Covid-19 claims 39 lives in Pakistan while 1,742 positive cases emerge
Covid-19 has claimed 39 lives in 24 hours while 1,742 positive cases were reported in Pakistan, according to National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
Total 52,635 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours as the positivity percentage was measured at 3.30%.
The country is facing the 4th wave of the coronavirus and it has so far reported 1,245,127cases and 27,729 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Yesterday, Pakistan reported 1,560 positive cases of covid-19 with 52 deaths.
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A study has claimed that marijuana use leads to poorer Covid-19 outcomes just as diabetes, obesity, and a history of smoking cigarettes are considered as risk factors.
People with cannabis use disorder (CUD) may also be at increased risk of contracting coronavirus and its outcome, as per the research.
The research from the Washington University in St Louis used genetic epidemiological models to determine that genetic predisposition to CUD is related to risk for a severe reaction to coronavirus.
Having genetic variants does not mean a person has CUD or that the person has used cannabis.
However, comparing people with the variants to their Covid-19 outcomes, the researchers found genetic liability for CUD accounted for up to 40 percent of genetically influenced risk factors, such as body mass index (BMI) and diabetes, for a severe Covid-19 presentation.
In the journal Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Access, researchers explained that this association suggested that heavy and problematic cannabis use may represent a modifiable pathway to minimise severe Covid-19 presentations.
The study point to two possible outcomes: That a predisposition to CUD and severe Covid-19 are due to a common biological mechanism, like inflammatory conditions causing individuals to develop worse symptoms of Covid-19 and/or dependence on cannabis; or that they are associated because of a causal process, said Alexander S. Hatoum, a postdoctoral researcher at the varsity.
“If we know the genes that predispose individuals to cannabis use disorder, and if cannabis use disorder is a risk factor for Covid-19 hospitalisation, you will see the genes influencing cannabis use disorder as predictors of severe Covid-19 cases,” he said.
“We found that a person’s genetic risk for cannabis use disorder is correlated with their risk for Covid-19, without having to ask directly about illegal substance use,” he added.
