting stuck at home for more than a year for extended periods of time. This man that some of them, especially those who come from lower income families have been exposed to lead at a rate higher than any time before. All the while routine lead testing programs fell 65% in some states like Indiana at one
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Covid vaccines marked a historic success for humanity. That's what a new report by the Center for Global Development says. But this success comes with major caveats. Welcome back to the show. I'm Farah Yousry. Less than 18 months is the gap between identifying the virus causing covid 19 and having vaccine shots in arms. This is unprecedented to say the least to put this success in context. According to the report. Historically, the average time between identifying a pathogen like polio, for example, and developing a vaccine was nearly half a century. Then the average time between vaccine development and actual vaccine rollout to reach less than a quarter of the global population has been 36 years and to reach 75% of global vaccine coverage. It took on average 53 years. Today, we're able to get shots in the arms of more than 60% of the globe in less than a year. But whose arms exactly that's where one failure lies. It's mainly been residents of high and middle-income countries. Global health experts tell me the global vaccine disparity is still appalling. Only 10% of people in low-income countries received at least one shot. It's pretty scary that with all the technological and economic might the world has, we are still unable to achieve even the slightest bit of global equity. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow
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Moderna could provide an updated version of the Covid vaccine and booster shots in the fall. The vaccines and use now have been based on the original strain of Covid, which swept across the world in early 2020. The goal of these updates is to make the vaccine more effective against the new variants, especially the super contagious are Micron. Welcome back to the show. I'm Farah, Yousry Moderna has been studying the step for quite some time. In fact, even before our macron came along, the company was looking at the vaccine that combined the original strain and an earlier variant named beta and they found that this combination offered a stronger immune response. According to ap the company is set to produce a new shot that specifically targets a macron. That's it for me today, If you have any questions about this episode or any question in general, I'd love to hear from you. See you tomorrow.
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a new study published in The Lancet a few days ago looked at covid infection and death rates across all countries, and the findings were for lack of better words. Interesting. And it seems like police states and propaganda may be playing a role in that. Welcome back to the show. I'm Farah Yousry. So according to this newspaper, the global death rate from Covid is around 200 people for every 100,000, which means around 15 million people died. But then, when you look at the breakdown of the numbers by regions and countries, you'll see that the U. S death rate is a little above the global average. Around 250. The UK is a little below the average, with nearly 160 deaths, and many countries across Europe with much higher death rates than the global average. Now take this. You look at China and the death rate is just one Taiwan. That rate is three North Korea's is to epidemiologists say these numbers may not be believable, especially with the super contagious variants that took over the world. Vaccination rates in China are good, according to some estimates, around 88% of people in China are vaccinated. And still, those good vaccination rates in China are not wildly different than other parts of the world. That still showed much higher death rates. A piece by the editorial board of The Washington Post discussed this issue, and they say that the nature of China's police, state and robust propaganda machine, as well as its tight grip on information flow, could be some reasons why.
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poop water may be our last form of covid safety measures right now. Here's why and how welcome back to the show. The rhetoric from some government officials, as well as public health pundits in the media make it seem like the US is pretty done with covid at this point, philadelphia just reinstated its mask mandates. But around the country, masks and social distancing seem to be off the table and you hear arguments like you need to assess your personal risk tolerance to make an informed decision. But since most public health agencies, federal and local have scaled back reporting of positivity rates or change the way they assess risk levels. How can an individual evaluate the risk and make an informed decision about their tolerance. Poop water seems like one of our last lines of defense there. A story in the Washington post delved deeper into this and I wanted to share with you. So this is how it works. When a person answers the call of nature in the toilet that's connected to a sewer system, which 80% of toilets in the US are. They contribute an anonymous sample for research and surveillance centers across the country and the CDC monitor this water because humans shed virus particles in their poop, interestingly, sewage water can detect fires presence 4 to 6 days before a person actually feels sick or test positive wastewater is also one way scientists can tell what variant of covid is dominant. As of now, many states continue to see an upward trajectory of covid presence in wastewater over the past few weeks. That's it for me today.
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breathe into this bag and you can know if you have Covid. That's what's new in the world of Covid testing. Welcome back to the show. I'm Farah Yousry. The FDA gave emergency use authorization to a new Covid test which works by analyzing breath samples. It's called InspectIR Covid-19 Breathalyzer. What a mouthful. But anyway, the patient is given a container like an inflatable bag to exhale into and then a machine analyzes the breath to look for certain compounds and chemical mixtures that could tell if someone has covid. The test can turn results in just three minutes. The FDA says that the device is highly accurate in a study including more than 2000 people. It was able to accurately detect 91% of positive cases, 99% of negative ones. They also say that negative results should be taken in context of a person's exposure history and symptoms. In other words, if it turns out negative, but you just had drinks for three hours in a packed bar with someone who tested positive and you're feeling sick yourself, then maybe you need to isolate or consider redoing the test. My guess is because we're still early on in the game of using those new tests. This recommendation wants to cut back on the margin of potential error. Given the company's production capacity, the U. S. Would likely have 60,000 extra Covid tests each month. That could come in handy in case of a surge that will happen. Hopefully never
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it's no longer just BA2. There now BA4 and BA5 sub variants identified in South Africa and classified by the W H. O as variants to monitor how worried should we be welcome back to the show. The new sub variants can spread up to two times faster than the original B A 1 Omicron subvariant. They're currently spreading in South Africa and Botswana and even countries in europe like Denmark and the UK. But until now epidemiology experts in South Africa say while cases are rising, there's no significant rise in hospitalization or death at least until now. So far it seems both variants do not cause more severe disease but scientists are still studying and monitoring the situation. Things could change as more information comes in. One thing this evolution highlights though is that covid will remain with us for a long time. Virus mutations are normal but of course the rate covid is doing it seems to be faster and more often than other viruses and that's mainly because it's able to infect more people than most other viruses. And so the mutations happen faster and because scientists are on top of things monitoring and sequencing the viruses and then communicating with the public things may seem a bit overwhelming. One thing to remember. Typically those mutations may not be reason for concern but certain kinds of mutations that could make the virus more potent and cause more severe disease would be highly concerning until now. Scientists are not seeing that that's it for me today
