COVID-19 weekly news: March 28-April 3

Transplant, new model of care give hope to Salvadoran mom after cancer diagnosis

When Veronica Ciudad-Real was diagnosed with multiple myeloma — a blood cancer she had never heard of — in early 2021, the single mother had more questions than answers. At 40, she was younger than most patients diagnosed with the disease. Then she learned that the treatment she needed most was unavailable in her home country of El Salvador. Amid a pandemic, Veronica would have to leave her home and her 14-year-old daughter to receive a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

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What you need to know about the COVID-19 BA.2 subvariant

On March 31st, 2022, two Mayo Clinic experts offered their insight into the COVID-19 BA.2 subvariant, what effect the subvariant is having on vaccines and boosters, and the role of testing as more options have become available. John (Jack) O'Horo, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory fielded additional questions from the media.

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Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 metrics improve, expert still urges caution

Anxieties are heightened around the world as Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine. Those who continuously monitor the European situation, as well as the ongoing political strife in the U.S. and the global pandemic, can feel anxious or in despair.

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What experts know about COVID-19 omicron subvariant BA.2

A grim tally was revealed this week, as the global death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 6 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And nearly 1 million of those deaths have occurred in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Why calling the highly contagious COVID-19 omicron BA.2 a ‘stealth variant’ is a misnomer

Are you losing sleep during the pandemic? You are not alone. Up to 19% of adults in the U.S. report not getting enough rest or sleep every day, according to the National Institutes of Health, and more Americans are taking melatonin than ever before. Why has the pandemic affected people’s sleep habits? What does current research show about the link between sleep and heart attacksobesity and high blood pressure? What can consumers do to get better sleep or deal with a sleep disorder?

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Chantell Canfield

Chantell Canfield is a web content coordinator for Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She began working for Mayo Clinic in 2021.