Sepsis associated with COVID-19 infections more common than thought Overall, SARS-CoV-2–associated sepsis was present in 28.2% of patients admitted with SARS-CoV-2. CIDRAP

...in JAMA Network Open, researchers provide new evidence that the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2–associated sepsis among hospitalized adults is higher than previously thought, but deaths from the condition became less frequent as the pandemic progressed.

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US COVID markers show more declines

Most of the measures the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses to track COVID-19 activity declined last week, except for deaths, which are often a lagging indicator, according to the group's latest data updates. The levels reflect a recent drop in COVID activity, following several weeks of a slow summer rise from very low levels.

...the World Health Organization (WHO) posted its latest monthly update, which it cautions is based on limited data, with cases and deaths reported from only 96 countries and even fewer countries regularly reporting hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. It also said its assessments are limited by reduced testing and delays in reporting.

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Why It's Too Soon to Call It Covid Season | WIRED

...experts on the front lines and doing data analysis say it’s too soon to declare that Covid has achieved seasonality. Looking back over the previous three years, they do see patterns: a spike at some point in the summer, such as the arrival of the Delta variant in 2021, and a spike sometime in the late fall or winter, such as the Thanksgiving surge of Omicron later that year. But those spikes haven’t occurred at the exact same time from year to year, and it’s possible they didn’t all arise for the same reasons.

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Nobel Prize in medicine awarded for work on mRNA Covid vaccines by Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman | CNN

This year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their work on mRNA vaccines, a crucial tool in curtailing the spread of Covid-19.

The Nobel Prize committee announced the prestigious honor, seen as the pinnacle of scientific achievement, in Sweden on Monday.

CDC updates on COVID-19 recomendations

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Is it cold, the flu or Covid-19? A doctor helps sort it out | CNN As more people start getting the sniffles, you may wonder if it’s a cold, the flu or Covid-19? Dr. Leana Wen helps us sort out those cold-like symptoms and decide what to do next. Katia Hetter CNN

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Dr. Wen:

Evolving peak SARS-CoV-2 loads relative to symptom onset may influence home-test timing Median SARS-CoV-2 viral loads, as measured by polymerase chain reaction cycle threshold and antigen concentrations, rose from symptom onset, peaking on the fourth or fifth day of symptoms. CIDRAP

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Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) present increased risk for ischemic cardiovascular complications up to 1 year after infection. Although the systemic inflammatory response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection likely contributes to this increased cardiovascular risk, whether SARS-CoV-2 directly infects the coronary vasculature and attendant atherosclerotic plaques remains unknown.

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Study: 75% of infants hospitalized with COVID-19 born to unvaccinated women ProStock-Studio/iStock CIDRAP

This week, studies in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describe the landscape of COVID-19 vaccination among women of reproductive age and those who are pregnant, showing better outcomes for infants whose mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy.

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COVID-19 third leading cause of death in Australia in 2022 An infectious disease (influenza and pneumonia) was last in the top 5 leading causes of death in 1970. CIDRAP

Last year, COVID-19 killed 9,859 Australians, behind only heart disease and dementia (including Alzheimer’s) as the leading causes of death in the country.

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Flu, Covid vaccination rates decline, as U.S. health officials make new push for inoculations Vaccination rates against flu and Covid-19 have declined since earlier in the pandemic and a new survey suggests significant portions of the U.S. population intend to forgo these vaccines this fall. Helen Branswell STAT

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