4. The Politics of Health: Public Health & Misinformation

Extreme right-wing views and the wellness community are not an obvious pairing, but ‘conspirituality’ is increasingly pervasive. How did it all become so toxic? By Eva Wiseman

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The COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered classrooms set back learning in some U.S. school systems by more than a year, with children in high-poverty areas affected the most, according to a district-by-district analysis of test scores shared exclusively with The Associated Press. In the most comprehensive look yet at how much American schoolchildren have been put behind, the analysis found the average student lost half a school year of learning in math, and more than a quarter of a school year in reading. Online learning played a role, but students lost significant ground even where they returned quickly to schoolhouses.

"These findings do not support the use of ivermectin in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19," the scientists concluded.

Belief that the COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax – that its severity was exaggerated or that the virus was deliberately released for sinister reasons – functions as a “gateway” to believing in conspiracy theories generally, new research has found.In the two-survey study, people who reported greater belief in conspiracy theories about the pan...

How long do coronavirus symptoms last? Learn about the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain, lungs, and nervous system, a condition referred to as "long COVID."

An overwhelming majority of people in the United States think the country is experiencing a mental health crisis, according to a new survey from CNN in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Cognitive impairment as a result of severe COVID-19 is similar to that sustained between 50 and 70 years of age and is the equivalent to losing 10 IQ points,

Recent brain imaging shows the disease can cause physical changes equivalent to a decade of aging and trigger problems with attention and memory. Exactly why is still a mystery.

False. Trudeau did not post such a tweet. There is no record of the post and a spokesperson from the prime minister’s office also confirmed to the Associated Press that the image of the tweet was fabricated.

Omicron, the 13th named variant of the coronavirus, seems to have a remarkable capacity to evolve new tricks.

I will be direct: schools that have officially departed from masking are stating an ongoing commitment to purposeful exclusion.

With some campuses dropping mask mandates, immunocompromised students and staff weigh the risks of showing up.

Background In February 2022, following the rescinding of a Massachusetts statewide school masking mandate, only two cities (Boston and neighboring Chelsea) out of 79 school districts in the greater-Boston area, maintained masking requirements in K-12 schools. This provided an opportunity to examine the impact of removing masking on COVID-19 case rates among students and staff in the public-school setting. Methods We used difference-in-differences for staggered policy adoption to compare incidence of COVID-19 cases among students and staff in greater-Boston area school districts that lifted masking requirements to those that had not yet lifted masking requirements during the 2021-2022 school year. Results Before the statewide school masking policy was lifted, there was no statistically significant difference in case rate trajectories between school districts. However, weekly and cumulative case rates were significantly higher in students and staff in school districts that removed masking requirements, compared to districts that had not yet lifted requirements. We estimate that lifting of school masking requirements was associated with an additional 44.9 (95% CI: 32.6, 57.1) COVID-19 cases per 1,000 students and staff over the 15 weeks since the lifting of the statewide school masking requirement, representing nearly 30% of all cases observed in schools during that time. School districts that sustained masking requirements for longer periods tended to have older school buildings in poorer condition, more crowded classrooms, higher proportion of low income and English learning students and students with disabilities, and a higher proportion of Black and Latinx students and staff. Conclusions Masking is a relatively low-cost but effective intervention that can protect students and staff from substantial illness and loss of in-person days in school. Despite compelling evidence that masking significantly reduces the spread of SARS-CoV-2, political will and public adherence to masking has waned. Our study confirms that universal masking requirements can benefit all students and staff, and therefore represents an important strategy to mitigate the impacts of structural racism, ensure health equity, and to avoid potential deepening of educational inequities. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any external funding. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes All data utilized in this study are publicly available through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/positive-cases/default.html#weekly-report); Massachusetts Department of Public Health (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting); and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (https://www.massschoolbuildings.org/programs/school_survey)

The lack of masks in my classroom jeopardizes my health—and possibly my ability to finish my degree.

Biden’s administration is no longer trying to eliminate the virus; it’s trying to get people used to living with it, seemingly forever

The current false dichotomy holds back research and stigmatises patients

We’re talking about people being angry over largely imaginary problems, argues Bruce Arthur.

Canadians injured by COVID-19 vaccines were among those who reported their tragic stories to a three-day Citizens’ Hearing in June of this year. The hearing was organized by the Canadian Covid Care Alliance (CCCA), a group that includes over 600 independent Canadian doctors, scientists and health care practitioners who are not connected with government or […]

Kids who've had COVID are also more likely to develop type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition that destroys the body's ability to make insulin, researchers found.

The potential impact on heart and brain disease poses challenges to healthcare systems globally

The dissolution of the panel after more than two years will ultimately be a test for Public Health Ontario

Ontario’s plan to increase funding to “existing private clinics covered by OHIP” could worsen the crisis we are currently facing.

A wave of parents has been radicalized by Covid-era misinformation to reject ordinary childhood immunizations — with potentially lethal consequences.