"Elon" Plummets in Popularity as a Baby Name for Some Reason

According to BabyCenter's

Big Baby

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's name has clearly lost its luster among the parents of newborns.

According to BabyCenter's review of the data the name "Elon" has cratered in popularity over the last year, dropping from 120 babies per million in 2021 to just 90 babies per million, falling in the popularity rankings by 466 spots.

The name had seen a meteoric rise over the last seven or so years, but is currently falling out of favor big time, plummeting back down to 2019 levels.

The read? It seems like Musk's public reputation has been taking a significant hit.

Name Game

There are countless reasons why Musk could be less popular public figure than he was three years ago.

Especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Musk emerged as a controversial figure, speaking out against vaccinations and lockdowns. He has also become synonymous with an unhealthy work culture, firing practically anybody standing in his way and forcing his employees to work long hours.

The fiasco surrounding Musk's chaotic takeover of Twitter has likely only further besmirched his public image.

For reference, other baby names that have fallen out of fashion include "Kanye" — almost certainly in response to the travails of rapper Kanye West, who's had a years-long relationship with Musk — which fell a whopping 3,410 spots over the last year.

More on Elon Musk: Sad Elon Musk Says He's Overwhelmed In Strange Interview After the Power Went Out

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"Elon" Plummets in Popularity as a Baby Name for Some Reason

Furious Fire Ants "Rain Down" on Hawaiian Residents and Bite Them in their Sleep

Hawaii has a big problem with little fire ants that have begun quite literally raining down on people from above and sting them.

Smol Means

Hawaii has a big problem: little fire ants that have begun quite literally raining down on people and stinging them — and it's reportedly changing life on the islands as residents know it.

In interviews with SFGate, Hawaiian officials described infestation scenes straight out of a horror flick, replete with people being bitten in their beds while sleeping, causing painful welts that can last for weeks.

"They’re changing the way of life for our residents here in Hawaii," Heather Forester of the University of Hawai'i's Hawaii Ant Lab told the Gate. "You used to be able to go out hiking and go to the beach. They can rain down on people and sting them."

"In heavily infested areas, the ants can actually move into people’s homes," she continued. "We have a lot of reports of them stinging people while they sleep in their beds."

Invasion

While little fire ants have been detected on the islands since 1999, this latest infestation – which has hit the island of Kauai the hardest — is reportedly the largest Hawaii's ever seen.

It's gotten so bad there that the Kauai Invasive Species Committee (KISC) has executed a huge public service announcement campaign to alert residents about help they can receive to detect or deal with these minuscule monsters, including home testing kits to detect them before they invade their houses.

Riverside Blues

This latest infestation, the Gate notes, appears to have begun on private property and spilled over a cliff and into a lush valley near the Wailua River that provides the ants with the opportunity to float downriver and create colonies elsewhere.

So far, it's unclear if the ants have gotten to the river — but when and if they do, it'll only get worse, officials say.

"That would infest the entire state park," KISC's Haylin Chock told the website. "If they are at that point, they can start climbing trees. It’s like a paradise for them. If that happens, how are we supposed to know where they are?"

The whole situation is taking the tenor of a plague, which the islands certainly don't need after being unduly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

More buggies: These Dancing Bugs Are Straight Out of a Miyazaki Film

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Furious Fire Ants "Rain Down" on Hawaiian Residents and Bite Them in their Sleep

US Gov to Crack Down on "Bossware" That Spies On Employees’ Computers

In the era of remote work, employers have turned to invasive

Spying @ Home

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic drove a wave of working from home, companies have been relentless in their efforts to digitally police and spy on remote employees by using what's known as "bossware." That's the pejorative name for software that tracks the websites an employee visits, screenshots their computer screens, and even records their faces and voices.

And now, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an agency of the federal government, is looking to intervene.

"Close, constant surveillance and management through electronic means threaten employees' basic ability to exercise their rights," said NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, in a Monday memo. "I plan to urge the Board to apply the Act to protect employees, to the greatest extent possible, from intrusive or abusive electronic monitoring and automated management practices."

Undoing Unions

In particular, Abruzzo is worried about how bossware could infringe on workers' rights to unionize. It's not hard to imagine how such invasive surveillance could be used to bust unionization. Even if the technology isn't explicitly deployed to impede organization efforts, the ominous presence of the surveillance on its own can be a looming deterrent, which Abruzzo argues is illegal.

And now is the perfect moment for the NLRB to step in. The use and abuse of worker surveillance tech in general — not just bossware — has been "growing by the minute," Mark Gaston Pearce, executive director of the Workers' Rights Institute at Georgetown Law School, told CBS.

"Employers are embracing technology because technology helps them run a more efficient business," Gaston explained. "… What comes with that is monitoring a lot of things that employers have no business doing."

Overbearing Overlord

In some ways, surveillance tech like bossware can be worse than having a nosy, actual human boss. Generally speaking, in a physical workplace employees have an understanding of how much privacy they have (unless they work at a place like Amazon or Walmart, that is).

But when bossware spies on you, who knows how much information an employer could be gathering — or even when they're looking in. And if it surveils an employee's personal computer, which more often than not contains plenty of personal information that a boss has no business seeing, that's especially invasive.

Which is why Abruzzo is pushing to require employers to disclose exactly how much they're tracking.

It's a stern message from the NLRB, but at the end of the day, it's just a memo. We'll have to wait and see how enforcing it pans out.

More on surveillance: Casinos to Use Facial Recognition to Keep "Problem Gamblers" Away

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US Gov to Crack Down on "Bossware" That Spies On Employees' Computers

COVID-19 Daily Update 8-4-2022 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of August 4, 2022, there are currently 3,036 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been four deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 7,173 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 93-year old female from Marion County, a 75-year old male from Harrison County, a 78-year old male from Mercer County, and a 98-year old female from Harrison County.

Each death of a West Virginian is a loss felt by all, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. We extend our sincere condolences to these families and encourage all eligible individuals to get vaccinated and boosted.

CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (48), Berkeley (161), Boone (50), Braxton (17), Brooke (28), Cabell (144), Calhoun (8), Clay (6), Doddridge (8), Fayette (83), Gilmer (9), Grant (8), Greenbrier (69), Hampshire (33), Hancock (32), Hardy (47), Harrison (109), Jackson (41), Jefferson (77), Kanawha (267), Lewis (21), Lincoln (45), Logan (81), Marion (91), Marshall (62), Mason (53), McDowell (50), Mercer (137), Mineral (37), Mingo (56), Monongalia (123), Monroe (45), Morgan (21), Nicholas (38), Ohio (73), Pendleton (7), Pleasants (7), Pocahontas (13), Preston (23), Putnam (113), Raleigh (180), Randolph (17), Ritchie (13), Roane (37), Summers (22), Taylor (25), Tucker (12), Tyler (13), Upshur (35), Wayne (55), Webster (19), Wetzel (13), Wirt (9), Wood (198), Wyoming (47). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.

West Virginians ages 6 months and older are recommended to get vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19. Those 5 years and older should receive a booster shot when due. Second booster shots for those age 50 and over who are 4 months or greater from their first booster are recommended, as well as for younger individuals over 12 years old with serious and chronic health conditions that lead to being considered moderately to severely immunocompromised.

Visit the WV COVID-19 Vaccination Due Date Calculator, a free, online tool that helps individuals figure out when they may be due for a COVID-19 shot, making it easier to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination. To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, or to find a vaccine site near you, visit vaccinate.wv.gov or call 1-833-734-0965.

To locate COVID-19 testing near you, please visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 8-4-2022 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Pedagogies, Communities, and Practices of Care after COVID-19 – Knox College

The Mellon Foundation awarded $150,000 to Knox College for a research project entitled Pedagogies, Communities, and Practices of Care after COVID-19. Cate Denial, Bright Distinguished Professor of American History, chair of History, and director of the Bright Institute, is the principal investigator.

Over the past two years, administrators, faculty, and staff have held higher education together with willpower and determination in the face of a global pandemic. The result, for many, has been burnout and exhaustion. This project responds to that crisis with a plan to identify, cultivate, and support national leadership in applying practices of compassion and care to working conditions in higher education. Denial will coordinate 36 individuals from community colleges, four-year institutions, regional states, and flagship research institutions, including online educators. These individuals, representing diverse social identities, will explore the meaning of, and opportunities within, a practice of care in the academy.

Im so grateful for the encouragement and support of the Mellon Foundation in funding this project, said Denial. Care and compassion offer a strong foundation from which to build, change, and rethink community as the pandemic continues. Faculty and staff working conditions are student learning conditions, making it particularly important to think critically about the ways in which we labor, and new approaches to work that will increase accessibility, employ trauma-informed practices, and evolve our pedagogies to affirm that care is at the center of what we do.

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Pedagogies, Communities, and Practices of Care after COVID-19 - Knox College

Monkeypox can’t use the same at-home testing playbook as COVID-19 – The Verge

After two years of COVID-19, the conversation around monkeypox testing gives off an unnerving sense of deja-vu. The similarities are right there: painful swabs, the struggle to even find a test, bottlenecks, and a long wait for results. But the diseases are different enough that experience with COVID-19 didnt give researchers much of a leg up in their efforts to improve the monkeypox testing process.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts bemoaned the lack of investment in rapid, at-home testing for various diseases in the United States. The thought was that if the infrastructure had been in place before the coronavirus emerged, it would have been easier to scale up testing and maybe help control the pandemic. Eventually, that scale-up happened anyway. Money and resources flooded into testing projects, and soon, at-home COVID-19 tests became ubiquitous. That experience was supposed to set the stage for a future with easy access to home tests for any number of diseases once they popped onto the scene.

Against that backdrop, it would seem that monkeypox might offer a perfect test case. Its an unfamiliar disease spreading rapidly, and theres high demand for tests. But monkeypox isnt the best benchmark for whether that future is going to materialize, says Ben Pinsky, the medical co-director for point of care testing at Stanford Health Care. Its a different enough infection, he says.

Monkeypox isnt a respiratory disease like COVID-19, where the nose and mouth are the clear targets both for the virus and for testing. Monkeypoxs telltale signs are painful, blister-like sores, and it can come with other symptoms like fever and muscle aches. Right now, monkeypox tests involve swabbing the sores that appear over the course of an infection. There arent at-home tests for other lesions like herpes, for example, Pinsky says. There is still a lot of work to do to figure out if people are able to successfully swab their own lesions, which could be painful or difficult, he says.

The reliance on lesions means that patients can only be tested once the telltale signs of the disease appear which is a sign they probably should be isolated from others anyway. Someone who was exposed to monkeypox and has a fever but no lesions wouldnt be able to take a test. People can test for COVID-19, on the other hand, without waiting for any specific symptoms to appear. Im a strong advocate for home testing of diseases, but you have to have the right sample at the right time, and we arent there yet, says Paul Yager, a professor in the department of bioengineering at the University of Washington, in an email to The Verge.

It might be possible to test for monkeypox through saliva or semen, according to one small study of 12 patients done in June. And some companies are working on tests that dont involve lesions at all. A California-based company, Flow Health, developed a saliva-based molecular test for monkeypox, which asks people to spit in a tube and then send in the sample for PCR testing.

The test is not authorized or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Its offered through a program that lets certified labs develop and run their own in-house tests without going through the normal regulatory process. Right now, the FDA still says monkeypox tests should be run on lesions. The company is sharing its saliva test data with the FDA as the agency checks to see if it should update its guidance, Flow Health CEO Alex Meshkin told The Verge.

Theres still a lot of work to do in order to figure out how and when the monkeypox virus shows up in different parts of the body over the course of the disease, which will influence how effective and accurate tests that dont use lesions might be. If the monkeypox virus shows up in saliva before lesions develop, for example, then a saliva-based test could help flag the disease early on. But if it doesnt, that type of test might not be as useful. Meshkin says Flow Health has tested someone who closely interacted with monkeypox patients but didnt yet have lesions and that the tests of that person came up positive. Itll take testing more patients, though, to know for sure when and how the virus shows up.

Along with the science being different, the regulatory and political landscape around monkeypox also breaks from COVID-19. At the moment, monkeypox hasnt been declared a federal public health emergency in the United States. That changes the way various groups might go about developing tests. Right now, COVID-19 at-home tests are primarily available under emergency use authorizations an accelerated process that lets tests come to market more quickly during an emergency. Meshkin says Flow Health is prepared to file for an emergency use authorization if a public health emergency is declared, which reports say could come this week.

Without the emergency authorization, companies that do home testing arent able to take some of the same steps that they did during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also cant take the approach of Flow Health, which doesnt need FDA signoff to run saliva tests at its lab. An at-home test, by definition, doesnt use a lab to start diagnosing patients. Those factors may contribute to why many rapid testing platforms that sprang up in response to COVID-19 didnt pivot straight to monkeypox. Cue Health, which has a rapid molecular COVID-19 test, is working on a variety of diagnostics tests but didnt specify which they were, spokesperson Shannon Olivas said in an email to The Verge. Detect, which also has a rapid molecular COVID-19 test, said its in the concept phase for a monkeypox test, chief technology officer Eric Kauderer-Abrams said in an email to The Verge.

Those are all reasons why monkeypox testing takes more work than building directly on the COVID-19 experience. But they arent excuses. The health system could still have been far better prepared for this particular outbreak. The disease has been common in Africa for years, but global public health has largely failed to devote resources to understanding and preventing it. A Nigerian doctor who tried to raise alarms about the disease in 2017 wasnt taken seriously by officials and the international medical community. If thered been more attention to the disease over the past few years, infectious disease experts might have a better understanding of how the virus affects the body giving them the type of information theyd need to develop easier home tests more quickly.

Even if we set aside home testing and the logistical differences between the two diseases, youd think that, after two years of a brutal pandemic, the US would have learned how urgent testing can be to get a handle on an infectious disease outbreak. Theres still more demand for testing than there are tests available, and some people who suspect they have the disease are being dismissed by doctors while they struggle to manage painful symptoms. Unlike the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, monkeypox is a known disease with existing tests, treatments, and vaccines, but the sluggish response to US outbreaks shows just how few lessons the public health system has learned even after a two-year crash course in how disease can disrupt the world.

