Becker's Hospital Review

100 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Mild COVID-19 linked to low risk of long- term effects, study finds By Erica Carbajal P eople with COVID-19 who don't require hospitalization have a low risk of long-term, severe compli- cations, according to a study published May 10 in e Lancet Infectious Diseases. Researchers evaluated the outcomes of 8,983 people in Denmark who tested positive for COVID-19 and did not re- quire hospitalization for their infection from Feb. 27 to May 31, 2020, comparing them to a matched population of 80,894 uninfected people. Researchers followed both groups for two weeks to six months aer testing. Aside from bronchodilating agents, those who had a mild infection did not have an increased risk of requiring a new pre- scription, compared to the uninfected cohort. People with COVID-19 had an increased risk of being diagnosed with dyspnoea, or shortness of breath, and venous thromboembolism, but not for any of the other diagnoses evaluated, researchers said. e group of COVID-19 survivors was 1.18 times more likely to visit a general practitioner and 1.16 times more like- ly to seek an outpatient hospital visit throughout the six months aer being diagnosed, compared to their uninfected peers. At the same time, those with mild COVID-19 were not more likely to re- quire hospital admission. "e absolute risk of delayed acute complications, new onset of chronic disease and hospital encounters for per- sisting symptoms 2 weeks to 6 months aer SARS-CoV-1 infection not re- quiring hospital admission is low," re- searchers said. "However, increase in visits to general practitioners and out- patient hospital visits could indicate COVID-19 sequelae." n Swollen lymph nodes after COVID-19 vaccine may indicate prior infection, early research suggests By Erica Carbajal T hose who were previously infected with COVID-19 were more likely to ex- perience swollen lymph nodes after their first dose of Pfizer's vaccine com- pared to those without a prior documented infection, according to research published April 22 in the preprint server medRxiv. Researchers in the U.K. conducted an observational study that looked at ad- verse events after COVID-19 vaccination. A total of 947 healthcare workers across three hospitals participated in the study by self-reporting symptoms after vaccination. Of those, 265 participants had previously tested positive for the virus. Overall, those who previously contracted COVID-19 were more likely to report at least one moderate to severe symptom compared to those without a prior infec- tion, at 56 percent and 47 percent, respectively. Specifically, those in the previous COVID-19 group were significantly more likely to experience lymphadenopathy, or swollen lymph nodes, as well as fever, fatigue, myalgia and arthralgia. About 4 percent of participants with a COVID-19 history experienced lymphadenop- athy, compared to less than 1 percent of those who weren't infected. "This study of healthcare workers demonstrated that prior COVID-19 infection, but not long COVID-19, is associated with an increased risk of [adverse events] including lymphadenopathy following … vaccination," researchers said. n Unvaccinated MetroHealth staff must take weekly COVID-19 tests By Kelly Gooch E mployees at MetroHealth who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are now required to undergo weekly coronavirus testing, the Cleveland-based health system said. The weekly testing requirement for unvaccinated employees began July 1. Spokesperson Mike Tobin told Becker's that the mandate is based on maintaining patient safety and the safety of workers. He also noted that employees have had the opportunity to get vaccinated. "A dedicated email address and phone number have been set up to answer med- ical questions from employees about safety and potential side effects," he said. "Employees are encouraged to get vaccinated, since the vaccines have proven to be safe, effective, and our best hope to returning to normal." As of May 13, about 72 percent of MetroHealth's approximately 7,800 employees had received at least one dose, and about 70 percent had been fully vaccinated. n

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