Health-Care Pros Aren’t More Immune to Fake News. And Other Science Journal Findings

Compiled by veteran medical journalist Brian Owens, this roundup of some of the newest science on the COVID-19 pandemic, straight from the scientific journals, is presented by Hakai Magazine in partnership with The Tyee.

Health-care professionals are no better at spotting fake news

A study of how people evaluate coronavirus news has found that health-care professionals are no better than university students at spotting false news stories. The study did find that people who were actively open-minded and who were better at analytical thinking could better distinguish between true and false stories. It also found that if news stories are in line with existing narratives in the media, people tend to think that the stories are true.

PLOS One, March 10, 2021

Benefits and risks of delaying second vaccine dose

To cope with supply shortages and to ensure more people are vaccinated sooner, several countries, including Canada, are delaying the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines. A new study has found that this strategy should reduce infections in the short term. But the longer-term impact depends on how long immunity lasts. If immunity is short-lived after one dose, then there is an increased potential that the virus may evolve resistance to the vaccine.

So far, it is not clear how long immunity lasts since not enough time has passed to test it. Another study looking at immunity in people who were infected with the virus has found that their immune response to a single vaccine dose is strong enough that they may not need a second dose, helping to stretch limited supplies and sparing vaccine recipients from potential side effects, which can be more severe in people who were previously infected.

Science, March 9, 2021
Clinical Infectious Diseases, March 10, 2021

How common are allergic reactions to mRNA vaccines?

Shortly after mRNA vaccines were approved there were reports of allergic reactions to them, including some serious anaphylactic reactions. A new study looking at real world data from more than 50,000 vaccinated health-care workers in Massachusetts has determined that the risk of allergic reactions to these vaccines is low. About two per cent experienced reactions after their first dose, and the rate of anaphylaxis was just 2.47 per 10,000 people. This is comparable to the rate of anaphylaxis seen with common antibiotics.

JAMA Network, March 8, 2021

UK variant is more deadly

The SARS-CoV-2 variant first identified in the United Kingdom last fall — known as B117 — spreads more easily and quickly than the original strain of the virus. Now, two new studies have found that it is also more deadly. Using different methodologies, one study estimated that the risk of death was between 30 and 100 per cent higher with the new variant, while the other put the range at 42 to 82 per cent.

British Medical Journal, March 10, 2021
Nature, March 15, 2021

Physical distancing also stopped a rare syndrome in its tracks

The physical distancing measures put in place to help control the spread of COVID-19 have also affected other diseases, including a rare polio-like syndrome called acute flaccid myelitis. AFM is a spinal condition that mostly affects children, which causes weakness in the limbs and seriously diminishes motor function, and can lead to lifelong disabilities.

The syndrome was first reported in the United States in 2012 and has been coming back every two years, with another outbreak expected in 2020. But the 2020 outbreak never arrived, and researchers believe that is because physical distancing rules led to a drop in the infections with a respiratory virus called enterovirus 68, which is closely, but mysteriously, linked to AFM.

Science Translational Medicine, March 10, 2021

Prescription of psychotropic drugs went up in Ontario nursing homes

The amount of antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs prescribed in nursing homes in Ontario went up significantly during the pandemic, likely because doctors were dealing with a rise in mental health issues among residents as a result of the consequences of prolonged social isolation due to strict COVID-19 rules. The rules also made non-pharmaceutical management of the conditions less practical, due to a lack of resources and staff.

JAMA Internal Medicine, March 15, 2021

Cancer surgeries plummeted in Ontario during the pandemic

Cancer surgeries in Ontario hospitals immediately fell by 60 per cent on March 15, 2020, as COVID-19 restrictions went into effect. The number crept back up by six per cent each subsequent week, but had still not returned to normal by the time this study ended on June 27, 2020 — resulting in more than 35,000 fewer surgeries overall in that time period. Sociodemographic factors such as wealth, race and region did not lead to differential access to surgery.

JAMA Network Open, March 11, 2021

COVID-19 exacerbates gender inequalities in the home

Women in the United Kingdom spent more time on unpaid housework and child care than men, were more likely to reduce working hours, and reported higher levels of psychological distress during the first COVID-19 lockdown last year.

On average, in April and May 2020, women spent about 15 hours a week doing housework while men spent less than 10 hours per week. Women spent more than 20 hours per week on homeschooling while men spent about 12 hours. Working fathers were five per cent less likely to reduce working hours and seven per cent less likely to change their work patterns due to child care or homeschooling compared to working mothers.

The study also found that increased housework and child care hours were associated with higher levels of psychological distress among women, but no significant association was found among men.

PLOS One, March 4, 2021

How conservation can help prevent future pandemics

Preserving natural landscapes can help prevent future outbreaks of diseases like COVID-19 that result from increased contact between humans and wild animals, according to conservation researchers. Changes in land use, such as agriculture and forestry, and the introduction of invasive species can lead to the spillover of new pathogens from animals to humans as the changes bring people and animals closer together. Restoring and protecting natural areas, by contrast, can help to mitigate these risks.

Parks, March 11, 2021