Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #112

[Gemmie]

Odd... I wonder why the numbers are so high in the US?

86% in US report brain fog, versus 15% in India​

Among long-COVID patients who were not hospitalized during their initial infection (most participants), 86% of those in the United States reported brain fog, compared with 62% in Colombia, 63% in Nigeria, and 15% in India. Symptoms of anxiety or depression were reported by 70% of US participants, compared with roughly 68% in Colombia and less than 20% in Nigeria and India.

Brain fog, depression more common in long COVID in US than in lower-income countries, study suggests

www.cidrap.umn.edu

 

[Stunned]

Odd... I wonder why the numbers are so high in the US?

86% in US report brain fog, versus 15% in India​

Among long-COVID patients who were not hospitalized during their initial infection (most participants), 86% of those in the United States reported brain fog, compared with 62% in Colombia, 63% in Nigeria, and 15% in India. Symptoms of anxiety or depression were reported by 70% of US participants, compared with roughly 68% in Colombia and less than 20% in Nigeria and India.

Brain fog, depression more common in long COVID in US than in lower-income countries, study suggests

www.cidrap.umn.edu

Maybe diet? IMO

 

[Gemmie]

Maybe diet? IMO

That did cross my mind. I think it would be interesting if they surveyed those Americans about their diets. Do they eat healthily or eat a diet full of processed food? How much do they drink and how much do they exercise, etc. That would be pretty interesting to me.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Odd... I wonder why the numbers are so high in the US?

86% in US report brain fog, versus 15% in India​

Among long-COVID patients who were not hospitalized during their initial infection (most participants), 86% of those in the United States reported brain fog, compared with 62% in Colombia, 63% in Nigeria, and 15% in India. Symptoms of anxiety or depression were reported by 70% of US participants, compared with roughly 68% in Colombia and less than 20% in Nigeria and India.

Brain fog, depression more common in long COVID in US than in lower-income countries, study suggests

www.cidrap.umn.edu

My first thought was more ominous. Isn't air pollution extreme in India's cities? I wonder if their population isn't already compromised by that, and the increase in brain fog due to COVID is less apparent.

Of course anything that is self-reported is vulnerable to confirmation bias, people only reporting it if they want to believe it to be true. That's another possibility. I have no idea what Indians generally think about COVID.

It could also go the other way, where in the US people might deny they even have Long Covid unless their symptoms are stronger, thereby leaving out the large chunk of folks who might constitute the Long-Covid-but-no-brain-fog component.

All MOO

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

The article suggested a reason.

Brain fog, depression more common in long COVID in US than in lower-income countries, study suggests

www.cidrap.umn.edu

These disparities likely suggest social and cultural differences in how long COVID is experienced and reported rather than differences in the biology of the virus. They may also reflect differences in access to health care, the authors said.

“It is culturally accepted in the U.S. and Colombia to talk about mental health and cognitive issues, whereas that is not the case in Nigeria and India,” senior author Igor Koralnik, MD, chief of neuro-infectious disease and global neurology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a news release.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I think about this frequently when I'm cleaning kitchen counters/bathroom vanities with Lysol (or Clorox) wipes:

Are there certain habits that you've retained since the pandemic? One of ours is definitely always having Lysol or Clorox wipes in the kitchen and bathrooms. Kitchen counters get wiped down multiple times daily, and bathroom vanities/sinks/toilet seats get wiped several times a week, including the guest bathroom that is rarely used. We also wipe phones, remotes, computer keyboards/mouse, door handles regularly. We get a multi-pack of wipes every time we go to Costco. Sometimes they're on sale, sometimes not, but we always have multiple cartons in the house.

We also make sure that we have necessary staples in the pantry and refrigerator. During the pandemic, this helped limit contact with those who might be sick, and now, it limits trips to stores.

I know some here still wear masks. We don't wear them but have masks in our cars, and I always have one in my purse. Except for a Tiger ballgame last summer and a matinee movie in a theatre with only 10 guests, we have avoided crowded events. We always get flu shots in the fall and will get Covid boosters as long as they are offered.

