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Added on the 20/05/2021 14:00:00 - Copyright : EFE Inglés
While scientists and public health experts expend laserlike focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, another scourge is slowly marching forth. According to Business Insider, experts say bacterial infections are in the process of becoming a COVID-19-level threat. The CDC says nearly 3 million Americans per year contract an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection. Of those, roughly 35,000 die. At current rates, the WHO estimates that around 10 million people could die from antibiotic-resistant infections annually by 2050. What's more, the pandemic has shown how unprepared the US health system is to handle the growing threat of bacterial infections. Many scientists are pinning their hopes on phages, a type of virus that can target and kill specific kinds of bacteria.
In the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the US, many independent doctors offices say they've been left in the dark. According to Business Insider, they say they don't have access to COVID-19 vaccines. What's more, they've heard little from the federal or state governments about if or when they might receive doses. Independent primary care providers have been totally left out of distribution channels and have no line of sight for when they might receive a vaccine supply. Dr. Emily Maxson Chief Medical Officer, Aledade Sources say hospitals, large retail pharmacies, and federally-qualified health centers are the main distributors of the vaccine. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nearly 9 million individuals in the US have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. That's 11 million people less than the Trump administration's estimate of 20 million vaccinated Americans by the end of 2020.
It's been widely noted that survivors of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 may suffer neurological damage long after other symptoms survive. It's believed that this brain damage isn't caused by the virus, but rather by the body's immune response to it. Now, UPI reports an international group of researchers has called for studies to explore the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain. Previous studies have documented brain inflammation, or encephalitis, in patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms. Some patients also suffered strokes. Postmortem MRI scans of patients who have died from COVID-19 have revealed lesions, or damage, in different regions of the brain. Researchers say it's becoming clear that the damage done by COVID-19 may have chronic, long-term consequences that could impact patients' quality of life.
UPI reports new research shows it's a very good idea to insist that healthcare workers get an annual flu shot. That's according to researchers from the University of Georgia, Montana State University and Monash University in Australia. They found that states with mandatory flu shots for hospital workers saw statewide reductions in deaths from influenza and pneumonia. They estimate that during the 2016-17 season alone, nearly 2,000 deaths were averted in the 15 U.S. states that had mandatory vaccination laws at that time. The findings suggest that health-worker vaccination laws may be a good way to protect the country's most vulnerable populations. The researchers say it's possible that similar benefits could also be seen with mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of hospital workers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed who should be next in line to receive the recently released vaccine against COVID-19. The CDC said Sunday that frontline essential workers and people 75 and older should be next in line for coronavirus vaccines. Business Insider reports the US should have enough shots to complete the first two phases of vaccinations by sometime in February of 2021. Healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities have already started receiving their shots. The third round should go to those ages 65 to 74, those ages 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions, and any remaining unvaccinated essential worker.
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