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Monkeypox can't use the same at-home testing playbook as COVID-19 - The Verge

COVID-19 update as of Aug. 4: Cook County stays in high community risk level, Evanston in the medium risk level – Evanston RoundTable

The total number of new cases of COVID-19 in Evanston was 163 for the week ending Aug. 3, compared to 185 for the week ending July 28, a decrease of 12%. The seven-day average of new cases in the state also decreased by 12%; hospitalizations declined by 4%.

Cook County, including Chicago, remained in the high community risk level. City officials say Evanston is in the medium risk level.

The number of new cases being reported is significantly lower than the actual number of new cases being contracted because many new cases are not being reported. [1] Some researchers estimate that the actual number of new cases is between six and ten times higher than the number being reported.

Illinois: On Aug. 4, the number of new cases in the state was 4,149.

The seven-day average of new cases in Illinois on Aug. 4 was 4,345, down from 4,962 on July 28, a12.4% decrease. The chart below shows the trend.

Evanston: Evanston reported there were 28 new COVID-19 cases of Evanston residents on Aug. 3. (Evanston is reporting COVID-19 data with a one-day delay.)

There was a total of 163 new COVID-19 cases of Evanston residents in the week ending Aug. 3, compared to 185 new cases in the week ending July 28, a decrease of 12%.

The chart below shows the trend.

No Evanstonians died due to COVID-19 during the week ending July 28. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at 155.

Northwestern University. The latest data reported on NUs website shows that between July 22 and July 28, there were 65 new COVID-19 cases of faculty, staff or students. Cases of Evanston residents are included in Evanstons data for the relevant period, Ike Ogbo, Director of Evanstons Department of Health and Human Services, told the RoundTable. NU will update its data tomorrow.

The weekly number of new cases per 100,000 people in Illinois is 239 in the seven days ending Aug. 4.

As of Aug. 3, the weekly number of new cases per 100,000 people in Evanston was 220. As of Aug. 4, the number was 211 for Chicago, and 226 for Suburban Cook County. An accompanying chart shows the trend.

There were 1,416 hospitalizations in Illinois due to COVID-19 on Aug. 3, compared to 1,476 one week ago.

The chart below, prepared by the City of Evanston, shows the trends in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 at the closest two hospitals serving Evanston residents.

The CDC and IDPH look at the combination of three metrics to determine whether a community level of risk for COVID-19 is low, medium, or high. They are: 1) the total number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the last 7 days; 2) the new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 in the last 7 days; and 3) the percent of staffed inpatient hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. [2]

The City of Evanston reported this evening, Aug. 4, that Evanston is in the mediumrisk category. IDPH reported today that Cook County, including Chicago, is in the high risk category. Lake, DuPage, Will, Kane, and McHenry Counties are also in the high risk category.

While Evanston has more than 200 new cases per 100,000 people, the city reported this evening that Evanston has a 7-day total of 5.12 new hospital admissions per 100,000 people, and that it has 2.61% staffed inpatient hospital beds that are occupied by COVID patients (using a 7-day average).

The city has not said which hospitals or how many hospitals it is considering in making its analysis of community risk.

The CDC and IDPH recommend that people in a community with a high transmission rate should take the following precautions:

FOOTNOTES

1/The City of Evanston says that the State, the County and the City do not have a mechanism to report, verify or track at home test results. Because a positive at home test is regarded as highly accurate, most people who test positive in an at home test do not get a second test outside the home that is reported to government officials. The number of new COVID-19 cases reported by IDPH and the City thus significantly understates the actual number of new cases that are contracted. Some studies estimate the cases are underestimated by 600% or more.

2/ CDC recommends the use of three indicators to measure COVID-19 Community Levels: 1) new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the last 7 days; 2) new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population in the last 7 days; and 3) the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by patients with confirmed COVID-19 (7-day average).

The chart below illustrates how these indicators are combined to determine whether COVID-19 Community Levels are low, medium, or high. The CDC provides many recommendations depending on whether the COVID-19 Community Level is low, medium, or high.

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COVID-19 update as of Aug. 4: Cook County stays in high community risk level, Evanston in the medium risk level - Evanston RoundTable

Covid-19, Gender And Immune Response: What’s The Relationship? (Part Two) – Forbes

This is the second installment in a two part series which analyzes biological sex differences in immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Part one focuses primarily on Covid-19 related viral entry, innate and adaptive immune responses to Covid-19 and their correlation to epidemiological evidence. This article will highlight the role of sex hormones in SARS-CoV-2 immune responses, examine sex differences in response to vaccines, and consider their possible therapeutic implications.

Paper cut out illustration of a man and a woman facing each other

Covid-19 disease severity and mortality differ between men and women, but the reasons for such differences are not well understood. Part one of this series delves into sex differences in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and notes how stronger immune responses seen in females likely contribute to the better outcomes observed. This second and final installment will analyze two more elucidating factors: the role of sex hormones on SARS-CoV-2 immune responses and sex differences in immune responses to vaccines. These components, in particular, pose potential therapeutic directions for treating and understanding Covid-19.

Sex Hormones and SARS-CoV-2 Immune Responses

FIGURE 1: Men possess higher levels of androgens such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Women, in contrast, have elevated levels of estrogen and progesterone. The first section of this article will concentrate on the role of androgens, estrogen and progesterone on Covid-19 disease progression and outcomes.

Androgens

In their review The Immune Response to Covid-19: Does sex matter?, Ho et al. analyze the complex relationship between sex hormones and SARS-CoV-2 immune response. They first consider androgenssuch as testosterone and dihydrotestosteronewhich males possess higher levels of than females.

Ho et al. find that androgen receptor expression may impact two essential enzymes to SARS-CoV-2 viral entry: furin and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2). Furin is a calcium-dependent enzyme which cleaves the spike protein into the configuration needed for priming and activation. Transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) primes the SARS-CoV-2 protein for entry into host cells. The theory is, since increased androgen receptor expression can upregulate furin and TMPRSS2, the higher androgen receptor expression seen in men increases their susceptibility to severe forms of Covid-19.

Although the clinical association observed between androgenic alopecia and severe Covid-19 would suggest this mechanism to be true, studies on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in prostate cancer patients with Covid-19 do not necessarily support this claim. Androgen deprivation therapy reduces the number of androgen receptors available for activation through medicine or surgery. The therapy was expected to decrease androgen receptor expression in prostate cancer patients with Covid-19, thereby restricting androgen regulation of TMPRSS2 and reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In contrast to this notion, the treatment did not improve infection risk, ICU admission, hospitalization or mortality in comparison to controls.

Randomized clinical trial results with antiandrogens, medicines which block androgen receptors and inhibit androgen synthesis, further complicate these associations. One randomized controlled trial revealed that Covid-19 patients given nitazoxanide/azithromycin therapy with antiandrogen dutasteride experienced decreased viral shedding, inflammatory markers and time-to-remission compared with placebo; another found that antiandrogen proxoludamine reduced the 30-day hospitalization rate and risk ratio amongst men with Covid-19. On the other hand, a third trial with enzalutamide increased Covid-19 related hospitalization stay.

Male sex steroids seem to perform varying roles with respect to Covid-19. The culminating conclusion from these studies suggests that both low and high androgen levels can correlate with poor Covid-19 prognoses. As Ho et al. state in their review, further investigation in this arena is needed.

Estrogens

Female sex hormone estrogen appears to mediate several beneficial immune responses. A study of hospitalized Covid patients correlated higher estradiol levels to decreased disease severity. And as mentioned in part one, estrogen promotes strong immune responses in women and likely contributes to the observed discrepancy in innate and adaptive immune responses between sexes.

Inflammation in female innate immune responses reduces when estrogen activates anti-inflammatory cytokines, inhibits the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-B) pathway, and decreases the release of inflammatory cytokines. Women also have better priming of adaptive immune responses to viruses. This is thought to be influenced by estrogen; estrogen can help regulate immune cells called plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) which, in turn, promote the production of interferon alpha, an important antiviral cytokine in innate immunity. These mechanisms may translate to the better disease outcomes witnessed in women than men with Covid-19.

Estrogen has also been found to regulate several proteins which are involved in SARS-CoV-2 viral entry: furin, TMPRSS2, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and a disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17). It, too, suppresses immune enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), thereby blocking another potential means of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry.

Researchers are exploring possible therapeutic applications for estrogen in Covid-19 interventions. Two examples include a study on the effect of selective estrogen receptor modulators on Covid-19, and a randomized control trial analyzing the efficacy of an estradiol/progesterone therapy in reducing disease severity in hospitalized Covid patients.

Progesterone

Ho et al. complete their study of sex hormones in Covid-19 with progesterone. Progesterone levels tend to be higher in women than men and are associated with general anti-inflammatory effects. These anti-inflammatory effects include but are not limited to the ability to increase T regulatory cells, enhance antiviral immune pathways and disrupt endocytic pathways used by viruses to enter host cells. It is hypothesized, therefore, that progesterone may decrease the risk of hyperinflammation and SARS-CoV-2 related cytokine storm.

There is therapeutic potential in administering progesterone to treat Covid-19. A study of hypoxemic men hospitalized with Covid-19 observed that short term subcutaneous progesterone decreased hospitalization stay and supplemental oxygen needed. Additional research is needed to understand the specific mechanisms at work and its promising impacts on Covid-19 treatments.

Sex Differences in Vaccine Immune Responses

Vaccines are crucial to Covid-19 control and have been invaluable in reducing lives lost to severe forms of the disease. As a result, Ho et al. emphasize the importance of understanding sex differences in response to Covid-19 vaccines. They state, sex differences should be taken into account as a biological variable for adjusting sex-personalized vaccine dosage and considering vaccine efficiency.

These considerations seem most pertinent to women. Two studies, one systematic review and one meta analysis, found that vaccination prevented Covid-19 disease less effectively in women than in men. Similarly, a 2021 CDC report observed that women received 61% of administered Covid-19 vaccines at the time yet accounted for 79% of adverse events. The discrepancies in vaccine response could be due to several factorsage, hormonal differences (as explored in this article) and sex differences intrinsic to SARS-CoV-2 immune response (see part one of this series)but more studies are needed to clarify these possible correlations.

Conclusions

Contemporary research reveals that sex hormones and biological sex do influence immune responses and vaccines, although specific mechanisms have yet to be fully understood. Ho et al. call for biological sex to be considered in basic, translational and clinical Covid-19 research. More extensive research on biological sex and Covid-19 could open potential therapeutic avenues and improve the specificity of those strategiesbe it through the use of sex hormone therapies or through the adjustment of vaccine dosage based on gender.

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Covid-19, Gender And Immune Response: What's The Relationship? (Part Two) - Forbes

God, No, Not Another Case. COVID-Related Stillbirths Didn’t Have to Happen. – ProPublica

This story contains descriptions of stillbirths.

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week.

Late one afternoon last October, Dr. Shelley Odronic sat in her office and, just as she had thousands of times before, slid a rectangular glass slide onto her microscope.

A pathologist who works in rural Ohio, Odronic leaned forward to examine tissue from the placenta of a woman who had recently given birth. She increased the magnification on the microscope. Never had she seen so many tiny, congealed reservoirs of blood or such severe inflammation of the tissue, a sign the placenta had been fighting an infection.

Right away, I knew it wasnt compatible with life, Odronic said.

She asked her secretary to print out the patients chart. In dark letters were the words fetal demise. A stillbirth, the death of a fetus at 20 weeks or more of pregnancy. But that didnt solve the mystery. Odronic had examined many placentas from pregnancies that ended in stillbirth. None looked like this withered and scarred.

Odronic kept reading. No chronic medical conditions. Good prenatal care. Then, buried in the middle of the report, she spotted something. Seven days before the stillbirth, the mother had tested positive for COVID-19. Odronic wondered if the virus could explain the damage to the placenta. In the world of placenta pathology, a new affliction is unusual, especially one so dramatic in presentation and so devastating in effect.

Her mind traveled to Dr. Amy Heerema-McKenney, a pathologist at Cleveland Clinic and an expert on the placenta, who had trained Odronic during residency. Odronic went to sleep that night with a pit in her stomach and a plan to call her former teacher in the morning.

Heerema-McKenney was in her office when the phone rang. As she listened, she knew that what Odronic was describing was what she and her colleagues had observed repeatedly over the past several months: a patient positive for the coronavirus, a placenta destroyed by COVID-19, a baby stillborn.

Their next discovery was equally stunning. None of the stillbirths they studied involved a pregnant person who had been fully vaccinated. The doctors checked with colleagues across the country and around the world. The fatal pattern held.

Unvaccinated women who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy were at a higher risk of stillbirths. They also were more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit, give birth prematurely or die. Yet their greatest protection the COVID-19 vaccine sat largely untouched, buried under doubt, polluted by disinformation.

How Misinformation About COVID Vaccines and Pregnancy Took Root Early On and Why It Wont Go Away

Pharmaceutical companies and government officials failed to ensure that pregnant people were included in the early development of the COVID-19 vaccine, a calamitous decision made amid the urgency of a rapidly spreading pandemic. That decision left pregnant people with little research to rely on when making a critical decision on how best to keep the babies growing inside of them safe.

At the same time that research was excluding pregnant people from vaccine trials, a full-scale assault on vaccination was unfolding online. Taking advantage of the lack of data, conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers and even some medical professionals spread false claims about the vaccines safety in pregnancy, leading many pregnant people to delay or refuse the vaccine. Even now, with numerous studies unequivocally announcing the safety of the vaccine for pregnant people, some doctors have failed to communicate the dangers of COVID-19 to pregnant people or the vaccines role in mitigating it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contributed to the confusion with vague early messaging about whether pregnant people should get vaccinated. While Americans lined up at pharmacies and stalked vaccine websites in hopes of securing a shot last year, pregnant people had some of the lowest vaccination rates among adults, with only 35% fully vaccinated by last November. Meanwhile, many Americans were already moving on to their boosters after federal officials that month expanded eligibility for the additional shots to anyone 18 or older. And much of the country was beginning to return to pre-pandemic life. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, for instance, set the record for the busiest day of air travel since March 2020.

November also marked a key moment in the understanding of COVID-19s impact on stillbirths. A CDC study looking at 1.2 million births in the first 18 months of the pandemic found that more than 8,000 pregnancies ended in stillbirths, including more than 270 of them in patients with a documented COVID-19 diagnosis at the time of delivery.

Although stillbirths were rare overall, babies were dying. The risk of a stillbirth nearly doubled for those who had COVID-19 during pregnancy compared with those who didnt. And during the spread of the delta variant, that risk was four times higher.

