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HHS Releases Two Reports Focused on Long COVID |
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 Millions of Americans are living with Long COVID. To support these patients, HHS has released two reports that outline the government’s plan to address Long COVID and related conditions. One report, the National Research Action Plan on Long COVID, details advances in current research and charts a course for future study to better understand prevention and treatment of Long COVID. The other report, Services and Supports for Longer-Term Impacts of COVID-19, highlights resources for health care workers and those affected by broader effects of COVID-19. This includes not only Long COVID but also effects on mental health and substance use, as well as loss of caregivers and loved ones.
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Long COVID symptoms affecting children
A report in the August 5, 2022, issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) compared the long-term health of children and teens who had COVID-19 with those who had not. Those with a previous COVID-19 infection had higher rates of blood clots, heart problems, kidney problems, and type 1 diabetes between 31 and 365 days after their diagnosis. The report highlights that COVID-19 prevention strategies, including vaccination for all eligible people ages 6 months and older, are critical to preventing infection and subsequent illness.
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CDC streamlines its COVID-19 guidance
CDC has streamlined its COVID-19 guidance on social distancing, isolation, quarantine, and testing. The updates are intended to help people better understand their risk, how to protect themselves and others, what actions to take if exposed to COVID-19, and what actions to take if they are sick or test positive for the virus. According to CDC’s press release, the updates acknowledge that the pandemic is not over but help us “move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives.”
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Learn about rare COVID- and vaccine-related heart condition
An NIH Q&A explains myocarditis, or heart inflammation, a rare side effect of COVID-19 and of COVID-19 vaccines. The Q&A points out that a serious case of COVID-19 is much more likely than the vaccine to cause myocarditis. The chance of having myocarditis after the vaccine is small — there are about 2 cases per 100,000 people, compared with about 1.3 per 100,000 before the pandemic. But that number jumps to 226 per 100,000 if someone is hospitalized for COVID-19.
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Health disparities in antiviral prescribing
COVID-19 patients in your community may not be getting the antiviral medicines they need. Dispensing rates of antivirals for COVID-19 were lowest in the 49% of communities in the U.S. classified as most socially vulnerable to disease outbreaks, according to the June 24, 2022, issue of MMWR. However, these communities also had the most dispensing sites. Communities are classified as socially vulnerable if they have high rates of poverty, limited transportation, and crowded housing.
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FDA advises repeat COVID-19 testing following negative result
Because of the risk of false negative test results, FDA is recommending repeat testing with at-home antigen COVID-19 tests following a negative result, whether or not you have COVID-19 symptoms. At-home antigen tests are less likely to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus than molecular tests, especially early in an infection or in people who do not have COVID-19 symptoms.
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 Nita Vangeepuram, M.D.
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Dr. Nita Vangeepuram joins CEAL Scientific Pathway
Nita Vangeepuram, M.D., an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has joined the CEAL Scientific Pathway, which highlights the diverse group of people working in COVID-19 science. As a pediatrician and mom, she worries about “the worst-case scenario” for kids who get COVID-19. Seeing the data about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against severe disease convinced her to get her children vaccinated.
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Coloring book encourages kids to protect their health
The Michigan CEAL Team and community partners have developed a children’s coloring book that encourages wearing masks, washing hands, and getting vaccinated. Michigan CEAL is working with its community partners to distribute the coloring book to children and families throughout the state. A Spanish version will be available soon.
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Spread the word: College is better if you’re boosted
The HHS “We Can Do This” campaign has social media posts that encourage college students to start the semester with a COVID-19 booster. Share the posts to help make sure college students are protected from severe illness. Students can go to vaccines.gov to see where to get their COVID-19 booster.
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Events and Key Conversations
CEAL events promote community engagement, inclusion in research, and COVID-19 vaccines. These key conversations, including town halls and panel discussions, can also be found on our Events Page.
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CEAL to present at the National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media (NCHCMM)
August 17 | Learn more about CEAL and NCHCMM
There’s still time to register for this week’s 2022 National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media! NIH CEAL and the Arizona, Georgia, and Missouri CEAL teams will be featured in a Spotlight Session on August 17 at 9:45 a.m. ET. This year’s theme is creating connections and building bridges. Registration is open for in-person and virtual attendance.
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