Tag: 22/12/21

Categories : COVIDTags :

Why Omicron May Hit Other Countries Harder

On By ModernMedia
COVID heat map. Photo by Giacomo Carra on Unsplash

South Africa may have gotten off more lightly from Omicron due to widespread immunity from previous infection combined with vaccine coverage, researchers think, which may not bode well for other countries which have not completed their vaccination nor seen the worst COVID surges.

The South African Medical Research Council in collaboration with Discovery Health on Tuesday last week presented data from a large study showing  that South Africans infected with Omicron are, on average, less likely to be hospitalised, and recover faster, compared to the other variants.

Their study looked at more than 200 000 COVID cases in South Africa during a Delta-driven surge in September and October, and the start of the Omicron-driven surge in November, as that variant began increasing rapidly. About a quarter of the people in the study already have a chronic illness, putting them at higher risk of severe COVID.

The researchers found a hopeful trend: The risk of hospitalisation for adults dropped 30% during the early days of the Omicron surge from the levels seen there in September and October.

“The hospital admissions during omicron, standing at 58 per 1000 infections, are the lowest of the four COVID waves, and one-third of what we experienced during the delta surge,” said Discovery Health CEO Ryan Noach.

Why was this so? One explanation could be the immunity from COVID recovery present in the population. South Africa had experienced three huge COVID surges with low vaccination rates compared to the US and Europe.

When the Omicron variant appeared, only about a quarter of the population were vaccinated but the vast majority of residents had likely already been infected with previous variants of SARS-CoV-2. This was based on the excess mortality rate observed in the country through the pandemic, and so it is thought that South Africans likely had some immunity granted by infection.

“Thus, Omicron enters a South African population with considerably more immunity than any prior SARS-CoV-2 variant,” concluded Dr Roby Bhattacharyya, an infectious disease specialist, and epidemiologist William Hanage in a recent working paper. This means that most Omicron cases are likely to be reinfections, rather than first infections.
Other countries will not have as broad a ‘coverage’ of vaccination and previous infection as South Africa. Around 125 million Americans are unvaccinated, and a recent study estimated that about 20% of Americans had been infected with COVID from the start of the pandemic, up to August, 2021.

The data therefore suggest that a minimum of 20% of Americans who are completely ‘naive’, as scientists term it, when it comes to exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Source: NPR

Categories : Ageing General InterestTags :

Most Superheroes Will Age Healthily, Researchers Conclude

On By ModernMedia
Spider-Man has a healthy outlook, so long as he doesn’t binge drink or smoke like his mentor, Iron Man. Source: Pixabay

Australian researchers in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal took a whimsical look at the ageing trajectories of Marvel superheroes based on their attributes and behaviours as seen in the films, finding them to be largely well-adjusted and likely to age healthily. 

Positive behaviours and health assets
Marvel superheroes are physically active, socially engaged, and optimistic, with high educational attainment and (with one notable exception) healthy weight, all of which have been associated with a positive ageing trajectory.

The review found that superheroes regularly engage in physical activity and exercise, both associated with healthy ageing. They often undertake high intensity interval training (HIIT), associated with improved health status in ageing men.

Even during discussions about how to stop aliens from enslaving humanity, superheroes stand regularly and pace, increasing their step count and further improving their healthy outlook.

In terms of social engagement, superheroes exhibit a high degree of social cohesion and connectedness, both linked to reduced dementia risk. People with strong social ties tend to live longer than isolated people, regardless of other risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity.

The superheroes show a positive or optimistic mindset on several occasions, as well as psychological resilience and a sense of purpose, all of which have been associated with healthy ageing.  Some have traumatic backgrounds, including Spider-Man who was orphaned, which increases his risk of substance abuse and mental health problems. However, his supportive social contacts, including positive male role models help mitigate this.

Most of the superheroes did not drink or smoke excessively, save for Iron Man and Thor, which is associated with longevity and healthy ageing. However, Thor is already thousands of years old and the researchers could not assume that modifiable personal traits would affect his life trajectory.

Negative behaviours and risk factors
Superheroes are exposed to loud noises, air pollution, and receive multiple head injuries precipitated by high risk physical activities.

Superheroes are repeatedly exposed to loud noises such as explosions, which is linked to hearing loss, which in turn is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Some of the superheroes, such as Hulk and Thor, have booming voices, potentially indicative of early sensorineural hearing loss.

During their activities, superheroes sustain multiple major head injuries, increasing their dementia risk. Involvement in high risk activities, which could increase their likelihood for life changing physical injury and disability.

Of the individual cases presented, Black Panther has probably the best health outlook, as he is extremely wealthy and intelligent, health assets that he shares in common with Iron Man. However, unlike Iron Man, he does not drink or smoke excessively, and is a vegetarian, which has well-studied benefits in healthy ageing.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Hulk was noted to have serious health concerns. Bruce Banner transforms to the Hulk when he experiences tachycardia—specifically, a heart rate of 200 beats per minute. The frequency of this occurrence suggests a predisposition to cardiac arrhythmias, possibly indicating underlying cardiac disease.

Hulk’s body mass index (BMI) is about 120 (calculated from height 213cm–243cm and weight 471kg–635kg). Although being in the overweight category might be protective, obesity is associated with a higher death rate as well as dementia, and several chronic health conditions and frailty. Hulk’s BMI also raises pragmatic concerns around future access to appropriate healthcare. Hulk’s almost constant anger (“That’s my secret Captain. I’m always angry”) might lead to increased inflammation and comorbidity in advanced old age.

Source: The British Medical Journal

Categories : COVIDTags :

Convalescent Plasma was Effective in Early Pandemic

On By ModernMedia

Convalescent plasma from COVID patients was likely of benefit to patients early on in the pandemic, before the introduction of remdesivir and corticosteroids as treatments, according to results of a landmark study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The randomised clinical trial, CONTAIN COVID-19, was established to evaluate the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma in hospitalised coronavirus patients. Overall, the trial showed that convalescent plasma was safe and well tolerated. It worked best in the early days of the pandemic, when plasma had higher antibody levels, when it was given early in the disease, and particularly for immunosuppressed people.

“This landmark study shows once and for all that convalescent plasma is an important countermeasure early in a pandemic when no other therapies are available. It was an important finding that lays the foundation for the rapid response to future pandemics,” said Luis Ostrosky, MD, professor and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “This trial, the largest of its kind, also showed that with proper funding and structure, researchers across the country were able to come together quickly in the middle of a global crisis to explore this therapeutic intervention.”

Trial results also showed a drop in efficacy after the introduction of remdesivir and corticosteroids, and by the end of the 11-month trial, there was no difference in outcome between plasma and placebo in patients at 14 and 28 days. However, patients on corticosteroids, but not remdesivir, appeared to benefit from convalescent plasma at day 14.

Since the patient characteristics, available treatments, and the virus, all changed over time, subgroup analyses were done, which showed a possible benefit for patients in the first quarter of the trial, a period from April to June 2020.

Participants in that first quarter were older, less severely ill, had a longer duration of symptoms, and received high-titer plasma. Shorter symptom duration can indicate a more severe case of the viral infection.

“Convalescent plasma could be an important early treatment tool in places that don’t have access to monoclonal antibodies, corticosteroids, remdesivir, or other therapies,” said the study’s co-investigator, Professor Bela Patel, MD. “It should also be considered for patients who are immunosuppressed and those whose B cell function is compromised.”

The researchers also suggested that, in addition to the introduction of corticosteroids and remdesivir, the decrease in efficacy over time may have been due to using convalescent plasma that originated from New York City before the emergence of other SARS-Co-V-2 variants .

Source: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston