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Obese COVID-19 patients at risk for respiratory failure but not hospital death

A retrospective cohort study of 1,687 COVID-19 patients at two New York City hospitals published yesterday in the Annals of Internal Medicine revealed that 31% were obese, and obese patients were at higher risk of respiratory failure.

Korean nightclub-goers linked to 246-person COVID-19 outbreak

At least 246 COVID-19 cases have been tied to reopened nightclubs in Seoul, South Korea, after the Apr 30 to May 5 Golden Week holiday, with 61% among contacts of nightclub revelers, according to a research letter published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Black people in Chicago twice as likely as whites to have COVID, study shows

In yet another study demonstrating racial disparities in the pandemic, a University of Chicago analysis has found that black people are twice as likely as whites to test positive for COVID-19.

Italian study finds COVID-19 symptoms persist in many patients

A small study by Italian researchers found that more than 87% of patients who had recovered from acute COVID-19 still had at least one symptom 2 months after illness onset.

The study, published yesterday in a research letter to JAMA, assessed 143 patients treated for acute COVID-19 at a hospital in Rome in April and May. Patients were assessed a mean 60.3 days after onset of the first symptom.

Study finds 11-fold hike in COVID-linked inflammatory syndrome in UK kids

A multicenter observational study published late last week in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health identified 78 cases of the pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome tied to COVID-19 in the United Kingdom from Apr 1 to May 10—at least 11 times more than expected.

Pandemic could set back decades of HIV, TB, malaria advances, experts say

Some low- and middle-income countries could see deaths due to HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria spike by as much as 10%, 20%, and 36%, respectively, over the next 5 years because of health service disruptions amid the COVID-19 pandemic and response, according to a modeling study published yesterday in The Lancet Global Health.

Trial data show hydroxychloroquine doesn't help hospitalized COVID patients

Data released today from a randomized controlled trial evaluating the use of hydroxychloroquine in hospitalized COVID-19 patients show that the antimalaria drug was not associated with reductions in 28-day mortality but was linked with increased time in the hospital and an increased risk of progressing to mechanical ventilation or death.

DRC Ebola cases reach 56, exceed 2018 Equateur province outbreak

Officials have confirmed 4 more Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Equateur province Ebola outbreak, raising the number to 56 and passing the total of an outbreak that occurred in the same province in 2018.

Ethnic minorities have more severe COVID-19 chest x-rays findings

Racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to have evidence of severe COVID-19 disease on chest x-rays, according to a study yesterday in Radiology.

Death rate in Italy rose 104.5% during COVID-19 pandemic, analysis finds

The official COVID-19 death count from the pandemic in Italy is likely a significant undercount, according to a research letter published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.

16% of COVID-19 patients in NYC hospital had blood clots, study finds

Of the 3,334 consecutive patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at a New York City hospital, 553 (16%) had thrombosis (blood clots), according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA.

Survey: ED doctors stressed over workplace COVID-19 exposures

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, US emergency department (ED) physicians said they were stressed by exposures to infected patients to the point that it impinged on their home lives and female ED doctors reported higher stress levels than their male counterparts, according to survey results published today in Academic Emergency Medicine.

Better brain function, fewer long-COVID symptoms after hyperbaric oxygen

Long-COVID patients in Israel who underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) saw improvement in brain function and cognitive, psychiatric, and physical symptoms, according to a report published today in Scientific Reports.

Co-infection with influenza could suppress replication of SARS-CoV-2

A study yesterday in the Journal of Virology suggests that, while co-infection with influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 does not change the trajectory of influenza A, contracting influenza A first could suppress any COVID-19 infection caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Study: Long COVID has significant impact on UK workforce

A new study published in Applied Economics Letter estimates long COVID symptoms have forced 80,000 UK residents out of employment as of March of this year.

The estimate is based on data that show 5.5% of people infected with COVID-19 will develop chronic illness symptoms that limit their activity, including shortness of breath, brain fog, and headaches.

Cancer treatment delays spotlighted in minority groups amid COVID-19

Survey results published yesterday in JAMA Network Open reveal that, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Black and Latino adults in the United States have experienced more delays in cancer care and more worries about treatment costs than their White peers.

Hospitalization for COVID-19 tied to 45% higher risk of heart failure

COVID-19 hospitalization is associated with a 45% greater risk of subsequent heart failure (HF), particularly for patients who are younger, White, or previously diagnosed as having heart disease, according to a US study published late last week in Nature Communications.

High blood viscosity tied to greater risk of death in hospital COVID patients

High estimated blood viscosity (eBV) is significantly associated with greater risk of death from complications among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, suggests a retrospective study published yesterday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Unvaccinated police, firefighters report low trust in COVID-19 vaccines

Although unvaccinated police officers and firefighters are more likely to develop COVID-19, they are less likely to trust that the vaccines are effective and safe, according to a US study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

Pfizer vaccine 83% effective against hospital Omicron illness in kids 5 to 11

In 5- to 11-year-old children, two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were 36.8% effective in preventing all SARS-CoV-2 infections, 63.5% against test-confirmed cases, and 82.7% against hospitalization amid the Omicron variant surge in Singapore, finds a real-world study published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Survey flags public health worker exodus due in part to COVID-19 impact

Over 40% of the US public health workforce plans to leave their jobs within the next 5 years, and 51% said more staff were needed to respond to COVID-19, according to findings from a 2021 survey published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

VA intervention linked to better treatment for asymptomatic bacteriuria

An antibiotic stewardship intervention for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) was associated with a reduction in urine cultures and antibiotic use at four Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, researchers reported today in JAMA Network Open.

Study: COVID vaccine doesn't raise risk of myopericarditis in kids aged 5 to 11

The risk of myocarditis and/or pericarditis was not significantly different among children ages 5 to 11 years after COVID-19 vaccination from that of unvaccinated children and much lower than that among children aged 12 to 17, finds a prospective study in Denmark published today in Pediatrics.

In COVID-19 survivors, subsequent vaccination tied to half the risk of reinfection

Completion of a primary COVID-19 vaccination series after recovery from infection was tied to half the risk of reinfection in the pre-Omicron variant era, according to a study published today in JAMA Network Open.

Smell and taste loss persists in 5.6% of COVID-19 patients

A systematic review and meta-analysis published yesterday in BMJ estimates that 5.6% of COVID-19 survivors may face long-lasting changes to their sense of smell or taste, adding to concerns about the overall burden of long COVID.