Indeed, doctors discovered that some stillbirths resulted from COVID-19 directly infiltrating the placenta, a condition they named SARS-CoV-2 placentitis. Cases were found even in people whose COVID-19 symptoms were mild or nonexistent. In some cases, however, placentas were discarded with medical waste without being tested for COVID-19, and parents never learned what led to their babys stillbirth.

COVID-19 also led to stillbirths among pregnant people who became exceedingly ill after contracting the virus. It damaged their lungs and clotted their blood, putting their babies in such severe distress that they were born before they could take their first breath.

These are pregnancies that should not have ended, Heerema-McKenney said.

She and others had tried to alert the CDC as well as maternal and state health organizations to their findings, but she said they either didnt get a response or were told they needed to collect more data and publish studies. Pathologists are experts in disease diagnosis, dealing with death and illness from the safe distance of their labs. Convincing obstetricians who met with patients daily or doctors who were making policy recommendations was a challenge.

I tried to sound the alarm. We tried so hard to get people to listen, Heerema-McKenney said. It was a really frustrating place to be as pathologists doing these autopsies, looking at these placentas and saying, God, no, not another case.

Around the same time Heerema-McKenney was examining the damaged placentas, Ginger Munro was on life support in a hospital 250 miles away in another part of Ohio.

She and her husband, Kendal, had been trying to have a child for five years. They hadnt expected that shed get pregnant in the middle of a pandemic. But when her pregnancy test came back positive in the spring of 2021, she rushed to post a picture of it in an online pregnancy group. Is it just me or can you see the 2 lines?? she asked.

The pandemic had already brought much change to their lives. Ginger, who lives in the small town of Washington Court House in southwest Ohio, quit her job as assistant nutrition director with the countys Commission on Aging. She stationed hand sanitizer throughout her house and in her car, and she only went grocery shopping early in the morning. If she noticed someone in an aisle, she skipped it.

I knew the virus was real, she said, but I was terrified to take the vaccine.

Ginger worried that the vaccines development had been rushed, and she hadnt seen any data showing it was safe for pregnant people. At this point, the CDC had not explicitly recommended the vaccine during pregnancy. Ginger already worried she was tempting fate by getting pregnant at 40; she said she didnt want to risk endangering her baby by taking the vaccine.

Besides, if it was really important, her doctor would have mentioned it, and, she said, she would have followed his advice. But, she said, he never did. Her family hadnt gotten vaccinated either. In a mostly rural county where less than half of the residents were vaccinated, they were hardly alone.

Her doctor declined to comment through a spokesperson at the hospital system where he works; the spokesperson said the hospital couldnt disseminate information about the vaccine to pregnant patients before it was recommended.

Gingers pregnancy progressed without complications. She and Kendal shared the news of a new baby with Gingers two daughters from a previous marriage. At their kitchen table, near a sign that read eat cake for breakfast, Sophia, then 14, covered her mouth with both hands while Hailee, then 18, simply beamed.

At a backyard gender reveal three months later, Gingers growing belly resembled a basketball against her tiny frame. She leaned in to kiss her husband, her long, dark hair falling onto her shoulders. Red confetti rained down on the deck.

Kendal, an aircraft maintenance and avionics manager at an airport two counties away, worked through the pandemic. In the summer, when they realized his cough was actually COVID-19, it was too late. Ginger was sick.

What the Placenta Does

The placentas job is as critical as it is clear: keep the baby alive.

For the most part, it does that well. The placenta is the first organ to develop after conception, and it connects to the fetus through the umbilical cord, which delivers oxygen. The placenta provides nourishment, expels waste and does much of the work of the fetuss lungs, kidneys and liver as they develop. The dark-red organ typically is solid, with a sponge-like texture and blood vessels that spread out like the branches of a tree.

The placenta also acts as a shield against most viruses, but when its attacked by COVID-19, the branches can collapse, killing the cells, cutting off oxygen to the fetus, leaving holes to be filled by pools of blood. In response to the infected and dying cells, inflammation and scarring spread throughout the placenta.

Unable to survive the damage to the placenta, many babies were stillborn.

Having trouble reaching her doctor, she went to two different emergency rooms. One, she said, declined to treat her with monoclonal antibodies, which research had shown can be an effective treatment for pregnant people with COVID-19. The other, which described her in medical records as an exceedingly pleasant individual admitted with symptomatic COVID-19 pneumonia, transferred her about an hour away to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. There, records show, she was admitted with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to COVID-19.

The University of Cincinnati doctor asked Ginger and Kendal who was on FaceTime because of the hospitals COVID-19 protocols about fetal priority. Ginger made her wishes clear: Save the baby, their baby, the baby they had tried so hard to have. Kendal, who was worried about both his wife and their unborn child, said he went along with Ginger in that moment.

You were so scared, Kendal wrote in a notebook that night. We told each other over and over how much we loved each other.

They hung up so the doctors could insert a breathing tube. Before they could begin, Kendal called back three more times just to hear her voice.

Doctors put Ginger on ECMO, a form of life support reserved for the sickest patients. Kendal, Hailee, Sophia and Gingers mother and sister were later allowed in the hospital two at a time, and they prayed at her bedside nearly every night. Ginger was sedated, her face swollen and obscured by tubing, her cheeks flattened by the crush of the ventilator straps, her wrists tied down so she wouldnt accidentally pull out her breathing tube.

Her family took solace in knowing the babys heartbeat was steady and her ultrasounds were normal. The doctors gave Ginger medication to help the babys lungs mature in case she was born early. After more than 30 days on ECMO, doctors took Ginger off the machine only to put her back on the next morning. She was the first patient in the hospitals history to be placed on ECMO twice.

The plan, records show, was to deliver at 28 weeks. But the day after Ginger was put back on life support, Kendal got the call telling him the baby was on her way. As doctors prepared for the delivery in Gingers intensive care room, the family camped out in the waiting room, jittery from excitement and vending machine snacks. They talked about baby names and future family outings. They pulled the waiting room chairs together to form makeshift beds and covered themselves with blankets they brought from home.

They dont know if they actually fell asleep before a nurse burst through the doors screaming at them to follow. Shes coming! Shes coming! They didnt make it far before they were blocked by doctors and nurses, some huddled over an incubator in the middle of the hall and the rest crowded around Ginger.

Hailee tried to peer over the sea of blue scrubs to catch the first glimpse of her little sister. She smiled beneath her black mask. Shell be OK, she said to herself.

But after a few minutes of trying to revive the baby, a doctor told Kendal it was time. Kendal nodded, asked for a chair and collapsed as he tried to process his daughters death.

Then another wave of grief washed over him. Someone would have to tell Ginger.

Content Warning

Warning: The following image shows a stillborn baby. The Munro family had photos taken of their daughter to preserve their memory of her.

Gingers medical records describe a baby born at 27 weeks without signs of life after an uncomplicated delivery. Her placenta had separated from the wall of the uterus, the risk of which studies have shown increases with COVID-19.

When Ginger woke up, she looked down at her sunken belly and realized she had given birth. She assumed her daughter was in the newborn intensive care unit. Ginger was barely able to speak around the tube in her trachea, but after a few days in which no one brought the baby to her, she couldnt wait any longer. Ginger turned to her mother and sister and mouthed the words, Wheres the baby?

The room fell silent. They called Kendal, who rushed to the hospital. He told her what had happened. He described their daughters dark hair and her long fingers and toes, just like her mothers.

Ginger, who had always loved the sweet smell of a newborns breath, whispered to her husband.

Did you smell her breath?

She wasnt breathing, he said.

In the hurried quest for a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, pharmaceutical companies and government officials did not include pregnant people in their initial plans. Its a failure that continues to reverberate.

They absolutely should have been included in COVID vaccine trials from the beginning, said Kathryn Schubert, president and CEO of the Society for Womens Health Research, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advocates for the inclusion of women in research and clinical trials.

Researchers and advocates have spent more than four decades trying to dismantle the belief that its unsafe or unethical for pregnant women to participate in clinical trials. A couple years ago, it seemed like they had finally prevailed.

Shortly before leaving office, President Barack Obama signed into law the 21st Century Cures Act, which established the Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women. The group found longstanding obstacles, including liability concerns, to including pregnant and lactating people in clinical research. It concluded that recommending halting medication or forgoing treatment while pregnant may actually endanger the health of the mother and her fetus more than the treatment itself.

The need for everything from asthma to depression medication doesnt stop when a person gets pregnant, and when a catastrophic event such as a pandemic hits, experts said, pregnancy should not preclude someone from receiving life-saving treatment.

Around the same time, researchers discovered that the Zika virus, which was mainly transmitted through mosquitoes, could pass from a pregnant person to their fetus and cause severe birth deformities. A second group of experts joined together to develop separate guidance on including pregnant people in the research, development and deployment of pandemic vaccines.

Both groups pushed to remove pregnant women from a list of vulnerable populations that required additional review before being allowed to participate in research. Instead of proving that pregnant women should be included, manufacturers would need to provide compelling evidence for why they shouldnt.

In 2018, the federal task force issued recommendations calling for including pregnant and breastfeeding people in biomedical research, and the Department of Health and Human Services adopted some of the guidance. But a gap remained between what the task force and others insisted was needed and what was actually happening.

We were frustrated because COVID-19 provided an opportunity to implement the recommendations of the task force, said Dr. Diana Bianchi, the director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the chair of the task force.

In February 2021, Bianchi and her colleagues published an article lamenting the exclusion of those who were pregnant or breastfeeding from the initial COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. Pregnant and lactating persons should not be protected from participating in research, but rather should be protected through research, they wrote.

Ruth Faden, the founder of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, helped lead the group that issued the guidance after Zika. She and others urged manufacturers to include pregnant people in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of Operation Warp Speed, the federal program that provided billions of taxpayer dollars to pharmaceutical companies to speed up vaccine production.

There is a playbook in place so that when the U.S. launches Operation Warp Speed, it should be pretty obvious what should be done, she said. Its not like no one knows how to do this, either ethically or technically.

Nevertheless, it doesnt happen, Faden added. Once again, pregnant people are left behind.

A spokesperson for Pfizer said the company followed guidance from the Food and Drug Administration. Although pregnant people were not included in the initial vaccine clinical trials, Pfizer tested its vaccine on pregnant rats and did not identify any safety concerns. The company subsequently launched a clinical trial with pregnant women but halted it because at that point the vaccine had already been recommended for pregnant people.

Similarly, Moderna also studied its vaccine on pregnant animals, but the company said it made the decision to prioritize the study of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in adults who werent pregnant. It called that approach consistent with the precedent to study new vaccines in pregnant women only after demonstration of favorable benefit and risk in healthy adults.

In response to questions from ProPublica, Johnson & Johnson referred a reporter to its website, which didnt address the relevant issues.

Some government officials, including several from the Food and Drug Administration, said they support having pregnant women take part in clinical studies of vaccines for emerging infectious disease, including COVID-19. A spokesperson for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, said the agency did not dictate the protocol development for the trials and said that responsibility lies with the companies.

The failure to include pregnant people early on in COVID-19 vaccine trials was, at least in part, a casualty of the tremendous urgency to respond to an intense public threat and develop the vaccine as quickly as possible, Faden said. But multiple groups had published road maps on how to ethically include pregnant people without slowing down that process.

I cant tell you how many pregnant people might not have died or how many stillbirths might not have occurred if the playbook had been followed, she said, but Im willing to bet it was a significant chunk that would have been prevented if there had been a full-throated, evidence-based recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy almost simultaneous to when it was available for the rest of the adult population.

By the time the CDC specifically recommended the vaccine for pregnant people, in August 2021, the damage had been done.

A dizzying and vague series of advisories led to confusion and delayed vaccinations. When the COVID-19 vaccines were first made available in December 2020, the CDC said health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities should be prioritized, but the shots were not explicitly recommended for pregnant people. Instead, the agency said on its webpage for vaccines and pregnancy that pregnant health care workers may choose to be vaccinated. In explaining that decision, the CDC said that experts had considered how mRNA vaccines, which do not contain the live virus, work. They concluded that the vaccines are unlikely to pose a risk for people who are pregnant.

However, the CDC added, the potential risks of mRNA vaccines to the pregnant person and her fetus are unknown because these vaccines have not been studied in pregnant women.

In January, the World Health Organization recommended against pregnant people getting the vaccine unless they faced increased risk, such as complicating comorbidities or exposure to the virus due to a job in health care, but the agency later reversed course.

A few months later, in March 2021, the CDC continued its lukewarm messaging that pregnant people may choose to be vaccinated. The agency listed some points for pregnant people to consider discussing with their health care providers, starting with how likely they are to be exposed to COVID-19.

After a promising study showed that the vaccine was safe for pregnant people, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing in late April that the CDC was recommending the vaccine for them. But the CDC did not update its website to reflect her comments and said the agencys guidance had not changed: Pregnant people may choose to be vaccinated.

Once again, pregnant people were put in the precarious position of receiving ambiguous and inconsistent recommendations. In May 2021, the CDC reiterated that pregnant people faced an increased risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19, but the language surrounding the vaccine If you are pregnant, you can receive a COVID-19 vaccine was noncommittal.

A CDC spokesperson, responding to questions from ProPublica, said in an email that pregnant people were part of the first recommendations in December 2020 that encouraged people 16 and older to get vaccinated. At that time, data about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine during pregnancy was limited because pregnant people had been excluded from pre-authorization clinical trials, so the CDC included additional supporting language for pregnant people, saying they were eligible and could choose to receive the vaccine. The agency said its recommendations were based on available evidence and evolved throughout the pandemic.

Before making changes to its guidance, the CDC had its team of scientists review available data to ensure that there was an abundance of evidence.

For each update to the statement of risks during pregnancy, multiple types of studies and the strength of evidence for each were reviewed, another CDC spokesperson said. These reviews of the evidence were accompanied with discussions among subject matter experts both internally and externally with clinical partners for an ultimate determination of risk.

Dr. Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, a perinatologist and chair of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, shared the daunting task of making vaccine recommendations for pregnant people as part of COVID-19 task forces for two leading organizations, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

In the beginning, she said, the only pregnancy-specific data they had came from a few dozen participants who were inadvertently included after becoming pregnant during the clinical trials and from some pregnant animal data.

It played out in real time in the COVID pandemic because we see the effects of not including pregnant people in these trials, Gyamfi-Bannerman said. We couldnt make a strong recommendation, so pregnant people were hesitant. I think that directly led to fewer people using the vaccine than we would have wanted.

