North Korea is boasting of "a positive trend" in what the world views as its covid situation. Monday only saw 2.8 million cases of an unknown "fever" along with only 68 deaths. It will be interesting to see if any superspreader activity emerges from the funeral of a top official who helped Kim Jong Un prepare to follow his father at the top of the totem pole.
The Journal of Sleep Research reports that eight percent of people with a covid diagnosis regularly experience something known as REM sleep behavioral disorder also known as dream enactment disorder. This means that the person dreaming physically acts out what they are dreaming--walking, punching, getting up and moving somewhere to sit down, and so on. Apart from covid, this occurs in two to three percent of people over the age of 60, and in cases serves as an early indicator of Parkinson's disease. The Sleep Foundation recommends removing sharp objects, clutter, and furniture from around the bed of someone suffering from this. If the person sleeps with a partner, separate beds may help in terms of possible disturbance of or injury to the partner. The disorder can improve if contributing factors such as PTSD or stress are addressed.
Pfizer says that its preliminary results for the youngest children--ages six months through four years--show that three doses, with the third at least two months after the second, do produce a strong immune response. That response is strong enough to qualify the drug for regulatory authorization. The FDA panel of outside experts will meet on June 15 to discuss the subject. Pfizer may have comprehensive results by then.
Philadelphia is reinstating a mask mandate in schools and on school buses and vans. They say this is in line with CDC recommendations given the rising number of cases.
According to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, during the eight-week Omicron wave, the excess mortality rate in Massachusetts was higher than during the state's entire 23-week Delta wave. Mortality here reflects people who die because of covid, not from covid.
There have been more monkeypox cases around the world including a possible third case in the US. Doctors have been warned that some cases are not beginning with fever and general malaise but progress straight to the stage at which the blisters start to appear. There is also some discussion about the possibility it has become airborne. Good thing I have not put my masks away.
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