“There are two possibilities: The first one is the patient may develop complications from COVID, for example, stroke, hemorrhage in the brain, encephalitis, which means inflammation of the brain, that may lead to seizures or eventually to epilepsy or you may develop a seizure just because of the coronavirus,” Garcia said.

Garcia also said that although it has been well established that COVID-19 affects the lungs the connection to seizures suggests it may also travel to the brain.

Garcia said the risk may be compounded by lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, or underlying health conditions including high blood pressure.

Two recent reports are highlighting the grim toll this pandemic is taking on nurses around the globe.

An analysis from the International Council of Nurses found that 1,500 nurses had died of COVID-19 as of Oct. 31.

The organization said that the number includes nurses from only 44 of the world’s 195 countries, which they believe means the number of deaths is much higher. ICN estimates the COVID-19 death toll is closer to 20,000 healthcare workers.

The authors said the estimate represents that as many nurses have died during the pandemic as they died during World War I.