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HealthDay Reports: COVID-19 Roundup for the Week of May 18-May 22

Each week, HealthDay's Physician's Briefing division rounds up the most important COVID-19 developments in the medical field. See this week's edition below for May 18-May 22.

CDC: COVID-19 Not Spread Easily From Contaminated Surfaces

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- COVID-19 spreads swiftly between people but is not easily caught from contaminated surfaces, according to updated information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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U.S. Government Seeks Deal With Private Industry to Boost Supply of Medical Equipment

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In an effort to prevent the United States from again struggling to have enough medical supplies in a pandemic, the federal government is seeking to make a five-year deal with U.S. manufacturers.

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U.S. Offers $1.2 Billion to Drug Company for COVID-19 Vaccine Research

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday it would provide up to $1.2 billion to AstraZeneca to develop a potential COVID-19 vaccine from a lab in Oxford, England.

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Age, Sex, History of Diabetes Predict Intubation in COVID-19

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Older age, male sex, and history of diabetes are factors predictive of intubation among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, while age and body mass index are associated with time to extubation, according to a study published online May 19 in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

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SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Detected in 4.65 Percent in Los Angeles County

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In recent serologic tests, the weighted prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antibodies was 4.65 percent among adult residents of Los Angeles County, California, after adjustment for test sensitivity and specificity, according to a research letter published online May 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Delays in Cancer Surgery Due to COVID-19 Could Harm Survival

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Modest delays in cancer surgery due to the COVID-19 pandemic could have a significant impact on survival, according to a study published online May 19 in the Annals of Oncology.

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No SARS-CoV-2 ID'd in Asymptomatic Pregnant Women in Los Angeles

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- At the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, none of 80 asymptomatic women admitted to the labor and antepartum units tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, according to a research letter published online May 19 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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Incidence of AMI Hospitalization Down During COVID-19

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In Northern California, the incidence of hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic period, according to a letter to the editor published online May 19 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Cardiac Decompensation Seen in Children Following COVID-19

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Children may experience acute cardiac decompensation due to a severe inflammatory state (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children or MIS-C) following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, according to a study published online May 17 in Circulation.

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ED Chest X-Ray Score Predicts COVID-19 Outcomes in Adults <50

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A chest X-ray severity score can predict outcomes among young and middle-aged adults with COVID-19 on presentation to the emergency department, according to a study published online May 14 in Radiology.

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CDC Says Test All Newborns of Mothers With Confirmed, Suspected COVID-19

THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- All babies born to women with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should be tested, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines issued Wednesday.

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Convalescent Plasma Trial for COVID-19 Patients Underway at NYU Langone

THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine are conducting a phase II clinical trial to determine the efficacy of convalescent plasma in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Corita R. Grudzen, M.D., vice chair for research in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine at NYU Langone Health, wrote the study protocol and recently spoke with HealthDay Live! about the trial.

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Rate of Stroke Low in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19

THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The rate of imaging-confirmed stroke is low in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, but mortality is higher than in contemporary controls without COVID-19 and historical controls, according to a study published online May 20 in Stroke.

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Factors Linked to COVID-19 In-Hospital Mortality ID'd in NYC

THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Factors associated with in-hospital mortality include older age, chronic cardiac disease, and chronic pulmonary disease in a cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in New York City, according to a study published online May 19 in The Lancet.

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Asthma Tied to Longer COVID-19 Intubation Time

THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Among COVID-19 patients who develop severe respiratory symptoms requiring intubation, asthma is associated with a significantly longer intubation time, according to a study published online May 14 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

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Clinical Performance of SARS-COV-2 Antibody Tests Varies

THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The diagnostic specificity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 serologic assays varies, and sensitivity is poor during the first 14 days of symptoms, according to a study published online May 13 in Clinical Chemistry.

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Some Children With COVID-19 Require Admission, PICU Care

WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Some children with COVID-19 require admission and intensive care, according to a study published online May 11 in The Journal of Pediatrics.

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Decrease Seen in Child Vaccination Coverage During COVID-19

WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- There has been a decrease in child vaccination coverage in almost all milestone age cohorts during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research published in the May 18 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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Review Highlights Neuropsychiatric Presentations of COVID-19

WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- COVID-19 may cause delirium in some patients, according to a review published online May 18 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

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Odds of Pulmonary Embolism Up for Obese COVID-19 Patients

WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with COVID-19 with a body mass index >30 kg/m² have increased odds of developing pulmonary embolism, according to a research letter published online May 14 in Radiology.

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Age, CRP Up Risk for Mortality in Diabetes With COVID-19

WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with diabetes and COVID-19, risk factors for mortality include older age and elevated C-reactive protein, and insulin usage is associated with poor prognosis, according to a study published online May 14 in Diabetes Care.

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11.2 Percent of Pediatric Cancer Patients Positive for SARS-CoV-2

WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Among pediatric cancer patients, overall morbidity of COVID-19 is low, according to a research letter published online May 13 in JAMA Pediatrics.

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15 Percent of Pregnant Women With COVID-19 Experience Severe Disease

TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Fifteen percent of pregnant women with COVID-19 have severe disease, according to a case series published online May 18 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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Mental Health Symptoms Up for Medics Dealing With COVID-19

TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The scores for mental health symptoms in medical personnel responding to COVID-19 pneumonia are generally higher than the norm in China, according to a study published online May 19 in PLOS ONE.