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As more patients continue to be infected with Covid. Some of them find themselves left with lingering symptoms for months after they test negative. But there are still more questions than answers. Welcome back to the show. I'm Farah Yousry. First off, what is long Covid? Well, it depends on who you ask. In other words, there's literally no universal clinical definition yet anecdotes and some medical literature out there mention a list of more than 200 symptoms. That range from fatigue to debilitating headaches and even brain and heart problems. This means it's really not clear cut for a clinician to diagnose and treat long covid patients. As I speak to medical experts, there seem to be two schools of thought, one that says any viral infection, especially if severe leaves patients with lingering symptoms. And the biggest difference with Covid is the sheer number of people who got infected at the same time. And so that post viral infection effect appears like it's more common and present with Covid. The other school of thought says that Covid seems to affect the body in ways we do not fully understand yet. In fact, one research study coming out of the UK looked at brain scans of people before and after a Covid infection and found noticeable changes in some key areas. And so we need more research to identify that and to categorize patients depending on their post covid health problems In the coming few days and weeks. I'll be speaking to more health experts on long Covid. Make sure to tune in. See you tomorrow
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More people under 65 have died from alcohol related reasons than from Covid in 2020. That's a stark number and is yet another testament that Covid's toll is more than just people dying from the virus itself. Welcome back to the show. I'm Farah Yousry, Alcohol-related deaths have jumped a staggering 25% in 2020. For perspective, the average annual increase in alcohol related deaths from 1999 until 2019 was about 4%. Only alcohol related deaths increased among all gender and racial groups, according to an NIH study. But the most significant spike was among people aged 25 to 44 years, isolation, stress and curtailed access to therapy are all potential reasons. That's it for me today. If you have any questions I'd love to hear from you, see you tomorrow.
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Last episode, I spoke about this new research which found that highlighting racial disparities during the pandemic could actually backfire. The study basically said that the more white americans are told about how Covid is hitting black and brown communities harder, the less worried they've become about the pandemic and less keen on safety measures like masks. But then I wondered not reporting on these stark disparities is also not a solution. And so I spoke with a psychologist at the University of Georgia who is also the study author. Her name is Allison Skinner-Dorkinoo and asked her, what can we do differently “Call it out? As opposed to just this is, here's the information, this is it to sort of highlight, bring in voices. However, it is to really sort of recognize it was socially constructed and it was done through this sort of like unfair unequal process. She says, people tend to think that if something is one way, then maybe that's just how it's supposed to be or they may consciously or unconsciously blame the people being wronged. The study's findings are not the first other studies that looked at criminal justice reform, for example, found that the more white people were presented with data that blacks end up incarcerated at higher rates, the less supportive of reforming troublesome criminal justice and policing practices. Higher doses of history reading reporting and education seem to be in order . If you'd like me to suggest some reads or if you have any suggestions. I'd love to hear from you
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could it be that all the talking and reporting about Covid disparities and how it's hitting black and brown communities actually doing more harm than good? A new study suggests that, and it's troublesome to say the least. Welcome back to Covid Daily. I'm Farah Yousry back in the fall of 2020 researchers asked white people if they are aware of the racial disparities of the pandemic and then ask them how fearful they are of the virus turns out. The more aware white people were of covid disparities, the less worried they were about it and the more likely they were to dismiss covid safety precautions. University of Georgia, psychologists behind the study said more awareness of the racial disparities also resulted in less empathy towards vulnerable communities. What a conundrum, especially for us journalists. I mean, we do our job, highlight the injustices, give a voice to the vulnerable and underrepresented in the hope that it would make things better. But now the researchers questioned if maybe the public health messaging around disparities has actually played a role in prolonging this pandemic and really, what's the solution? I'll catch you up on that next episode on monday morning. See you then
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Covid mutates at a pace. Virologists haven't seen before, which is why a panel of experts met to advise the FDA. On one question, do we need to change the formula? The current vaccines altogether for the next time, boosters are given. Welcome back to Covid Daily, I'm Farah Yousry. The panel met this week and it was clear they are eyeing the next surge which could potentially happen during the fall or next winter. You know, when the weather cools down again and virus activity increases. People gather indoors and by that time even those who are vaccinated or infected before would have waning immunity. But then there's also the issue of the rapidly mutating virus. The experts discussed if a new strain should be used in formulating the next round of boosters and if so, how soon should clinical trials begin? While this meeting didn't offer any concrete decisions, it laid the framework for the decision making process to answer these questions in upcoming meetings. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow.
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Oh, how times have changed? Covid is no longer top of mind for Americans and that could have some political implications. Welcome back to the show, I'm Farah Yousry. A recent Gallup poll found that only 3% of Americans said that COVID was the top issue facing the country. That's a dramatic drop from 20% just last January and 45% in early 2020. As cases, hospitalization and death rates start dropping public opinion started shifting too. Now the economy is taking center stage. 35% of Americans say that the economy is the top problem facing the country. Now, this shift may have some political implications. More Americans had said they trust the Democratic Party to handle the pandemic than the Republican Party. But when it comes to the economy, more Americans trust Republicans to handle the economy than democrats. And so as priorities and top of mind issues change. So could the political landscape with upcoming elections? If you're outside of the US, how is the pandemic mixing with politics? If at all, I'd love to know more tomorrow.
