Photographs of the simple modification demonstrating an individual properly donning the modified mask. PLOS1
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Could microclots in the blood explain long COVID? The University of Cincinnati takes a look at why some people are still skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine. And a simple trick with a rubber band can make surgical masks as effective as N95 masks.
Cleveland.com brings you the latest in COVID-19 research and news for Friday Aug. 26.
Could tiny blood clots explain the mystery of long COVID?
A news feature in the journal Nature explores the controversial idea that tiny blood clots known as microclots may provide some explanation for the many persistent symptoms seen in patients with long COVID.
Among the largest proponents of the theory are Etheresia Pretorius, a physiologist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and Douglas Kell, a systems biologist at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.
The pair believe that the viral spike protein – the same one that is the target of the COVID-19 vaccine — may, in certain people, cause proteins in the blood that are normally involved in clotting, to form abnormal clumps
It is these clumped proteins, known as amyloid proteins, that they believe cause increased inflammation and lead to the variety of mysterious symptoms many patients continue to suffer from long after they have recovered from their initial bout with the virus.
Exactly how that happens is still unclear, but if future research continues to support this idea, anti-clotting drugs could potentially be used as therapies for patients with long COVID and micro-clots.
UC attempts to understand COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
Why are so many people still reluctant to get the COVID-19 vaccine? New research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, explores that question via a massive survey with several thousand responses from all over the country.
Jack Kues, professor emeritus in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, said they observed different reasons.
“We think one reason for avoiding our conversations is that people are just tired of COVID, period,” Kues said. “Another is the way the COVID and vaccination issue has gotten caught up in other political issues. It’s similar to talking to somebody about stopping smoking. They believe that you’re going to attack or belittle them. They believe that you’re going to tell them that they’re careless or thoughtless. In that regard, they’re not entirely wrong. We often believe that we are right, and they just need to be educated.”
Kues said that as a result of that input they have revised their approach to COVID-19 education.
“Health fairs are all about health,” Kues said. “If you’re advertising that you’re now going to talk about something they don’t want to talk about, they won’t come to you. But if we put it into a larger health context that is about diabetes, nutrition, high blood pressure, dealing with other health issues, they are more likely to engage in a conversation. In that context, COVID can be discussed as a health risk.”
“Ultimately, if you’re going to convince people to take the vaccine or change their behavior, you’ve got to have a better understanding of the factors that contribute to their beliefs and understanding, so that you can have a meaningful conversation that addresses their concerns.”
Rubber band trick makes masks more effective
Throughout COVID-19 the N95 respirator has remained the gold standard of personal protective equipment. However, it is also much more difficult to produce and obtain than a standard surgical mask.
But a recent study published in PLOS ONE demonstrates that a simple modification to a surgical mask using rubber bands can improve its protective seal against particle exposure to the level of an N95 respirator.
Standard surgical masks are not as protective because they don’t seal around the face, allowing particles to get inside. However a team of researchers led by a Michigan Medicine surgeon worked with 40 health care workers to test standard surgical masks modified with two 8-inch rubber bands over the crown of the head, bridge of the nose, around the cheeks and under the chin within the boundaries of the mask.
The group eventually made all of the modified masks pass the N95 threshold.
The researchers said this easy modification could address N95 respirator shortages worldwide.
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