Health
Protest of CDC’s new COVID guidance planned for this month in Washington, DC: ‘Urgent need’
A community of “long COVID“ patients and activists are planning a march in Washington, D.C., to protest a recent announcement from the CDC.
On March 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially dropped its recommendation for people to isolate for five days after a positive COVID test.
The agency’s new guidance tells people to stay home if they are sick — but when they’re feeling better and have been fever-free for 24 hours, they can return to school or work.
CDC DROPS ITS 5-DAY COVID ISOLATION GUIDELINES
In response, a community called LC/DC, which describes itself as non-partisan, is planning a protest at the Lincoln Memorial on March 15.
“LC/DC is fighting to raise awareness about long COVID, and we recognize that reducing the isolation policy will result in more infections, long-term illnesses and disability,” said Paul Hennessy, one of the three main organizers of the planned event.
A community of “long COVID” patients and activists (not pictured) have planned a march in Washington, D.C., to protest a recent announcement from the CDC about dropping isolation requirements. (iStock)
“Our main objection is that it’s not based on a period of infectiousness, but false assumptions,” Hennessy, who is based in Los Angeles, told Fox News Digital.
“The CDC has admitted that COVID can be contagious for over 10 days.”
Hennessey added, “The CDC’s job should not be to negotiate with a deadly airborne pathogen, but to give the best proper guidance.”
CDC RECOMMENDS ADDITIONAL COVID VACCINE FOR ADULTS 65 AND OVER
Prior to this most recent update, the CDC called for people who test positive for the virus to “stay home for at least five days and isolate from others in your home,” a recommendation that was implemented in late 2021.
On March 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially dropped its recommendation for people to isolate for five days after a positive COVID test. (REUTERS/Tami Chappell)
At the start of the pandemic, the agency recommended a 10-day isolation period for people with COVID.
Hennessy said the group believes the CDC’s decision could be political.
“The CDC’s job should not be to negotiate with a deadly airborne pathogen, but to give the best proper guidance.”
“It’s not lost on us that the CDC has made this decision during an election year,” he said. “We’re not sure if this decision is political, but we do know from our research and standpoint that this was done arbitrarily and is more grounded in connivance than fact.”
Dara York, a San Francisco-based nurse who has long COVID and is one of the event’s organizers, told Fox News Digital that she believes the CDC is “abandoning” the problems related to COVID.
At the start of the pandemic, the CDC recommended a 10-day isolation period for people with COVID. (iStock)
“Reinfections are dangerous,” she said. “There is silent damage in many people. Most don’t even know their symptoms could be long COVID. Doctors and medical staff need training for [the condition].”
The LC/DC group is calling for a 10-day isolation and two negative tests as “best for the health of society.”
Said Hennessey, “Unfortunately, vaccinated and unvaccinated people can still get COVID and long COVID or post-COVID complications. Or they can spread it to someone more vulnerable.”
LONG COVID IS HIGHEST IN THESE STATES, SAYS NEW CDC REPORT
In addition to protesting the CDC dropping the five-day isolation guidance, the group is also demanding more government funding for COVID and long COVID treatments.
“Our ultimate goals are to raise awareness for long COVID and stress the urgent need for prevention, education and treatments,” said Hennessy.
“There are no approved treatments for long COVID.”
Doctor reacts to CDC’s decision
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, voiced his support of the dropped five-day isolation.
Siegel spoke to Mandy Cohen, CDC director, the day before the announcement.
In addition to protesting the CDC dropping the five-day isolation guidance, the group (not pictured) is also demanding more government funding for COVID and long COVID treatments. (iStock)
“The change is based on the fact that, according to Dr. Cohen, though wastewater analysis for COVID is very high, at the same time, case counts and hospitalizations are MUCH lower,” he told Fox News Digital.
“The goal is to have one set of guidelines for all respiratory viruses — flu, RSV, COVID, etc.,” Siegel noted.
SHOULD THE CDC DROP ITS 5-DAY COVID ISOLATION GUIDELINES? DOCTORS WEIGH IN
By the time someone tests positive for COVID, they are most likely at least two days into the illness, according to Cohen — and emerging data shows that the times of greatest transmission are right before symptoms begin and in the first few days of illness.
