AS we lower our guard against COVID-19 because cases are decreasing, unvaccinated individuals, the prime target of the coronavirus, are becoming incubators (where the virus replicates, mutates) and carriers/spreaders churning out new Omicron subvariants. As a consequence, we now have BA.4.6 and BF.7, as the predominant BA.5 decreases. In the United States, more than 106 million are unvaccinated; in the Philippines, about 37 million are not vaccinated.
BA.4.6 was responsible for nearly 12 percent of the cases last week and is now the most predominant strain behind BA.5. BF.7, an “offshoot” of BA.5, accounts for 2 percent of the COVID-19 cases.
While the cases are coming down, the data show that, as of last Tuesday, September 26, the daily average cases are still high – about 52,539 a day, with 417 deaths each day, 29,443 hospitalized. In the Philippines, about 66.4 percent (72.7 million) have full vaccination; 68 percent of the people in the United States (224,113,439) are fully vaccinated, and only 33 percent (108,806,974) got a booster shot. The vaccination rate for the new bivalent booster is very low, as people start having a false sense of security and becoming bolder and casual.
The question now is whether the new reformulated bivalent boosters, which were redesigned primarily for BA.4 and BA.5, would be effective against these two new sub-variants of Omicron. Only time can tell as clinical pictures evolve. In the meantime, we urge everyone to be fully vaccinated, including the new Pfizer-BioNT or Moderna bivalent vaccines, which could be interchanged. Both are equally good. When it comes to virus infection, nothing beats the value (effectiveness) of vaccines.
COVID-19 impacts brain
U.S. researchers reported on Thursday, September 22 that “people who had COVID-19 are at higher risk for a host of brain injuries a year later compared with people who were never infected by the coronavirus, a finding that could affect millions of Americans.”
The most common symptoms are memory impairments, labelled as brain fog, which 77 percent of those who had COVID-19 infection are prone to have. Fifty percent of them are also likely to have ischemic stroke, which is caused by blood clots, compared to those who never got infected. Those who were infected also have 80 percent higher risk to have seizures, 43 percent more likely to have mental health issues, like anxiety and depression, 35 percent likely to have headaches, and 42 percent at higher risk to suffer movement problems, like tremors, compared to non-infected individuals.
This is a vital reason why everyone has to be careful to avoid getting COVID-19 infection, even if the symptoms from the Omicron sub-variants are usually milder, because the potential future “side-effects” could be devastating.
Exercise in a pill
The old-fashioned, time-tested physical exercise is universally known to confer great health benefits, not only for the muscles and bones, but also for the cardiovascular system and the body as a whole, including a person’s mental health. Brisk walking for those still able to do it, no matter how old the person is, is highly recommended more than jogging. The long-term side effect of jogging is trauma to the spine, the hip joints, knee joints, and the ankles, which show up in the later years.
Scientists reported recently that they found a drug that “apparently mimics the effects of vigorous exercise” in laboratory mice. The “exercise in a pill” is called locamidazole (LAMZ). While it did reinvigorate the muscles and bones, as does physical exercise, they are not sure if the benefits would be the same as conferred by actual physical exercise. If adequate studies show that it is applicable to humans down to the molecular level, it might be relegated to those where physical exercise is no longer safe or practical. For all others, we would continue to do our routine standard exercise.
Tea and diabetes
Scientists investigated the effects of drinking various types of tea (black, green, oolong) on diabetic risk, and found that drinking 1-3 cups of tea decreased the risk for diabetes type 2 somewhat but drinking 4 or more cups a day was associated with 17 percent lower risk. There are around 422 million people around the world with diabetes mellitus type 2. This study was a meta-analysis of 19 cohort studies from eight countries presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. More extensive studies on a global scale are needed to confirm these findings.
Cardio-nuclear scan
To increase the value of a stress test, Thallium-201 or technetium-99m sestamibi (Cardiolite) are two radioactive ingredients given intravenously (nuclear perfusion scan) during the stress test at the point of maximum exercise. This combo then becomes more useful for heart test for evaluation of coronary artery disease. It shows the blood flow in the coronary arteries and looks for blockages in the arteries and the affected region of the heart.
A stress test alone could show a false negative result among individuals whose tolerance to exercise is high, in spite of possible blockage in the coronary artery. With this perfusion scan, the accurate condition of the coronary artery flow is revealed even if the plain stress test comes out normal. Hence, stress test and nuclear scan perfusion are done together as a standard procedure in cardiology today.
Chronotype
Chronotype tells us what time of the day individuals tend to be more active. Those who wake up early and active in the morning are “early birds,” and those who stay up late and take a longer time to start in the morning are “night owls.” Recent studies revealed that night owls may have greater risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease than early birds. Sleeping more than 8 hours a day also have the same risk as night owls.
Flu or COVID shots?
Since the flu season is here and COVID-19 is expected to rise again in the fall and winter, the question is which vaccine to get first? Experts say the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 booster may be received at the same time (one in each arm) or taken separately. What is important, especially for seniors, is that people able to receive the shots get them in a timely fashion, which is now.
Contact lenses
A clinical study shows that reusable contact lenses may increase the risk of contracting a rare, serious, preventable eye infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis. This infection could lead to blindness. Around 85 percent of this uncommon infection is seen among those who use reusable contact lenses and rarely among those who use disposable lenses. Making sure that hands touching the lenses are clean is vital to avoiding infections.
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The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Email: [email protected].
