With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev

Masks prevent Covid-19 transmission

Universal masking and fewer encounters in close proximity to persons with Covid-19 can limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in university settings, according to a new CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published September 10, 2021. Among nearly 400 close contacts of students who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the likelihood of a positive test result was more than five times higher in situations where at least one of the two individuals was unmasked versus situations where both were masked. Each additional exposure was associated with a 40% increase in odds of a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 (Source: MMWR, Medpage Today)

Chronic fatigue is the most persistent symptom in long Covid patients

Fatigue is the most common symptom of long Covid-19 and is the most persistent symptom in most patients, according to a study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS)s virtual annual meeting. Among 239 individuals belonging to online support groups for "long Covid," 178 (85%) said they had severe fatigue when surveyed 11 weeks after symptom onset. At week 24, 79% reported suffering from severe fatigue, with 15 of the 35 who said they had mild or no fatigue at week 11 now saying it was severe. By this time most had consulted at least one medical professional as well as one or more allied specialists such as physiotherapists, psychologists, or dietitians but derived no benefit…. (Medscape)

Some cancer drugs may have anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

A study in JAMA Oncology has suggested that some cancer drugs such as TOR/PI3K inhibitors (everolimus, temsirolimus and alpelisib), antimetabolites (decitabine and gemcitabine), mitotic inhibitors (cabazitaxel), and other kinase inhibitors (dasatinib and crizotinib) may potentially be protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection by reducing the levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The study of 1701 cancer patients at the Memorial Sloane Kettering Center (MSKCC), New York City who underwent treatment with the abovementioned drugs were significantly less likely to test positive SARS-CoV-2 tests compared to patients who were taking other drugs (7% vs 12.9%). The authors suggest that these particular compounds may impair specific signaling pathways that SARS-CoV-2 needs to replicate, though further research is needed to explore and better understand these pathways…. (Source: Medscape)

COVID-19 vaccines positively impact mental health

A study in PLoS One reports that people who had taken just the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine reported decrease in their mental stress. An analysis of survey data from 8,003 US adults collected between March 2020 and March 2021 showed similar levels of mental distress among the “ever vaccinated” and the “never vaccinated” groups until the vaccines started becoming available in December 2020. A reduction in 1 percentage point (4% reduction from the baseline level) in the probability of being at least mildly depressed, and of 0.7 percentage points (15% reduction from the baseline level) in the probability of being severely depressed was seen after the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine… (PLoS One, Medscape)