INFECTION

Here are some of the biggest mistakes people make with at-home rapid COVID-19 tests, and how you can avoid them.

The city of Detroit is planning to offer 1,000 COVID-19 testing appointments each day to residents and workers in an effort to curb coronavirus spread.

Researchers from the University of Michigan found that natural COVID infections provided some protection against reinfection in a community in Nicaragua.

Prescriptions for children during the pandemic fell by more than 25 percent.

New research suggests women with a sometimes overlooked condition may be at higher-risk for COVID-19 and more severe symptoms.

Warm weather is returning to Michigan, and so, too, is the risk from ticks.

A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that those who experienced severe COVID-19 were more likely to become long haulers.

Michigan continues its battle with COVID-19 spread, now categorized as at a “severe” risk level for a virus outbreak as the state leads the nation in daily new virus cases.

ANN ARBOR – New research from the University of Michigan shows that reinfections of seasonal coronaviruses are common, suggesting that the virus behind COVID-19 could be endemic. “The frequency of reinfections with the different seasonal coronaviruses suggests that SARS-COV-2 is not going to completely disappear.”AdThe researchers used data on 3,418 individuals from the Household Influenza Vaccine Evaluation from the years 2010-2018. Upon evaluating the data, the team found 1,004 seasonal coronavirus infections. Additionally, 27 percent of the reinfections occurred within one year of the initial infection, which researchers say is a relatively short period of time given the virus’ seasonal nature. “In our study, participants had high levels of anti-spike protein binding antibody to seasonal coronaviruses, but these antibodies did not correlate with protection from infection,” Petrie said in a release.

DETROIT – Local 4 News has received a number of questions about convalescent plasma donation, that’s plasma from people who have recovered from a coronavirus infection. Some people also want to know if one can donate convalescent plasma after being vaccinated because they should have antibodies. The answer is no and the reason is that after vaccination you only have antibodies to the spike protein. But if you test positive for antibodies to the spike protein they do a second test. Also, if you are only positive for spike antibodies but not nucleocapsid antibodies then your antibodies are probably only from the vaccine.

ANN ARBOR – Michigan Medicine has partnered with about 100 of the country’s top health care systems urging Americans to mask up as COVID-19 cases reach record-breaking highs. Over the past two weeks, more than 900 medical workers at Mayo Clinic tested positive for COVID-19. The message reads:“As the top nationally-ranked hospitals, we know it’s tough that we all need to do our part and keep wearing masks. However now is exactly the wrong time to let up,” Marschall S. Runge, CEO of Michigan Medicine and dean of the U-M Medical School said in a statement. “But for now, we have to use the tools that we know work: wearing masks, staying socially distant and washing hands.

When testing for an active COVID infection -- meaning the person is still contagious -- the administrator swabs the nose, back of the nose or saliva to test. The accuracy of the test will depend on how well that sample was collected, along with what test is actually being used. The best test is called a PCR test, which uses a lab technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It is the most sensitive COVID-19 test available and helps tell how infectious a person actually is. See how the PCR test works in the video report above.

Spaniards thought the worst of the pandemic was behind them but they are being surprised by a new wave of infections. Outbreaks among farm workers and young people desperate to resume socializing after being cooped up have spread across northern Spain. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)SANT SADURNÍ D'ANOIA – SANT SADURNÍ D'Like most Spaniards, Emma Gaya thought the worst of the pandemic was behind her. Spain’s government had ended a three-month lockdown after an COVID-19 onslaught that claimed at least 28,400 lives in the European Union nation. That lack of urgency has drawn strong criticism from health workers and mayors.

A small study strengthens evidence that a pregnant woman infected with the coronavirus might be able to spread it to her fetus. They found signs of the virus in several samples of umbilical cord blood, the placenta and, in one case, breast milk. The new study involved women at three hospitals during the height of the outbreak in northern Italy. The viruss genetic material was found in one umbilical cord blood sample, two vaginal swabs and one breast milk sample. Researchers also found specific, anti-coronavirus antibodies in umbilical cord blood and in milk.