Medical Case Reports

At a Congressional hearing on November 30, CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen highlighted a post-Thanksgiving rise in COVID-19 cases, a trend supported by wastewater monitoring.  The innovative  wastewater reporting dashboard , rolled out  in November ,  revamped by the CDC team "Poo's Clues," using SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA concentrations in wastewater, offer insights into the virus's spread, covering over 100 million people across 700+ sites.  A 12% increase in COVID-19 cases was observed from mid- to end of October, with regional variations. The Midwest and West saw significant surges, contrasting with the relative stability in the Northeast and South. By the end of November, West seemingly peaked but then continued upward, Northeast started catching up with Midwest, and numbers kept climbing nationwide  (another 11% increase by the end of November). ( Biobot data show even larger growth  in SARS Cov-2 number, ILInet also reports increasing levels of  in...

On October 13, 2023, the golfing world lost an eleven-time PGA Tour winner Andy Bean. He was 70. His demise came six weeks after undergoing a double-lung transplant to address severe lung damage caused by a battle with COVID-19.  Born on March 13, 1953, Thomas Andrew Bean spent his formative years on the picturesque Jekyll Island, Georgia, before his family relocated to Lakeland, Florida. The move was inspired by his father Tommy's passion for golf, which led to the development of a golf course in Lakeland. Andy Bean's connection to the sport grew stronger as he went on to attend the University of Florida, where he played alongside teammates Gary Koch, Woody Blackburn, and Phil Hancock, helping the Gators secure the 1973 NCAA Championship.  Bean turned professional in 1975, embarking on a journey that would establish him as one of the PGA Tour's most consistent performers. Standing at an impressive 6-foot-4, Bean even gained notoriety for an incident where he "wrestled...

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is showing no signs of disappearing. In fact, the scientific community is in broad agreement that it is likely to remain a persistent part of our global health landscape for the foreseeable future. Just yesterday, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin tested positive for COVID-19 , a third time in the last 12 months. While new COVID-19 hospital admissions are at their lowest levels  - with fewer than two people per 100,000 being admitted - and continue to decrease, SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread. Unfortunately, as hospitalizations decrease, test positivity rates have begun to rise, indicating continued community transmission (see orange curve in the plot below). Historically, coronaviruses were relegated to the sidelines of viral research throughout the '80s and '90s. They were viewed as minor players because the common colds they caused seemed relatively insignificant on the grand scale of human health. However, in 2020, with the emergence of...