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China is still pushing to maintain its zero covid policy. And shanghai residents are seeing what that looks like. Welcome back to Covid Daily. I'm Farah Yousry many public health experts expected that omicron and the B. A. 2 sub variant could mark the point china would loosen its tight grip around covid and kind of ease. its zero covid policy just by virtue of how super transmissible this variant is the U. S. And europe have seen how the first omicron wave spread like wildfire. Still, the chinese government is only throwing more resources and measures on the crisis. As of now, shanghai is seeing around 9000 daily covid cases which by U. S. Standards is pretty low. But the Chinese government is not taking chances. Lockdowns meant some workers on Shanghai's Wall Street had to sleep in their offices so they wouldn't miss out on work according to reports from Reuters and CNN it also meant that many residents have been struggling to access daily necessities like medicine according to a report by the new york times. The strict zero covid policy also means that those who test positive are isolated in facilities away from their homes and families. And that means that even parents can be separated from their toddlers according to a report by CNN Chinese state media also announced it's deploying thousands of medics and military personnel to assist with testing more than 20 million people at once. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow
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the risk of heart inflammation or what's known as myocarditis after a covid infection is higher than the risk after getting the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. That's what a new CDC study showed. Welcome back to Covid Daily. I'm Farrah Yousry. One sticking point that people opposed to covid vaccination usually repeat is the rare side effect of heart inflammation or myocarditis that occurs after a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in very rare instances. Now, a new study by the CDC, which looked at 15 million patients over the course of a year, found that a COVID infection actually increases the risk of this condition more than vaccines. In fact, across all gender and age groups, this result was consistent even among teenage boys who were at the highest risk for the condition after the vaccine, Covid infection still increased the risk more than vaccines. It's 50 cases for every 100,000 teenage boys after a covid infection compared to just 22 after the vaccine. Overall, the risk of developing the heart condition after a covid infection was nearly six times higher compared to the second shot of the vaccine and it was 69 times higher after a covid infection compared to the first shot of the vaccine. It's important to note though, that according to the CDC, the risk of myocarditis after a covid infection or a vaccine is very rare. In both cases. If you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you
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Whenever I refer to Ivermectin, I like to say hashtag if you know, you know (#IYKYK), but if you don't know, Ivermectin is a drug typically used to kill parasites in large animals and treat certain skin conditions and head lice in human beings. It's also one of the latest pandemic political flashpoints in the US. Welcome back to Covid Daily. I'm Farah Yousry. Anti vaccine groups have pushed Ivermectin as an alternative to Covid vaccines and treatments based on a number of studies mostly from abroad with many limitations. Not a single health authority in the U. S. Or abroad recommends Ivermectin for Covid. Still, hundreds of medical providers across the US are prescribing Ivermectin for Covid. “If you’re calling about our telemedicine Covid 19 protocols including Ivermectin, please leave your name calling to request a prescription. Please register on a high call volume and apologize Interestingly, a study published in JAMA showed that insurance paid anywhere from 60% to 74% of the cost of Ivermectin prescriptions. In the last week of august. in 2021 alone, private insurance and Medicaid paid nearly $2.4 million to cover that. A new large study that was published a couple of days ago out of Brazil confirmed once again that Ivermectin does not work for Covid. It does not reduce hospitalization or death risk
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Let me ask you this, do you still announce when you get Covid and you tell everyone you know who has come in contact with you over the few days before you get a positive test? I'm not sure if that's still something people do anymore. Welcome back to Covid Daily, I'm Farah Yousry. So is there still value in doing that? And do you expect people to tell you if they test positive and had interacted with you shortly before? I mean yes 80 million Americans are known to have tested positive for COVID and potentially that's an undercount. Some estimates point to more than 40% of the us population has been infected once or maybe more than once. But that means that more than half of Americans probably haven't gotten infected before. Also. As much as 3% of the population have weakened immunity due to some sort of underlying health condition that makes their immune system unable to fight illnesses as well or they may not respond to the vaccine as well. Public health experts, I speak with all say that the pandemic is not behind us as much as we want it to be. If we drop all precautions as fast as we're dropping our masks, We may not be prepared when we need it most. How do you feel about all of this? Much of the U. S. And europe is essentially living with the virus but how comfortable should we become? I would love to hear from you see you tomorrow
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as expected, the CDC says that the B. A. Two sub variant is now the dominant strain of Covid in the U. S. More than half of the new covid infections are B. A. Two. Welcome back to Covid daily, I'm farah Yousry. So far, numbers of infection in the us are decreasing. But over the past few days this downward trajectory has slowed down a little still. The death numbers are at the lowest. They've been so far around 750 daily deaths over the past week. Some scientists worry that the B. A. Two will change how things are and potentially cause a big search. But others say that so far the virus doesn't seem to cause more severe disease and it seems vaccines are still pretty effective. The worry though because B A two is even more contagious than the super contagious original omicron B A. One more people will eventually catch the virus. And so the pool of Covid patients is going to be so big that eventually many people will end up in the hospital just because of the sheer amount of infections and that will likely not just affect covid patients but also patients of other chronic diseases and urgent conditions who need the hospitals. When hospitals are overwhelmed, crucial non covid health care is delayed and many people end up paying the price for now. It's a wait and see approach. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow
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millions of people in shanghai in china are under extended lockdown as the government is conducting mass testing and that could have resounding impacts across the globe. Welcome back to Covid Daily, I'm Farah Yousry. While many countries around the world simply announced they're living with the virus. Even as the more contagious B. A. Two spreads ap reports that china is implementing some of its most strict pandemic measures in shanghai, where nearly 26 million people live. The city will be locked down into phases. Half the city's population cannot leave their homes for four days before the government conducts mass testing. Some employees in shanghai are sleeping over in their offices to be the lockdown and keep work going according to Reuters. But lockdowns in china could mean economic disruption around the globe. China is an industrial powerhouse where factories Produce virtually everything people across the world. Use China is also one of the top consumers of crude oil and Shanghai specifically represents over 4% of the Chinese economy. While the world's eyes are on the economic instability caused by the Russian war in Ukraine. What's happening in china may be just as concerning from an economic standpoint. That is, that's it for me today, see you tomorrow
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Internet access is linked to COVID-19 mortality. That's according to a new study coming out of the University of Chicago. Welcome back to Covid Daily, I'm Farah Yousry. The study looked at the characteristics of different places in the us, including urban and rural areas. They looked at the social and economic makeup of these places and then compared how COVID-19 played out in each. The study found that lower rates of Internet access were consistent with higher COVID-19 death rates in a community. And that was true across rural and urban areas. Pretty interesting and surprising. Yeah. And you may be asking why internet access? Well, there's certainly no clear cut answer, but several studies have found that a stable internet means stable access to online services, including telehealth educational opportunities, ability to work remotely if needed. All factors that contribute to a stable and comfortable life and potentially better health outcomes. One recent study described Internet access as a super determinant of health and the pandemic, really took the guesswork out of it. The study out of the University of Chicago found that for every 1% more of residents having Internet up to six deaths per 100,000 could be prevented. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow.