“The goal is to have one set of guidelines for all respiratory viruses.”
“The pandemic has been over for several months, and though there was an uptick this winter, with over 20,000 hospitalizations and 1,500 deaths per week at one point, it is now diminishing,” said Siegel.
As of the most recently reported week ending Feb. 24, the share of administered COVID tests with positive results was 7.4%, a 0.6% decrease from the prior week, per CDC data.
What is long COVID?
Long COVID is a condition in which symptoms of the virus persist for an extended period of time, generally three months or more.
Those symptoms can include fatigue, respiratory issues, cough, rapid heart rate and neurologic symptoms (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”).
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, voiced his support of the dropped five-day isolation. (Fox News)
Approximately 18 million Americans reported ever having long COVID and 8.8 million reported having it currently, according to the CDC’s 2022 National Health Interview Survey, which was released in Sept. 2023.
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“We continue to see long-term effects from COVID, including viral persistence, damaged immune systems, organ damage, neurological complications such as dementia progression and Parkinson’s, and cardiovascular issues such as blood clots,” Hennessy said.
Symptoms can include fatigue, respiratory issues, cough, rapid heart rate and neurologic symptoms (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”). (iStock)
“Someone I love who was otherwise fit and healthy now has microclots after a recent infection.”
“Those in our group who have long COVID are desperate to get back to work and contribute to society, but don’t have the support they need to do so.”
The demonstration at Lincoln Memorial will take place on March 15 from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Fox News Digital reached out to the CDC and to National Mall and Memorial Parks, which manages the Lincoln Memorial, requesting comment on the planned protest.
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A popular class of weight-loss drugs may prevent life-threatening cardiac complications by opening microscopic blood vessels that often remain blocked after a heart attack, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.
The research, led by the University of Bristol and University College London, identified a biological brain-gut-heart signaling pathway.
This discovery appears to explain how GLP-1 drugs — which mimic glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite — protect heart tissue from a condition known as “no-reflow.”
“In nearly half of all heart attack patients, tiny blood vessels within the heart muscle remain narrowed, even after the main artery is cleared during emergency medical treatment,” Dr. Svetlana Mastitskaya, the study’s lead author and a senior lecturer at Bristol Medical School, said in a press release.
“This results in a complication known as ‘no-reflow,’ where blood is unable to reach certain parts of the heart tissue.”
In nearly half of all heart attack patients, tiny capillaries (blood vessels) remain narrowed even after the main blocked artery is cleared. (iStock)
This lack of blood flow increases the risk of heart failure and death within a year. GLP-1 medications could prevent this, according to the researchers.
How it works
When the GLP-1 hormone is released in the gut or administered as a drug, it sends a signal to the brain, which then sends a signal to the heart that switches on special potassium channels in tiny cells called pericytes.
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When these channels open, the pericytes relax, which allows the small blood vessels (capillaries) to widen and improve blood flow to the heart muscle, the researchers noted.
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The new study used animal models and cellular imaging to track how GLP-1 interacts with heart tissue. When the researchers removed the potassium channels, the drugs no longer protected the heart — confirming they play a key role.
The findings suggest that existing GLP-1 medications, already used for type 2 diabetes and obesity, could be repurposed as emergency treatments. (iStock)
The findings suggest that existing GLP-1 medications, already used for type 2 diabetes and obesity, could be repurposed as emergency treatments during or immediately after a heart attack to reduce tissue damage.
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The researchers noted several limitations, including that the study relied on animal models.
Clinical trials are necessary to determine whether the brain-gut-heart pathway operates with the same timing and efficacy in humans.
While the study highlights the drug’s immediate benefits during a heart attack, it des not establish whether long-term use of these drugs provides a pre-existing level of protection. (iStock)
Additionally, while the study highlights the drug’s immediate benefits during a heart attack, it does not establish whether long-term use of the medication provides a pre-existing level of protection.
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The research was primarily funded by the British Heart Foundation.
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Collagen supplements have exploded in popularity, touted as everything from an anti-aging miracle to a muscle recovery booster.
