THE following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review.
One in four kids with COVID develop lingering problems
One in four children with COVID-19 symptoms develop "long COVID," according to data pooled from 21 earlier studies conducted in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.
Among the 80,071 children with COVID-19 in the studies, 25% developed symptoms that lasted at least 4-to-12 weeks or new persistent symptoms that appeared within 12 weeks, researchers reported on Sunday on medRxiv ahead of peer review.
The most frequent problems were neuropsychiatric (mood symptoms, fatigue, sleep disorders, headaches, cognitive alterations, dizziness, balance problems), cardiorespiratory (breathing difficulty, congestion, exercise intolerance, chest pain and tightness, cough, irregular heart rhythm), skin-related (excessive sweating, itchiness, hair loss) and gastrointestinal (abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea).
Analyses of data pooled from many different studies with different methodologies cannot yield firm conclusions, the researchers acknowledge.
What is clear, however, is that "children and adolescents have also physical and mental health consequences derived from COVID-19," said study coauthor Sonia Villapol of Houston Methodist Research Institute in Texas.
"Identifying the main signs and symptoms of pediatric long COVID can help diagnose, develop better treatments, create multidisciplinary teams for optimal clinical management, and find risk factors for prevention."
Vaccine protection in mother's milk strongest after mRNA shots
Women who wish to pass protective antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines to their babies via breast milk should opt for the mRNA shots from Moderna MRNA.O or Pfizer PFE.N/BioNTech BNTX.O, according to a study reported on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.
For the study, 124 lactating women each provided 17 milk samples over a period of 100 days. The women had received either an mRNA vaccine or a vector-based vaccine from Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca.
Researchers measured two types of antibodies in the milk samples - IgA antibodies and IgG antibodies, both of which are thought to play important roles in protecting breastfed infants.
Nearly all - 96% to 97% - of the women who received both doses of an mRNA vaccine had detectable IgA antibodies in their milk, while only 39% had antibodies in their milk after two doses of the AstraZeneca shot and 48% after the one-dose J&J vaccine.
All the women who received both doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccines had IgG antibodies, compared to only 28% of women who received J&J's shot.
"An mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine is the optimal choice for lactating women when they want to transfer breast milk antibodies to their infants," the researchers concluded.
Omicron is infectious on surfaces longer than original virus
Omicron particles remain infectious on surfaces for longer periods than particles of the original SARS-CoV-2, according to laboratory experiments.
Researchers put droplets of infectious virus from the original coronavirus version and the Omicron BA.1 variant on a variety of surfaces at room temperature.
On smooth surfaces (glass, stainless steel and plastic sheet), Omicron was still infectious after seven days, whereas particles of the original SARS-CoV-2 were no longer infectious on stainless steel and plastic sheets by day 4 and on glass by day 7, the researchers reported on Thursday on bioRxiv ahead of peer review.
On tissue paper and printing paper, the original virus was no longer infectious at 30 minutes. Omicron was still infectious at 30 minutes, but no longer after an hour, the researchers said.
For the most part, SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted via respiratory droplets in the air. While infection via contact with contaminated surfaces is less common, the new study "highlights the importance of hand hygiene and cleaning on surfaces that are regularly touched by different persons," said study coauthor Leo Poon of the University of Hong Kong.
"For surfaces and settings contaminated by a COVID-19 patient, proper cleaning should be done."
Reuters
Tue Mar 15 2022
Children are seen walking, on the first day of lifting the indoor mask mandate for DOE schools between K through 12, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. - REUTERS/Filepic
Jurutera Keizrul Abdullah sifatkan pembinaan Terowong Smart ‘hadiah’ terbesar buat negara
Pengerusi Wetlands International Malaysia sifatkan sumbangan idea dalam pembinaan projek Terowong SMART, sebagai 'hadiah' terbesar beliau buat negara.
Mangsa banjir Perak meningkat, tiga PPS baharu dibuka
Mereka ditempatkan di dua pusat pemindahan sementara - satu di Kerian dan dua di Larut Matang Selama.
Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi minta IPT buat persediaan hadapi banjir
Beliau yakin IPT di kawasan sering terjejas banjir seperti di pantai timur mempunyai keupayaan terbaik untuk berbuat demikian.
Lebih 16,000 anggota JBPM dalam mod siap siaga hadapi banjir lebih awal
Perbezaan pada trend taburan hujan lebat tahun ini menyebabkan bomba terpaksa meletakkan semua anggota dalam mod berjaga-jaga lebih awal.
Shamsul Iskandar dakwa kesepakatan parti dalam PN kian longgar
Shamsul Iskandar berkata, perpecahan dalaman PN itu dapat diukur melalui prestasi mereka pada PRK DUN Nenggiri dan DUN Mahkota.