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if the US is hit with another covid surge, things may look a lot different to the detriment of the most vulnerable populations. Welcome back to Covid Daily, the US federal government funding for essential covid care has hit a major roadblock which is likely to threaten the country's effort at keeping the pandemic under control and bridging the deep health inequities. The funding scale backs mean that the federal government will not purchase any more covid treatments essential for the most vulnerable patients. It means that an already scarce resource is becoming even more so. The funding cuts will also mean that health care providers will not be able to submit claims to get reimbursements for testing and vaccinating the uninsured. Who will be left to pick up the tab. And what would this mean for the uninsured? Who we know are the most vulnerable and most underserved people, including many black and hispanic community members. The B. A. To surge is still sweeping across parts of europe and Asia. If past trends are any reference, the U. S. May be next. But it seems that some of the safeguards the government have had to attempt to promote equity will be enfeebled this time around. That's it for me today. See you next week
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You probably heard of long covid lingering symptoms some people experience after they recover. But have you heard of long social distancing or long masking? Hello, This is Covid Daily, a show where I get you up to speed with the changing pandemic news data and studies In less than 90 seconds every weekday morning. It's no secret that many people couldn't wait for the day to rip their masks off their faces and get back to pre covid human behavior. But a group of economists from Stanford University and University of Chicago did a survey to see what behaviors people want to adopt when the pandemic is totally in our rear view mirror. And the results were stunning. Millions of Americans. Nearly 13% of them do not plan on letting go of things like social distancing and even masking once the pandemic is fully over. The researchers surveyed people over the course of the past two years and interestingly the attitudes remained almost consistent, although the pandemic took so many different turns during that period. How about you? Do you feel? You may think twice, maybe before dining indoors or getting into a packed concert? Let me know see you tomorrow
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Covid vaccines for babies as young as six months, maybe coming soon. Moderna, the american vaccine developer said it will ask the FDA for an emergency use authorization for its covid vaccine for Children six months to six years. Clinical trials show Moderna's Covid vaccine seems to produce an immune response in this age group. Similar to the response seen in adults. Welcome back to Covid Daily, This is Farah Yousry The two dose regimen reduced COVID cases in Children six months to two years by nearly 44% in Children, two years to 6 years of age. It reduced cases by nearly 37%. The efficacy at reducing symptomatic illness seems to be less than trials conducted earlier have shown. But Moderna said that because the Omicron variant was the predominant strain during much of The trials, efficacy rates were expected to drop and it makes sense. The omicron variant has many mutations that make it better at evading the body's immune defenses. Many studies have shown the dose given to this age group would be a fraction of the adult dose and is expected to be given 28 days apart. Moderna said that side effects from the vaccine are pretty consistent with other pediatric vaccines. They found that 17% of babies under two had a fever And around 15% of kids 2-6 years of age. The company says there were no deaths or cases of myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow
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a second booster dose is now in action in the U. K. People older than 75 those who are older than 12 and are immuno compromised and nursing home residents are all eligible. Welcome back to Covid Daily. This is Farah Yousry As the new sub variant B. A. 2 keep on sweeping across europe. The british health authorities decided that vulnerable groups should get a second booster dose, preferably six months after their first booster. The same thing will happen in Scotland Wales and northern Ireland. Meanwhile in the US. While the B. A. 2 wave is not in full force yet, many health experts warned that people should brace for a pending surge during the first Omicron wave. In december and late january, those who were unvaccinated were 12 times more likely to be hospitalized compared to those who were vaccinated and boosted. That's according to a new CDC study so far, nearly a third of the eligible population in the U. S. Is not yet vaccinated. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow.