 

[gremlin444]

I think about this frequently when I'm cleaning kitchen counters/bathroom vanities with Lysol (or Clorox) wipes:

Are there certain habits that you've retained since the pandemic? One of ours is definitely always having Lysol or Clorox wipes in the kitchen and bathrooms. Kitchen counters get wiped down multiple times daily, and bathroom vanities/sinks/toilet seats get wiped several times a week, including the guest bathroom that is rarely used. We also wipe phones, remotes, computer keyboards/mouse, door handles regularly. We get a multi-pack of wipes every time we go to Costco. Sometimes they're on sale, sometimes not, but we always have multiple cartons in the house.

We also make sure that we have necessary staples in the pantry and refrigerator. During the pandemic, this helped limit contact with those who might be sick, and now, it limits trips to stores.

I know some here still wear masks. We don't wear them but have masks in our cars, and I always have one in my purse. Except for a Tiger ballgame last summer and a matinee movie in a theatre with only 10 guests, we have avoided crowded events. We always get flu shots in the fall and will get Covid boosters as long as they are offered.

We all mask in public. Even the 18 yo. Period. Two of us have long Covid and a third member of the house has another health condition that make him more likely to end up with long Covid if he gets infected. Extra masks in all vehicles and bags.

Hand sanitizer in the car in the cup holder so that the minute you get in the car after going in a business/school/etc, you can clean your hands.

Still order a large chunk of our groceries from a store for pick up to 1) minimize length of time spent in grocery stores and 2) to make it easier for me to (with long Covid and now a host of other delightful autoimmune disorders as a result) do the grocery shopping with reduced pain/exhaustion if my husband isn't able to go do it because of work.

Always keep covid tests in the house as well as Corsi-Rosenthal boxes for air filtration if someone gets it.

All of those things have been second nature to my family for years. None of them have been very hard for us to maintain.

What I do miss.....is going to a restaurant and eating there. Not take out to bring home or eat in a park or the parking lot--but just carefree going into a place and eating there. *sigh* Since one of us got Covid twice while eating in public (school, didn't have a better alternative available), it's not something we are willing to risk. I miss the popularity of all the creative solutions restaurants had during Covid--individual igloos, individual heated shacks, etc. In addition to reducing transmission, it meant we could easily hear each other talk (two of us have some hearing loss and brain fog that makes it hard at times to follow a conversation with lots of background noise).

My 18 yo missed almost 2 years of high school thanks to Covid and long Covid health/mental health issues. It was a huge struggle to get him to graduation and a huge achievement given all the setbacks. Now he's in his second semester of community college in a program that he loves (living at home), and as a family we all feel it is part of our job to not take risks ourselves that could lead to getting him sick and messing up his education.

It may seem like a sacrifice, but after all the added medical costs incurred from two of us having long Covid and the missed opportunities, etc. we don't see it as that. Not when all of us have seen the very direct effects in areas both big and small. 18 yo gets sick--ends up with 4 months of severe daily headaches and nausea leading to endless missed school and severe mental health impacts. I get sick with anything now--joints flare up so badly I can't drive or cook or do laundry because of the pain and stiffness in my hands and feet (which was not present until I got Covid).

It is what it is.

 

[Lilibet]

Are there certain habits that you've retained since the pandemic?

I feel like a slob after reading what you ladies do, but no, I think I ditched all the habits I had once I was able to get vaccinated. My covid case slammed me two weeks before I could get the vaccine (Jan 2021) when I had been doing everything you do. I have no idea how I got it unless my dh brought it home from the store. I ended up in the hospital for 5 days or so. I realize the vaccine doesn’t prevent me from getting covid, but it will lessen the severity, I hope.

Because I deal with poor mobility, using a walker, and now serious pain after a hip replacement in November, I don’t go anywhere except to doctors…and I’ve postponed most of them until April, hoping pain will improve. A friend does our shopping, cooking and cleaning. So she and visitors are the only people we see. I will pay more attention to hand sanitizer when I’ve been around visitors and re-examine other habits I’ve ditched. But to be honest, I’m now 80 and so tired from dealing with pain and poor sleep, the thought of doing more is daunting. But, of course, so is the idea of getting covid.

I’m so sorry about your family’s issues @gremlin444. You’re wise to take precautions, as is @BetteDavisEyes. Thanks for discussing this subject.

