Pregnant women at risk of complications
Pregnant women may be at greater risk of severe complications from COVID-19, according to recent findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a June 26 study in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers analyzed data on about 8,200 pregnant women in the U.S. who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and June. They found that one-third of pregnant women positive for the virus were hospitalized, compared to about 6% of women who were not pregnant.
Pregnant women with COVID-19 were also much more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit and be put on a ventilator. Hispanic and Black women appeared to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 infection during pregnancy, researchers said.
Both pregnant and nonpregnant women with COVID-19 reported similar experiences with coughing and shortness of breath, but pregnant women reported fewer headaches, muscle aches, fever, chills and diarrhea. Despite the higher risk of hospitalization, pregnant women did not have a greater risk of dying from the disease.
Researchers cautioned that the science on COVID-19 and pregnancy is still scarce.
“Although additional data are needed to further understand these observed elevated risks, pregnant women should be made aware of their potential risk for severe illness from COVID-19,” the study stated. “Pregnant women and their families should take measures to ensure their health and prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
Face mask efficiency depends on materials
Respirator face masks offer the best protection against COVID-19, but vacuum filters can also greatly reduce infection risk among health workers, finds a new study on face mask materials.
Published in June in the Journal of Hospital Infection, the study tested a variety of masks in two scenarios of a highly contaminated environment: a 30-second exposure — about the time of a quick patient check — and a 20-minute exposure — which is about how long it takes to intubate a patient.
Researchers found that respirator masks, such as N99 and N95 masks, were most effective at filtering airborne particles. The N99, for example, reduced baseline risks by 94% and 99% for 20-minute and 30-second exposures, respectively. However, authors noted, respirator masks can be difficult to find and should be reserved for frontline health workers.
Of the non-traditional materials tested, vacuum cleaner bags performed best, with a risk reduction of 58% in a 20-minute exposure and 83% in 30 seconds. Scarves offered the least protection — reducing infection risks by 24% in a 20-minutes exposure and 44% in a 30-second exposure. Masks made of cotton T-shirt fabric also fared poorly.
“While N95 masks — and similar respirators — are recommended for health care workers and others in close proximity to aerosol-generating procedures, alternative materials may be useful where there are shortages of personal protective equipment,” researchers wrote. “This may be of particular relevance in low-resource settings where access to PPE is considerably more limited.”
Thousands of years of life lost to COVID-19
Tens of thousands of years of potential human life have already been lost to the coronavirus pandemic, a new study finds.
In a June working paper from the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies that was based on reported COVID-19 deaths among people younger than 65 in the U.S., researchers found that more than 138,000 years of potential human life have been lost to the virus. However, not all communities were hit the same.
Black Americans younger than 65 collectively lost about 45,780 years, Hispanic and Latino residents lost about 48,200 years and white residents lost about 33,450 years of potential human life. American Indian and Alaska Native and Asian Pacific Islander communities also experienced disproportionate losses of potential life years. Researchers noted that disparities were particularly stark among people ages 25 to 54.
No virus spike from social justice protests
There is no evidence that the massive protests following the police killing of George Floyd sparked new waves of COVID-19 cases, finds a new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Published in June, the paper examines data on protests in 315 of the largest U.S. cities and estimates their impact on COVID-19 cases and physical distancing. For example, while most protests did not typically abide by physical distancing guidelines, the presence of mass protests and police may have kept people away who were not protesting.
Using anonymous cellphone tracking data, along with localized COVID-19 prevalence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers found that cities home to protests experienced an increase in physical distancing behavior for the overall population when compared to cities that did not have protests. The study also found no evidence that net COVID-19 case growth differentially rose in the three weeks following the mass protests.
Medicare minority patients undercounted
Medicare data often undercounts minority populations, according to a recent study.
Published in July in Medical Research and Review, the study compared administrative Medicare data to self-reported data collected during home health care visits, with the study population including more than 4 million Medicare patients who used home health care in 2015.
Researchers found that in 19 states, the administrative data significantly undercounted the proportion of people who were Hispanic. Even more widespread undercounting was found among Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaska Native beneficiaries.
In 19 states, about 20% of Hispanic Medicare patients were misclassified. And in many states,over 80% of American Indian and Alaska Native beneficiaries and at least 25% of Asian and Pacific Islanders were misclassified.
Homelessness tied to hospitial revisits
People experiencing homelessness are far more likely to return to a hospital weeks and months after discharge, according to a new study.
Published in June in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the study is based on administrative claims data from Florida, Massachusetts and New York — which account for 26% of the country’s homeless population — from 2010 to 2015.
During those years, people who were homeless accounted for more than 515,000 hospitalizations, with a combined 30-day readmission rate of more than 17%, compared to 14% among housed patients. In Florida and Massachusetts, the study found more than 34% of hospitalized patients who were homeless were readmitted within three months.
Supportive housing has been associated not only with reductions in inpatient and emergency room visits, but also with overall improvements in health and well-being for homeless individuals, researchers wrote.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association