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Welcome back to Covid Daily. I'm Farah Yousry. We have seen how the pandemic has been dealing a heavier blow to racial minorities, especially black americans in the US with higher infection. Hospitalization and death rates early on in the pandemic. Then when vaccines came about, black americans were less likely to be vaccinated and boosted. And even when treatments became available, studies show that black americans were less likely to be able to access those treatments. Now, a new CDC study says that when the electron wave peaked across the US, the hospitalization rates for all americans doubled compared to the delta wave, which was six months earlier. But for black americans, the rate was nearly four times the rate of hospitalization of white americans. Why is that? Well, systemic racism is the bottom line here less access to quality healthcare, more underlying health conditions which make them more vulnerable to covid. Black americans are also disproportionately more represented in essential workforce in jobs that don't provide the luxury of remote work like public transit. For instance. Now as the BA2 cell variant sweeps across Europe and Asia and it's now becoming more of a concern in the us. Those disparities could continue to deepen. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow
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Welcome back to Covid daily. I'm Farah Yousry. The covid situation in China is still dire, infections are spreading and much of life in parts of the country is put on hold like the early days of the pandemic. Even factories producing the popular Apple Airpods have been put on hold, and now they're trying to regain momentum. Hong Kong is also reeling from a massive spike in cases. The city has kept the virus in check for almost the past two years, but the highly contagious are macron shattered. That and take this Hong Kong's entire population is 7.4 million. Official numbers say 740,000 have been infected since December, but a study by Hong Kong University says the real number is likely 3.5 million, which is half of the population. On the other hand, neighbouring countries like Japan and South Korea are still moving forward with dropping many of the pandemic precautions. At the same time, Western Europe is still bracing for a steady increase in covid cases as officials in the US are monitoring the situation. Until then, have a restful weekend. See you Monday
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countries in europe are seeing a surge in covid infections over the past few days, Britain, Germany Austria are all witnessing a spike mainly driven by the omicron sub variant B. A. To welcome back to covid daily. I'm Farah Yousry. The B. A. Two sub variant is more transmissible than the B. A. One. And so the concern is that it will only spread faster infecting more people. So far though there isn't a surgeon, hospitalization and deaths, Europe is recording 95 cases per 100,000. Now the us is recording just 10 per 100,000. And remember when we talked about testing pee and poop water as a way to track covid. Well that's coming in handy. Wastewater testing in the U. S. Is already showing a noticeable increase in viruses according to the new york times. But the CDC says be a one still remains the dominant sub variant in the US. But in the past two years or any reference, the U. S. Has always lagged europe by a few weeks when it comes to covid surges for now. Public health experts say that vaccines and boosters as well as a recent covid on macron infection will keep people largely protected. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow
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mainland china and Hong kong are slammed with record virus infection rates. The new york times reports that malls are closed. Travel is cut off between cities. Factory lines stopped and grocery store shelves are empty, much like the very early days of the pandemic in 2020. Hello and welcome back to Covid Daily. I'm Farrah history. It seems at this point in time it's hard to decide whether the pandemic is over or if it's still there in full force or maybe it's there. But we're turning the page on the crisis kind of mentality as we deal with the virus. It's hard to tell because it seems like we are back to ground zero in china. The government, they're restricted movement of 24 million people in major places like Shenzhen. They're testing entire cities for the virus but not too far away. Countries like Japan, south Korea and Australia. Some of the places that used to have the most stringent measures are now dropping off. So many precautions, loose mask mandates no quarantine for incoming travelers and scaled back contact tracing. How's the covid situation in your country? Leave me a short message from wherever you are. See you tomorrow.
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a sub variant of O micron is increasing in the US. According to data by the C. D. C. Welcome back to Covid Daily, I'm Farrah history early february. This new sub variant was less than 1% now it makes up around 11% of cases in the U. S. The new sub variant is called B. A. Two and here's what we know about it. So far Scientists detected this sub variants more than four months ago. Initially it was not as common as the BA1 which caused the latest surge in the US but this year it seems to be getting a hold of a number of countries around the world. Especially in Asia. Scientists say that it's much more transmissible than be a one. This means it has the potential to drive surges in some places. But so far it seems that the Covid vaccines and boosters give good protection against hospitalization if one was infected with B. A. To one other piece of information that I find pretty reassuring is that an Amish Cron B. A. One infection seems to provide great protection against this new B. A. Two sub variant according to the W. H. O. Which means countries that had seen a huge surge during the first on the Crown wave would likely not see another surge because of this new sub variant in parts of the world where lockdowns and precautions have been the most stringent hence had less omicron be a one infections. This new variant is actually starting to cause a lot of trouble and a surge in cases and hospitalizations. That's it for me today.
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18 million lives lost. That's the number of people. One study estimates who died with covid. That's three times the official death count. The new study was published in the journal the Lancet. Hello, this is Covid Daily, I'm Farah Houston. Official numbers of covid deaths show there are nearly six million deaths worldwide. But these numbers are only as good as the reporting systems. They're based on the study argues Some countries around the world may have less robust covid tracking and reporting systems and that may lead to undercounting the study, authors used another tool to tally covid losses, what's called access death. They looked at death rates in 74 different countries and territories around the world and calculated how many more people died during the pandemic compared to the expected number of deaths in each country based on the trends of recent years. Now there are questions about whether all of these extra deaths are in fact covid deaths, not related to other health problems. Some are also questioning the study's estimates of excess death numbers in certain countries. Now there are other similar studies on the horizon that should come out soon. One is by experts at the W. H. O. And it's expected within this month. It would be useful to look at that and get more context. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow
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Today is the second anniversary of the pandemic. We hear a lot of stories about the experiences and heroism of healthcare workers but what about their immediate families? Partners, kids? Hello, this is Covid daily and I'm Farah Yousry with Side Effects Public Media. I spoke with Dr. Dave Will and his family. He saw one of the first covid patients in the state of Indiana. His wife Ali has Type 1 diabetes which makes her more vulnerable if she gets covid. And they have two little boys. When Dr. Will started to care for COVID patients early 2020, he and his wife decided that it was best for him to live in the basement and that went on for 16 weeks. “And there was quite a few times I remember standing at the top of the stairs and just wanting to be like go down and give him a hug”. Now, imagine as a five-year-old child you witness that and your parents draw a line in the house that you cannot pass, so you wouldn't get too close to your dad because of a virus that no one knows much about. It's a front row seat to the scariest moments of the pandemic, back when many of us were watching the pandemic unfold in the news on our screens, Will’s now seven year old son had serious anxiety and panic attacks once school was back in person. Every frontline healthcare worker I spoke with told me their partners, spouses or kids are the unsung heroes “Without her, none of that would, in my mind, would be possible for me. I just would have been out of [it] unable to do it a long time ago. That's it for.
