Study: COVID-19 Hospitalization Costs, Outcomes In 2020 Improved Over Time

The first comprehensive analysis of its kind examines hospital inpatient costs and length of stay. A new study published in Advances in Therapy provides the first comprehensive analysis of the hospitalization costs for COVID-19 patients, factors associated with costs and length of stay, and the monthly trends of costs and length of stay from April to December

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South-Africa Netcare sees ‘significantly fewer’ Omicron patients with existing illnesses at its hospitals

In South Africa, the pattern of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 early in the fourth wave showed fewer hospitalizations and reduced severity of illness compared with earlier waves, according to a research letter published online Dec. 30 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Caroline Maslo, M.D., Ph.D., from Netcare Ltd. South Africa in Johannesburg, and

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COVID-19 patients have severely increased levels of oxidative stress and oxidant damage, and glutathione deficiency

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have investigated the effect of infection with COVID-19 on the levels of oxidative stress, oxidant damage and glutathione, the most abundant physiological antioxidant. Compared to healthy age-matched individuals whose samples were taken before the pandemic started in 2019, patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had significantly increased levels of oxidative stress and

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Emergence in Southern France of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant named B.1.640.2 of probably Cameroonian origin harbouring both substitutions N501Y and E484K in the spike protein and present in 67 hospitalised patients

A new coronavirus variant has been discovered in southern France, spreading in a small outbreak, according to a new study.The variant, tentatively identified B.1.640.2 according to a recent study backed by the French government that has yet to be peer-reviewed, is believed to be Cameroonian in origin and have so far spread to 67 patients in southern France.

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A potential at-home COVID-19 test is just as good as laboratory PCR tests, according to preclinical data

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have designed a high-quality assay that can be used in at-home tests for rapid COVID-19 screening. Results from an early preclinical study suggest that tests with the new assay may be just as reliable as the laboratory-based molecular tests — called PCR tests — used by hospitals for clinical diagnostics.  “Having fast and

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Complement activation induces excessive T cell cytotoxicity in severe COVID-19, associated with fatal outcome.

A new paper published in Cell by Charitè group opens new perspectives to complement role in Covid-19 Highlights •Severe COVID-19 is marked by activated, highly cytotoxic CD16+ T cells •Immune complex-mediated degranulation of CD16+ T cells causes endothelial cell injury •C3a-rich environment in severe COVID-19 promotes differentiation of CD16+ T cells •Activated CD16+ T cells and complement proteins are

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Analysis of COVID-19 Vaccine Type and Adverse Effects Following Covid-19 Vaccination

This article was originally published here JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Dec 1;4(12):e2140364. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.40364. ABSTRACT IMPORTANCE: Little is known about the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine adverse effects in a real-world population. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate factors potentially associated with participant-reported adverse effects after COVID-19 vaccination. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The COVID-19 Citizen Science Study, an online

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When and how to use the existing tests to detect SARS-CoV-2 virus

“Test, test, test.” This is how Tedros Adhanom , director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), urged the countries  at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. Testing, isolation and contact tracing should be – and have been in many cases – the “backbone of the global response” to the crisis, according to the head of the agency. According to experts,

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