Study finds schizophrenia raises risk of COVID-19 death as those with mental illness wait for vaccine wxyz.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wxyz.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
CLARE WATSON
4 FEBRUARY 2021
COVID-19 vaccination programs are rolling out around the world. Meanwhile, scientists are still hard at work identifying the groups of people most at risk of contracting the infection or dying from it – people who more urgently need the long-awaited protection vaccines can provide.
Now, a new study of nearly 7,400 people in New York, who all tested positive for COVID-19, has found that the odds of people diagnosed with schizophrenia dying from COVID-19 are nearly three times higher than for those without the disorder.
It suggests there might be something about schizophrenia that makes these people more vulnerable to viral infections, though the startling findings may just be a reflection of healthcare inequalities exposed by the pandemic.
COVID Booster
COVID-19 commemorated with postage stamps
Around the world, countries make special postage stamps to recognise important events or raise money for charities. COVID-19 has inspired 68 commemorative postage stamps so far, according to an article published in
JAMA.
The stamps are from 21 different countries, with the United Nations contributing six non-national stamps as well. The first stamp was commissioned in Iran on 17 March 2020.
Nearly a third of the stamps (21) feature healthcare workers, while 14 show the virus, 12 show scientists, 11 show soldiers and seven show patients.
“All the images reflect a sentiment of global solidarity; mass public health efforts; and the hope of overcoming this new medical, scientific, and human challenge,” conclude the authors.
News Scan for Jan 27, 2021 umn.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from umn.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Created with Sketch.
People with schizophrenia are almost three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those without the psychiatric illness in America, a study has found.
The higher risk cannot be explained by factors that often accompany serious mental health disorders ― such as higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and smoking ― according to researchers at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine.
This particular investigation found schizophrenia is the “biggest risk factor for death from COVID-19 after age.” Being male, heart disease and race ranked next after schizophrenia in order.
In light of the new findings, mental health charities across the globe are urging the government to do more to protect people with schizophrenia.