Here are 22 COVID-19-related research findings covered by Becker's Hospital Review since Oct. 26:
Note: Findings are listed from most recent to oldest.
1. Loss of taste or smell are defining symptoms of COVID-19, and a new study published Nov. 18 in JAMA Otolaryngology estimates up to 1.6 million people in the U.S. may experience chronic olfactory problems after their infection.
2. Mental health crisis lines experienced a 35 percent surge in calls relating to fears and loneliness early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, a study analyzing over 8 million calls published Nov. 7 in Nature found.
3. A study published Nov. 2 by Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., found that patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children — a rare but serious immune response linked to COVID-19 — had more severe illness during the second wave of patients compared to the first wave.
4. Cancer patients and other people taking immune-suppressing medications do not have an overall higher risk of dying from COVID-19, according to a study involving more than 200,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
5. Mask wearing cuts the risk of new COVID-19 infections by 53 percent, new research published Nov. 18 in BMJ found.
6. People taking certain antidepressants, particularly fluoxetine, may have a lower death risk from COVID-19, according to research published Nov. 15 in JAMA Network Open.
7. Two-thirds of physicians worried they missed signs of addiction among one or more of their patients during the pandemic, a report published Nov. 15 by Quest Diagnostics found.
8. People with certain sleep disorders face a 31 percent increased risk for hospitalization and mortality from COVID-19, according to research published Nov. 10 in JAMA Network Open.
9. Out of 20 persistent physical symptoms reported by adults recovering from COVID-19, only one was linked to the infection itself, a study published Nov. 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine found.
10. Patients in low-income, crowded and racially diverse communities had higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events and death when hospitalized for COVID-19, according to an abstract of preliminary study results presented Nov. 13 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.
11. Almost 80 percent of U.S. adults either believe or aren't sure about at least one of eight falsehoods about the COVID-19 pandemic or vaccines, and nearly one-third believe at least four of the falsehoods, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey published Nov. 8 found.
12. People with a specific version of a gene known as LTZFL1 may be at increased risk of respiratory failure from COVID-19, according to research published Nov. 4 in Nature.
13. More than 28 million extra years of human life were lost in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a BMJ study published Nov. 3.
14. Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective at preventing hospitalization among fully vaccinated immunocompromised people, a Nov. 2 CDC study found.
15. Overweight or obese adolescents and adults experience more respiratory symptoms from COVID-19 despite similar viral loads compared with normal-weight individuals, according to a study published Oct. 19 in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.
16. While a previous bout with COVID-19 offers some immune protection from a subsequent infection, the protection from vaccination is stronger, the CDC's Oct. 29 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report suggests.
17. Over 13 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations lead to readmission and emergency department visits after 30 days, with more than a quarter being potentially preventable, according to a study published in the November 2021 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
18. Certain types of cells in the inner ear produce the proteins needed for SARS-CoV-2 entry — a potential explanation for why some COVID-19 patients experience audiovestibular symptoms, according to research published Oct. 29 in Communications Medicine.
19. Pregnant and breastfeeding women generate a weaker immune response after their first COVID-19 dose relative to nonpregnant women of similar ages, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine.
20. While individuals with severe allergies reported more reactions after receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine than those without allergies, nearly all were able to safely complete the series, according to an Oct. 27 study in JAMA Network Open.
21. The antidepressant fluvoxamine may reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 infection by a third in high-risk individuals, according to a study published Oct. 27 in The Lancet Global Health.
22. Doctors may one day be able to predict the severity of a person's COVID-19 infection by studying that person's DNA, an Oct. 26 study showed.