But a sweeping new review conducted by U.K. researchers suggests that while collagen may help improve skin elasticity and ease arthritis pain, it does little for athletic performance or wrinkle reduction.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University analyzed 16 systematic reviews and 113 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 8,000 participants worldwide, which they say is the most extensive evaluation of collagen’s health effects to date.
The review found consistent evidence that collagen supplementation improves skin elasticity and hydration over time and provides significant relief from osteoarthritis-related joint pain and stiffness, according to findings published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum.
A large U.K. review found that collagen supplements may improve skin elasticity and hydration over time. (iStock)
The researchers, however, did not find meaningful improvements in post-exercise muscle recovery, soreness or tendon mechanical properties (strength, springiness and stretch resistance).
“Collagen is not a cure-all, but it does have credible benefits when used consistently over time, particularly for skin and osteoarthritis,” co-author Lee Smith, professor of public health at Anglia Ruskin University, said in a statement.
EXPERIMENTAL SERUM SHOWS PROMISE IN REVERSING BALDNESS WITHIN 20 DAYS
“Our findings show clear benefits in key areas of healthy aging, while also dispelling some of the myths surrounding its use,” Smith added.
Collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, supports skin, bones, tendons, cartilage and connective tissue, according to experts. Natural collagen production begins to drop in early adulthood and declines more sharply with age.
The study found that collagen supplements may help reduce joint pain and stiffness in people with osteoarthritis. (iStock)
The review found that long-term collagen supplementation was linked to improved skin firmness and hydration, but did not help skin roughness — a proxy for visible wrinkles.
Benefits appear to accumulate gradually, suggesting that collagen should not be viewed as an “anti-wrinkle ‘quick fix,’ but as a foundational dermal support for individuals seeking holistic skin maintenance,” the researchers said.
“If we define anti-aging as a product or technique designed to prevent the appearance of getting older, then I believe our findings do support this claim for some parameters,” Smith told the BBC. “For example, an improvement in skin tone and moisture is associated with a more youthful-looking appearance.”
Collagen supplementation was linked to reduced pain and stiffness in people with osteoarthritis, with stronger benefits seen over longer periods of use, and showed modest improvements in muscle mass and tendon structure that may support healthy aging.
Collagen did not significantly improve skin roughness, a marker of visible wrinkles. (iStock)
However, it did not show meaningful results when used as a fast-acting sports performance supplement, and evidence for benefits related to cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and oral health was mixed or inconclusive.
Dr. Daniel Ghiyam, a California-based physician and longevity specialist, said the findings align with what he sees in clinical practice.
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“Collagen is a targeted support tool, not a foundation of health or performance,” Ghiyam, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “When marketed that way, it makes sense. When marketed as a cure-all, it doesn’t hold up to the data.”
The authors noted that while many previous collagen studies have received financial support from the supplement industry, the current review did not receive industry funding.
Experts say collagen supplements may offer modest benefits for skin hydration and joint comfort, but they are not a cure-all. (iStock)
The team called for more high-quality clinical trials examining long-term outcomes, optimal dosages and differences between collagen sources, such as marine, bovine and plant-based alternatives.
Among its limitations, the review could not determine whether certain forms of collagen work better than others or what the optimal regimen should be.
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While the review included randomized controlled trials, the quality of the studies varied, with newer research generally showing stronger results.
Experts say more data and studies are needed to build on the findings. They also noted that diet plays a crucial role in skin health.
Collagen supplements, often sold as powders or pills, may improve skin elasticity and ease joint pain, experts say. (iStock)
Dr. Erum Ilyas, a Pennsylvania-based dermatologist and chair of dermatology at Drexel University College of Medicine, noted that the review analyzed previously published meta-analyses rather than generating new primary data.
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“At this time, I have not seen sufficiently strong independent evidence to routinely recommend collagen supplements to my patients,” Ilyas, who was not involved in the review, told Fox News Digital.
“Although some studies show modest improvements in markers such as hydration and elasticity, there remains limited independent, biopsy-confirmed evidence demonstrating sustained increases in dermal collagen content,” she added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the researchers for comment.
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