Anxiety and depression may raise odds of long COVID

On Sep 7, 2022

Anxiety and depression may raise odds of long COVID, study finds

Psychological stressors may play a greater role than physical ailments in a patient’s likelihood of experiencing symptoms of long COVID after a coronavirus infection, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry. In a cohort study of 54,960 individuals who were surveyed for 19 months starting in April 2020, “depression, anxiety, perceived stress, loneliness, and worry about COVID-19 were prospectively associated with a 1.3- to 1.5-fold increased risk of self-reported post-COVID-19 conditions, as well as increased risk of daily life impairment related to post-COVID-19 conditions,” the researchers found. “Our results should not be misinterpreted as supporting a hypothesis that post-COVID-19 conditions are psychosomatic,” they said. “First, among respondents who developed post-COVID-19 conditions, more than 40% had no distress at baseline. Second, symptoms of post-COVID-19 conditions differ substantially from symptoms of mental illness.”

Third Democratic senator this week tests positive for COVID-19

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is the third Democratic senator this week to test positive for COVID-19, his office announced on Wednesday. “The senator is in good spirits and incredibly thankful to have been fully vaccinated and boosted,” Francisco Pelayo, his communications director, tweeted. Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff announced he tested positive for the virus earlier on Wednesday during a planned eight-day trip to India, while Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen on Tuesday said she had tested positive. All three are isolating and working remotely, per CDC guidance. The Senate returns to the Capitol this week following its summer recess and is expected to hold multiple votes. Their abscesses may throw off the chamber’s 50-50 makeup if votes are cast along party lines.

Critics denounce bill punishing doctors who spread COVID lies

Gov. Gavin Newsom has until the end of the month to sign or veto a bill that would make California the first state to let regulators punish doctors who give patients false information about COVID-19 — but which critics say would be a free-speech nightmare. State law already prohibits doctors from violating the accepted standard of medical care by lying to patients or mistreating them for any illness, including COVID-19. Doctors who do this risk being disciplined by the state’s medical boards or losing their license altogether. Read more about AB2098, which specifically calls out COVID-19, and why some people think it tramples on the rights of doctors to express their medical opinions.

New York lifts mask requirement for subways and buses

New York residents will no longer be required to wear masks to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus on subways, buses and other mass transit, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday. Citing improving COVID-19 trends and the rollout of the updated vaccines targeting omicron subvariants, she said the mandate that hich went into effect in April 2020 would end immediately. “We do believe that we’re in a good place right now, especially if New Yorkers take advantage of this booster,” Hochul said at a briefing. “That is how we get back to not just a new normal, but a normal-normal, and that is what we’re striving for.” Masks are still required in nursing homes and hospitals across the state.

Anxiety and depression raise long COVID odds, study finds

New Bay Area COVID cases at lowest point since April

As of Tuesday, the Bay Area reported a seven-day average of 15 daily coronavirus infections per 100,000 residents, according to state figures tracked by The Chronicle, while California’s seven-day average fell to 17 per 100,000. Those are the lowest figures on record since mid-April before the summer omicron BA.5 surge drove the numbers up to 61 per 100,000 and 56 per 100,000, respectively. The statewide test positivity rate is also down to 7.5% but remains well above the 1.5% average recorded in April. The state is averaging 36 COVID-related deaths per day, including six in the Bay Area region. There are 2,983 patients with confirmed coronavirus infections across the state, and 546 in the Bay Area. The state was reporting the same numbers in June.

FDA urges vaccinators to read labels before administrating updated boosters

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to ensure that people are getting the right shots when they ask for an updated bivalent booster. On Wednesday, the agency issued new guidance for vaccinators to help them differentiate between the new doses of the Moderna and Pfizer shots and previous versions of their vaccine. “It is important to carefully read the labels to differentiate between the vaccines,” the agency said, providing a visual guide to the updated labels.

COVID deaths in U.S. level off from mid-August peak

COVID deaths in the U.S. are once again expected to “likely decrease” over the next four weeks, according to ensemble forecasts used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The models show that between 1,700 to 4,400 new deaths could be reported in the week ending October 1. An average of 342 Americans are now dying due to COVID-19 per day, down from a summer peak of 486 recorded in mid-August. Dr. Rochelle Wallensky, director of the CDC, said during a briefing yesterday that the toll is still “far too high for a vaccine-preventable disease.”

USDA launches updated dashboard tracking virus variants in animals

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will launch an updated dashboard tracking information on coronavirus variants detected in animals, according to an announcement Wednesday. The agency’s scientists have so far confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases in several animal species including cats, dogs, animals in zoos and aquariums, mink, white-tailed deer, and mule deer. The USDA said the purpose of the dashboard is to better protect animal and human health while noting that “there is currently no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus to humans.”