Hives, Blisters: Skin Rashes Might Offer Clues To Virus
Many types of rashes have been seen in patients. More public health news is on partiers, workers, prisoners and more.
As the pandemic continues, doctors and researchers are learning more about the symptoms of COVID-19. And, as it turns out, some of them -- like rashes -- may be easy to see. One of the most widely talked about skin findings related to coronavirus infection is the so-called "COVID toes" syndrome. Dr. Ginette Okoye, chair of the department of dermatology at Howard University, described these as "a reddish-purple discoloration on the toes, accompanied by swelling and pain." Like many other symptoms of the virus, COVID toes are caused by "inflamed blood vessels." (Carringon and Farber, 7/23)
As coronavirus cases continue rising at an alarming rate in parts of the U.S., the notion of parties where guests knowingly try to expose themselves to COVID-19 would seem unheard of -- yet they're reportedly happening. Such events, deemed "COVID parties" by officials, have made headlines throughout the country. (Torres, 7/23)
Fox News has parted ways with a host who dismayed fellow staffers when she came to work while visibly sick in the early days of the coronavirus crisis. Heather Childers, who had been an early morning host on Fox since 2012, was benched after the incident in late March. She was not put back on the air again 鈥 despite her public campaign on Twitter and her messages to President Trump. This week, after sources said that Childers was no longer affiliated with the network, a Fox spokeswoman confirmed her exit. (Stelter, 7/22)
Kaiser Health News and The Guardian:
COVID Runs Amok In 3 Detroit-Area Jails, Killing At Least 2 Doctors聽
When Diana Trueblood visited the Wayne County Jail鈥檚 medical unit in Detroit in early March, she encountered a gentle and kind physician, Dr. Angelo Patsalis. Halfway through her incarceration for a probation violation, Trueblood remembered sitting 鈥渒nee to knee鈥 with Patsalis, who pulled down his face mask to speak to her about a tuberculosis skin test. She and other inmates were not provided with face masks, she said, and they pulled up their T-shirts to shield their mouths. (Megas, 7/23)
Kaiser Health News:
Listen: How The Pandemic Further Politicized Public Health
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined Texas Public Radio鈥檚 David Martin Davies on 鈥淭he Source鈥 call-in show to discuss her recent reporting on how politics is shaping the public health response to the coronavirus pandemic. Weber has been reporting on the issue in collaboration with the Associated Press for the ongoing 鈥淯nderfunded and Under Threat鈥 series. (Weber, 7/22)
Up to a quarter of a million people in the Washington area could be thrown into hunger because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by the Capital Area Food Bank, even as the amount of donated food and the number of distribution sites plummet precipitously. About half of the food bank鈥檚 450聽partner groups and food pantries are closed because of the pandemic 鈥 mostly because of building closures, a loss of elderly volunteers or a lack of funding. With hundreds of thousands newly out of work, the distribution sites that remain are reporting dramatic increases in demand, ranging from 30聽percent to 400聽percent. (Swenson, 7/22)