Narrow halls are a greater risk for disease; COVID-19 patients often need to be re-licensed in hospital

(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find cures and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease that caused the virus.

Infectious risks are higher in narrow halls

A person with unexplained coronavirus infection walks briskly down a narrow corridor leaving a long stream of virus-filled bolts sliding behind you, a new computer simulation suggests. Even if social distance guidelines are followed, it may still be dangerous to follow someone down a narrow corridor, researchers advised in a report published Tuesday in Physics of Wetlands. “The release of COVID-19 is heavily influenced by airflow,” said coauthor Xiaolei Yang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. “A small change of airflow can significantly change the pattern of virus transmission,” he said. Such changes can be caused by a small difference in corridor width, walking distance, internal architectural structure, temperature, humidity or other factors. Living six feet (1.83 m) behind the person in front of you “is not enough for narrow passages, and a face mask is recommended even if you do not see people around, he said. In addition, the drops are viral behind walking. the man tends to move at waist height, so short children are exposed to a higher risk than adults, he said. “When you’re with a baby, you may want to hold on to it or your arms.” (bit.ly/34fRftK)

COVID-19 patients often need to be re-licensed in hospital

Shortly after leaving hospital, those who survived COVID-19 are at greater risk for relapse or death than the remnants of other high-risk medical conditions, new data suggest . Researchers studied patients admitted to 132 U.S. Veterans Affairs hospitals nationwide from March through May, including 2,179 who were admitted for COVID-19. Another 1,799 had pneumonia unrelated to COVID-19 and 3,505 had heart failure, conditions associated with high rates of relapse. Within 10 days of discharge, approximately 14% of COVID-19 patients recovered or died, compared with approximately 10% of other patients, researchers said Monday in JAMA. By day 60 after discharge, approximately one in four COVID-19 patients had recovered or died, but the rate was slightly higher among the other patients. “Recovery can be a bumpy road,” said coauthor Dr. Hallie Prescott from the University of Michigan Health System told Reuters. But a lot has changed since June, she said. “We have better treatments so it’s possible … we’ll see fewer cases where patients are getting worse with symptoms that need re-admission.” (bit.ly/3aeuBWp)

Black U.S. communities miss out on COVID-19 test

The COVID-19 test is critical for the identification and isolation of infected people, but tests may be as common among U.S. Blacks as among white people, a study in Missouri suggests. Between March and September, nearly one million COVID-19 tests were performed in the St. Louis and Kansas City regions. In the first three months of that period, areas (identified by zip zip codes) with higher proportions of Black, uninsured residents, and moderately lower incomes made up 25% of COVID-19 cases but only 9% to 12% of tests tested for the virus, researchers found. “Even within the same zip codes, test rates were lower among Black residents compared to white residents,” said Dr. Aaloke Mody of the University of Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis. Louis. The differences continued throughout the summer, he said. “Studies have once again revealed an increased burden of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and mortality in small communities,” Mody and colleagues wrote Monday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. “Test differences may be important for drivers of differences in disease burden,” Mody said. “We need proactive public health strategies that will go a long way in ensuring fair testing, such as conducting experiments based in the wider community. This can be extended to thinking about fairness in vaccine circulation, “he said. (Bit.ly/37oKmbg)

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