At the end of June 2021, the CDC added a general update to its website to reflect the dangers of the delta variant tearing across much of the country. Getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalizations, and death, it wrote. Unvaccinated people should get vaccinated and continue masking until they are fully vaccinated.

But it wasnt until Aug. 11, eight months after the first vaccine was administered, that the CDC issued its formal recommendation that pregnant and breastfeeding people get vaccinated.

The vaccines are safe and effective, Walensky said in a statement at the time, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible Delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people.

August would prove to be the deadliest month for COVID-19-related deaths of pregnant people. The CDC issued an emergency call the next month strongly recommending the vaccine to pregnant people, noting that approximately 97% of pregnant people hospitalized with COVID-19 were unvaccinated. The dangers to symptomatic pregnant people included a 70% increased risk of death, and their developing babies could face a host of perils, including stillbirths.

Researchers have yet to determine exactly why some pregnant people with COVID-19, vaccinated and unvaccinated alike, deliver stillborn babies, while others do not. Attempts to answer that question have been hindered, in part, by incomplete data. The CDCs statistics on COVID-19-related fetal and maternal deaths are undercounts. The CDC has data on less than 73,000 birth outcomes following a mothers confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in 2020 and 2021, of which 579 were pregnancy losses.

That information was sent in by fewer than three dozen health departments, and those estimates dont include states like Mississippi, which in September reported 72 COVID-19-related stillbirths since the start of the pandemic, nearly double what the state would have expected, according to data from the Mississippi State Department of Health. Preliminary state data shows total stillbirths increased there in 2020 then dipped in 2021, but were still higher than pre-pandemic numbers.

A separate CDC database shows more than 220,000 COVID-19 cases and at least 305 deaths among pregnant people.

CDC recognizes that pregnant people faced challenging decisions about how to best protect themselves in the setting of uncertainty related to both the infection and the COVID-19 vaccine, a CDC spokesperson said, adding, COVID-19 vaccination remains one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from serious illness from COVID-19.

Heartbroken and determined, Jaime Butcher has emerged as an unofficial ambassador for the vaccine, posting in online pregnancy and stillbirth forums about the risks of being pregnant and unvaccinated.

No one, she said, told her of the risks. Doctors, the CDC and health officials, she continued, arent doing enough to inform people. Even now, well into the pandemics third year, the message still isnt getting through.

I kept seeing it happening more and more to women and it wasnt talked about, she said. They just say, Oh, get the vaccine, which is great, but they dont talk about what getting the virus can do to pregnant women.

As a wedding planner, Butcher was surrounded by love. She found it with her husband, then in the daughter growing in her belly, who they named Emily after Butchers grandmother.

Continued here:

God, No, Not Another Case. COVID-Related Stillbirths Didn't Have to Happen. - ProPublica

‘We need to monitor and adjust’ | Some demand COVID-19 safety plans ahead of the new school year starting – WCNC.com

An online petition is gathering signatures to present to local school boards and administrators.

NORTH CAROLINA, USA With multiple variants of the COVID-19 virus, the result has been hundreds of thousands of infections. In some cases, people who have been infected multiple times. With the start of the new school year approaching, health advocates worry without a COVID-19 safety plan within schools, things may worsen.

Long Covid Families is a national nonprofit based in Charlotte that works with patients who experience lasting complications after getting the virus. The organization's concern is that more people may be at risk of getting long COVID.

We now know because of the evolution of the virus that it is very easy for people to get re-infected," Long Covid Families founder Megan Carmilani said. "We dont have a lot of conclusive evidence about what the effect of reinfection is, but the evidence we do have is concerning.

Long Covid Families along with other supporting organizations have created an online open letter, gathering signatures to present to schools boards and administrators about the need for a COVID-19 safety plan in schools.

Part of that plan includes improving classroom ventilation and returning to masks when there is a surge in cases.

"I think we need to monitor and adjust and if we do that wed keep infections down, prevent disability, prevent loss of productivity and loss of learning," Carmilani said.

Some parents add without a plan they're even less likely to feel comfortable sending their at-risk children back into the classroom.

I have twin girls and they are both in the Hospital/Homebound programwith CMS," parent Stacy Staggs said. "A COVID infection for them would be catastrophic."

As part of the COVID-19 safety plan, the need for adequate cleaning supplies, protective gear and janitorial staff is another request.

Starting next week, Long Covid Families is hosting an online Back To School Conference to provide resources on COVID-19 prevention and advocacy in schools. Registration is free.

School Safety & Violence

The Center for Safer Schools sponsored a back to school safety conference in Greensboro this week called The RISE Conference. The conference's title acronym stands for resiliency, information, support, and empowerment.

The goal is to give educators and school leaders the tools to keep students safe.

We want to focus not just on the physical safety, but the mental safety and the school climate because what we know what happens in the community comes into the school," Center for Safer Schools executive director Karen Fairley said.

Some of this week's conversations at the conference included threat assessments, internet crimes against children, bullying and active shooter response. Superintendents, principals, school social workers and school resources officers were all invited to attend and discuss the best school safety decisions together.

"Building better partnerships, being open to have these partnerships because its going to take all of us together to work to keep North Carolina schools safe," Fairley said.

The Center for Safer Schools says the goal is to have more conferences like this in other cities across the state once the new school year begins.

Contact Briana Harper atbharper@wcnc.comand follow her onFacebook,TwitterandInstagram.

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'We need to monitor and adjust' | Some demand COVID-19 safety plans ahead of the new school year starting - WCNC.com

Health officials: San Mateo County’s current COVID-19 surge is lasting longer than most, with transmission still high – The Almanac Online

Medical assistant Monica Magana draws the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe at Ravenswood Family Health Center in East Palo Alto on Jan. 30, 2021. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

COVID-19 transmission remains high in San Mateo County, one of the county's top health officials said this week, as the ongoing surge continues to last longer than most previous surges.

According to San Mateo County Health Chief Louise Rogers, the county's census of COVID-related hospitalizations has hovered between 30 and 60 over most of the last three months and was at at 58 as of Monday, Aug. 1.

That figure is lower than the peak of 160 hospitalized patients the county reached during the winter surge of the omicron variant, but is comparable to the peak of last fall's delta variant surge.

Like much of the Bay Area and the state in general, San Mateo County remains in the "high transmission" tier, as outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We continue to strongly recommend wearing a high-quality mask in indoor settings and increasing ventilation -- such as by opening windows and doors where possible -- to help prevent infection," Rogers said in a message to county residents. "We urge residents to test if symptomatic and to be in contact with their physician."

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Health officials: San Mateo County's current COVID-19 surge is lasting longer than most, with transmission still high - The Almanac Online

Counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in Rhode Island – What’sUpNewp

Stacker compiled a list of the counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in Rhode Island using data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and vaccination data from Covid Act Now. Counties are ranked by the highest infection rate per 100,000 residents within the week leading up to August 2, 2022. Cumulative cases per 100,000 served as a tiebreaker.

Keep reading to see whether your county ranks among the highest COVID-19 infection rates in your state.

New cases per 100k in the past week: 140 (115 new cases, +19% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 28,300 (23,229 total cases) 23.3% less cases per 100k residents than Rhode Island Cumulative deaths per 100k: 117 (96 total deaths) 65.9% less deaths per 100k residents than Rhode Island Population that is fully vaccinated: 76.2% (62,552 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 147 (185 new cases, -4% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,818 (37,445 total cases) 19.2% less cases per 100k residents than Rhode Island Cumulative deaths per 100k: 193 (242 total deaths) 43.7% less deaths per 100k residents than Rhode Island Population that is fully vaccinated: 80.0% (100,413 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 153 (74 new cases, -16% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 32,348 (15,682 total cases) 12.4% less cases per 100k residents than Rhode Island Cumulative deaths per 100k: 369 (179 total deaths) 7.6% more deaths per 100k residents than Rhode Island Population that is fully vaccinated: 79.9% (38,755 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 166 (1,059 new cases, -4% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 38,429 (245,536 total cases) 4.1% more cases per 100k residents than Rhode Island Cumulative deaths per 100k: 405 (2,586 total deaths) 18.1% more deaths per 100k residents than Rhode Island Population that is fully vaccinated: 71.7% (458,022 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 194 (319 new cases, +4% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 33,936 (55,754 total cases) 8.1% less cases per 100k residents than Rhode Island Cumulative deaths per 100k: 317 (520 total deaths) 7.6% less deaths per 100k residents than Rhode Island Population that is fully vaccinated: 79.5% (130,530 fully vaccinated)

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Counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in Rhode Island - What'sUpNewp

Mills Administration Issues $25 Million in COVID-19 Payments to Support 211 Long-Term Care Organizations | Office of Governor Janet T. Mills -…

Governor Mills proposed and the Legislature approved the payments as part of bipartisan budget to help facilities recover from the pandemic

Governor Janet Mills announced today that her Administration has issued $25 million in one-time COVID-19 payments to 211 long-term care organizations to help them recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Mills proposed the MaineCare (Medicaid) payments in her supplemental budget that was passed by the Legislature on a bipartisan basis. Additionally, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is increasing flexibility in the use of these and related funds, such as for fuel and other costs related to global inflation.

Long-term care facilities provide critical services for Maine people, and they are still feeling the impacts of the pandemic challenges that have only been made more difficult by inflation, said Governor Janet Mills. I am proud the Legislature supported my proposal to provide additional funding, and I am pleased we are getting these resources into the hands of our caregivers quickly so they can continue to do their important work it could not come at a better time.

This injection of funding will help long-term care facilities offset unexpectedly high costs such as contract staff, food, and other pandemic-related expenses,said Jeanne Lambrew, Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services. The grants are part of unprecedented support for these facilities that not only recognizes their critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic but reflects Governor Mills commitment to making high-quality long-term services and supports affordable and accessible for Maine residents.

Today's announcement is welcome news as Maine's long-term care facilities and their dedicated caregivers continue to feel the impact of COVID-19, said Angela Westhoff, President and CEO of the Maine Health Care Association.Weappreciate Governor Mills' recognition of the persistent strain on providers and are thankful that additional resources are being distributed. We are also pleased with the Administrations response to our request for greater flexibility in the use of these funds with respect to labor costs, as our members persevere toprovide care tothousands of vulnerable Maine citizens each day.

The 211 organizations receiving grants represent 272 service locations throughout the state. The $25 million will be distributed proportionally based on each facilitys 2019 MaineCare revenue and total MaineCare bed days in 2021. For facilities that received little to no MaineCare revenue in 2019, the Department will use revenue from a more recent 12-month period to determine distribution of the supplemental payment amounts by facility.

The Department is also informing long-term care facilities about greater flexibility on the uses of one-time funding to help them recover from the pandemic and combat rising costs associated with inflation. This includes addressing pandemic-related cost increases of hiring and retaining staff and higher expenses, such as for food, fuel, and energy bills. This flexibility applies to the new $25 million announced today as well as to any remaining funds from last years $123 million one-time COVID-19 supplemental payments to nursing facilities, residential care facilities, and adult family care homes.

These payments build on the Mills Administrations historic financial and operational support for nursing facilities, which includes:

This is in addition to at least $50 million in financial relief distributed directly by the Federal government to nursing facilities across Maine.

Pandemic Support: Since the beginning of the pandemic, nursing facilities have submitted and received over 330,000 COVID-19 test results from Maines Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory and these facilities have also placed over 6,400 personal protective equipment (PPE) requests and received over 2.1 million pieces of PPE. Since January 2021, the Department has used over $2 million in Federal funds to support 23,910 hours of emergency nurse and related staffing to nearly one-third of Maine long-term care facilities to support care for residents during the pandemic.

Workforce Training: Recognizing the need to address the workforce challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Mills included $20 million in theMaine Jobs and Recovery Planto support health care workforce training. This includes scholarships and student loan relief to enable more people to become behavioral health specialists, long term support workers, emergency medical services staff, and other health professionals. The Jobs Plan additionally supports marketing campaigns aimed at promoting health care careers in Maine andHealthcare Training for ME, a program to expand the availability of free and low-cost career training to help health care workers advance their careers, support workforce training needs of health care employers, and attract new workers to fast-growing fields. The Jobs Plan is also supporting the Caring for ME campaign to educate and encourage residents to become direct care providers.

Cabinet on Aging: Governor Mills established the Cabinet on Aging on June 13, 2022 to help Maine prepare for and address demographic changes by advancing policies that will support Maine people in aging safely, affordably, and in ways and settings that best serve their needs. The Cabinet will bring together State government agencies to improve coordination and to accelerate action. It held its first meeting on July 28 and is likely to consider reforms to long-term services and supports in Maine.

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Mills Administration Issues $25 Million in COVID-19 Payments to Support 211 Long-Term Care Organizations | Office of Governor Janet T. Mills -...

