U.S.A. June 5, 2023 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 7 U.S. study finds 1 in 10 get long COVID after omicron, starts identifying key symptoms By Lauran Neergaard The Associated Press ASHINGTON — About 10% of people appear to suffer long COVID after an omicron infection, a lower estimate than earlier in the pandemic, according to a study of nearly 10,000 Americans that aims to help unravel the mysterious condition. Early findings from the National Institutes of Health’s study highlight a dozen symptoms that most distinguish long COVID, the catchall term for the sometimes debilitating health problems that can last for months or years after even a mild case of COVID-19. Millions worldwide have had long COVID, with dozens of widely varying symptoms including fatigue and brain fog. Scientists still don’t know what causes it, why it only strikes some people, how to treat it — or even how to best diagnose it. Better defining the condition is key for research to get those answers. “Sometimes I hear people say, ‘Oh, everybody’s a little tired,’” said Dr. Leora Horwitz of NYU Langone Health, one of the study authors. “No, there’s something different about people who have long COVID and that’s important to know.” The new research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, known as JAMA, includes more than 8,600 adults who had COVID-19 at different points in the pandemic, comparing them to another 1,100 who hadn’t been infected. By some estimates, roughly 1 in 3 of COVID-19 patients have experienced long COVID. That’s similar to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) study participants who reported getting sick before the omicron variant began spreading in the U.S. in December 2021. That’s also when the study opened, and researchers noted that people who already had long COVID symptoms might have been more likely to enroll. But about 2,230 patients had their first coronavirus infection after the study started, allowing them to report symptoms in real time — and only about 10% experienced long-term symptoms after six months. Prior research has suggested the risk of long COVID has dropped since omicron appeared; its descendants still are spreading. The bigger question is how to identify and help those W 9 AM - 2 PM SE 91st Ave & Foster Rd CHRONIC COVID. This undated electron microscope image made available in February 2020 by the U.S. National Institutes of Health shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 emerging from the surface of cells, cultured in a laboratory. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. There’s less risk of getting long COVID in the omicron era than in the pandemic’s earlier waves, according to a study of nearly 10,000 Ameri- cans that aims to help scientists better understand the mysterious condi- tion, which was published in JAMA in May. (NIAID-RML via AP, File) who already have long COVID. The new study zeroed in on a dozen symptoms that may help define long COVID: fatigue; brain fog; dizziness; gastrointestinal symptoms; heart palpitations; sexual problems; loss of smell or taste; thirst; chronic cough; chest pain; worsening symptoms after activity and abnormal movements. The researchers assigned scores to the symptoms, seeking to establish a threshold that eventually could help ensure similar patients are enrolled in studies of possible long COVID treatments, as part of the NIH study or elsewhere, for apples-to-apples comparison. Horwitz stressed that doctors shouldn’t use that list to diagnose someone with long COVID — it’s a potential research tool only. Patients may have one of those symptoms, or many — or other symptoms not on the list — and still be suffering long-term consequences of the coronavirus. Everyone’s doing studies of long COVID, yet “we don’t even know what that means,” Horwitz said. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Japanese court says government’s policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional Continued from page 4 legalizing same-sex marriage. Support among the business community has rapidly increased. Japan is the only member of the Group of Seven industrialized countries that does not recognize same-sex marriage or provide other equal rights protections for LGBTQ+ people. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said that allowing same-sex marriage would change Japanese society and values and requires careful consid- eration. He has not clearly expressed his view as conservatives in his party object to legislation forbidding discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. Kishida has said he will listen to various views and watch court decisions on same-sex marriage. Five lawsuits have been filed across the country since 2019 on marriage equality. This decision was the fourth. A March 2021 ruling in Sapporo said the government’s rejection of same-sex marriage is unconstitu- tional, while Tokyo District Court ruled in November 2022 that it is not clearly unconstitutional, but the government lacks a rationale to justify the absence of legal protections for same-sex couples. Osaka District Court said in June 2022 that marriage under the constitution is only for female-male unions and that the same-sex marriage ban is valid. Chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said in response to the ruling that cases are still pending and the government will keep watching the decisions. LGBTQ+ activists and their sup- porters have increased their efforts to achieve an anti-discrimination law since a former Kishida aide said in February that he wouldn’t want to live next to LGBTQ+ people and that citizens would flee Japan if same-sex marriage were allowed. Following widespread outrage over the remarks, Kishida’s governing Liberal Democratic Party submitted legislation to parliament to promote awareness of LGBTQ+ rights. The bill, which has not been passed, states that “unjust” discrimination is unacceptable but doesn’t provide a clear ban, apparently in response to the opposition of some conservative lawmakers to transgender rights. “I hope the ruling will promote awareness among more people about the situation,” one of the plaintiffs, whose name was not disclosed due to fear of discrimination, told NHK public television. He called on lawmakers to respond to the ruling by taking action to create a society in which people of different back- grounds can respect and help each other. Under electrical grid strains, rooftop solar utilized Continued from page 20 regions has been especially impor- tant for villagers who don’t have the time or money to visit hospitals in the city, and likely would have simply gone without healthcare, said Hanumantappa Channadaser, Selco’s branch manager in Raichur. “Before solar, people were apprehensive to visit these hospitals because of power shortages and they didn’t have faith in the treatment they might get,” Channadaser said. Recently, Selco, Swedish furniture company Ikea, and the Indian health ministry announced that they will set up solar power for 25,000 government healthcare facilities across 12 Indian states by 2026. Ikea has committed $48 million to the project. Selco is also working with the International Renewable Energy Agency and World Health Organization in Africa to scale up decentralized solar for health facilities on that continent. Shireen Fatima, who was four months pregnant and visiting the Zaheerabad healthcare center for a checkup, said she appreciates how “blood tests, tablets, everything is free here.” The hospital’s shift to solar energy is “definitely good,” she added. “If the hospital is saving on bills, the benefits will be for us too,” she said. Reduce Reuse Recycle Farm-Fresh Produce Local Food Kids' Activities Double your SNAP dollars up to $20 each week! portlandfarmersmarket.org Welcome Home! Knights of Pythias Active Retirement Center 3409 Main Street Vancouver, WA 98663 Phone: (360) 696-4375 Website: www.koprc.com Options for seniors 62 + and under 62 with disability Subsidized and affordable Private Pay Rates Call or e-mail for more information: (360) 696-4375 or lori@koprc.com We offer options for a lunch meal, housekeeping and laundry. Centrally located in uptown Vancouver, WA