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LATEST SCIENCES AND RESEARCH
READ | Woman suffers brain fluid leak after nasal test for Covid-19
A 40-year-old American woman who underwent a Covid-19 nasal swab test experienced more than just uncomfortable itching and tingling; The swabbing procedure ended up breaking the lining at the base of her skull, causing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to leak out of her nose and put her at risk for brain infection.
The case was reported in the medical journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery this week.
Doctors wrote that the patient had a rare, undiagnosed condition and that the test she received may have been performed incorrectly, leading to the rupture. This means that the health risks associated with nasal swab tests remain very low.
The patient had a mandatory Covid-19 test prior to elective hernia surgery.
Soon after, he began to notice clear fluid leaking from a nostril and subsequently developed a headache, vomiting, a stiff neck, a metallic taste and photophobia (aversion to light), the case report reads.
Although his case is a rare event, Jarrett Walsh, lead author of the article, told AFP that his case shows that healthcare professionals must take special care to closely follow testing protocols, and that patients who have undergoing extensive sinus or skull base surgery should consider ordering oral tests if available.
READ | Could the use of social media during Covid-19 increase depression and secondary trauma?
If you scroll through all of your social media platforms and are constantly bombarded with bad news, you may want to take a break, urge researchers from Penn State and Jinan University.
The negative side effects of social media were known long before the Covid-19 pandemic, but in these uncertain times we must be very careful, as the excessive use of social media to obtain information on the health of Covid-19 it may be related to depression and secondary trauma. stated the team.
“We found that the use of social media was rewarding to some extent, as it provided informative, emotional and peer support related to Covid-19 health issues,” said Bu Zhong, associate professor of journalism at Penn State. “However, overuse of social media led to mental health problems. The results imply that taking a break from social media can promote well-being during the pandemic, which is crucial to mitigating the damage to mental health caused by the pandemic. ”
The new research was published online in the journal Computers in Human Behavior and included 320 participants from urban districts in Wuhan, China. In February 2020, when the outbreak escalated, participants completed a survey that investigated how they accessed and shared crucial health information with their family, friends, and colleagues on social media, specifically WeChat, a popular mobile social media app in China. .
The researchers then measured Facebook addiction to assess participants’ WeChat use. They also researched and evaluated participants’ opinions about WeChat.
In addition, they investigated any change in health behavior using a 12-item stress, anxiety, and depression scale and found that more than half of the participants experienced some level of depression, while 20% of them suffered from depression. moderate or severe.
READ | Do disinfectant sprays on car handles really kill coronavirus?
Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the coasts of South Africa earlier this year, retail stores have done everything they can to combat the spread of the virus.
In addition to the usual disinfectant wipes for carts, most stores have a clerk at store entrances to spray cart handles with disinfectant liquid, often contained in an unlabeled bottle.
However, some disinfectants may not contain the correct levels of alcohol to effectively kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Rhodes University tested disinfectants at an Eastern Cape boarding school, where more than 200 employees and students tested positive for the virus this year, and found they contained only 57.6% alcohol, less than the minimum required alcohol content, News24 reported.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol-based disinfectants must contain at least 60% alcohol to effectively kill the virus.
According to Bernard Reeksting, a chemical scientist and former director of the CSIR Center for Polymer Technology, even if an aerosol kills SARS-CoV-2, it may not necessarily be the most effective way to disinfect surfaces.
LATEST CORONAVIRUS CASES
SA cases update:
The latest number of confirmed cases is 682,215.
According to the latest update, 17,016 deaths have been registered in the country.
There have been 615,684 recoveries.
So far, more than 4.28 million tests have been performed and 10,714 new tests have been reported.
Global Cases Update:
For the latest global data, follow this interactive map from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.
As of early Tuesday morning, positive cases worldwide were more than 35.34 million, while deaths were nearly 1.04 million.
The United States had the highest number of cases in the world, more than 7.45 million, as well as the highest number of deaths, more than 210,000.
HEALTH TIPS (as recommended by the NICD and WHO)
• Keep your physical distance: stay at least one meter from someone who is coughing or sneezing
• Practice frequent hand washing, especially after direct contact with sick people or their surroundings.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, as your hands touch many surfaces and could transmit the virus.
• Practice respiratory hygiene: Cover your mouth with a bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Remember to dispose of the tissue immediately after use.
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