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Long COVID in Adolescents

Long COVID Symptoms in Adolescents Long COVID is defined by the World Health Organization as symptoms following COVID-19 infection that last for at least 2 months that cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. These symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction, and generally have an impact on everyday function and may fluctuate or relapse over time. Long-term symptoms after a viral-infection are common among children and adolescents; therefore, long COVID among children and adolescents would not be surprising. However, while there have been several studies on the symptoms and effects of long COVID among adults, few studies have investigated long COVID in children and adolescents. Many adolescents have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and a recent study aiming to address the lack of long COVID studies among adolescents investigated the health and symptoms of long COVID in adolescents. This study was recently published in The Lancet on Feb

COVID-19 Testing

Rapid Diagnostic Testing for COVID-19 Since the start of the pandemic, clinical laboratories have performed 3 billion molecular diagnostic tests for COVID-19 globally. The United States has performed 600 million of these tests, which is more than any other country. Especially with the wave of highly transmissible Omicron cases, the need for rapid COVID-19 testing has gone up. In response to the drastic increase of Omicron cases, the Biden Administration announced a plan to purchase 1 billion at-home rapid COVID-19 tests to distribute to Americans for free. 500 million of these tests were available for order on January 19th, 2022. But how accurate are the rapid tests? How do they work? When is the best time to get tested? A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on January 20th, 2022, reviews the implications of getting rapid tested and presents strategies for testing using real-world evidence. What are Rapid Diagnostic Tests? Rapid Diagnostic Tests, or RDTs,

Mental Health of Children during COVID-19

Child and Adolescent Mental Health During the Pandemic After almost 2 years of living in a pandemic state, many people can attest to not only the physical, but also the mental toll of COVID-19. A previous post on this blog highlighted results from a study that attributed increased risk of psychiatric illnesses to COVID-19 infection. However, it's clear that you don't just need to be infected with COVID-19 to experience the adverse psychological effects of the pandemic; for children and adolescents, just living with the pandemic and its disruptions have lead to soaring rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. The psychiatric effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are just as critical as the physical effects of COVID-19 infection, especially for children and adolescents, who have experienced enormous disruptions this past year including lockdown, online schooling, and possibly familial instability. In fact, the mental effects of the pandemic have been so great that in Oct

Omicron during the holidays

Omicron and Vaccine Efficacy Since the initial identification of the Omicron variant in South Africa on Nov. 9 2021, Omicron has been spreading fast across and within countries and is now the dominating variant in multiple regions around the world. In South Africa, 95% of all new positive test samples that have been genetically sequenced are identified as infection by the omicron variant. In the US, US federal health officials announced that Omicron accounted for 73% of new infections last week, a nearly 6 fold increase in only one week. With holiday break right at the corner, is it safe to celebrate with friends and family even if we are vaccinated? Scientists are acting fast to test the effectiveness of vaccines against the Omicron variant. In the recent paper published on medRxiv, a research group in Germany used an in vitro assay to test the neutralization efficacy of vaccine-elicited sera against Omicron. Background Information When we receive a COVID-19 vaccination,

Omicron

Rise of the Omicron Virus As the number of vaccinated individuals continue to increase each day, the long-lasting COVID-19 pandemic comes closer to nearing an end. However, things seemed to take an unexpected turn when the World Health Organization designated the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, B.1.1.529, or Omicron, as a variant of concern for its large number of mutations which can lead to increased infection and escape from immunity. The first known confirmed Omicron sample was collected in South Africa on November 9 2021. There have been many other coronavirus mutations but what worries researchers most is Omicron’s rapid rise in South Africa, which suggests the variant could result in an explosive increase in COVID-19 cases worldwide. On December 1, 2021, there have been 8,561 recorded Omicron cases in South Africa. As of December 4, the Omicron variant has spread to over 40 countries and territories, including the United States where it was first detected in California

Vaccination and COVID-19 severity

mRNA Vaccination and COVID hospitalization and disease severity Messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines, such as those developed by the companies Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, are highly effective for preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations. However, there have been reports of breakthrough COVID-19 cases, or COVID-19 infections among those who are fully vaccinated. Once hospitalized, patients with COVID-19 can progress to more severe infection, including respiratory failure and death. SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated persons is expected to trigger memory antibody and cellular responses owing to prior vaccination; these immune responses could mitigate disease progression, possibly preventing life-threatening organ failure and death. However, the association between prior vaccination and disease progression to the most severe forms of COVID-19 is not well understood. A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association , inves

