With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev

Covid-19 weekly cases continue to fall globally

New weekly cases continue to decrease worldwide following a peak in January this year. According to WHO’s latest weekly epidemiological update on Covid-19, more than 3.7 million cases were recorded in the week from 16^th May to 22^nd May, which is a 3% decline from the preceding week. Weekly deaths also showed a decline of 11% from the previous week. Among the six WHO regions, new weekly cases increased by 13% in the Region of the Americas; the Western Pacific Region saw a rise of 6%, whereas cases decreased in all the other four regions… (Source: WHO, May 25, 2022)

CDC still advises Paxlovid despite reports of Covid-19 rebound 

Even as it alerted physicians about cases of “COVID-19 rebound” following treatment with Paxlovid, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still advises Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) for treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in patients at high risk of developing severe disease. Covid-19 rebound reportedly occurs 2-8 days after the patient has recovered. It is marked by either recurrence of symptoms or a positive test after a negative test. The CDC says that this “return of symptoms may be part of the natural history of SARS-CoV-2”. Such persons should isolate themselves again for minimum of 5 days and wear a mask for 10 days after onset of rebound illness… (Source: CDC, May 24, 2022)

BA.2.12.1 is the new dominant Covid-19 variant in the US

As per CDC data, the dominant Covid-19 strain in the United States now is BA.2.12.1, a sublineage of the BA.2 omicron “stealth” subvariant. In the week from 15^th May to 21^st May, nearly 58% of total cases were due to BA.2.12.1. The BA.2 contributed 39% cases, while the share of original B.1.1.529 Omicron variant was less than 3%. The BA.2.12.1 variant is highly infectious, more than the BA.2 variant...(Source: CDC, May 24, 2022)

Mammography should not be delayed post-Covid-19 vaccine

New research says that screening mammography should not be delayed following vaccination with Covid-19 mRNA vaccine. As reported in the American Journal of Roentgenology, the lymph nodes did not resolve till 127 days after the first dose of the vaccine and 97 days after the first ultrasound. In some women, axillary lymph node enlargement has been detected post-vaccine and may be misdiagnosed as breast cancer. Mammography was earlier recommended to be scheduled before the first dose of the vaccine or at least 4 to 6 weeks after the second dose…(Source: American Journal of Roentgenology, May 18, 2022)

Air pollution increases risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes

Long-term exposure to air pollutants, in particular ozone, increases the risk of severe disease with ensuing adverse outcomes in patients with Covid-19. For every 5.14ppb rise in IQR, exposure to ozone increased the risk of hospitalization, ICU admission and mortality with odds ratios of 1.15, 1.30 and 1.18, respectively. The study of more than 150,000 patients examined the association of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ground-level ozone (O3) with Covid-related outcomes… (Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal, May 24, 2022)