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there's a group already preparing for the next pandemic. The hope is to develop an effective vaccine within 100 days. Only when Disease X emerges as ominous as that sounds, it's much needed. Welcome back to Covid Daily, I am Farah Yousry. The coalition for epidemic preparedness innovation is a foundation that works closely with the british government. They held a global summit earlier this week and some US officials attended. The group's leader announced a $3.5 billion American official at the summit announced that the us will contribute $150 million dollars toward the effort to that's certainly a step in the right direction. But many activists say that the US is not doing nearly enough. The U. S. Administration has boasted time and time again that it leads the world's countries in terms of spending to fight the pandemic around the world. This may be true if we look at absolute figures. But an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that if we look at spending relative to each country's GDP, The US is not even in the top 10. Maybe the Biden administration wants to do more. But the politicization of the pandemic in the US may put a wrench in some of those efforts. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow
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For the past few weeks, I've been looking at the new Covid therapeutics, those antiviral pills to treat Covid. I've been trying to understand if health authorities put in place measures necessary to center equity in the process. Welcome back to Covid Daily. I'm Farrah history. The therapeutics. I'm referring to our pills by fighter and Mark. They could treat Covid if taken within five days of covid symptoms in order to get the pill, you must have a prescription from your physician and the pill itself is completely free for the patients. The federal government sends doses to each state and the state then decides how and where to allocate those. As of now, those therapeutics are very low in supply and I feel when we have scarce resources, it's more important than ever to center equity at the process. The federal government sends doses to each state and then the state decides how and where to allocate those. The question I have is do states have a plan to ensure that people have equitable access to those therapies or is it left to first come first serve, which we know eventually puts minorities and underserved communities at a huge disadvantage. Many states send those doses to big healthcare providers and commercial pharmacies. So I asked the health department in different states across the midwest, are they at least tracking racial and demographic data of who is receiving those therapeutics most said no, they're not. Well if we do not have a centralized way of knowing who is getting the therapies and who is not. How are we ever going to ensure equity. This is just one part of a bigger story I'm still working on. We'll chat more.
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a new large study looked at the brains of people who got covid and it founded the size of the gray matter decreased after a covid infection. It affected different parts of the brain but mainly affected parts of the gray matter responsible for the sense of smell. Welcome back to covid Daily, I'm farah Yousry gray matter in simple terms is part of the brain and nervous system and it includes neurons and cells that are crucial for all brain function. This new study comes out of the UK and was published in the journal Nature. It's the first major study that had patients get brain scans before and after a covid infection. Now, the study doesn't exactly answer the question. If These effects on the brain are permanent or not, it's also worth noting that the study's population was over 51 years old. Typically as we age, we lose something like opening 2% of our gray matter every year. But the study showed that in the time between the scans, people lost more gray matter than expected, up to 2% in some cases still, because the study population is relatively older, we can't jump to conclusions about younger covid survivors that brain fog you may be experiencing post covid isn't necessarily loss of gray matter at least. No study suggests that yet if you have any questions, please let me know. See you tomorrow
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data suggests that cases of Covid in Ukraine are decreasing but safe to say these numbers may not be reliable. I mean, tracking covid cases, hospitalization and deaths would likely take a backseat as the country fends off the Russian war. Hello, this is Covid. Daily with me for a history, there are concerns that as more people flee Ukraine to seek refuge, the Covid situation may worsen. In some neighboring countries, more than half the population of Ukraine is unvaccinated. On the other hand, W. H. O. Officials worry that other health problems will likely emerge along with Covid for instance. According to an NBC news story, Ukraine has been battling a polio outbreak over the past month or so. There were efforts in place to vaccinate little kids. But now with the raging war that's likely to fall through the cracks and the devastating disease may re emerge there with vengeance. This time. People with other chronic diseases like diabetes, for instance, may also take a big hit. If say they're unable to get their hands on life saving insulin doses soon enough, hospitals already enfeebled by the pandemic are not going to get any better. As the war continues, which means should Ukrainians need help with the range of health issues likely to emerge, They may not find it. That's it for me today. Stay safe and see you tomorrow
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Hi, I'm Farrah history and this is Covid Daily. The CDC now says that nearly 90% of americans can take their masks off, gather with others and stop social distancing. That's up from 70% just last week. This new guidance tells counties to look at three things to assess the risk and how safe it is to forego some of those precautions. Covid hospitalization rates, number of hospital beds are occupied by covid patients and new covid cases per 100,000 people. All of that over the previous week, the only states still considered high risk in the US are west Virginia, big parts of Kentucky Virginia and Montana. Meanwhile, across the world, from the U. S. In Hong kong, the new york Times reports, people may have to wait for one day before an ambulance can help them. That's because of the immigrant outbreak. Thousands of ambulance workers have tested positive for Covid. This put further strain on the system. That's it for me. If you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you see you on monday
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it's a condition that millions of people experience after they recover from a covid infection, basically lingering symptoms that stay for months like fatigue, brain fog, breathing issues among other problems. Now, some U. S. Senators drafted a new bill that wants to boost long covid research and resources for covid long haulers. Hello, I'm Farah Yousry. And this is Covid daily. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said in an interview with the Washington post that he still experiences long covid symptoms from the way he describes it. It seems like he has jitters similar to the ones you get when you drink too much coffee for instance and it's definitely not alone. Some studies suggest that 10 to 30% of those who recover from covid actually may end up having long covid for months after Senator Kaine drafted this new bill and it aims to boost research funding on long covid and to improve awareness around the condition. There's still a lot unknown about long covid. Like why does it affect some people and not others? How long would these symptoms stay and most importantly, how to treat it. A study in the academic journal cell shows that there are some factors that may increase your chances of getting long Covid. For instance, if your body receives a big viral load of the virus early on in the infection and you end up having severe covid or if you have type two diabetes, you may be more likely to get long Covid. How about you, have you experienced any of that? Let me know see you tomorrow
