Studies have found that people who have been infected with coronavirus could see their immunity decline within months, said former Harvard Medical School professor Dr. William Haseltine on Tuesday.
“This (virus), like its sister coronaviruses, the ones that give us colds, are very different from the childhood viruses,” he said.
He goes on to explain that unlike childhood viruses like measles and mumps that protect you from re-infection for life, your body “forgets” it was ever infected with coronavirus, leaving open the possibility for future infections.
MORE ON THE PANDEMIC
Beginning on July 20, Walmart will require all customers to wear masks inside its stores. Walmart is the latest retailer to join the growing list of stores – including Costco, Starbucks, Best Buy and others – that are implementing the requirement to slow the rapidly spreading virus.
Many stores have hesitated to require masks for fear of upsetting some customers and putting their workers in danger by turning them into enforcers of the policy.
In a move that threatens to undermine public trust in the medical system and government, the Trump administration is now requiring hospital data on coronavirus patients to be rerouted to them instead of first being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
White House officials say the new process incorporates a more streamlined approach that is needed to defeat the coronavirus. Former CDC acting director Dr. Richard Besser on Wednesday said rerouting hospital data is a “step backwards” for the country’s coronavirus response and is another example of the CDC being sidelined.
Preliminary research published in the medical journal JAMA Dermatology suggests that skin rashes and rashes inside the mouth might be a symptom of coronavirus infection. Among 21 Covid-19 patients in Spain with a skin rash, six of those patients or 29% had lesions or a rash in the mouth either before, during or after the onset of symptoms. Researchers say more study is needed in this finding.
A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine suggests that schools should push to have full-time, in-person classes in the fall for grades K-5 and for students with special needs, even as coronavirus cases continue to swell.
Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician and researcher of the report, pointed out shortcomings in how schools were closed when the pandemic began.
“We failed children ethically and in three important ways. First and foremost, that we have done such a terrible job containing this pandemic. Secondly, that we closed schools … abruptly without any good plan about how to transition to distance learning and without adequate infrastructure for so many kids. And third, that the moment we closed schools, we didn’t immediately start planning about how to reopen them.”
More than 70 rich countries have joined a global coronavirus vaccine alliance, called Gavi, which was formed to distribute effective vaccine dosages around the world. The alliance may also allow rich countries to buy more vaccines to stockpile for their own citizens. Ninety low-income countries have also joined the initiative with hopes to receive donated vaccines.
Critics say offering rich countries the chance to buy even more vaccines through Gavi gives these countries the green light to hoard limited COVID-19 vaccines without consequences.
Countries including Britain, France, Germany and the United States have already ordered hundreds of millions of doses before the vaccines are even proven to work.
Young Chicagoans aged 18 to 29 now make up the largest percentage of new confirmed cases in the city. Data showed 29% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases since June 15 have been among people aged 18 to 29. People aged 30 to 39 made up the second largest percentage of confirmed cases.
Chicago has reported an average of 192 new confirmed COVID-19 cases over the past week.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that if that figure tops 200 cases, the city might have to close bars and other businesses and consider changes to its strategy for reopening to avoid larger surges in infections.
The Georgia Lottery Corp. reports a record $1.24 billion in profits for the budget year ended June 30. It’s the ninth straight year that the lottery has set sales and profit records. Lottery officials credit the boom in profits to the closing of sports betting and casino gambling due to the pandemic.
Proceeds from the lottery provide funding for college aid and preschool classes in Georgia.
