Whether COVID-19 becomes a life-threatening disease depends, in part, on the virus reaching one's lungs. Scientists suspect the initial infected tissues in the upper airway can act as the source for virus-laden droplets or boluses, that are aspirated into the lungs.
Local medical professionals support COVID-19 pooled testing
We are a multidisciplinary group of local physicians, scientists, nurses and pediatric specialists who have come together to help support the community.
We are pleased that the state is offering public schools a program to support six weeks of pooled surveillance testing for COVID-19 and that Winchester Public Schools is planning to participate, starting with Winchester High School. We’d like to applaud the School Committee and the Board of Health for supporting this. The Select Board has committed to help fund this effort during the initial six weeks and potentially beyond, and we are grateful that they recognize the public health importance of testing.
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(Boston) Obesity is associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes but a new study suggests this is not due to increased inflammation, but instead may be driven by respiratory issues or other factors.
Multiple studies suggest those who are overweight or have obesity are more likely to experience invasive mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission or death. Population-level studies also suggest a higher COVID-19 mortality rate in countries with greater prevalence of obesity. What was not known before was whether patients with obesity had more inflammation, the so-called cytokine storm of COVID.
According to the researchers, additional factors may explain the unexpected finding of lower inflammatory markers in patients with obesity. Though definitive reasons for poor COVID-19 outcomes in obesity remain uncertain, patients with obesity are uniquely vulnerable. They may have independent risk factors (type-2 diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease) for