With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev

Covid-19 cases in India see a jump

India recorded 10,158 new cases in the last 24 hours, as per latest data from the Union Health Ministry taking the active cases toll to 44,998. The daily positivity rate has climbed up to 4.42% and the weekly positivity rate is 4.02%. The recovery rate currently stands at 98.71%. Yesterday, 2,29,958 tests conducted. Over 220.66 crore total vaccine doses have been administered including 95.21 crore second dose and 22.87 crore precaution dose … (Source: Press Information Bureau, April 13, 2023).

Infants born to Covid-positive mothers more likely to be infected during the Omicron wave

Children born to pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection were 5 times more likely to be Covid positive below six months of age during the Omicron wave than in the earlier waves. The incidence rate was 3.1 per 100 person-years prior to the Omicron wave, whereas during the Omicron wave, the incidence rate was 15.3 per 100 person-years. The number of infants who were infected within 2 weeks of birth after being born to mothers who developed the infection within 14 days before delivery declined from 31% in the pre-Omicron period to 0.8% during Omicron surge suggesting a mode of transmission other than perinatal route … (Source: Pediatrics, April 7, 2023). 

Sleep disturbances common in long Covid

Mild to severe sleep disturbances was reported by more than 40% of patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PASC), commonly referred to as long Covid, in a recent study of patients at the Cleveland Clinic ReCOver Clinic. Patients who had been hospitalized due to Covid-19 were nearly 1.6 times more likely to develop sleep disturbance. The probability of sleep disturbances was increased 2-folds among those who had moderate to severe fatigue with odds ratio of 2.03. Black patients with long Covid were 1.8 times more likely to report sleep disturbances… (Source: Journal of General Internal Medicine, April 4, 2023)

No benefits with RAS inhibitors in patients with severe Covid

The Randomized, Embedded, Multifactorial, Adaptive Platform Trial for Community-Acquired Pneumonia (REMAP-CAP) trial and two Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV)-4 trials show no advantages of using RAS inhibitors - angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) – in improving outcomes in hospitalized patients with severe Covid-19. The REMAP-CAP trial was halted due to safety issues, while the two ACTIV-4 trials did not show efficacy in the preliminary interim analysis… (Source: MedPage Today, April 12, 2023).

Survey shows marked impact of the pandemic on physical and mental health of rheumatic disease patients

In a survey of 639 patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthropathy, psoriatic arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus), 41% reported moderate or severe effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on their physical health, while 39% reported moderate or severe impact on mental health. 29% patients reported depression, and 22% reported anxiety. These effects were more profound among female patients. Compared to other IRDs, those with rheumatoid arthritis reported being less affected… (Source: Clinical Rheumatology, March 7, 2023).