Covid-19, more deadly than influenza for ICU patients

The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific research on the new coronavirus and efforts to find cures and vaccines for the virus-induced disease Covid-19.

Covid-19 can be transmitted via lung transplant

Coronavirus can remain in the lungs even if a cotton swab test behind the nose and throat is negative, doctors report after unknowingly transplanting infected lungs to patients who later died of Covid-19 did.

A surgeon at the University of Michigan obtained lungs from a dead donor who tested negative for the virus and was reported to have never been exposed to the virus. Shortly thereafter, one of the transplant recipients and surgeons developed Covid-19.

The team collected a liquid sample from the patient’s new lung and compared it to a sample taken from the lung immediately after removal from the donor and a swab sample from an infected surgeon.

Genetic analysis showed that both the patient and the surgeon acquired the virus from the donor’s lungs, doctors reported to the American Journal of Transplantation. Because both donors and recipients were negative, surgeons wore only surgical masks, not complete personal protective equipment, when preparing the lungs for transplantation.

All potential lung transplant donors should have specimens taken from deep in the lungs for coronavirus testing, said report co-author Dr. Daniel Kaul. He said the virus is unlikely to be transmitted by other donated organs such as the liver and kidneys.

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Covid-19 is more deadly than influenza for ICU patients

New studies show that patients who are severely ill with Covid-19 are at a much higher risk of dying in the intensive care unit (ICU) than those who are ill with influenza. Researchers in Mexico investigated 147 patients in the Covid-19 who were admitted to the ICU between March and October and 94 patients who were admitted to influenza A-H1N1 the previous year.

All had respiratory failure. Patients with the flu were generally ill when they arrived in the ICU, but were more likely to survive. Their mortality rate was 22%, compared to 39% in Covid-19 patients. After considering baseline health and other risk factors, Covid-19 patients had an almost four-fold higher risk of death, researchers said Thursday in a paper submitted to medRxiv prior to peer review. reported.

Compared to the flu, Covid-19 causes more serious lung damage and is “less likely to recover,” the researchers said.

Increasing new variants in New York City

Studies show that there is an increasing number of new coronavirus variants in New York City that share some similarities with the mutants of interest found abroad. At Columbia University, researchers analyzed virus samples from patients at partner medical centers to monitor the first virus variants identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil.

When they looked for a mutation of particular concern called E484K-in contrast current antibody therapies and vaccines are not very effective-they found it in some samples. In many cases, it was not one of the variants from abroad, but a variant not found anywhere else.

By mid-February, new variants accounted for about 12% of their cases, Colombian researchers reported Wednesday. This variant is also described in another study by California Institute of Technology scientists who analyzed virus samples collected in New York since November. They found that the new variants made up only 5% of the sample in late January, but almost 28% in late February. Both reports were posted to medRxiv prior to peer review.

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On Thursday, New York City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said the actual effects of this variant are unknown and there are currently no signs of reducing the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Jim is a high-risk place for coronavirus infection

Jim is a high-risk area for Covid-19 infection and requires wearing a mask while there, researchers said Wednesday in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Weekly Mortality and Mortality Report. I warned in two papers. One study reported an outbreak in a gym in Chicago in August, identifying 55 Covid-19 cases from 81 participants in an indoor high-intensity exercise class.

“22 people (40%) with Covid-19 participated after the day the symptoms began. Most participants (76%) had Covid-19 (84%) and those without (60%). I didn’t wear much masks, including%), “the author reported.

Other studies reported on three gyms in Hawaii. Twenty-one Covid-19 cases in July were associated with two instructors who taught classes during infection. The authors said the infection rate for students exposed before the instructor showed symptoms was 95%.

Gym participants are required to wear masks, even during high-intensity activities, even if they are more than 6 feet (1.83 m) away, according to Chicago researchers. The facility should encourage attendees to enforce physical distance, improve ventilation, and isolate after the onset of symptoms, potential exposure to Covid-19, or a positive coronavirus test. .. “Exercise outdoors or in effect can further reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection,” they said.