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Hello. I'm Farah Yousry. And this is Covid Daily in his state of the union address last night President joe biden said the U. S. Will be getting a million more courses of the covid antiviral drug packs. Love it. Next month and even more. The following month he announced a new strategy called Test and treat which means pharmacies or health providers will have the capacity to rapid test people and if they are found to be covid positive they'd immediately be given packs. Love it for free to stop the illness as early as possible. And the rationale behind this is pac Slovin. The antiviral pill made by fighter is meant to be taken as early as possible within the first five days of illness to be effective And it reduces the risk of hospitalization by as much as 90%. Biden says that's one strategy the U. S. Will be using to slowly but surely get back to a more normal life as the virus slows down. However he said that there are no promises that there won't be any more new and dangerous variants popping up. If that happens. He says the U. S. Will be ready with masks, covid treatments and vaccines. That's it for me today. See you tomorrow
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Hong kong is facing a sharp increase in covid cases and deaths that some hospitals are struggling to find a place for dead bodies according to the new york times. Hello, this is Farah History and you're listening to Covid Daily, Last Sunday, the city recorded 26,000 cases and 83 deaths. On Sunday alone. Last week, 400 people died of COVID. These are significant numbers with a population of just seven million. According to the New York Times data, Hong Kong recorded over 800% increase in COVID cases right now. Not just hospitals are at near full capacity, but public morgues too. At the same time, South Korea is also seeing a sharp increase in cases and the current omicron search seems to have not peaked yet. Healthcare workers are slammed not just with covid cases but also with healthy people seeking PC artists and here's why South Korea has a vaccine past requirement to be able to use many public spaces like restaurants and cafes. For example, if you don't have a pass, you have to present a negative pcr test and with all those people looking to be tested, healthcare workers were overburdened. That's why according to the times, the country is now dropping vaccine past requirements to lessen the burden on healthcare workers so they'd be able to handle a tidal wave of rising immigrant infections. If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you see you tomorrow
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there's a lot of hope that we may be getting out of that exhausting crisis mentality to some sort of normalcy. Maybe not pre pandemic normalcy, but something close as public health experts would describe it. Covid will likely become endemic. Hello, this is Farah Yousry health journalist and your host of Covid daily endemic. That's the new word. You'll likely be hearing a lot of over the coming period. The CDC defines endemic as the constant presence of a disease in a population within a certain geographic area. It means it's here to stay now. You may ask, does this mean it's less harmful? No, that's not necessarily true. It means that it's predictable, stable and less disruptive to society as a whole because much of the population will be vaccinated or have had prior covid infections. We have antiviral pills that can prevent prolonged illness and so the virus has less chances to mutate as quickly and vigorously as before. influenza, for instance, is endemic. It still claims thousands of lives every year, but that does not come any close to Covid's pandemic toll as one infectious disease physician in boston told the Washington post a virus becomes endemic when there is an equilibrium between the level of virus transmission and the level of immunity. In a population vaccines are tremendous help with that. But also the super contagious Amit crown surge would likely accelerate that process to that's it for me today
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Less than two months in and 2020 chooses to welcome us with a war during a lethal global pandemic. Hello, this is Farah history and you're listening to today's little audio nugget from Covid Daily. As Russia begins its attacks on Ukraine, I wanted to shed light on the covid situation in both countries and how this war might play out just a few weeks ago, Ukraine and Russia both hit a record number of new covid cases higher than any time during the pandemic. This means that whatever human suffering and displacement this conflict brings about will be exacerbated by the raging omicron variant hospitals. They're like many other countries have been under immense pressure due to Covid. Now with a war brewing, it's a concern in both countries. Less than half of the populations are fully vaccinated, which means they remain a lot more likely to get severely sick and need hospitals. But on the other hand, both armies boast much higher rates of vaccination than the general public. According to a story in the Guardian, Ukrainian officials say more than 99% of the army is vaccinated And Russian officials say 95% of the army is vaccinated and a quarter of them received boosters too. Now with all the sanctions, the U. S. Is announcing against Russia and the potential response Russia might have like cutting supply of natural gas for instance, things like shortages and price spikes already started by the pandemic will likely worsen because of this war, Stay safe wherever you are and see you
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Hello and welcome back to Covid Daily, a 90-second voice note every morning that highlights some of the most important stories and insights around the pandemic. I'm Farah Yousry. So, new guidance from the CDC suggests that people older than 12, especially males aged 16 to 39 should wait eight weeks between their 1st and 2nd doses of the Pfizer or Moderna Covid vaccine shots as opposed to three weeks only. The new guidance is based on recent data showing that waiting longer reduces the risk of myocarditis— a rare inflammation of the heart that mainly affected young men after getting the COVID shots. The absolute risk of developing this condition though is extremely low. Data out of Israel for example showed nearly 11 out of 100,000 men between 16 and 39 developed the condition. And the longer wait period also showed a stronger immune response after getting the shots. But the new guidance still recommends that those older than 65 or are immunocompromised should still get their shots three weeks apart. Obviously, those who already got their Covid shots don't need to worry about this. But the new guidance applies to millions of Americans who are still unvaccinated. If you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you! See you tomorrow
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Hello. This is Farah Yousry and you're listening to a new episode of Covid Daily. You've probably heard a lot about how stressed doctors have been during the pandemic but you might not have heard of this one before. A few weeks ago I spoke with a pulmonary and critical care doctor in training. She takes care of lung illnesses and patients in the ICU. She's a medical fellow, which means she is not yet a certified physician. Her name is doctor Claire Prohaska and she had this to say we're not really being trained to be pulmonary and critical care physicians were being trained to be covid physicians. And that struck me because she's not alone. Perhaps sca's three year fellowship will end in a few months, which means she spent most of her training during the pandemic. It's been all covid all the time. Older experienced physicians. Tell me this generation of medical trainees like Prohaska will be the best at taking care of severely sick acute respiratory disease patients like those with Covid that the US has ever had, which is great except that it also means they're missing out on other crucial aspects of clinical training simply because there is no time and as elective surgeries have been postponed at different points in the pandemic Across the US. Junior surgeons in training are not getting as much experience either training program directors say the impact of that will be delayed and likely seen in a few years from now. If you have any questions, let me know see you tomorrow