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19 – Nature.com

Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

Gita A. Pathak&Renato Polimanti

Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Univerisity of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Juha Karjalainen,Mark Daly,Andrea Ganna&Mark J. Daly

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA

Christine Stevens,Mark Daly,Andrea Ganna,Masahiro Kanai,Rachel G. Liao,Amy Trankiem,Mary K. Balaconis,Huy Nguyen,Matthew Solomonson,Kumar Veerapen,Samuli Ripatti,Lindo Nkambul,Mark J. Daly,Sam Bryant&Vijay G. Sankaran

Massachusetts General Hospital, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA

Benjamin M. Neale

Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Mark Daly,Andrea Ganna,Konrad J. Karczewski,Alicia R. Martin,Elizabeth G. Atkinson,Masahiro Kanai,Kristin Tsuo,Nikolas Baya,Patrick Turley,Rahul Gupta,Raymond K. Walters,Duncan S. Palmer,Gopal Sarma,Matthew Solomonson,Nathan Cheng,Wenhan Lu,Claire Churchhouse,Jacqueline I. Goldstein,Daniel King,Wei Zhou,Cotton Seed,Mark J. Daly,Benjamin M. Neale,Hilary Finucane,F. Kyle Satterstrom&Sam Bryant

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

Shea J. Andrews,Laura G. Sloofman,Stuart C. Sealfon,Clive Hoggart&Slayton J. Underwood

Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Mattia Cordioli,Matti Pirinen,Kati Donner,Katja Kivinen,Aarno Palotie&Mari Kaunisto

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, York City, NY, USA

Nadia Harerimana

Centre for Bioinformatics and Data Analysis, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland

Karolina Chwialkowska

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Brooke Wolford

Ancestry, Lehi, UT, USA

Genevieve Roberts,Danny Park,Catherine A. Ball,Marie Coignet,Shannon McCurdy,Spencer Knight,Raghavendran Partha,Brooke Rhead,Miao Zhang,Nathan Berkowitz,Michael Gaddis,Keith Noto,Luong Ruiz,Milos Pavlovic,Eurie L. Hong,Kristin Rand,Ahna Girshick,Harendra Guturu&Asher Haug Baltzell

Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki, Finland

Mari E. K. Niemi&Sara Pigazzini

University of Liege, GIGA-Institute, Lige, Belgium

Souad Rahmouni,Michel Georges&Yasmine Belhaj

CHC Mont-Lgia, Lige, Belgium

Julien Guntz&Sabine Claassen

5BHUL (Lige Biobank), CHU of Lige, Lige, Belgium

Yves Beguin&Stphanie Gofflot

Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Mattia Cordioli

Analytic & Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Lindokuhle Nkambule,Lindokuhle Nkambul,Lindokuhle Nkambule&Lindo Nkambul

Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA

Lindokuhle Nkambule

Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA

Lindokuhle Nkambule,Konrad J. Karczewski,Alicia R. Martin,Elizabeth G. Atkinson,Masahiro Kanai,Kristin Tsuo,Nikolas Baya,Patrick Turley,Rahul Gupta,Raymond K. Walters,Duncan S. Palmer,Gopal Sarma,Matthew Solomonson,Nathan Cheng,Wenhan Lu,Claire Churchhouse,Jacqueline I. Goldstein,Daniel King,Wei Zhou,Cotton Seed,Benjamin M. Neale,Hilary Finucane,F. Kyle Satterstrom,Sam Bryant&Caroline Cusick

CHU of Liege, Lige, Belgium

Michel Moutschen,Benoit Misset,Gilles Darcis,Julien Guiot,Samira Azarzar,Olivier Malaise,Pascale Huynen,Christelle Meuris,Marie Thys,Jessica Jacques,Philippe Lonard,Frederic Frippiat,Jean-Baptiste Giot,Anne-Sophie Sauvage,Christian Von Frenckell&Bernard Lambermont

University of Liege, Lige, Belgium

Michel Moutschen,Benoit Misset,Gilles Darcis,Julien Guiot&Samira Azarzar

Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Tomoko Nakanishi

Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Tomoko Nakanishi,David R. Morrison,J. Brent Richards,Guillaume Butler-Laporte,Vincenzo Forgetta,Biswarup Ghosh,Laetitia Laurent,Danielle Henry,Tala Abdullah,Olumide Adeleye,Noor Mamlouk,Nofar Kimchi,Zaman Afrasiabi,Nardin Rezk,Branka Vulesevic,Meriem Bouab,Charlotte Guzman,Louis Petitjean,Chris Tselios,Xiaoqing Xue,Jonathan Afilalo&Darin Adra

Kyoto-McGill International Collaborative School in Genomic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

Tomoko Nakanishi

Research Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan

Tomoko Nakanishi

McGill Genome Centre and Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Vincent Mooser,Rui Li,Alexandre Belisle,Pierre Lepage,Jiannis Ragoussis,Daniel Auld&G. Mark Lathrop

Department of Human Genetics, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

J. Brent Richards

Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, London, UK

J. Brent Richards

Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montral, Qubec, Canada

Guillaume Butler-Laporte

Department of Emergency Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Marc Afilalo

Emergency Department, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Marc Afilalo

McGill AIDS Centre, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Maureen Oliveira

McGill Centre for Viral Diseases, Lady Davis Institute, Department of Infectious Disease, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Bluma Brenner

Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de lUniversit de Montral, Montreal, Canada

Nathalie Brassard

Department of Medicine, Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de lUniversit de Montral, Montreal, Canada

Madeleine Durand

Department of Medicine, Universit de Montral, Montreal, Canada

Madeleine Durand,Michal Chass&Daniel E. Kaufmann

Department of Medicine and Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Erwin Schurr

Department of Intensive Care, Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de lUniversit de Montral, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Michal Chass

Division of Infectious Diseases, Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de lUniversit de Montral, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Daniel E. Kaufmann

MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK

Caroline Hayward,Anne Richmond&J. Kenneth Baillie

Center for Applied Genomics, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Joseph T. Glessner,Hakon Hakonarson&Xiao Chang

Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Joseph T. Glessner&Hakon Hakonarson

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

Douglas M. Shaw,Jennifer Below,Hannah Polikowski,Petty E. Lauren,Hung-Hsin Chen,Zhu Wanying,Lea Davis&V. Eric Kerchberger

Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK

Archie Campbell,David J. Porteous&Chloe Fawns-Ritchie

Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Nine, Edinburgh Bioquarter, Edinburgh, UK

Archie Campbell

University of Texas Health, Houston, TX, USA

Marcela Morris&Joseph B. McCormick

Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Chloe Fawns-Ritchie&Chloe Fawns-Ritchie

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Kari North

Center for Applied Genomics, The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Xiao Chang,Joseph R. Glessner&Hakon Hakonarson

Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Joseph R. Glessner

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A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19 - Nature.com

Need to show proof of vaccination? How to store a COVID-19 vaccine card on your smartphone – Yahoo Finance

As new variants of the COVID-19 virus emerge throughout the U.S., a renewed push is being made to get more Americans vaccinated.

As of July 27, about 67% of Americans have been fully vaccinated for COVID, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Last year, with the COVID vaccine becoming available, several policies were introduced by some local governments and companies requiring employees to get the vaccine to return to work. Even Broadway made the same request last year of theatergoers before attending a show.

Of course, you could bring the COVID-19 vaccine card verifying those details with you, which brings not only the annoyance of carrying it everywhere (try fitting that into a wallet), but the fear you wind up losing it.

Thank goodness we have something else in our pockets that can assist: our smartphones. Here are a few ways you can keep your vaccine card handy.

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Seriously, that's it. If you go this route, consider placing it in a hidden album so it can't be viewed from your library. This also avoids the awkward scenario of having to scroll through the abyss of your camera roll to pull up your vaccine card.

On an iPhone, after you take a picture of your card, go to the Share button on Photos, then select Hide. The image will be placed in a Hidden album you can find by tapping Albums, then scrolling to Utilities.

If you use a Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy smartphone, you can create locked folders to store your COVID-19 vaccine card.

If you're using an iPhone, scanning your COVID-19 card using the Notes app adds a little more security. To do this, start a new note, then tap on the camera.

Go down to Scan Document and add your card with the built-in scanner. You can then choose to lock it with a passcode. Any time you tap on the note, it will ask you to type a passcode to view.

Story continues

iPhone owners can also add COVID vaccine cards to the Wallet app. You can do this by scanning a QR code offered to the provider who gave your vaccine. Tap the Health app notification to add details to Wallet.

You can do this manually through the Health app by adding the record through your provider (if it's available), then adding the card to Wallet.

Once in Wallet, you can pull up the card as you would gift cards or credit cards. It will show details such as name, vaccine types, and dates of doses.

A handful of health providers support adding a COVID Card to your Android phone.

When you login to the appropriate provider and pull up your vaccine info, you'll tap "save to phone" with Google Pay even if you don't have the Google Pay app, according to a support page from Google. The page also spells out how to access your card if saving as a icon on your Android phone or the Google Pay app.

If you own an Android phone, you can download Samsung's Vaccine Pass to download and access your COVID card.

Multiple state governments have launched apps where users can access their vaccine card information. For those who live in Idaho, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Utah, for example, the Docket app allows residents in those states to view their vaccination status.

For New Yorkers, the Excelsior pass provides residents quick access. California also has its own portal for obtaining a digital vaccine card. Check your state's local health department for details on receiving a digital vaccine card.

Some retailers who offer COVID vaccines also provide digital versions of their records, including Walmart and CVS.

Meanwhile, the service VaxYes allows users to add their vaccine card information and have it transformed into a digital passport which can be added to wallets on Google Pay or Apple Wallet.

The company says all data is encrypted and its service is compliant with HIPAA, which governs how health care professionals must store and protect your data.

This story originally published Aug. 2, 2021.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to add your COVID vaccination card to your Android, iPhone Wallet

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Need to show proof of vaccination? How to store a COVID-19 vaccine card on your smartphone - Yahoo Finance

NEW COVID-19 TESTING METHOD IS AS SENSITIVE AS A PCR TEST, BUT FASTER THAN A LATERAL FLOW TEST – PR Newswire

University of Birmingham (U.K.) signs licensing deal with Innova Medical Group the world's largest COVID-19 at-home self-test provider - to Commercialize New Proven Testing Method in the Global Markets it Serves

PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A unique testing method invented at the University of Birmingham is set for a global rollout after its commercial rights were licensed to the world's largest COVID-19 test provider, Innova Medical Group a California-based global health screening and diagnostics innovator and a world leader in the manufacture and distribution of COVID-19 rapid tests. Known as Reverse Transcription-Free EXPAR (RTF-EXPAR) testing, this new technology offers detection in as little as 10 minutes.

Reverse Transcription-Free EXPAR (RTF-EXPAR) testing offers detection in as little as 10 minutes.

Detailed test evaluations reveal the method delivers a fast, accurate, highly sensitive and simple test for COVID-19 detection, meaning the test could be deployed en masse at entertainment venues, airport arrival terminals, and in remote settings where clinical testing laboratories are not available. The method is just as sensitive as both PCR and LAMP tests - currently used in hospital settings - and is also faster and more sensitive than lateral flow tests, enabling detection at low viral levels. Crucially, it can be used with testing techniques which bypass the need for specialized laboratory equipment, which would reduce delays in waiting for test results, which currently requires samples to be sent to specialist laboratories.

The assay was invented and tested at the University of Birmingham, which found its sensitivity to be equivalent to quantitative PCR testing. This new RTF-EXPAR testing platform is also being adapted for the detection of other viruses, meaning the tests can be quickly adapted to cover both new variants and new viruses. The technology's new license holder, Innova Medical Group, is the world's largest provider of lateral flow tests. The company is aiming to accelerate RTF-EXPAR's global rollout for widespread use by 2023.

The approach behind RTF uses reagents that can be adapted for the detection of other viruses, meaning the tests can be quickly adapted to cover both new variants and other viruses, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer.

"The RTF technology developed at the University of Birmingham hits a testing sweet spot. It's just as sensitive as PCR and LAMP tests, but without the time constraints and laboratory equipment required for these methods," said Robert Kasprzak, Chief Executive Officer at Innova. "We're committed to accelerating RTF's growth and further complementing our current portfolio of healthcare diagnostic products that strengthen the pandemic management solutions we offer to global customers. We've been searching globally for advanced diagnostics technologies to manage the current pandemic and mitigate future healthcare challenges, and we were impressed by the RTF testing method and the team behind it deserves enormous credit for their innovation."

Since the COVID-19 pandemic's outbreak, Innova Medical Group has delivered more than 1.5 billion lateral flow tests to customers worldwide. With this new licensing agreement underscoring its nimble approach and commitment to innovate, the company aims to provide effective, high-quality diagnostic products at reasonable prices to more people around the world."The RTF test rapidly amplifies small quantities of viral genetic material, producing a detectable signal within 10 minutes, which is much faster than PCR or LAMP testing and even quicker than lateral flow tests," said Professor Tim Dafforn from the University of Birmingham. "The reverse transcription and amplification steps slow down existing COVID-19 assays like LAMP and PCR, which are based on nucleic acid detection, thus an ideal test would be both sufficiently sensitive and speedy; the new RTF test achieves that goal in two ways - a new RNA-to-DNA conversion step we designed avoids reverse transcription and the amplification step to generate the read-out signal uses EXPAR, an alternative DNA amplification process."

Professor James Tucker from the University of Birmingham added, "EXPAR amplifies DNA at a single temperature, thus avoiding lengthy heating and cooling steps found in PCR; however, while LAMP also uses a single temperature for amplification, EXPAR is a simpler and a more direct process in which much smaller strands are amplified making it an even faster DNA amplification technique than not only PCR but also LAMP."

For more information on Innova Medical Group, please visit: https://innovamedgroup.com/

About Innova Medical Group, Inc.

Innova Medical Group, wholly owned by Pasaca Capital, Inc., is a global health screening and diagnostic innovator driven to dramatically improve health outcomes worldwide with equitable, high-value testing solutions. From delivering more than 2 billion COVID-19 rapid test kits to customers worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic, to providing critical vaccines, including highly sought-after WHO approved COVID-19 vaccines to the world population, Innova is committed to improving the human condition globally. Our strategic and iterative approach enables us to manufacture, distribute, and deploy myriad accessible tests customised to meet and empower the user at their point of need. With a panoramic vision spanning the present to the future, we develop trusted solutions that are both intuitive and secure to use. We quickly and nimbly became the world's largest provider of COVID-19 tests, and we are determined to execute on this model across infectious disease, other chronic conditions, and wellness.

About the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

TheUniversity of Birminghamis ranked amongst the world's top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.

University of Birmingham Enterprisehelps researchers turn their ideas into new services, products and enterprises that meet real-world needs. We also support innovators and entrepreneurs with mentoring, advice, and training and manage the University's Academic Consultancy Service.View our portfolio of technologies available for licensing.

SOURCE Innova Medical Group, Inc.

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NEW COVID-19 TESTING METHOD IS AS SENSITIVE AS A PCR TEST, BUT FASTER THAN A LATERAL FLOW TEST - PR Newswire

Gas demand similar to early days of COVID-19 – Fox Business

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Gas prices have been declining since mid-June as demand has fallen to levels not seen since the early days of the pandemic, according to AAA.

Prices have continuously declined since June 14, when the average price hit a record high of $5.01 per gallon in the U.S.

A customer pumping gas at a station in Connecticut. (FOX Business/Daniella Genovese / Fox News)

On Thursday, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline dropped eight cents to $4.13.

New data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that gas demand dropped from 9.25 million barrels per day to 8.54 million per day last week.

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That's 1.24 million barrels per day lower than last year and "in line with demand at the end of July 2020," when there were widespread virus-related restrictions and fewer people were hitting the road, according to AAA.

A tanker driver delivers 8,500 gallons of gasoline to an ARCO station in Riverside, California, on May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes / AP Newsroom)

"Despite the steady decrease in pump prices, drivers appear to still be altering their driving habits to contend with higher-than-usual prices," AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross told FOX Business on Thursday.

