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A new study has identified the main factors that make it more likely that patients will suffer long term from the coronavirus. “Long Covid” is the term given to people who had a confirmed (or suspected) coronavirus case and who recover from the initial infection but continue to suffer from a wide range of symptoms, from shortness of breath and migraines to chronic fatigue. ... The team found that older or overweight people, women, those with asthma and those with a greater number of different symptoms in the first week of their illness were more likely to develop “long Covid.” (Ellyatt, 10/21)

So the big question is this: How well do the masks work? Do they make it safe to fly across the country for a family visit?Scientists are just beginning to answer that question. And their findings offer a glimmer of hope as well as fresh ideas about what's most important for protecting yourself on a plane. (Doucleff, 10/20)

It’s not just the cold, it’s the humidity. Winter in the northern United States will soon drive even the most diehard outdoor diners and backyard socializers indoors, bringing with them heightened risk for contracting and spreading Covid-19. The worry is not just that people might mingle more closely inside, but that the air they breathe will make the virus more dangerous. Cold, dry air facilitates the spread of the coronavirus, and the social distancing that helped outside won’t be as effective indoors, scientists said. (Cooney, 10/21)

Life sciences companies are looking for more than three times as much lab space in Chicago than they were at the beginning of last year as COVID-19 fuels demand for places to do biotech and pharmaceutical research, according to a new report. At the end of the second quarter, bioscience companies were seeking 658,000 square feet of lab space in the Chicago area, up from 175,000 square feet at the beginning of 2019, according to an analysis by real estate services firm CBRE. (Ecker, 10/20)

KHN: Bridging The Miles — And The Pandemic — Teledentistry Makes Some Dentists Wince 

Donella Pogue has trouble finding dentists in her rural area willing to accommodate her 21-year-old son, Justin, who is 6 feet, 8 inches tall, is on the autism spectrum and has difficulty sitting still when touched. And this summer, he had a cavity and his face swelled. Pogue, of Bristol, New York, reached out to the Eastman Institute for Oral Health in Rochester, which offers teledentistry. (Berger, 10/21)

For once, being a biracial, low income, Medicaid patient didn't work against Selina Martinez. In 2015, two weeks after giving birth at a Manhattan hospital, Martinez arrived at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx where she was diagnosed with salmonella. During a monthlong stay, hospital staff members learned times were tough for the new mom. She'd been getting psychiatric care since the stillbirth of her last child, her husband was recovering at home from pancreatic cancer treatment and a neighbor was caring for her infant son, Blake.  (O'Donnell, 10/20)