THE number of Covid-19 cases in the United States is dropping sharply. The U.S. is averaging roughly 140,000 new cases each week, which is a 64% reduction over the last 2 weeks. The number of deaths is dropping less sharply — roughly 2,300 deaths each day, a decline of 13% in 2 weeks.
Find information on the latest Covid-19 research here.
Boris Johnson, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, is expected to scrap free tests and self-isolation rules on Monday. The National Health Service (NHS) Confederation recently announced that, according to a survey, 75% of senior NHS staff in England do not want self-isolation rules to end.
Discussing the survey’s results, the NHS Confederation writes that “Over 90% of more than 300 health leaders who responded showed strong support for the continued provision of free tests for key workers and the public, as well as retaining the use of masks in healthcare settings.”
After recovering from Covid-19, many people experience long-term symptoms. This syndrome is known as long Covid. In a recent feature, Medical News Today spoke with three experts about the risk factors for this condition and whether people can help mitigate some of these risks.
A recent study investigated whether T cells, which Covid-19 vaccines induce, recognize variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. T cells play a crucial role in the immune response against disease. The results of the study suggest that SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern — including Delta and Omicron — are effectively recognized by T cells in the body.
A new study, which appears in Nature MedicineTrusted Source, takes a close look at the incidence of heart condi-tions following Covid-19. The researchers find evidence of a wide range of heart issues for up to 1 year after re-covery.
A large review of 15 studies by the United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency has shown not only that people who have received one or more doses of a Covid-19 vaccine are less likely to develop long Covid but also that getting vaccinated can reduce symptoms among those previously unvaccinated.
In the studies on long COVID symptoms, fully vaccinated people were less likely than unvaccinated people to develop long-term symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle pain, shortness of breath, and loss of smell.
The review also found that, on average, unvaccinated people living with long Covid saw an improvement in their symptoms after vaccination or had fewer symptoms overall than those who remained unvaccinated.
