Top 5 Most-Read COVID-19 News of 2022

The year's most-read news about the pandemic included the impact of COVID-19 on patients with asthma, the Biden administration's plans to advance vaccination and other initiatives, information about when SARS-CoV-2 is at its most infectious, and more.

5. What Influences COVID-19 Severity in Patients With Asthma?

The relationship between asthma and COVID-19 has been inconsistent during the pandemic. A single-center study released this summer said that COVID-19 severity may be influenced by the type of asthma one has, as well as the factors of sex and age. Researchers compared hospitalized patients with COVID-19 with asthma and without asthma and found worse outcomes in patients with asthma, and in patients with moderate asthma compared with mild asthma.

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4. Controversial Paper Claims COVID-19 "Lockdowns" Had Little Public Health Effect

A preprint paper authored by economists, released in January, claimed that nonpharmaceutical interventions in response to COVID-19 failed to have a large, significant effect on mortality rates. However, the meta-analysis was criticized for several reasons, including for how it defined nondrug interventions, which could have ranged from compulsory mask wearing to business and school closures.

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3. Looking Beyond COVID-19, US Health Officials Outline Next Steps to Fight Disease

In March, President Joe Biden released the National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. The plan focused on vaccines and treatments, preventing shutdowns, preparing for new variants, and continuing to assist in global vaccination efforts. The administration also announced that pandemic response efforts would become a permanent part of HHS.

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2. COVID-19 Is at Peak Infectiousness for 5 Days After Symptom Onset

A UK study released in August found that two-thirds of patients could transmit SARS-CoV-2 at 5 days after their symptoms began. In addition, one-fourth could transmit the virus after 7 days. The researchers said the findings illustrate that for some patients, ending isolation 5 days after symptom onset could result in additional transmission.

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1. Study Finds Association Between COVID-19 and Dry Eye Symptoms

A study published in late 2021 and highlighted on AJMC.com in January found links between past COVID-19 infection and small fiber neuropathy in the ocular surface, with symptoms similar to dry eye disease and diabetic neuropathy. The patients were assessed with in vivo confocal microscopy to obtain images of corneal subbasal nerve fibers to study the presence of neuroma-like structures, axonal beadings, and dendritic cells. Most patients showed corneal subbasal plexus and corneal tissue alterations typically present in small fiber neuropathy, while images from healthy individuals did not show the same damage.

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