The latest demand figures bolster a recent AAA survey that revealed 64% of drivers had changed their driving habits or lifestyle since March to offset the high prices at the pump.

BUTTIGIEG HIGHLIGHTS DECLINING GAS PRICES AFTER SUGGESTING THEIR RISE WAS GOOD FOR TRANSITIONING TO EVS

However, there may be some good news for motorists.

Recently, crude prices have fallen as concerns of weaker gasoline demand continue.

According to AAA, if gasoline demand remains low and crude prices don't spike, pump prices are likely to continue falling.

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Even though the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, also known as OPEC+, plan to increase output by only 100,000 barrels a day in September after increasing output by 648,000 barrels per day in July and August, it's unlikely to have a considerable impact on price, according to AAA's report.

"The slight increase is unlikely to have a significant pricing impact, especially if demand continues to decline," AAA said.

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Gas demand similar to early days of COVID-19 - Fox Business

COVID-19 – Wikipedia

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.[7] The disease has since spread worldwide, leading to an ongoing pandemic.[8]

Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, but often include fever,[9] cough, headache,[10] fatigue, breathing difficulties, and loss of smell and taste.[11][12][13] Symptoms may begin one to fourteen days after exposure to the virus. At least a third of people who are infected do not develop noticeable symptoms.[14] Of those people who develop symptoms noticeable enough to be classed as patients, most (81%) develop mild to moderate symptoms (up to mild pneumonia), while 14% develop severe symptoms (dyspnea, hypoxia, or more than 50% lung involvement on imaging), and 5% suffer critical symptoms (respiratory failure, shock, or multiorgan dysfunction).[15] Older people are at a higher risk of developing severe symptoms. Some people continue to experience a range of effects (long COVID) for months after recovery, and damage to organs has been observed.[16] Multi-year studies are underway to further investigate the long-term effects of the disease.[16]

COVID-19 transmits when people breathe in air contaminated by droplets and small airborne particles containing the virus. The risk of breathing these in is highest when people are in close proximity, but they can be inhaled over longer distances, particularly indoors. Transmission can also occur if splashed or sprayed with contaminated fluids in the eyes, nose or mouth, and, rarely, via contaminated surfaces. People remain contagious for up to 20 days, and can spread the virus even if they do not develop symptoms.[17][18]

Several testing methods have been developed to diagnose the disease. The standard diagnostic method is by detection of the virus' nucleic acid by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), or by reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) from a nasopharyngeal swab.

Several COVID-19 vaccines have been approved and distributed in various countries, which have initiated mass vaccination campaigns. Other preventive measures include physical or social distancing, quarantining, ventilation of indoor spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, hand washing, and keeping unwashed hands away from the face. The use of face masks or coverings has been recommended in public settings to minimize the risk of transmissions. While work is underway to develop drugs that inhibit the virus, the primary treatment is symptomatic. Management involves the treatment of symptoms, supportive care, isolation, and experimental measures.

During the initial outbreak in Wuhan, the virus and disease were commonly referred to as "coronavirus" and "Wuhan coronavirus",[19][20][21] with the disease sometimes called "Wuhan pneumonia".[22][23] In the past, many diseases have been named after geographical locations, such as the Spanish flu,[24] Middle East respiratory syndrome, and Zika virus.[25] In January 2020, the WHO recommended 2019-nCoV[26] and 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease[27] as interim names for the virus and disease per 2015 guidance and international guidelines against using geographical locations (e.g. Wuhan, China), animal species, or groups of people in disease and virus names in part to prevent social stigma.[28][29][30] The official names COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 were issued by the WHO on 11 February 2020.[31] Tedros Adhanom explained: COfor corona, VIfor virus, Dfor disease, and 19 for 2019 (the year in which the outbreak was first identified).[32] The WHO additionally uses "the COVID-19 virus" and "the virus responsible for COVID-19" in public communications.[31]

Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.[33][34] Common symptoms include headache, loss of smell and taste, nasal congestion and runny nose, cough, muscle pain, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, and breathing difficulties.[35] People with the same infection may have different symptoms, and their symptoms may change over time. Three common clusters of symptoms have been identified: one respiratory symptom cluster with cough, sputum, shortness of breath, and fever; a musculoskeletal symptom cluster with muscle and joint pain, headache, and fatigue; a cluster of digestive symptoms with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.[35] In people without prior ear, nose, and throat disorders, loss of taste combined with loss of smell is associated with COVID-19 and is reported in as many as 88% of cases.[36][37][38]

Of people who show symptoms, 81% develop only mild to moderate symptoms (up to mild pneumonia), while 14% develop severe symptoms (dyspnea, hypoxia, or more than 50% lung involvement on imaging) and 5% of patients suffer critical symptoms (respiratory failure, shock, or multiorgan dysfunction).[39] At least a third of the people who are infected with the virus do not develop noticeable symptoms at any point in time.[40][41] These asymptomatic carriers tend not to get tested and can spread the disease.[41][42][43][44] Other infected people will develop symptoms later, called "pre-symptomatic", or have very mild symptoms and can also spread the virus.[44]

As is common with infections, there is a delay between the moment a person first becomes infected and the appearance of the first symptoms. The median delay for COVID-19 is four to five days.[45] Most symptomatic people experience symptoms within two to seven days after exposure, and almost all will experience at least one symptom within 12 days.[45][46]

COVID-19 is caused by infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus strain.[50]

The respiratory route of spread of COVID-19, encompassing larger droplets and aerosols.

The disease is mainly transmitted via the respiratory route when people inhale droplets and small airborne particles (that form an aerosol) that infected people exhale as they breathe, talk, cough, sneeze, or sing.[51][52][53][54] Infected people are more likely to transmit COVID-19 when they are physically close. However, infection can occur over longer distances, particularly indoors.[51][55]

Infectivity can occur 1-3 days before the onset of symptoms.[56] Infected persons can spread the disease even if they are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic.[56] Most commonly, the peak viral load in upper respiratory tract samples occurs close to the time of symptom onset and declines after the first week after symptoms begin.[56] Current evidence suggests a duration of viral shedding and the period of infectiousness of up to 10 days following symptom onset for persons with mild to moderate COVID-19, and a up to 20 days for persons with severe COVID-19, including immunocompromised persons.[57][56]

Infectious particles range in size from aerosols that remain suspended in the air for long periods of time to larger droplets that remain airborne or fall to the ground.[58][59][60][61] Additionally, COVID-19 research has redefined the traditional understanding of how respiratory viruses are transmitted.[61][62] The largest droplets of respiratory fluid do not travel far, and can be inhaled or land on mucous membranes on the eyes, nose, or mouth to infect.[60] Aerosols are highest in concentration when people are in close proximity, which leads to easier viral transmission when people are physically close,[60][61][62] but airborne transmission can occur at longer distances, mainly in locations that are poorly ventilated;[60] in those conditions small particles can remain suspended in the air for minutes to hours.[60]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. It was first isolated from three people with pneumonia connected to the cluster of acute respiratory illness cases in Wuhan.[66] All structural features of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus particle occur in related coronaviruses in nature.[67]

Outside the human body, the virus is destroyed by household soap, which bursts its protective bubble.[68]

SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to the original SARS-CoV.[69] It is thought to have an animal (zoonotic) origin. Genetic analysis has revealed that the coronavirus genetically clusters with the genus Betacoronavirus, in subgenus Sarbecovirus (lineage B) together with two bat-derived strains. It is 96% identical at the whole genome level to other bat coronavirus samples (BatCov RaTG13).[70][71] The structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 include membrane glycoprotein (M), envelope protein (E), nucleocapsid protein (N), and the spike protein (S). The M protein of SARS-CoV-2 is about 98% similar to the M protein of bat SARS-CoV, maintains around 98% homology with pangolin SARS-CoV, and has 90% homology with the M protein of SARS-CoV; whereas, the similarity is only around 38% with the M protein of MERS-CoV. The structure of the M protein resembles the sugar transporter SemiSWEET.[72]

The many thousands of SARS-CoV-2 variants are grouped into either clades or lineages.[73][74] The WHO, in collaboration with partners, expert networks, national authorities, institutions and researchers, have established nomenclature systems for naming and tracking SARS-CoV-2 genetic lineages by GISAID, Nextstrain and Pango. At the present time, the expert group convened by WHO has recommended the labeling of variants using letters of the Greek Alphabet, for example, Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma, giving the justification that they "will be easier and more practical to discussed by non-scientific audiences."[75] Nextstrain divides the variants into five clades (19A, 19B, 20A, 20B, and 20C), while GISAID divides them into seven (L, O, V, S, G, GH, and GR).[76] The Pango tool groups variants into lineages, with many circulating lineages being classed under the B.1 lineage.[74][77]

Several notable variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerged throughout 2020.[78][79] Cluster 5 emerged among minks and mink farmers in Denmark.[80] After strict quarantines and a mink euthanasia campaign, the cluster was assessed to no longer be circulating among humans in Denmark as of 1 February 2021.[81]

As of July 2021[update], there are four dominant variants of SARS-CoV-2 spreading among global populations: the Alpha Variant (formerly called the UK Variant and officially referred to as B.1.1.7), first found in London and Kent, the Beta Variant (formerly called the South Africa Variant and officially referred to as B.1.351), the Gamma Variant (formerly called the Brazil Variant and officially referred to as P.1), and the Delta Variant (formerly called the India Variant and officially referred to as B.1.617.2).[82]

Using whole genome sequencing, epidemiology and modelling suggest the Alpha variant VUI-202012/01 (the first variant under investigation in December 2020) in the B.1.1.7 lineage transmits more easily than some other strains.[83][needs update]

The SARS-CoV-2 virus can infect a wide range of cells and systems of the body. COVID-19 is most known for affecting the upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, and throat) and the lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs).[84] The lungs are the organs most affected by COVID-19 because the virus accesses host cells via the receptor for the enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is most abundant on the surface of type II alveolar cells of the lungs.[85] The virus uses a special surface glycoprotein called a "spike" to connect to the ACE2 receptor and enter the host cell.[86]

Following viral entry, COVID-19 infects the ciliated epithelium of the nasopharynx and upper airways.[87]

One common symptom, loss of smell, results from infection of the support cells of the olfactory epithelium, with subsequent damage to the olfactory neurons.[88] The involvement of both the central and prepheral nervous system in COVID-19 has been reported in many medical publications.[89] It is clear that many people with COVID-19 exhibit neurological or mental health issues. The virus is not detected in the CNS of the majority of COVID-19 patients with neurological issues. However, SARS-CoV-2 has been detected at low levels in the brains of those who have died from COVID-19, but these results need to be confirmed.[90] While virus has been detected in cerebrospinal fluid of autopsies, the exact mechanism by which it invades the CNS remains unclear and may first involve invasion of peripheral nerves given the low levels of ACE2 in the brain.[91][92][93] The virus may also enter the bloodstream from the lungs and cross the blood-brain barrier to gain access to the CNS, possibly within an infected white blood cell.[90]

The virus also affects gastrointestinal organs as ACE2 is abundantly expressed in the glandular cells of gastric, duodenal and rectal epithelium[94] as well as endothelial cells and enterocytes of the small intestine.[95]

The virus can cause acute myocardial injury and chronic damage to the cardiovascular system.[96] An acute cardiac injury was found in 12% of infected people admitted to the hospital in Wuhan, China,[97] and is more frequent in severe disease.[98] Rates of cardiovascular symptoms are high, owing to the systemic inflammatory response and immune system disorders during disease progression, but acute myocardial injuries may also be related to ACE2 receptors in the heart.[96] ACE2 receptors are highly expressed in the heart and are involved in heart function.[96][99] A high incidence of thrombosis and venous thromboembolism have been found in people transferred to Intensive care units (ICU) with COVID-19 infections, and may be related to poor prognosis.[100] Blood vessel dysfunction and clot formation (as suggested by high D-dimer levels caused by blood clots) are thought to play a significant role in mortality, incidences of clots leading to pulmonary embolisms, and ischaemic events within the brain have been noted as complications leading to death in people infected with SARS-CoV-2. Infection appears to set off a chain of vasoconstrictive responses within the body, constriction of blood vessels within the pulmonary circulation has also been posited as a mechanism in which oxygenation decreases alongside the presentation of viral pneumonia.[101] Furthermore, microvascular (arterioles and capillaries) blood vessel damage has been reported in a small number of tissue samples of the brains without detected SARS-CoV-2 and the olfactory bulbs from those who have died from COVID-19.[102][103][104] COVID-19 was also found to cause substantial including morphological and mechanical changes to blood cells such as increased sizes sometimes persisting for months after hospital discharge.[105][106]

Another common cause of death is complications related to the kidneys.[101] Early reports show that up to 30% of hospitalized patients both in China and in New York have experienced some injury to their kidneys, including some persons with no previous kidney problems.[107]

Autopsies of people who died of COVID-19 have found diffuse alveolar damage, and lymphocyte-containing inflammatory infiltrates within the lung.[108]

Although SARS-CoV-2 has a tropism for ACE2-expressing epithelial cells of the respiratory tract, people with severe COVID-19 have symptoms of systemic hyperinflammation. Clinical laboratory findings of elevated IL2, IL7, IL6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMCSF), interferon gamma-induced protein10 (IP10), monocyte chemoattractant protein1 (MCP1), macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha (MIP1alpha), and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) indicative of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) suggest an underlying immunopathology.[97]

Additionally, people with COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have classical serum biomarkers of CRS, including elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), D-dimer, and ferritin.[109]

Systemic inflammation results in vasodilation, allowing inflammatory lymphocytic and monocytic infiltration of the lung and the heart. In particular, pathogenic GM-CSF-secreting Tcells were shown to correlate with the recruitment of inflammatory IL-6-secreting monocytes and severe lung pathology in people with COVID-19.[110] Lymphocytic infiltrates have also been reported at autopsy.[108]

Multiple viral and host factors affect the pathogenesis of the virus. The S-protein, otherwise known as the spike protein, is the viral component that attaches to the host receptor via the ACE2 receptors. It includes two subunits: S1 and S2. S1 determines the virus-host range and cellular tropism via the receptor-binding domain. S2 mediates the membrane fusion of the virus to its potential cell host via the H1 and HR2, which are heptad repeat regions. Studies have shown that S1 domain induced IgG and IgA antibody levels at a much higher capacity. It is the focus spike proteins expression that are involved in many effective COVID-19 vaccines.[111]

