- Masks and high-quality respirators are effective in reducing transmission of respiratory diseases, a new gold standard review of over 100 studies found. There is strong and consistent evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is spread through the air and mask mandates reduce community transmission of respiratory pathogens, the review found. “Masks are important sociocultural symbols; non-adherence to masking is sometimes linked to political and ideological beliefs and to widely circulated mis- or disinformation,” the study’s authors wrote. Read more about the study from the authors in The Conversation.
- The pharmaceutical company Moderna — known for their mRNA COVID-19 vaccines — is “eyeing” treatments for Long Covid, Politico reported this week. “The company is waiting for the science to develop around how the condition works before it begins ‘active research into solutions,’” Bishoy Rizkalla, the company’s vice president of Long Covid, told Politico. The news suggests there is interest in Long Covid drug development from Big Pharma, but these companies are looking for well-funded and ambitious research from government and private researchers to lay the groundwork for new drugs.
- A new study in Nature Communications found that cerebral microstructural alterations — or changes in the brain’s microstructure — are related to common Long Covid symptoms including cognitive impairment, olfactory dysfunction, and fatigue. The study assessed 89 participants using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and determined the alterations were attributed to “a shift in volume from neuronal compartments to free fluid, associated with the severity of the initial infection.” Another study from earlier this year also found similar alterations in the brain overlapping with the same symptoms.
Leave a Reply