From apta.org
New OSHA Rules on COVID-19 Won't Apply to Most PTs and PTAs
PTs and PTAs in most settings are likely to be exempted from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's recently released standards on workplace safety related to COVID-19 — provided the setting is nonhospital ambulatory care, proper nonemployee screening is in place, and anyone suspected of confirmed COVID-19 isn't allowed to enter.
From CDC
Interim Guidance: Evaluating and Caring for Patients with Long COVID
The CDC issued clinical guidance on multiple topics related to long COVID, also known as PASC, that includes information on patient history, assessment and testing, management of conditions, and more.
U.S. COVID-19 Cases Surpass 33 Million
Total coronavirus cases have reached 33,292,045 as of June 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Data Tracker. A total of 597,343 people have died from the virus to date. Over 64% of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Hospitalizations Have Increased in Adolescents With COVID-19
According to CDC data, COVID-19 adolescent hospitalization rates dropped from 2.1 per 100,000 in January to 0.6 in March — and then rose to 1.3 in April. Among hospitalized adolescents, nearly 31.4% required intensive care unit admission, and 4.9% required invasive mechanical ventilation. CDC urges vaccination and mask-wearing for those who are not vaccinated.
From NIH
NIH Makes First Infrastructure Awards To Support Research on Post COVID Conditions
National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins announced that the first grants under a new research initiative to study post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, or PASC, will go to the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and the Biostatistics Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. Initially called the PASC Initiative, it was renamed the RECOVER Initiative —REsearching COVID to Enhance Recovery — to articulate the goals of the initiative more clearly.
In the Media
Experts Struggle to Understand Long COVID Recovery Paths
From TIME: "'There seem to be some individual success stories, but I don’t know if I could tell you that one thing fits all, Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t work. We’ve learned a lot, but there’s still a lot to learn.'"
Delta Variant Doubles Risk of COVID-19 Hospitalization
From Reuters: "The Delta coronavirus variant doubles the risk of hospitalization compared with the previously dominant variant in Britain, but two doses of vaccine still provide strong protection, a Scottish study found on Monday."
Delta COVID-19 Variant "Probably Going To Become" Dominant Strain In U.S., Gottlieb Says
From Fox News: "The former head of the FDA said that while the Delta variant currently accounts for about 10% of coronavirus infections in the U.S., it's doubling at a rate of every two weeks meaning 'it's probably going to become the dominant strain.' However, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who was appearing on CBS's 'Face the Nation,' said that doesn't necessarily mean there will be a sharp rise in infections over the coming weeks."
Long-Lasting COVID Symptoms Experienced by Nearly One in Four Patients
From The Hill: "A detailed new report suggests that nearly one-quarter of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 continued to struggle with side effects at least one month after their initial diagnosis, adding to the burgeoning knowledge about the coronavirus that took over the world in 2020."
In Some PASC Cases, Air Gets Trapped in Lungs
From Medscape: "Some COVID-19 survivors with persistent breathing symptoms have evidence of 'air trapping' that does not appear to be related to the severity of their acute illness. Researchers studied 100 COVID-19 survivors who were still having respiratory problems, such as coughs and shortness of breath, an average of more than two months after their diagnosis."
New in Research
Early Rehabilitation Feasibility in a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit
|In a case study published ahead of print in Chest, authors suggest that providing early physical and occupational therapy to critically ill patients with COVID-19 can improve functional outcomes.
COVID-19-Related Cognitive Impairment May Share Mechanism With Alzheimer Disease
Authors of a study in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy examined the molecular interaction between genes and proteins involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection and compared them with Alzheimer disease genetic markers. They found network-based relationships suggesting "significant mechanistic overlap between Alzheimer disease and COVID-19, centered on neuroinflammation and microvascular injury."