The M protein is the viral protein responsible for the transmembrane transport of nutrients. It is the cause of the bud release and the formation of the viral envelope.[112] The N and E protein are accessory proteins that interfere with the host's immune response.[112]

Human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) is the host factor that SARS-COV2 virus targets causing COVID-19. Theoretically, the usage of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) and ACE inhibitors upregulating ACE2 expression might increase morbidity with COVID-19, though animal data suggest some potential protective effect of ARB; however no clinical studies have proven susceptibility or outcomes. Until further data is available, guidelines and recommendations for hypertensive patients remain.[113]

The effect of the virus on ACE2 cell surfaces leads to leukocytic infiltration, increased blood vessel permeability, alveolar wall permeability, as well as decreased secretion of lung surfactants. These effects cause the majority of the respiratory symptoms. However, the aggravation of local inflammation causes a cytokine storm eventually leading to a systemic inflammatory response syndrome.[114]

Among healthy adults not exposed to SARS-CoV-2, about 35% have CD4+ T cells that recognize the SARS-CoV-2 S protein (particularly the S2 subunit) and about 50% react to other proteins of the virus, suggesting cross-reactivity from previous common colds caused by other coronaviruses.[115]

It is unknown whether different persons use similar antibody genes in response to COVID-19.[116]

The severity of the inflammation can be attributed to the severity of what is known as the cytokine storm.[117] Levels of interleukin1B, interferon-gamma, interferon-inducible protein 10, and monocyte chemoattractant protein1 were all associated with COVID-19 disease severity. Treatment has been proposed to combat the cytokine storm as it remains to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 disease.[118]

A cytokine storm is due to an acute hyperinflammatory response that is responsible for clinical illness in an array of diseases but in COVID-19, it is related to worse prognosis and increased fatality. The storm causes acute respiratory distress syndrome, blood clotting events such as strokes, myocardial infarction, encephalitis, acute kidney injury, and vasculitis. The production of IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and interferon-gamma, all crucial components of normal immune responses, inadvertently become the causes of a cytokine storm. The cells of the central nervous system, the microglia, neurons, and astrocytes, are also involved in the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines affecting the nervous system, and effects of cytokine storms toward the CNS are not uncommon.[119]

There are many unknowns for pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that they are prone to suffering from complications and severe disease infection with other types of coronaviruses, they have been identified as a vulnerable group and advised to take supplementary preventive measures.[120]

Physiological responses to pregnancy can include:

However, from the evidence base, it is difficult to conclude whether pregnant women are at increased risk of grave consequences of this virus.[120]

In addition to the above, other clinical studies have proved that SARS-CoV-2 can affect the period of pregnancy in different ways. On the one hand, there is little evidence of its impact up to 12 weeks gestation. On the other hand, COVID-19 infection may cause increased rates of unfavorable outcomes in the course of the pregnancy. Some examples of these could be fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and perinatal mortality, which refers to the fetal death past 22 or 28 completed weeks of pregnancy as well as the death among live-born children up to seven completed days of life.[120]

Unvaccinated women in later stages of pregnancy with COVID-19 are more likely than other patients to need very intensive care. Babies born to mothers with COVID-19 are more likely to have breathing problems. Pregnant women are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated.[121]

COVID-19 can provisionally be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms and confirmed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or other nucleic acid testing of infected secretions.[122][123] Along with laboratory testing, chest CT scans may be helpful to diagnose COVID-19 in individuals with a high clinical suspicion of infection.[124] Detection of a past infection is possible with serological tests, which detect antibodies produced by the body in response to the infection.[122]

The standard methods of testing for presence of SARS-CoV-2 are nucleic acid tests,[122][125] which detects the presence of viral RNA fragments.[126] As these tests detect RNA but not infectious virus, its "ability to determine duration of infectivity of patients is limited."[127] The test is typically done on respiratory samples obtained by a nasopharyngeal swab; however, a nasal swab or sputum sample may also be used.[128][129] Results are generally available within hours.[122] The WHO has published several testing protocols for the disease.[130]

Several laboratories and companies have developed serological tests, which detect antibodies produced by the body in response to infection. Several have been evaluated by Public Health England and approved for use in the UK.[131]

The University of Oxford's CEBM has pointed to mounting evidence[132][133] that "a good proportion of 'new' mild cases and people re-testing positives after quarantine or discharge from hospital are not infectious, but are simply clearing harmless virus particles which their immune system has efficiently dealt with" and have called for "an international effort to standardize and periodically calibrate testing"[134] On 7September, the UK government issued "guidance for procedures to be implemented in laboratories to provide assurance of positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA results during periods of low prevalence, when there is a reduction in the predictive value of positive test results".[135]

Chest CT scans may be helpful to diagnose COVID-19 in individuals with a high clinical suspicion of infection but are not recommended for routine screening.[124][136] Bilateral multilobar ground-glass opacities with a peripheral, asymmetric, and posterior distribution are common in early infection.[124][137] Subpleural dominance, crazy paving (lobular septal thickening with variable alveolar filling), and consolidation may appear as the disease progresses.[124][138] Characteristic imaging features on chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) of people who are symptomatic include asymmetric peripheral ground-glass opacities without pleural effusions.[139]

Many groups have created COVID-19 datasets that include imagery such as the Italian Radiological Society which has compiled an international online database of imaging findings for confirmed cases.[140] Due to overlap with other infections such as adenovirus, imaging without confirmation by rRT-PCR is of limited specificity in identifying COVID-19.[139] A large study in China compared chest CT results to PCR and demonstrated that though imaging is less specific for the infection, it is faster and more sensitive.[123]

In late 2019, the WHO assigned emergency ICD-10 disease codes U07.1 for deaths from lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and U07.2 for deaths from clinically or epidemiologically diagnosed COVID-19 without lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.[141]

The main pathological findings at autopsy are:

Preventive measures to reduce the chances of infection include getting vaccinated, staying at home, wearing a mask in public, avoiding crowded places, keeping distance from others, ventilating indoor spaces, managing potential exposure durations,[147] washing hands with soap and water often and for at least twenty seconds, practising good respiratory hygiene, and avoiding touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.[148][149]

Those diagnosed with COVID-19 or who believe they may be infected are advised by the CDC to stay home except to get medical care, call ahead before visiting a healthcare provider, wear a face mask before entering the healthcare provider's office and when in any room or vehicle with another person, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, regularly wash hands with soap and water and avoid sharing personal household items.[150][151]

The first COVID-19 vaccine was granted regulatory approval on 2December by the UK medicines regulator MHRA.[152] It was evaluated for emergency use authorization (EUA) status by the US FDA, and in several other countries.[153] Initially, the US National Institutes of Health guidelines do not recommend any medication for prevention of COVID-19, before or after exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, outside the setting of a clinical trial.[154][155] Without a vaccine, other prophylactic measures, or effective treatments, a key part of managing COVID-19 is trying to decrease and delay the epidemic peak, known as "flattening the curve".[156] This is done by slowing the infection rate to decrease the risk of health services being overwhelmed, allowing for better treatment of active cases, and delaying additional cases until effective treatments or a vaccine become available.[156][157]

A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an established body of knowledge existed about the structure and function of coronaviruses causing diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). This knowledge accelerated the development of various vaccine platforms during early 2020.[158] The initial focus of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines was on preventing symptomatic, often severe illness.[159] On 10 January 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequence data was shared through GISAID, and by 19 March, the global pharmaceutical industry announced a major commitment to address COVID19.[160] The COVID19 vaccines are widely credited for their role in reducing the severity and death caused by COVID19.[161]

Many countries have implemented phased distribution plans that prioritize those at highest risk of complications, such as the elderly, and those at high risk of exposure and transmission, such as healthcare workers.[162]

The WHO and the US CDC recommend individuals wear non-medical face coverings in public settings where there is an increased risk of transmission and where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.[166][167] This recommendation is meant to reduce the spread of the disease by asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals and is complementary to established preventive measures such as social distancing.[167][168] Face coverings limit the volume and travel distance of expiratory droplets dispersed when talking, breathing, and coughing.[167][168] A face covering without vents or holes will also filter out particles containing the virus from inhaled and exhaled air, reducing the chances of infection.[169] But, if the mask include an exhalation valve, a wearer that is infected (maybe without having noticed that, and asymptomatic) would transmit the virus outwards through it, despite any certification they can have. So the masks with exhalation valve are not for the infected wearers, and are not reliable to stop the pandemic in a large scale. Many countries and local jurisdictions encourage or mandate the use of face masks or cloth face coverings by members of the public to limit the spread of the virus.[170]

Masks are also strongly recommended for those who may have been infected and those taking care of someone who may have the disease.[171] When not wearing a mask, the CDC recommends covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and recommends using the inside of the elbow if no tissue is available. Proper hand hygiene after any cough or sneeze is encouraged. Healthcare professionals interacting directly with people who have COVID-19 are advised to use respirators at least as protective as NIOSH-certified N95 or equivalent, in addition to other personal protective equipment.[172]

The CDC recommends that crowded indoor spaces should be avoided.[173] When indoors, increasing the rate of air change, decreasing recirculation of air and increasing the use of outdoor air can reduce transmission.[173][174] The WHO recommends ventilation and air filtration in public spaces to help clear out infectious aerosols.[175][176][177]

Exhaled respiratory particles can build-up within enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation. The risk of COVID-19 infection increases especially in spaces where people engage in physical exertion or raise their voice (e.g., exercising, shouting, singing) as this increases exhalation of respiratory droplets. Prolonged exposure to these conditions, typically more than 15 minutes, leads to higher risk of infection.[173]

Displacement ventilation with large natural inlets can move stale air directly to the exhaust in laminar flow while significantly reducing the concentration of droplets and particles. Passive ventilation reduces energy consumption and maintenance costs but may lack controllability and heat recovery. Displacement ventilation can also be achieved mechanically with higher energy and maintenance costs. The use of large ducts and openings helps to prevent mixing in closed environments. Recirculation and mixing should be avoided because recirculation prevents dilution of harmful particles and redistributes possibly contaminated air, and mixing increases the concentration and range of infectious particles and keeps larger particles in the air.[178]

Thorough hand hygiene after any cough or sneeze is required.[179] The WHO also recommends that individuals wash hands often with soap and water for at least twenty seconds, especially after going to the toilet or when hands are visibly dirty, before eating and after blowing one's nose.[180] When soap and water are not available, the CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol.[181] For areas where commercial hand sanitisers are not readily available, the WHO provides two formulations for local production. In these formulations, the antimicrobial activity arises from ethanol or isopropanol. Hydrogen peroxide is used to help eliminate bacterial spores in the alcohol; it is "not an active substance for hand antisepsis." Glycerol is added as a humectant.[182]

Social distancing (also known as physical distancing) includes infection control actions intended to slow the spread of the disease by minimising close contact between individuals. Methods include quarantines; travel restrictions; and the closing of schools, workplaces, stadiums, theatres, or shopping centres. Individuals may apply social distancing methods by staying at home, limiting travel, avoiding crowded areas, using no-contact greetings, and physically distancing themselves from others.[4] Many governments are now mandating or recommending social distancing in regions affected by the outbreak.[183]

Outbreaks have occurred in prisons due to crowding and an inability to enforce adequate social distancing.[184][185] In the United States, the prisoner population is aging and many of them are at high risk for poor outcomes from COVID-19 due to high rates of coexisting heart and lung disease, and poor access to high-quality healthcare.[184]

After being expelled from the body, coronaviruses can survive on surfaces for hours to days. If a person touches the dirty surface, they may deposit the virus at the eyes, nose, or mouth where it can enter the body and cause infection.[186] Evidence indicates that contact with infected surfaces is not the main driver of COVID-19,[187][188][189] leading to recommendations for optimised disinfection procedures to avoid issues such as the increase of antimicrobial resistance through the use of inappropriate cleaning products and processes.[190][191] Deep cleaning and other surface sanitation has been criticized as hygiene theater, giving a false sense of security against something primarily spread through the air.[192][193]

The amount of time that the virus can survive depends significantly on the type of surface, the temperature, and the humidity.[194] Coronaviruses die very quickly when exposed to the UV light in sunlight.[194] Like other enveloped viruses, SARS-CoV-2 survives longest when the temperature is at room temperature or lower, and when the relative humidity is low (<50%).[194]

On many surfaces, including glass, some types of plastic, stainless steel, and skin, the virus can remain infective for several days indoors at room temperature, or even about a week under ideal conditions.[194][195] On some surfaces, including cotton fabric and copper, the virus usually dies after a few hours.[194] The virus dies faster on porous surfaces than on non-porous surfaces due to capillary action within pores and faster aerosol droplet evaporation.[196][189][194] However, of the many surfaces tested, two with the longest survival times are N95 respirator masks and surgical masks, both of which are considered porous surfaces.[194]

The CDC says that in most situations, cleaning surfaces with soap or detergent, not disinfecting, is enough to reduce risk of transmission.[197][198] The CDC recommends that if a COVID-19 case is suspected or confirmed at a facility such as an office or day care, all areas such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared electronic equipment like tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATM machines used by the ill persons should be disinfected.[199] Surfaces may be decontaminated with 6271 percent ethanol, 50100 percent isopropanol, 0.1 percent sodium hypochlorite, 0.5 percent hydrogen peroxide, and 0.27.5 percent povidone-iodine. Other solutions, such as benzalkonium chloride and chlorhexidine gluconate, are less effective. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation may also be used.[175] A datasheet comprising the authorised substances to disinfection in the food industry (including suspension or surface tested, kind of surface, use dilution, disinfectant and inocuylum volumes) can be seen in the supplementary material of.[190]

Self-isolation at home has been recommended for those diagnosed with COVID-19 and those who suspect they have been infected. Health agencies have issued detailed instructions for proper self-isolation.[200] Many governments have mandated or recommended self-quarantine for entire populations. The strongest self-quarantine instructions have been issued to those in high-risk groups.[201] Those who may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and those who have recently travelled to a country or region with the widespread transmission have been advised to self-quarantine for 14 days from the time of last possible exposure.[202]

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recommends a healthy diet, being physically active, managing psychological stress, and getting enough sleep.[203]

