A poor pulse oximeter design is more likely to affect Covid patients with darker skin

A study revealed that the equipment failed to measure oxygen levels in Black, Latino, and Asian patients as accurately as white individuals. In Nevada, a lab firm is under fire because the results from the COVID test turned out to be almost entirely incorrect.

The Wall Street Journal Questions Accuracy of Pulse Oximeters in Detecting Covid in Asian, Hispanic and Black Patients

A study published on Tuesday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that pulse oximeter readings among Black, Hispanic and Asian Covid-19 patients were less reliable than those taken from white patients, highlighting flaws in a vital instrument used to assess the risk of serious conditions. According to researchers, disparities in treatment may have resulted in some people of different racial ethnicity with severe disease receiving delayed or no care as a result of their oxygen levels being low enough to necessitate it. 

Delay in Covid care for dark-skinned ethnicities due to oximeter being inaccurate

Low oxygen levels were detected in patients caused delays in Black and Hispanic individuals receiving treatments such as remdesivir and dexamethasone. Pulse oximeters, which assess blood oxygen levels by looking at the color of the blood, have come under increased criticism for racial bias because they can overestimate blood oxygen levels in darker patients, and project as being in improved health state than what might actually be the case. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on April 3, 2019, compared pulse oximeter readings with “gold standard” arterial blood samples and found that they were three times less likely to detect low oxygen levels among Black patients than white patients.

Covid tests in Northshore, Las Vegas, gone wrong

According to a source, the Nevada public health laboratory supervisor who discovered that a Chicago-based lab's COVID-19 testing was missing the vast majority of positive findings said the operation's data was so flawed that it appeared as if it had never conducted the checks. A university official sent samples to both the Chicago lab and the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory after he was doubtful that Northshore Clinical Labs's COVID-19 testing operation on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, was giving accurate results. According to the Nevada state laboratory, Northshore's PCR testing missed 96 percent of positive instances, as revealed in a ProPublica investigation that stated authorities never offered a clear answer for the unreliable findings.

Northshore, Nevada, under fire for inaccurate Covid testing

Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nevada, called for answers from Northshore Clinical Labs, which worked with Nevada municipalities on COVID-19 testing and whose findings were essentially incorrect. “This lab exploited Nevada and other states when we were most vulnerable for its own profit,” said Lee. The president of the Nevada State Medical Association, Dr. David Kibbe, called for his organization's executive director Mark Ennis to resign after a dispute about money that threatened the organization's ability to pay bills. "Through its reprehensible actions, it encouraged the spread of COVID-19 and put an even heavier burden on our already overburdened healthcare facilities.”

Booster shots effective in preventing infection 

Researchers said a third dose of messenger RNA Covid-19 vaccine provides a crucial boost to resistance against the coronavirus, regardless of prior immunization type. According to an analysis of studies published Wednesday in the BMJ medical journal, following an initial course of two injections from the same type is the most efficient method to prevent non-severe Covid cases, as the close study of the cases in the BMJ Medical Journal revealed. Adding a third mRNA injection to other primary immunization regimens delivers almost the same level of protection, according to researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Novovax set to release its vaccine

COVID immunization, one of the first significant bets made under Operation Warp Speed, is falling behind in the race as Maryland biotech Novavax attempts to secure a temporary FDA emergency usage authorization for its COVID vaccination. Not only as a booster for the vaccinated but also as a first-line defense for those who have refused mRNA injections, executives at Alvedon Laboratories say they see a clear path going ahead to achieve successful acceptance in the market for its protein-based product.

Omicron mutant putting vaccine efficiency under question-mark

COVID vaccines, which are updated on a regular basis, have failed to keep up with changes in the virus itself. New variants appear to be even more resistant to immunization as compared to the original Omicron strain, raising the prospect that modified vaccines may become obsolete before they are available this fall. Preliminary findings indicate that the most recent Omicron variants are significantly different from the original version that began spreading late last year.

Bill in Missouri aimed to curb pharmacists’ Inquiries

The Missouri legislature passed a law this past session that prohibits pharmacists from warning patients about the risks of particular medications, particularly ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets. House Bill 2149, if enacted by Gov. Mike Parson, would prevent pharmacists from asking doctors or patients about the two drugs, both of which are sometimes used to treat COVID-19 despite having no FDA clearance for that purpose.

Physician in San Diego faces sentence for pushing Covid ‘Miracle Cure’

According to the government, in March and April 2020, while the coronavirus was spreading and individuals were confined indoors, a physician in San Diego claimed to have his hands on a "miracle cure," which he named as hydroxychloroquine. Despite the fact that the medicine was becoming increasingly difficult to get, Jennings Ryan Staley advertised the drug in mass-marketing emails from his firm, Skinny Beach Med Spa, as being included in his coronavirus "treatment kits." Staley had a method for obtaining it - he reportedly admitted to an undercover federal agent later. He intended to import a barrel of hydroxychloroquine powder from a Chinese supplier, according to the authorities. Staley was sentenced to 30 days in jail and one year of house arrest for his fraud. He accepted responsibility last year.