 

[Rikissa]

When the information about Covid-19, and that it was a global pandemic, came out in March 2020 in Sweden, I have to say that I was already then fairly certain that I was going to catch it. I worked at the emergency department at the local hospital, and a part of my job was to register the patients when they arrived on foot. As I had expected I got Covid in the end of April 2020, had worked at the reception area Friday evening, and on Saturday morning I woke with a severe case of sore throat, and a fever. Thankfully I didn't got that sick, no respiratory problems, but I had a high fever for almost two weeks, and it took more than a month before I was able to get back to work part-time, and I was able to work from a remote space at the hospital for the first months.

One of my coworkers had also got it at the same time, and we were among the first 100 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in our region. Our region was lucky to be one of the least affected by Covid-19 in Sweden, I would say much thanks to the work of our public health physician (and team), and that the whole healthcare community followed their recommendations.

 

[killarney rose]

It’s life back to normal for us. We don’t take any extra precautions. We are hand washers. I keep Lysol/wipes on hand to use in case someone gets sick, which is extremely rare for us. I think we have healthy immune systems because we take sensible precautions. During the Covid years 20-21, we were careful, avoiding crowds, getting Covid vaccines, masking, etc. no more. We don’t see the need. When out and about we sanitize our hands upon returning to the car and wash them immediately upon returning home. Always wash them before eating out and try not to handle menus any more than necessary. This works for us.

 

[Sundog]

I think about this frequently when I'm cleaning kitchen counters/bathroom vanities with Lysol (or Clorox) wipes:

Are there certain habits that you've retained since the pandemic? One of ours is definitely always having Lysol or Clorox wipes in the kitchen and bathrooms. Kitchen counters get wiped down multiple times daily, and bathroom vanities/sinks/toilet seats get wiped several times a week, including the guest bathroom that is rarely used. We also wipe phones, remotes, computer keyboards/mouse, door handles regularly. We get a multi-pack of wipes every time we go to Costco. Sometimes they're on sale, sometimes not, but we always have multiple cartons in the house.

We also make sure that we have necessary staples in the pantry and refrigerator. During the pandemic, this helped limit contact with those who might be sick, and now, it limits trips to stores.

I know some here still wear masks. We don't wear them but have masks in our cars, and I always have one in my purse. Except for a Tiger ballgame last summer and a matinee movie in a theatre with only 10 guests, we have avoided crowded events. We always get flu shots in the fall and will get Covid boosters as long as they are offered.

We continue to keep hand sanitizer in the car and use it daily after outings. We also keep some masks in the car in case we feel they are needed for some errands, outings, etc. Last year and this year, so far, we have never used them but keep them handy just in case. We also try to have a current covid-19 test at home in case but most of them have expired and we try to get a free test from our county Health Department. We haven't used one in about two years, but like to have at least one kit with two tests on hand, just in case it is needed. If one of us is traveling internationally, we bring paxlovid as a precaution. This year we are out of sync with vaccines. We got the flu shot as we always do, but didn't get the covid shot. The flu has been a major concern in our state and county, but covid is low. That's not why we didn't get the covid shot but it is something we check from time to time. We are prioritizing the shingles shots this spring, as we have only had the old shingles shot, not the new ones and need to get that done. At home, in the house, we no longer do any of the covid-era lysol cleaning, but we do try to remember to wipe down our phones and always have done this, even before covid. That's all I can think of from our household. We do try to stay away from crowds during flu and covid surges, and assess situations as they arise, but so far the last two years have not stopped us from grocery and other essentials' shopping, some shopping just for pleasure, and occasional eating out at restaurants in non flu and covid seasons.

 

[killarney rose]

No way I’d skip my flu shot!

 

[Gemmie]

It’s life back to normal for us. We don’t take any extra precautions. We are hand washers. I keep Lysol/wipes on hand to use in case someone gets sick, which is extremely rare for us. I think we have healthy immune systems because we take sensible precautions. During the Covid years 20-21, we were careful, avoiding crowds, getting Covid vaccines, masking, etc. no more. We don’t see the need. When out and about we sanitize our hands upon returning to the car and wash them immediately upon returning home. Always wash them before eating out and try not to handle menus any more than necessary. This works for us.

Handwashing is a good habit to have, but with Covid being airborne... it can help somewhat, but not entirely.

 

[killarney rose]

I’m not worried about Covid. What scares me is norovirus and the flu.