Coronavirus weekly-need-to-know: Flu season, lung damage, loss of smell & more
Each week, we’ll offer you a round-up of our noteworthy coronavirus coverage.
More than 21.9 million people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Saturday, Jan. 9, according to Johns Hopkins University. That includes more than 370,000 people who have died nationwide.
Globally, there are now more than 89.2 million confirmed cases of the highly infectious virus, with more than 1.9 million reported deaths.
About 5.9 million Americans have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Jan. 6, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker shows.
States with the most people who have gotten their first jab per 100,000 individuals include Alaska, Tennessee, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, West Virginia, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island, as well as Washington D.C.
Wednesday saw the most people hospitalized with COVID-19 in any single day since the pandemic began, with 132,464 Americans in a hospital.
Here’s what happened between Jan. 1 and Jan. 7.
Can you test positive for COVID-19 after your first vaccine dose?
A handful of people are testing positive for COVID-19 shortly after their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but health experts say this is normal and expected.
Neither of the available vaccines offers 100% protection against the coronavirus, and the protection they do offer doesn’t appear immediately. What’s more, both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two doses, meaning people don’t have maximum immunity to COVID-19 following their first dose.
Continue reading to learn why the vaccine doesn’t offer full protection following one dose of a vaccine.
Flu activity is lower than usual during the pandemic
Health care professionals aren’t seeing their standard influenza-ridden patients this season, suggesting the flu isn’t making its usual rounds in the northern hemisphere.
They speculate that flu vaccinations, coronavirus priority in health care systems, competition between viruses and COVID-19 preventive measures such as mask wearing and social distancing all play a role in the abnormally inactive 2020-2021 flu season.
Here, experts explain in detail how each of these possibilities might explain the unusually low flu activity this season.
People with mild COVID-19 cases more likely to lose smell
Loss of smell, clinically known as anosmia, is often one of the first symptoms felt by people infected with the coronavirus, and often one of the only ones to show up.
Now, a new study of about 2,500 COVID-19 patients found that a faulty nose affects mostly those with mild cases — nearly 86% — while only slightly affecting people with moderate illnesses (4.5%) and severe-to-critical cases (6.9%).
Researchers explain some possible reasons why milder cases are more often wiped of their sense of smell.
COVID-19 may be causing permanent lung damage
Although there are no concrete answers yet, data from similar viruses such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS) suggest up to 50% of people who’ve had COVID-19 may have some lung damage.
A Northwestern Medicine study discovered that COVID-19 can cause permanent damage and “severe” scarring to the lungs post infection.
A separate study on the organs of 41 patients who died of COVID-19 at a hospital in Italy between February and April found “extensive lung damage in most cases.”
Here’s everything you need to know about COVID-19’s affect on lungs.
Doctors assure allergy-sufferers it’s OK to get COVID-19 vaccine
With more than 5.3 million Americans injected with their first dose of one of the two available COVID-19 vaccines, allergic reactions continue to prove rare across the nation.
That’s why the team of allergists says people with a history of food or medication allergies can safely receive a coronavirus vaccine, especially since both options do not contain any foods such as eggs, drugs, preservatives or latex — all common allergens.
Read on to learn what ingredients are in the COVID-19 vaccines.
Umbilical cord-derived stem cells new COVID-19 treatment?
A University of Miami Miller School of Medicine study showed umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell infusions can safely reduce the risk of death and quicken recovery time for COVID-19 patients suffering the most severe conditions.
One researcher said their study “clearly indicates that these stem cells decrease the hyper immune, hyper inflammatory response associated with severe cases of COVID-19.”
Continue reading to learn more about the study and possible treatment.
Some employers are offering to pay workers to get vaccinated
As the first phase of COVID-19 vaccine distribution rolls on, some health care workers and first responders are being offered bonuses, prizes and other incentives, as encouragement to get the shots.
However, some studies show that offering incentives, whether in the form of money or prizes, may do little to convince vaccine skeptics, and could actually fuel their reluctance as the offer of payment implies there must be risk involved.
Here’s who has been offered payment in exchange for a vaccine, so far.
Amazon now selling at-home COVID-19 saliva test kits
Amazon is now selling at-home COVID-19 testing kits, making it that much easier to get tested without waiting in line, or putting others at risk of exposure.
The DxTerity COVID-19 Saliva at-Home Collection Kit is available for $110 each, or $1,000 for 10, according to the Amazon product page.
DxTerity says their kit is the first at-home coronavirus saliva testing product that is FDA-approved for use by both people experiencing symptoms, and those who are asymptomatic.
In other coronavirus coverage outside of McClatchy...
Florida Medical Authorities Probing Death of Man Who Got Covid-19 Vaccine - WSJ.com
Study: Kids more likely to be infected by a family member than in a classroom
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 7:51 AM.
