The Week
Get ready for a burst of the common cold, Stat News reports. In a recently published study, researchers in Hong Kong analyzed a surge in rhinovirus infections — one of the most frequent causes of the common cold — among students when they returned to classrooms in the fall after months of schools being shuttered. Ben Cowling, a professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong and senior author of the study, told Stat he expects other places will experience a similar pattern as schools reopen. The theory is that "susceptibility" to rhinoviruses may have increased because people were less exposed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently had fewer chances to build up immunity. The "hardy" rhinoviruses also may be more resistant to protective measures like mask-wearing and social distancing than their coronavirus and influenza counterparts, per Stat. While the common cold is a far less serious health threat than COVID-19, the Hong Kong researchers did note that the outbreaks in the city included more severe rhinovirus infections than normally seen, with some children needing hospital care. That's prompted concern about a similar decrease in resistance to influenza leading to a "severe" flu season whenever coronavirus restrictions are significantly scaled back. Read more at Stat News. More stories from theweek.comThe MyPillow guy might be Trump's ultimate chumpThe MC Hammer school of philosophyLate night hosts laugh at Rudy Giuliani literally running from his $1.3 billion lawsuit, tie in CPAC
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