COVID-19 Resistance

The Search for Natural COVID-19 Resistance As of November 2021, 249 million people have been infected with COVID-19 across the globe. Although much progress has been made in understanding the coronavirus since December 2019, there is still a lot that is unknown. Just like any other infection, each COVID-19 infected individual reacts very differently to the virus; some are asymptomatic, some have mild symptoms and recover without treatment, some are hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome, and some die. In rare cases, there have been people who were exposed without protection to COVID-19 over an extended period of time and did not test positive. These clinical variabilities can be explained by human genetic factors- it’s possible that some lucky individuals have inborn resistance to COVID infection. Looking back in history, this type of mechanism has previously been observed with HIV, the virus behind AIDS. Through genetic studies on people who were resistant

Racial Disparities During Pandemic

Increased Racial Disparities in Excess Death During the Pandemic While racial disparities have always been an issue in the United States, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has greatly amplified these disparities. During the beginning of the pandemic, studies found that although African Americans make up less than 20% of the population, they had the second highest rate of hospitalization (33%) in the US. (See Who's at Risk ) Similar trends were also found for Hispanic communities. However, more data has been released now that a year and a half of the pandemic has gone by, and researchers have re-examined the effects of COVID-19 on racial disparities. A study published on October 5, 2021 in the Annals of Internal Medicine focuses on deaths both indirectly and directly caused by COVID-19 between racial/ethnic groups. Study Introduction Data of both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 deaths during March to December 2020 were collected by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control an

Molnupiravir

New COVID-19 Treatment Could Reduce Hospitalization and Death As of October 2021, more than 700,000 people have died from COVID-19 infection. Although vaccination provides great protection from COVID-19 infection, there is still the possibility of breakthrough infections. During the pandemic, there has been much discussion over treatment options for individuals who are infected with the coronavirus. Already, treatment options such as convalescent plasma have been developed. However, all authorized treatments in the US are given through an IV or injection. A pill taken from home would not only allow more people to be treated quickly but also ease pressure on hospitals. On October 1, 2021, the pharmaceutical company Merck announced that their experimental pill for COVID-19 infection reduced hospitalization and death by the coronavirus by one half. About the Study Molnupiravir, or the oral antiviral medicine developed by Merck, is a drug developed to specifically eliminate infect

Breakthrough Infections and Hospitalization

Hospitalization in COVID-19 Breakthrough Cases Countless studies have proven that one of the most important forms of protection from COVID-19 infection is vaccination. As of Sep 21, 2021 54.8% of Americans and 64.5% of people who are age 12 and above are fully vaccinated. While the chances of COVID-19 infection after vaccination are significantly reduced, there have been reports of rare cases of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection in fully vaccinated individuals. (See COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections ) Previous studies have found that the viral load of an individual with a COVID-19 breakthrough infection is not significantly different than that of an individual who is unvaccinated. (See Can Vaccination Reduce COVID-19 Transmission? ) However, more questions related to breakthrough infections have arisen including whether or not a vaccinated individual with COVID-19 has a reduced risk of severe illness and hospitalization. A study published in The Lancet in September 2021 collected

COVID-19 Transmissibility and Vaccination

Can Vaccination Reduce COVID-19 Transmission? It's no secret that the B.1.617.2, or delta variant, has been found to be highly transmissible compared to other variants and has thus spread quickly across the globe. Although data prior to the spread of Delta found that vaccination reduces COVID-19 transmission, new reports find that Delta is more likely than other variants to spread among vaccinated individuals. Yes, it is still crucial for those who can to get vaccinated because of the protection it offers. But while many people believe that vaccinated individuals are less likely to transmit the virus, recent studies suggest otherwise. A study published in the medRxiv preprint server examines the viral load and transmission rates of those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. About the Study The study was conducted in multiple Wisconsin counties including Dane County, a populous county which has one of the highest rates of vaccination in the United