With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev

US relaxes Covid-19 restrictions for travelers from China 

Covid-19 test will no longer be mandatory for Chinese travelers to the United States after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decision to relax this rule, reported the Reuters. However, it would continue to monitor the situation in China besides keeping an eye on the global scenario … (Source: Reuters, March 8, 2023).

No predeparture Covid test for Chinese citizens traveling to Australia 

Australia joins the list of countries who have removed restrictions for travelers from China. From today, March 11, inbound Chinese travelers, including those from Hong Kong and Macau, will not be required to furnish a predeparture negative Covid test… (Source: Medscape, March 9, 2023). 

India Covid-19 situation: Slight uptick in cases

As per latest Health Ministry data, the number of active cases in the country has increased to 3177 after 67 days. With 379 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of cases has increased to more than 4.46 crores, while the total number of deaths due to Covid-19 is over 5.3 lakhs. The national recovery rate stands at 98.8% and the case fatality rate is 1.19%. Over 220.64 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered so far… (Source: Times of India, March 9, 2023).

Ground glass opacities on CT chest unlikely in cases of Omicron infection

Ground glass opacities, fibrotic bands, consolidation and intralobular reticulations are typically seen on CT scan in patients with Covid-19 lung disease. Findings of a multicenter study from France show that patients infected with the Omicron variant are less likely to have these typical CT findings compared to those infected with the delta variant. Compared to the unvaccinated, those who had received two and three vaccine doses also had lower chances of the typical chest CT findings for COVID-19… (Source: Radiology, March 7, 2023).

Infection with omicron variant less likely to be followed by long Covid

New research involving 1201 healthcare workers to be presented at the upcoming 33rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Denmark shows that infection with the ancestral strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus increased the likelihood of long Covid by 67% compared to infection with the omicron variant. Reinfection with the Omicron variant after infection with the ancestral strain did not increase the risk of long Covid compared to wild-type infection alone … (Source: Medical Xpress, March 8, 2023).

GI sequelae of Covid-19

People who have recovered from Covid-19 are at risk of developing new-onset gastrointestinal disorders such as motility disorders, acid-related diseases such as dyspepsia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease, liver and biliary diseases, acute pancreatitis. This risk was evident even among those who did not require hospital admission during the acute phase of their illness… (Source: Nature Communications, March 7, 2023).