ABSTRACT
The investigation of a sizable EHR-based database of American adults revealed that incident conditions that might be related to prior COVID-19 were considerably more common in COVID-19 survivors than in control patients. One in five COVID-19 survivors between the ages of 18 and 64 and one in four survivors over the age of 65 reported having at least one incident condition that could have been caused by a previous COVID-19. The highest RRs were for acute pulmonary embolism and respiratory symptoms, regardless of age group. These results are in line with findings from numerous sizable studies that showed 20% to 30% of patients experience post-COVID incident symptoms, and some patients need extended follow-up therapy beyond the initial infection. COVID-19 severity and illness duration may have an impact on a patient's requirement for medical care and financial stability. Incident symptoms following infection may also limit a patient's capacity to participate in the workforce and may have financial ramifications for survivors and their dependents, especially in people between the ages of 18 and 64. Additionally, in areas where COVID-19 case surges are significant, the need for care following acute illness may put a strain on local health resources. The number of survivors who have post-COVID conditions is predicted to rise as the total number of people who have ever been infected with SARS-CoV-2 rises. Therefore, lowering the prevalence and effects of post-COVID conditions, especially among adults over 65 years old, requires the deployment of COVID-19 prevention initiatives as well as routine assessment for post-COVID conditions among people who survive COVID-19. These findings can improve post-acute care and treatment of patients after sickness and raise awareness of post-COVID disorders. Understanding the pathophysiologic pathways linked to higher risk for post-COVID disorders, including by age and ailment type, calls for more research.
ABSTRACT
Background. Minorities are often unrepresented in research, which limits equity in healthcare advances. The racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes of individuals infected with COVID-19 highlight the importance of inclusivity in research to improve public health measures. Methods. We performed a descriptive analysis of the racial and ethnic distribution of children enrolled in our COVID-19 Community Research Partnership (CRP) study, a syndromic and serological surveillance study of children aged 2 - 17 years receiving care at three healthcare systems spanning North and South Carolina. Syndromic surveillance involved daily symptom reporting using a webbased monitoring application. Participants consenting to serological surveillance were mailed at-home tests sampling finger prick capillary blood. In-person and electronic recruitment efforts were conducted in English and Spanish. At one of the study sites, we compared the racial/ethnic distribution of enrolled children to the racial/ethnic distribution of all children who received care at the same site during the same timeframe. We compared the racial/ethnic distribution of participants who ultimately submitted samples for serological testing compared to those who consented to serologic testing. Results. At total of1630 children were enrolled from April 2, 2021 - June 8, 2021. Most children were > 5 years old, 50.2% were female, and 88.5% were from mostly urban counties (Table 1). Of enrolled children, 4.2% were Hispanic, 8.2% were black, and 81.6% were white (Table 2). Among 135,355 unique children who received care at the institution during the same time, 12.4% were Hispanic, 23.0% were black, and 63.1% were white. Of 1552 participants who consented to serologic testing, 4.4% were Hispanic, 8.1% were black, and 81.8% were white (Table 3). To date, 242 children submitted serologic samples;4.1% were Hispanic, 5.0% were black, and 85.5% were white. Conclusion. Despite efforts to recruit a diverse group of children, the proportion of minorities enrolled in our COVID-19 surveillance study underrepresents the targeted population. Ongoing efforts will work to identify barriers and facilitators to research participation among minority families.
ABSTRACT
What is already known about this topic? Viral infections are a common cause of myocarditis. Some studies have indicated an association between COVID-19 and myocarditis. What is added by this report? During March 2020-January 2021, patients with COVID-19 had nearly 16 times the risk for myocarditis compared with patients who did not have COVID-19, and risk varied by sex and age. What are the implications for public health practice? These findings underscore the importance of implementing evidence-based COVID-19 prevention strategies, including vaccination, to reduce the public health impact of COVID-19 and its associated complications.
ABSTRACT
In the isolating times of COVID-19, digital live streaming has been a key means through which artists connect with their audiences/community and audience members access live art and music. With performances mediated through digital live stream, artists and audience members alike are experimenting with strategies for connection, and indeed, for survival. This reconfiguration of sociality, of the liveness of community, threatens to endure beyond the pandemic. The Instagram Live music festival ‘Isol-AID’, which we examine as a case study in this chapter, prompts a discussion around arts accessibility as a measure of public health and wellbeing. Building on literature about social prescribing, we suggest that Instagram Live engages therapeutic forms of arts practice, and as such, could be offered as a new digital health resource. Using a critical posthumanist perspective, we think-through Instagram Live and streamed performance as posthuman assemblages to highlight the importance of non-human actants (such as phones, wifi, colours, sounds) in the production of the feeling of community, which is a social determinant of health. These creative methods of expression and connection encourage discussion around the importance of the arts in community health and wellbeing, a conversation that could not be more relevant than in the socially isolated world that is, this global pandemic. © 2021 selection and editorial matter, Deborah Lupton and Karen Willis.