Consistently meeting scientific guidelines of 150+ minutes per week of exercise or similar physical activity was shown to be associated with a smaller risk of hospitalisation and death due to COVID-19, even when considering likely risk factors such as elevated BMI.[204][205]

A meta-analysis, published online in October 2021, concluded that Vitamin D supplementation in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients has the potential to positively impact patients with both mild and severe symptoms.[206] The largest clinical trial on the subject, with over 6 000 participants and a dosage regime near the RDI, is set to conclude in July 2021.[207][208]

A 2021 Cochrane rapid review found that based upon low-certainty evidence, international travel-related control measures such as restricting cross-border travel may help to contain the spread of COVID-19.[209] Additionally, symptom/exposure-based screening measures at borders may miss many positive cases.[209] While test-based border screening measures may be more effective, it could also miss many positive cases if only conducted upon arrival without follow-up. The review concluded that a minimum 10-day quarantine may be beneficial in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and may be more effective if combined with an additional control measure like border screening.[209]

There is no specific, effective treatment or cure for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.[210][needs update][211] One year into the pandemic, highly effective vaccines have now been introduced and are beginning to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2; however, for those awaiting vaccination, as well as for the estimated millions of immunocompromised persons who are unlikely to respond robustly to vaccination, treatment remains important.[212] Thus, the lack of progress developing effective treatments means that the cornerstone of management of COVID-19 has been supportive care, which includes treatment to relieve symptoms, fluid therapy, oxygen support and prone positioning as needed, and medications or devices to support other affected vital organs.[213][214][215]

Most cases of COVID-19 are mild. In these, supportive care includes medication such as paracetamol or NSAIDs to relieve symptoms (fever, body aches, cough), proper intake of fluids, rest, and nasal breathing.[216][211][217][218] Good personal hygiene and a healthy diet are also recommended.[219] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that those who suspect they are carrying the virus isolate themselves at home and wear a face mask.[220]

People with more severe cases may need treatment in hospital. In those with low oxygen levels, use of the glucocorticoid dexamethasone is strongly recommended, as it can reduce the risk of death.[221][222][223] Noninvasive ventilation and, ultimately, admission to an intensive care unit for mechanical ventilation may be required to support breathing.[224] Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used to address the issue of respiratory failure, but its benefits are still under consideration.[225][226] Some of the cases of severe disease course are caused by systemic hyper-inflammation, the so called cytokine storm.[227]

The severity of COVID-19 varies. The disease may take a mild course with few or no symptoms, resembling other common upper respiratory diseases such as the common cold. In 34% of cases (7.4% for those over age 65) symptoms are severe enough to cause hospitalization.[235] Mild cases typically recover within two weeks, while those with severe or critical diseases may take three to six weeks to recover. Among those who have died, the time from symptom onset to death has ranged from two to eight weeks.[70] The Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanit reported that the median time between the onset of symptoms and death was twelve days, with seven being hospitalised. However, people transferred to an ICU had a median time of ten days between hospitalisation and death.[236] Prolonged prothrombin time and elevated C-reactive protein levels on admission to the hospital are associated with severe course of COVID-19 and with a transfer to ICU.[237][238]

Some early studies suggest 10% to 20% of people with COVID-19 will experience symptoms lasting longer than a month.[239][240] A majority of those who were admitted to hospital with severe disease report long-term problems including fatigue and shortness of breath.[241] On 30 October 2020, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom warned that "to a significant number of people, the COVID virus poses a range of serious long-term effects." He has described the vast spectrum of COVID-19 symptoms that fluctuate over time as "really concerning". They range from fatigue, a cough and shortness of breath, to inflammation and injury of major organs including the lungs and heart, and also neurological and psychologic effects. Symptoms often overlap and can affect any system in the body. Infected people have reported cyclical bouts of fatigue, headaches, months of complete exhaustion, mood swings, and other symptoms. Tedros therefore concluded that a strategy of achieving herd immunity by infection, rather than vaccination, is "morally unconscionable and unfeasible".[242]

In terms of hospital readmissions about 9% of 106,000 individuals had to return for hospital treatment within two months of discharge. The average to readmit was eight days since first hospital visit. There are several risk factors that have been identified as being a cause of multiple admissions to a hospital facility. Among these are advanced age (above 65 years of age) and presence of a chronic condition such as diabetes, COPD, heart failure or chronic kidney disease.[243][244]

According to scientific reviews smokers are more likely to require intensive care or die compared to non-smokers.[245][246] Acting on the same ACE2 pulmonary receptors affected by smoking, air pollution has been correlated with the disease.[246] Short term[247] and chronic[248] exposure to air pollution seems to enhance morbidity and mortality from COVID-19.[249][250][251] Pre-existing heart and lung diseases[252] and also obesity, especially in conjunction with fatty liver disease, contributes to an increased health risk of COVID-19.[246][253][254][255]

It is also assumed that those that are immunocompromised are at higher risk of getting severely sick from SARS-CoV-2.[256] One research that looked into the COVID-19 infections in hospitalized kidney transplant recipients found a mortality rate of 11%.[257]

Genetics also plays an important role in the ability to fight off the disease.[258] For instance, those that do not produce detectable type I interferons or produce auto-antibodies against these may get much sicker from COVID-19.[259][260] Genetic screening is able to detect interferon effector genes.[261]

Pregnant women may be at higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection based on data from other similar viruses, like SARS and MERS, but data for COVID-19 is lacking.

While very young children have experienced lower rates of infection, older children have a rate of infection that is similar to the population as a whole.[262][263] Children are likely to have milder symptoms and are at lower risk of severe disease than adults.[264] The CDC reports that in the US roughly a third of hospitalized children were admitted to the ICU,[265] while a European multinational study of hospitalized children from June 2020 found that about 8% of children admitted to a hospital needed intensive care.[266] Four of the 582 children (0.7%) in the European study died, but the actual mortality rate may be "substantially lower" since milder cases that did not seek medical help were not included in the study.[267][268]

Complications may include pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multi-organ failure, septic shock, and death.[269][270][271][272] Cardiovascular complications may include heart failure, arrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation), heart inflammation, and thrombosis, particularly venous thromboembolism.[273][274][275][276][277][278] Approximately 2030% of people who present with COVID-19 have elevated liver enzymes, reflecting liver injury.[279][155]

Neurologic manifestations include seizure, stroke, encephalitis, and GuillainBarr syndrome (which includes loss of motor functions).[280][281] Following the infection, children may develop paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which has symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease, which can be fatal.[282][283] In very rare cases, acute encephalopathy can occur, and it can be considered in those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have an altered mental status.[284]

In the case of pregnant women, it is important to note that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pregnant women are at increased risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19.[285] This is because pregnant women with COVID-19 appear to be more likely to develop respiratory and obstetric complications that can lead to miscarriage, premature delivery and intrauterine growth restriction.[285]

Fungal infections such as aspergillosis, candidiasis, cryptococcosis and mucormycosis have been recorded in patients recovering from COVID-19.[286][287]

Some early studies suggest that 10-20% of people with COVID-19 will experience symptoms lasting longer than a month.[288][240] A majority of those who were admitted to hospital with severe disease report long-term problems, including fatigue and shortness of breath.[289] About 510% of patients admitted to hospital progress to severe or critical disease, including pneumonia and acute respiratory failure.[290]

By a variety of mechanisms, the lungs are the organs most affected in COVID-19.[291] In people requiring hospital admission, up to 98% of CT scans performed show lung abnormalities after 28 days of illness even if they had clinically improved.[292]

People with advanced age, severe disease, prolonged ICU stays, or who smoke are more likely to have long-lasting effects, including pulmonary fibrosis.[293] Overall, approximately one-third of those investigated after four weeks will have findings of pulmonary fibrosis or reduced lung function as measured by DLCO, even in asymptomatic people, but with the suggestion of continuing improvement with the passing of more time.[291]

The immune response by humans to SARS-CoV-2 virus occurs as a combination of the cell-mediated immunity and antibody production,[294] just as with most other infections.[295] B cells interact with T cells and begin dividing before selection into the plasma cell, partly on the basis of their affinity for antigen.[296] Since SARS-CoV-2 has been in the human population only since December 2019, it remains unknown if the immunity is long-lasting in people who recover from the disease.[297] The presence of neutralizing antibodies in blood strongly correlates with protection from infection, but the level of neutralizing antibody declines with time. Those with asymptomatic or mild disease had undetectable levels of neutralizing antibody two months after infection. In another study, the level of neutralizing antibodies fell four-fold one to four months after the onset of symptoms. However, the lack of antibodies in the blood does not mean antibodies will not be rapidly produced upon reexposure to SARS-CoV-2. Memory B cells specific for the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of SARS-CoV-2 last for at least six months after the appearance of symptoms.[297]

Reinfection with COVID-19 is possible but uncommon. The first case of reinfection was documented in August 2020.[298] A systematic review found 17 cases of confirmed reinfection in medical literature as of May 2021.[298]

Several measures are commonly used to quantify mortality.[299] These numbers vary by region and over time and are influenced by the volume of testing, healthcare system quality, treatment options, time since the initial outbreak, and population characteristics such as age, sex, and overall health.[300]

The mortality rate reflects the number of deaths within a specific demographic group divided by the population of that demographic group. Consequently, the mortality rate reflects the prevalence as well as the severity of the disease within a given population. Mortality rates are highly correlated to age, with relatively low rates for young people and relatively high rates among the elderly.[301][302][303] In fact, one relevant factor of mortality rates is the age structure of the countries populations. For example, the case fatality rate for COVID-19 is lower in India than in the US since India's younger population represents a larger percentage than in the US.[304]

The case fatality rate (CFR) reflects the number of deaths divided by the number of diagnosed cases within a given time interval. Based on Johns Hopkins University statistics, the global death-to-case ratio is 1.99% (5,198,289/261,261,978) as of 28 November 2021.[6] The number varies by region.[305][306] The CFR may not reflect the true severity of the disease, because some infected individuals remain asymptomatic or experience only mild symptoms, and hence such infections may not be included in official case reports. Moreover, the CFR may vary markedly over time and across locations due to the availability of live virus tests.

Total confirmed cases over time

Total confirmed cases of COVID-19 per million people[307]

Total confirmed deaths due to COVID-19 per million people[308]

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COVID-19 - Wikipedia

Symptoms of Coronavirus: Early Signs, Serious Symptoms and …

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University of Alabama at Birmingham: Sorting out symptoms of COVID-19, influenza, colds and allergies.

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Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Children United States, February 12-April 2, 2020.

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COVID-19 Hospital Capacity of NOLAND HOSPITAL TUSCALOOSA …

BIBB MEDICAL CENTERShort Term208 PIERSON AVE, CENTREVILLE, AL 34.0 31.3%9.4 of 30.0 beds used N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 53 343 UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA HOSPITALShort Term619 SOUTH 19TH STREET, BIRMINGHAM, AL 1,487.4 88.5%1,226.4 of 1,385.4 beds used 91.6%273.1 of 298.1 beds used 57.1 N/A 18 N/A 927 2,372 ST VINCENT'S BIRMINGHAMShort Term810 ST VINCENT'S DRIVE, BIRMINGHAM, AL 478.9 70.5%317.3 of 449.9 beds used 65.1%54.6 of 83.9 beds used 5.0 N/A 7 N/A 124 707 PRINCETON BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTERShort Term701 PRINCETON AVENUE SOUTHWEST, BIRMINGHAM, AL 303.0 64.9%177.3 of 273.0 beds used 75.6%43.1 of 57.0 beds used 12.9 N/A 5 N/A 151 580 CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ALABAMAChildrens Hospitals1600 SEVENTH AVENUE SOUTH, BIRMINGHAM, AL 418.0 91.6%360.9 of 394.0 beds used 93.1%44.7 of 48.0 beds used N/A 4.3 N/A 5 321 1,477 WALKER BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTERShort Term3400 HIGHWAY 78 EAST, JASPER, AL 187.0 66.5%104.4 of 157.0 beds used 83.3%10.0 of 12.0 beds used 4.1 N/A 5 N/A 93 558 ST VINCENT'S EASTShort Term50 MEDICAL PARK EAST DRIVE, BIRMINGHAM, AL 339.0 87.3%269.9 of 309.0 beds used 91.7%48.6 of 53.0 beds used 8.1 N/A 7 N/A 235 776 FAYETTE MEDICAL CENTERShort Term1653 TEMPLE AVENUE NORTH, FAYETTE, AL 33.0 34.2%8.9 of 26.0 beds used N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 67 200 HALE COUNTY HOSPITALShort Term508 GREEN STREET, GREENSBORO, AL 26.0 46.2%9.7 of 21.0 beds used N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 6 205 GRANDVIEW MEDICAL CENTERShort Term3690 GRANDVIEW PARKWAY, BIRMINGHAM, AL 413.4 91.4%357.7 of 391.4 beds used 88.8%82.0 of 92.3 beds used 6.6 N/A 6 N/A 163 739 MEDICAL WEST, AN AFFILIATE OF UAB HEALTH SYSTEMShort Term995 9TH AVENUE SOUTHWEST, BESSEMER, AL 165.9 66.3%110.0 of 165.9 beds used 97.1%20.4 of 21.0 beds used 7.4 N/A N/A N/A 164 1,341 BROOKWOOD BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTERShort Term2010 BROOKWOOD MEDICAL CENTER DRIVE, BIRMINGHAM, AL 372.4 82.0%272.7 of 332.4 beds used 63.4%46.9 of 74.0 beds used N/A N/A N/A N/A 60 653 SELECT SPECIALTY HOSPITAL - BIRMINGHAMLong Term2010 BROOKWOOD MEDICAL CENTER DRIVE, 3RD FLOOR, BIRMINGHAM, AL 38.0 81.3%30.9 of 38.0 beds used N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A NOLAND HOSPITAL BIRMINGHAM II, LLCLong Term50 MEDICAL PARK EAST DRIVE 8TH FLOOR, BIRMINGHAM, AL 24.0 72.1%17.3 of 24.0 beds used N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A GREENE COUNTY HOSPITALShort Term509 WILSON AVENUE, EUTAW, AL 16.0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 8 47 UAB CALLAHAN EYE HOSPITAL AUTHORITYShort Term1720 UNIVERSITY BLVD, SUITE 500, BIRMINGHAM, AL 9.0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 139

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COVID-19 Hospital Capacity of NOLAND HOSPITAL TUSCALOOSA ...