coronavirus – Less Meat More Veg

Genetic Disorders UK: Emergency Coronavirus appeal

CX3 — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 00:16:29 +0000

Article in association with Genetic Disorders UK

Children and adults with genetic disorders are some of the most vulnerable in our society, precisely those who coronavirus will hit hardest. They are feeling particularly anxious and isolated at this time. It has never been more important for our genetic disorder community to have somewhere to turn to for help. Our helpline is open as normal, proving free, confidential advice and support on all genetic disorders to patients and their families.

At the same time GDUK is faced with an enormous challenge. 90% of our income comes from people who take part in fundraising events – many of which have been postponed or cannot take place in their normal format because of social distancing.

GDUK is a small charity and as such we are particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in our income. A big drop in our fundraising could prevent us running our helpline. We can only run our helpline because of the kindness and generosity of our supporters. During a crisis, calls increase. With your support, GDUK will be able to answer all those calls and help all those in need.

That’s why we are asking you to donate to help keep our helpline open and running during this most challenging of time for us all.

Please DONATE what you can.

£25 will pay for one hour of specialist telephone helpline advice for parents caring for a child with a genetic disorder

Louie, age 7, was born with a life-limiting genetic disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy with respiratory distress, which affects all the muscles in his body. Louie is paralysed from the neck own and needs a ventilator to breathe, Louie’s mum must use hand sanitiser before and after changing his airway tube – it’s a vital and regular tool of her care routine to prevent infection.

This article was originally published by psychologies.co.uk. Read the original article here.

Many Grocery Workers Still Waiting for COVID-19 Shot

CX3 — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:16:27 +0000

Eric Nelson, online shopper, Kroger, Cincinnati, OH.

Dawn Hand, Kroger employee, Houston.

Kathleen Scott, Albertsons employee, Los Angeles.

Sue Wilmot, Safeway employee, Seattle.

Margaret Kitt, MD, lead, CDC Essential Workers Team, COVID Vaccine Task Force, COVID-19 Emergency Response.

Rebecca Weintraub, MD, assistant professor, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, PhD, professor of law, University of California Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco.

United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW): “Whole Foods COVID Outbreak in Detroit is Wake-Up Call to Threat Grocery Workers Still Face on Frontlines of the Pandemic in Stores Across the Country,” “National Press Conference on Urgent Need for Vaccine Access, Hazard Pay for Essential Workers as Deaths and Exposure for Frontline Workers Increase.”

United for Respect: “ICYMI: Essential workers call for priority vaccine access and enhanced workplace safety standards.”

Houston Chronicle: “Kroger’s Builds its Presence in Houston in 2016.”

Kaiser Family Foundation: “State COVID-19 Vaccine Priority Populations.”

Illinois Department of Health.

Tennessee COVID-19 Vaccine Phases.

CDC: “Partner Update Call: COVID-19 Information for Essential Workplaces on YouTube,” “Pharmacies Participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.”

The Washington Post: “Grocery workers say they can’t get vaccines, even as they help distribute them.”

AARP: “Feds Shift COVID-19 Vaccine Focus to People 65 and Over or With Underlying Conditions.”

CNN: “Aldi, Trader Joe’s and others will pay workers to get a vaccine.”

Bloomberg News: “Tesla Back-Channel Vaccine Plea Shows Fog on Access to Shots.”

GeekWire: “Amazon asks CDC to prioritize its essential workers for COVID-19 vaccine at ‘earliest appropriate time.’”

Reuters: “Instacart to offer gig workers $25 if they get COVID-19 vaccination.”

Kroger: “Kroger Announces New Vaccine Payment for All Associates.”

Amazon: “Amazon offers up to $80 to front-line employees getting the COVID-19 vaccine.”

Albertsons.

Walmart/Sam’s Club.

Trader Joe’s.

Original Source

CDC, WHO Create Threat Levels for COVID Variants

CX3 — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 19:04:45 +0000

Michael Diamond, MD, PhD, associate director, Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

CDC, SARS-CoV2 Variants, updated March 16, 2021

WHO, Weekly Epidemiological Report, February 25, 2021

WHO, Weekly Epidemiological Report, March 16, 2021

Public Health England, Variants of Concern or Under Investigation, Updated March 15, 2021

Original Source

COVID Patients Face Higher Risk for Stroke

CX3 — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 13:22:01 +0000

FRIDAY, March 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A new study adds to mounting evidence that COVID patients have an added risk of stroke.

Researchers analyzed data on more than 20,000 U.S. adults hospitalized with COVID-19 between January and November 2020. The analysis found that their risk of stroke was higher than for patients with other types of infections, including flu.

“These findings suggest that COVID-19 may increase the risk for stroke, though the exact mechanism for this is still unknown,” said lead author Dr. Saate Shakil, a cardiology fellow at the University of Washington.

The new study found that 1.4% of COVID patients had a stroke confirmed by diagnostic imaging.

Of those, 52.7% had an ischemic stroke (caused by blocked blood flow to the brain); 45.2% had a bleeding or unspecified type of stroke; and 2.5% had a transient ischemic attack (also called a mini-stroke or TIA).

COVID patients who suffered a stroke were more likely to be male (64%) and older (average age: 65) than those who didn’t have a stroke (average age: 61).

The study revealed that 44% of ischemic stroke patients had type 2 diabetes, compared with about one-third of patients who didn’t have a stroke. Eight in 10 ischemic stroke patients had high blood pressure, compared to 58% of non-stroke patients.

The heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation was found in 18% in ischemic stroke patients and 9% in those without stroke, the study found.

Stroke patients averaged 22 days in the hospital — 12 days more than patients who didn’t have a stroke.

In-hospital deaths were more than twice as high among stroke patients (37%) than in those without stroke (16%).

Black patients accounted for 27% of COVID patients in the study, and 31% of ischemic stroke cases, according to findings presented Friday at a virtual meeting of the American Stroke Association.

Research presented at meetings is typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“As the pandemic continues, we are finding that coronavirus is not just a respiratory illness, but a vascular disease that can affect many organ systems,” Shakil said in a meeting news release.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19.

SOURCE: American Stroke Association, news release, March 19, 2021

Original Source