Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

11 INFECTION CONTROL Medical group releases treatment recommendations for treating 2 long COVID-19 symptoms By Erica Carbajal T he American Academy of Physical Med- icine and Rehabilitation shared guidance for clinicians treating patients experiencing lingering breathing discomfort or cognitive symp- toms aer recovering from COVID-19, a condition known as long COVID-19. e guidance statements on breathing discomfort and cognitive symptoms — two of the most com- mon post-COVID-19 symptoms — address both assessment and treatment of the conditions and were published in the organization's PM&R journal on Dec. 14. e severity of post-COVID-19-related breathing issues appear to be associated with the severity of a patient's initial bout with the virus, the group said in a Dec. 14 news release, adding that cognitive symptoms, which range from brain fog to difficulty completing daily activities or loss of concentration, occur more frequently among women. "New research shows that patients with strong interpersonal support systems and good sleep hygiene respond better to long COVID therapies, and these activities are especially important in re- habilitation for cognitive symptoms," said Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD, co-author of the breath- ing discomfort and cognitive symptoms guidance statements. "We must make sure that rehabilitation for all patients with long COVID symptoms is individually tailored and moves at the patient's own pace rather than a set timetable." More than 19 million Americans may have per- sistent symptoms, according to Jan. 16 estimates based on data from the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Associa- tion of Physical Medicine and Rehailitation's long COVID-19 dashboard. e organization released its first clinical guidance statement on post-COVID-19-related fatigue in August and plans to issue additional long COVID-19 guidance on cardiovascular complica- tions, autonomic disorders, mental health, pediat- rics and neurology. n 4 most common symptoms of omicron variant By Mackenzie Bean T he four most common symptoms of the omicron variant are cough, fatigue, congestion and runny nose, according to a CDC analysis of the first 43 cases investigated in the U.S. People with COVID-19 can report a wide range of symptoms, with cough and loss of smell emerging as two frequent indicators of the virus. The CDC noted characteristics of the cases described in its analysis may not be generalizable, as the findings might be associated with individual characteristics. Still, early and ongoing research suggests certain variants may produce different symptoms. U.K. researchers tracking self-reported COVID-19 symptom data from the public found the top symptoms changed to headache, sore throat and runny nose this summer after the delta variant gained dominance. The CDC's list of COVID-19 symptoms includes fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. Asymptomatic infections are also common. n MIS-C cases didn't spike after delta surge, physicians say By Mackenzie Bean A fter the delta variant fueled a surge in COVID-19 infections this summer, many physicians were bracing for a spike in cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. How- ever, unlike after past surges, no such spike has occurred, NBC News reported Dec. 13. "We held our breath for that four to eight weeks after the surge, saying, 'OK, get ready, here comes MIS-C,'" Buddy Creech, MD, a pediatric in- fectious disease expert at Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told NBC News. "It just never materialized." MIS-C cases spiked after the U.S. experienced COVID-19 surges in spring 2020 and last winter. While the delta variant's emergence drove pediatric infections to record levels this summer, "there are fewer [MIS-C] cases than we would expect," Roberta DeBiasi, MD, chief of infectious diseases at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., told NBC News. Children's National treated about 60 MIS-C patients after the first wave, 100 after the second wave and just 40 after the latest surge, according to Dr. DeBiasi. She said vaccination trends may play a role, as delta became dominant when a lot of children were getting inoculated. Dr. Creech also suggested that lower MIS-C rates may be linked to the delta variant's specific tendencies. Overall, cases of MIS-C are rare. As of Jan. 3, there have been 6,431 cases and 55 deaths in the U.S., CDC data shows. n

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