Articles

New research spotlights long COVID’s serious cognitive health repercussions, including a 6-point drop in IQ.

New research adds to piling scientific proof that long-COVID patients may suffer serious, long-term neurological damage that hurts their brain health and cognitive abilities, including early evidence linking a serious bout of long COVID with drops in IQ and trouble with standard memory-related and cognitive tasks like verbal reasoning and accurately defining words.

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From the very early days of the pandemic, brain fog emerged as a significant health condition that many experience after COVID-19.

Brain fog is a colloquial term that describes a state of mental sluggishness or lack of clarity and haziness that makes it difficult to concentrate, remember things and think clearly.

Fast-forward four years and there is now abundant evidence that being infected with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – can affect brain health in many ways.

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Indoor air pollutants and extreme temperatures present a growing health risk for students and educators.

Key Takeaways

1. More educators and students are teaching, working and learning in school buildings that are harmful to their health, reporting respiratory problems, headaches, nausea, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.
2. Healthy and safe working conditions are a key factor in keeping educators in the profession.
3. As many policymakers downplay the dangers of poor indoor air quality and extreme temperatures, educator advocacy has kept the issue in the public spotlight.

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U.S. COVID infections are hovering near levels of the pandemic’s first peak in 2020, and approaching the Delta peak of late 2021, according to wastewater surveillance and modeling by forecasters.

It’s yet another sign that while the official pandemic state may be over, the days of COVID are far from it.

Viral wastewater levels are not far behind all of the pandemic’s 2020 peaks except for one—the initial peak of March 2020, which they’ve already surpassed. And they lag just slightly levels seen during the deadly Delta peak of late 2021, according to Biobot Analytics, which monitors such data for the federal government.

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The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are tracking a new, highly mutated lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Six cases in four countries have been detected since late July. Scientists are keeping an eye on the new lineage, named BA.2.86, because it has 36 mutations that distinguish it from the currently-dominant XBB.1.5 variant.

So far there is no evidence that BA.2.86 spreads faster or causes more serious illness than previous versions. The CDC said its advice on protecting yourself from COVID remains the same.

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• Virus trackers say the variant has already been spotted in Denmark and Israel
• The strain has yet to be officially named but has already been dubbed BA.6
• Experts believe the variant could have over 30 mutations in its spike protein

Fears of a fresh Covid resurgence were today heightened after the discovery of a new variant thought to be the 'real deal'.

Scientists have already called for the return of face masks because of the spin-off strain — yet to be officially named but dubbed BA.6.

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EG.5 - descended from the Omicron variant of COVID - has been detected in 51 countries and is growing in prevalence globally, including in the UK, US and China.

A new fast-spreading COVID strain has been designated a "variant of interest" by the World Health Organisation.

EG.5 is descended from the Omicron variant of coronavirus and is growing in prevalence globally, including in the UK, US and China.

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A recent uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is hinting at how the virus will keep raising a predictable seasonal threat. But experts warn the U.S. is lacking critical tools to help manage future waves.

The big picture: Infection levels are still relatively low, and immunity from prior infections and vaccinations means the virus is unlikely to reach the same high levels seen during past fall and winter waves.

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Yet another summer COVID-19 wave may have started in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"After roughly six, seven months of steady declines, things are starting to tick back up again," Dr. Brendan Jackson, the CDC's COVID-19 incident manager, tells NPR.

The amount of coronavirus being detected in wastewater, the percentage of people testing positive for the virus and the number of people seeking care for COVID-19 at emergency rooms all started increasing in early July, Jackson says.

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Weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen by more than 10% across the country, according to new data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marking the largest percent increase in this key indicator of the virus since December.

At least 7,109 admissions of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were reported for the week of July 15 nationwide, the CDC said late Monday, up from 6,444 during the week before.

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