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a new Covid strains is detected across the entire United States and accounts for around 4% of all new cases. Hello, I'm health journalist Farah Yousry. And this is Covid Daily. The new strain of the omicron variant is called B A dot to. It's reported to be 30% better at spreading than the super contagious are micron. Data shows that vaccines and recent covid infections still offer some protection against this new strain, but it also shows that be a 300.2 can evade the immune defenses better than other variants. Not just that, but an antibody infusion treatment used early in the pandemic seems to be less effective against this new strain B A dot to has caused surges in South Africa and Denmark. But this does not seem to be happening in the US. At least up until now. Some public health and infectious disease experts told NPR news that it's impossible to rule out another surge for now though all be a dot to seems to be doing is slowing down the decline in the number of new covid cases in the U. S. If you have any questions, please leave me a voice note. I would love to listen to you. See you tomorrow
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Hello. I'm Farrah history and this is covid daily. So much has happened just before and during this past weekend. The queen of Britain tested positive for Covid. The BBC reports she has cold like symptoms. Pop singer Justin Bieber also tested positive on friday just one day before his world tour kicks off in san Diego. Which means a number of performances will be rescheduled. Still many places around the world are preparing to get out of crisis mode when dealing with covid. For instance in Britain, if you catch covid you will soon not be required to isolate. Israel will allow unvaccinated tourists to enter the country. That's a change from the previous policy which allowed fully vaccinated tourists. Only Interestingly Israel was among the first to require 1/4 vaccine shot last December for those 60 and older. Others like health authorities in Sweden announced several days ago that a second booster dose is recommended for those 80 and older. Health officials in the U. S. Say they're monitoring the data according to CNN the FDA might recommend 1/4 shot by the fall if and when that happens, the CDC will still have to look at supporting data before the rollout is authorized. If you have any questions or just want to get in touch. Send me a voice note. See you tomorrow
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the most populous state in the US just announced it will soon enter the next phase of the pandemic. Hello, this is covid. Daily, I'm Farah, Yousry California's governor just announced the state will take steps to live with the virus as a manageable threat. In other words, something that will stay with us for a while a few days earlier, California announced it will end its mask mandates for vaccinated people. Others like Washington state are dropping mask mandates altogether even for schools starting next month. Big events like Coachella which takes place in California said it will not require attendees to wear masks, be vaccinated or get tested before they can attend the popular music festival this year, according to the new york times. In the meantime the governor said the state will ramp up covid vaccinations and boosters including its schools and for kids under five when they're eligible. There are also plans to ramp up testing and provide wide access to newly authorized covid treatments. The state will also expand its wastewater testing basically testing human waste for traces of the virus gross but it's proven to be one of the best surveillance tools to detect early signs of viral spread. This all comes as the dramatic spike in covid cases across the U. S. Caused by a micron is starting to go down but as mixed information is coming out about another variant namely B. A. To some worry if we're may be moving too fast. If you have any questions, let me know see you tomorrow
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pregnant women who get the Covid vaccine later on in the pregnancy offer a significant level of protection for their babies against covid 19. Hospitalization when they're born. That's according to a new U. S. Study. Hello this is covid daily. I'm Farah Yousry. This study was done by several US Children's hospitals in the C. D. C. And it looked at nearly 400 babies under six months hospitalized for covid between july 2021 january 2022. And it found that vaccinating pregnant women at any point during the pregnancy gives good protection to the baby when born against hospitalization. But the rate of protection rose when the women received the COVID vaccines later on in the pregnancy starting 21 weeks and up until 14 days before delivery. The study authors say the sample size of pregnant women who got the vaccine early on the pregnancy is pretty small, which means there could be some limitations in interpreting this data. Pregnant women are generally at an increased risk of developing severe covid 19 and many related complications including preterm and stillbirth. So if anything, this latest study is just the cherry on top for all the reasons why pregnant women need to be vaccinated. As usual, I'd love to hear from you. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. See you tomorrow
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Hello. This is Covid daily. I'm Farah Yousry. The last group waiting for a Covid vaccine is Children six months to four years. The FDA was going to meet yesterday, february 15th to look at the data and potentially give emergency authorization for a vaccine in a matter of weeks. But those plans have been put on hold for now. Why is that? Well the vaccine maker Pfizer biontech says the data isn't sufficient yet and that the lower dose two shot regimen might not produce strong enough immunity in most of this age group they say a third dose may be the answer but at this point they need more time to evaluate further data. If given authorization, each dose would likely be a fraction of the adult's dose and it seems that the main regimen will include three shots, not just to like older people. So when can we expect the vaccine? Well the FDA will likely look at the new data in two months which could feel pretty quick or too slow depending on who you ask. Some say there's no rush because the super contagious omicron variant infected a significant number of people including Children and hence gave them some natural immunity but others who have Children with health conditions or weakened immune systems feel left behind and many worry that an unforeseen, more dangerous variants may arise if you're a parent of little ones. I'd like to hear from you. I mean I'm a parent and I feel things are pretty nerve wracking. So yeah, I'd like to hear from you. Let me know and see
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Hello, this is Covid Daily. I'm Farah Yousry health journalist with public radio. It's wintertime, but things are really heating up in Canada. Why? Well, a few days ago, a group of truck drivers blocked some of Canada's most vital trade routes, including parts of the border with the US. They did so to protest a Canadian government mandate that requires all truck drivers crossing the Canada us border to be vaccinated against Covid 19. The standoff has been going on for days. The protests now are no longer just against the vaccine mandate, but are expanding to include other covid measures by the government and even climate change policies like a new carbon tax. So, is there any resolution in sight? I mean, just last night, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau invoked the emergencies act, which gives the government the right to crack down on protests. And this is the first time the Canadian government invoked this act in more than half a century. So, who is supporting or funding these protests? Well, that's a good question. With an interesting answer. Anonymous hackers, leaked documents online that showed crowdfunding sites, collected millions of dollars in donations to the protests. Half of it came from Canadians and much of the rest came from people in the United States. If you have any questions or comments, let me know, I would love to hear from you. See you tomorrow
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