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Obesity Tied to Increased Risk for Progression to Severe COVID-19

TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is associated with a significantly increased risk for progression to severe COVID-19, according to a study published online May 14 in Diabetes Care.

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CMS: Use 'Extreme Caution' in Reopening Nursing Homes

TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- State governors should use "extreme caution" in deciding when to allow visits to nursing homes to resume, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Monday.

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Factors ID'd for Positive SARS-CoV-2 Test Result in Primary Care

TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Sociodemographic factors associated with the risk for a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 test result include deprivation, population density, and ethnicity, according to a study published online May 15 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

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28 Million-Plus Surgeries Could Be Canceled Due to COVID-19

TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Worldwide, more than 28 million elective surgeries could be canceled or postponed during the 12 weeks of peak disruption due to COVID-19, according to a study published online May 12 in the British Journal of Surgery.

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Hydroxychloroquine Does Not Improve COVID-19 Pneumonia Outcomes

TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Hydroxychloroquine does not improve outcomes in COVID-19, according to two studies published online May 14 in The BMJ.

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Corticosteroids for IBD May Up Risk for Severe COVID-19

TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with inflammatory bowel disease and COVID-19, risk factors for severe disease include increasing age, comorbidities, and systemic corticosteroids, according to a study published online May 18 in Gastroenterology.

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Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Appears Safe, Triggers Immune Response

MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental vaccine against COVID-19 appears to be safe and to trigger an immune response, according to results of the first human clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine.

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Social Distancing Policies Reduced COVID-19 Growth Rate

MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The impact of four widely adopted social distancing policies reduced the daily growth rate of COVID-19 across U.S. counties, according to a report published online May 14 in Health Affairs.

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Most Physicians Have Seen False-Negative COVID-19 Test Results

MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Most physicians believe they have seen false-negative results for a COVID-19 diagnostic test, according to the results of a recent survey.

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Convalescent Plasma Appears Promising for Severe COVID-19

MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Administration of convalescent plasma seems safe and results in improvement in clinical status for patients with severe or life-threatening COVID-19, according to a study not yet peer reviewed and posted on medRxiv.org.

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Cough May Not Appear in Young Children With COVID-19

MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Young children with COVID-19 may not present with respiratory symptoms, according to a case report published online May 12 in Frontiers in Pediatrics.

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Hydroxychloroquine No Aid for COVID-19-Related Mortality

MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, or both is not associated with improvements in in-hospital mortality, according to a study published online May 11 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Use of Imaging to Assess Stroke Down in Early COVID-19 Epoch

MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- From a prepandemic to early-pandemic epoch, there was a decrease in the use of imaging for the evaluation of stroke, according to a research letter published online May 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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In our latest HealthDay Now interview, Dr. Anton Porsteinsson, a principal investigator for the Biogen aducanumab trial, and Dr. Ken Lin, a primary care physician, discuss the controversial new Alzheimer's drug and whether it will provide any benefit to patients, despite its highly uncertain efficacy and steep cost.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

HD Live! Videos

In our latest HealthDay Now, Mabel Jong spoke with Dr. Lori Pierce, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and a cancer radiation specialist at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Pierce shared important takeaways from the recently concluded 2021 ASCO annual meeting and discussed why equity was the chosen theme this year.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

In our latest HealthDay Now, Dr. Hina Talib, a pediatrician and adolescent health specialist at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, debunks myths and common concerns parents may have about giving their children Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, which was recently approved for use in children and teens ages 12 and up.

HealthDay Now's Mabel Jong also speaks with Alan Santee, a high school freshman from Massachusetts, about why he didn't hesitate to get vaccinated, and Ethan Lindenberger, a 20-year-old vaccine advocate from Ohio, about his experience having a mom who is anti-vaccine and how kids and parents can approach these conversations.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

Watch our latest HealthDay Now to hear about the state of mental health and why many people fear returning to their social and work lives.

HealthDay's Mabel Jong spoke to Dr. Vivian Pender, president of the American Psychiatric Association, and Sherry Amatenstein, a social worker and therapist who has been dealing with these anxieties herself.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

Watch our latest HealthDay Now as we recap the highlights of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2021.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Antoni Ribas, former president of the American Association for Cancer Research and professor of medicine at UCLA, and Anna Plym, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

Watch our latest HealthDay Now as we dive into the latest details on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Mary Beth Son, Program Director of Boston Children's Hospital's Rheumatology Program, and Brian Padla, father of James Padla, who has MIS-C.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.


Watch our latest HealthDay Now as we take a look at how living through the COVID-19 pandemic impacts children socially, mentally and emotionally.

One year in, this is their "new normal," but what does that mean for them? From social isolation to remote learning to a loss of structure and normalcy, we discuss how living during the pandemic has both short- and long-term effects on children.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with:

  • Dr. Mark Reinecke, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University
  • Tracy Compton, a parent
  • Stephen Guerriero, a teacher
  • Jake Anderson, a student

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.

Watch our latest HD Live! as we take a look at the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccination rollout and how they've impacted people of color.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with:

  • Tasha Clark-Amar, CEO, East Baton Rouge Council on Aging
  • Jill Ramirez, Executive Director, Latino HealthCare Forum (Austin)
  • Vickie Mays, PhD, Professor, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.

Watch our latest HD Live! as we take a look at the global COVID-19 vaccination rollout and how the United States rollout compares.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Ran Balicer of Clalit Health Services and Dr. Arnold Monto of University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.