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An earlier case of pneumonia appears to be a surprisingly strong indicator of whether someone infected with Covid-19 faces a higher risk of severe disease and death, Harvard University researchers said. A prior episode of pneumonia was the second-greatest overall risk factor for death from Covid-19, according to a study of medical records from almost 17,000 patients. The top predictor of risk is age, with the risk increasing as people get older. By itself, a single pneumonia case probably doesn’t put someone at high risk, the researchers cautioned. Rather, it’s more likely an indicator of underlying chronic disease -- such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or interstitial lung disease -- that’s gone undiagnosed, they said. (Lauerman, 2/4)

In a new study, published in the journal Strahlentherapie und Onkologie, researchers at the Department of Radiation Oncology, La Milagrosa Hospital, GenesisCare, Madrid, Spain, showed the potential benefit of treating COVID-19 pneumonia with ultra-low doses of radiotherapy, called ULTRA-COVID. ... In worse COVID-19 cases, scientists believe that the cause is the body’s host response against the virus, which is mediated by a cytokine storm. ... To prevent the progression of COVID-19 to this critical stage, the research team suggests that the cytokine storm can be safely treated with a course of ultra-low-dose radiotherapy (ultra-LDRT), which can mitigate symptoms of respiratory distress to reduce disease progression and death. (Laguipo, 2/2)

Patients undergoing long-term dialysis were more than five times likelier to be infected with COVID-19 and nearly four times as likely to die than the general population, suggesting that they should be prioritized for vaccination, according to a Canadian study published today in CMAJ. In the study, researchers from the Ontario Renal Network at Western University in London, Ontario, compared disease characteristics and death rate between long-term dialysis patients with and without COVID-19 infection using linked datasets from Mar 12 to Aug 20, 2020. (Van Beusekom, 2/4)

Members of the LGBT community are at greater risk of of experiencing severe symptoms of COVID-19, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thursday. According to the report, the CDC found that members of the LGBT community are more likely to have underlying health conditions that put them at an increased risk to contract the coronavirus and experience severe symptoms of the disease. (Vella, 2/4)