With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev

India Covid-19 Update: Active cases drop below 20k

There were 1580 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to latest data from the Health Ministry. The total tally of active cases is now 18,009. The current recovery rate is 98.77%. The positivity rate is currently 1.23% (daily) and 1.49% (weekly). In the last 24 hours, 1593 vaccine doses were administered. The total vaccine doses administered till date are over 220.66 crore with 95.21 crore second doses and 22.87 crore precaution doses. Over 1.28 lakh tests were conducted yesterday… (Source: Press Information Bureau, May 12, 2023).

A new Covid wave in China 

There is a new wave of Covid-19 in China. The cases have occurred as people return from travel during the 5-day public holiday for Labor Day. There has been no significant rise in the number of serious cases in hospitals. Though there are apprehensions that it may affect trading, the impact is expected to be much less severe than the disruption caused earlier by the pandemic… (Source: Medscape, May 11, 2023).

South Korea removes the mandatory one-week quarantine for Covid patients from June

South Korea has lowered the Covid-19 crisis level from the highest level of 4 to 3. Come June, people in South Korea would no longer be required to quarantine for the mandatory one week. However, 5 days of self-isolation would still be recommended by health authorities. Wearing masks would be mandatory only in hospitals in patient wards… (Source: Reuters, May 11, 2023). 

Cognitive behavioral therapy effective in relieving fatigue in long Covid patients

The use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is beneficial reducing fatigue in patients with long Covid. A new study of 114 patients in The Netherlands has shown that patients who also received CBT (either online or in person) for a duration of 17 weeks reported substantial reduction in their fatigue compared to those who received usual care. The CBT group also had better concentration with reduced severity of physical symptoms… (Source: Clinical Infectious Diseases, May 8, 2023).

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea at higher risk of long Covid

Analysis of medical records of more than 2 million people in the US has revealed that adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have 75% increased risk of long Covid than those who do not have sleep apnea. Therefore, they need to be watched closely after recovery from Covid-19. These findings from the RECOVER initiative have been published in the journal Sleep… (Source: NIH, May 11, 2023).