Suruhanjaya Eropah saman Hungary atas dakwaan pelanggaran hak asasi
Budapest gagal hilangkan kebimbangan mengenai undang-undang baharu Hungary yang bertujuan mengehadkan pembiayaan asing bagi kempen politik.
PM Pakistan gembira atas perbincangan produktif dengan PM Malaysia
Bidang-bidang utama itu termasuk perdagangan, IT, tenaga, pertanian, eksport daging halal, pelancongan, pendidikan dan pertahanan.
Rwanda catat 7 lagi kes virus Marburg dan satu lagi kematian
Rwanda mencatatkan tujuh kes baharu penyakit virus Marburg dan satu lagi kematian.
Menurut angka terkini yang dikeluarkan lewat Rabu Kementerian Kesihatan Rwanda,
jumlah keseluruhan jangkitan virus Marburg sejak wabak bermula kini sebanyak 36 kes, dengan 11 kematian dilaporkan setakat ini.
Menurut angka terkini yang dikeluarkan lewat Rabu Kementerian Kesihatan Rwanda,
jumlah keseluruhan jangkitan virus Marburg sejak wabak bermula kini sebanyak 36 kes, dengan 11 kematian dilaporkan setakat ini.
Lebih 140 sekolah UNRWA diserang sejak 7 Oktober
Lebih 140 sekolah UNRWA diserang sejak 7 Oktober dalam keadaan dimana penduduk Gaza berlindung di bawah naungan PBB.
Perkara itu dimaklumkan Pesuruhjaya Agung Agensi Bantuan dan Kerja Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu untuk Pelarian Palestin (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini dalam satu hantaran di X.
Perkara itu dimaklumkan Pesuruhjaya Agung Agensi Bantuan dan Kerja Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu untuk Pelarian Palestin (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini dalam satu hantaran di X.
28 petugas dilapor maut dalam tempoh 24 jam lalu di Lubnan
28 petugas kesihatan dilaporkan terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam lalu di Lubnan.
Perkara itu dimaklumkan Ketua Pengarah Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pada Khamis.
Perkara itu dimaklumkan Ketua Pengarah Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pada Khamis.
Rai ulang tahun ke-125, alumni Convent Bukit Nanas anjur majlis makan malam 2 November
Sejak pandemik COVID-19 bermula, Persatuan Alumni Convent Bukit Nanas (CBN) memulakan inisiatif memberi sokongan kepada pelajar terkesan dengan melancarkan program bantuan untuk pelajar B40.
Felda mahu pupuk hubungan perniagaan Malaysia dan Indonesia
Felda bersedia untuk menghubungkan syarikat Malaysia, khususnya unit perniagaannya dengan firma dalam KEIND untuk meneroka peluang baharu di kedua-dua negara dan antarabangsa.
COVID-19 jejas kemajuan dalam mengurangi kemiskinan - KRI
Kemiskinan mutlak meningkat dari 2019 hingga 2022, terutamanya dalam kalangan isi rumah bandar, menokok kepada 4.5 peratus menjelang 2022 berbanding hanya 3.8 peratus pada 2019.
Invest Malaysia Iskandar 2024: Gerbang pertumbuhan ekonomi Asia Tenggara
Menjelang Invest Malaysia Iskandar 2024 esok, jangkaan semakin meningkat untuk acara penting ini yang telah meletakkan kedudukannya sebagai platform utama dalam membentuk masa depan pelaburan.
Perintah Mahkamah Majistret halang Siti Kasim daripada perhimpunan 2022 adalah sah
Hakim memutuskan perintah itu dikeluarkan untuk mengawal atau mencegah penyebaran virus COVID-19 pada masa itu.
Amazon arahkan pekerja kembali bekerja di pejabat lima hari seminggu
Pekerja Amazon diarah kembali bekerja sepenuh masa di pejabat, dengan menekankan kepentingan bekerja secara bersemuka.
Makanan tradisional Bajau Seri Semporna ubati kerinduan perantau
Meskipun nasib tidak menyebelahi Azreena apabila terpaksa menutup restoran ketika musim pandemik, setahun kemudian mereka mampu bangkit kembali.
Pesta Air Kuala Perlis medium rapatkan hubungan masyarakat
Pesta Air Kuala Perlis antara acara tradisi di Perlis sejak tahun 50-an, kini kembali selepas kali terakhir dianjurkan pada 2019.
MyPELINDUNG 2024: Jamin kehidupan selamat bersama COVID-19
Kempen MyPELINDUNG 2024 terus membantu rakyat Malaysia untuk menyesuaikan diri dengan norma baharu.
Konsulat Malaysia di Pontianak anjur majlis resepsi Hari Kebangsaan ke-67
Konsulat Malaysia di Pontianak, Kalimantan Barat mengadakan majlis resepsi Hari Kebangsaan ke-67 pada malam Sabtu yang dihadiri 300 tetamu termasuk Pemangku Gabenor Kalimantan Barat, Harisson dan iste