Summary
This document offers some current news and information about the current state of COVID, including persistent enduring symptoms known as long covid.
A highly contagious mutating version of COVID is spreading quickly this summer.
For additional background and context, read COVID Report 2023. [View]
News
Selected news reports are below in chronological order with the most recent at the top.
WREG (14 Aug 2024)
“COVID briefly closes TN elementary school” — [Source]
ABC News (13 Aug 2024)
“Over half of US states report ‘very high’ levels of Covid activity: CDC” — ABC News medical contributor Dr. Alok Patel joins to talk about what is driving this summer’s COVID-19 surge. [Source]
KCCI (1 Aug 2024)
“Iowa sees rise in COVID-19 infections, doctors discuss prevention methods” — Excerpt: “COVID-19 is back on the rise across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 36 states are reporting an increase or likely increase in infections. Emergency room visits are at their highest for the coronavirus since February. The current guidelines are to isolate yourself from others until you are fever-free for at least 24 hours and until overall symptoms improve. Health experts also recommend taking additional steps for at least five more days when you are most infectious.” [Source]
Washington Post (26 Jul 2024)
The video below is queued to start at 2m 46s after a generic Washington Post promotional video.
“The looming public health challenge of long covid” — Long covid presents a growing public health challenge worldwide, with potentially tens of millions affected by lingering post-infection symptoms. Join Washington Post Live for conversations featuring leading policymakers, medical researchers and first-hand accounts about the causes, prevalence and long-term impacts of long covid. [Source]
WBUR Radio (26 Jul 2024)
“How to combat a new surge of COVID-19 cases” — The CDC said new “FLiRT” variants are causing surges in COVID-19 cases across the country. Radio Boston sits down with two doctors to answer listeners’ questions. [Source]
CBS (24 Jul 2024)
“COVID cases spike across U.S.” — Nearly 40 U.S. states are reporting “high” COVID activity levels, according to the CDC. Emergency room visits are at their highest for the coronavirus since February. Dr. Celine Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor, discusses the surge in cases. [Source]
PBS (24 Jul 2024)
“COVID infections spike, raising concerns of another summer surge” — A COVID summer wave has spread across most of the U.S. and western states are seeing particularly high numbers of infections. With more people traveling for the summer and gathering in large groups, public health officials are concerned these numbers won’t be going down anytime soon. William Brangham discussed more with epidemiologist Dr. Katelyn Jetelina. [Source]
CBS (23 Jul 2024)
“Latest COVID-19 guidelines to remember as virus appears to spike” — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for COVID-19 still call for a period of isolation for those dealing with the virus. This comes after a summer COVID wave appears to have grown in some parts of the country. CBS News medical contributor Dr. Céline Gounder has more on the current protocols in place. [Source]
CBS (17 Jul 2024)
“COVID cases rising across U.S., according to levels detected in wastewater” — The wastewater viral activity level for COVID-19 is high and very high in 26 states right now, according to the CDC, with more than 70% of illnesses stemming from a highly contagious COVID strain known as the FLiRT variant. Andrew Pekosz is the professor and vice chair of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He joined CBS News to talk about the spike in cases. [Source]
CBS (17 May 2024)
“What to know about the new FLiRT COVID-19 variant” — A new coronavirus variant is spreading through the U.S., according to the CDC. KP.2, also known as the “FLiRT” variant, is a mutation of the Omicron strain. Amira Roess, professor of global health and epidemiology at George Mason University, joins CBS News to discuss. [Source]
News Archive
Knowable Magazine (8 Aug 2022)
“Long Covid: A parallel pandemic” — Many people may never be able to put the pandemic behind them. They have long Covid, a catch-all term for illness that lingers long after a Covid-19 infection. More than 200 symptoms have been reported by patients, from hair loss and incontinence to severe tremors, anxiety, extreme fatigue and heart palpitations. “Even if the pandemic virus spread were to stop today, we still have tens of millions of people suffering long Covid,” says Yale immunologist Akiko Iwasaki. “That’s a parallel pandemic that’s happening, which is getting a lot less attention than the acute and severe Covid.” In this video, we hear from people struggling with long Covid and what scientists have learned about the condition — or conditions — so far. Iwasaki explains long Covid’s diverse effects on the body — on the central nervous system, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory and cardiac systems, and more — and the search for biological origins. Long Covid is likely more than one disease, but without biomarkers that indicate who will get long Covid and the ways each case will manifest, personalizing treatments is challenging. The prevalence of long Covid has been a wake-up call, Iwasaki says, for society to investigate other syndromes that emerge after a viral infection. [Source]
iHealth (5 Nov 2021)
“How to use the iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test” — iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test is authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for OTC without a prescription. It is suitable for adults and children over 2 years, with or without symptoms. The self-administered test is recommended for individuals aged 15 years and older. Adult collection is required for testing children 2-14 years old. [Source]