General Interest
Opinion | Covid is a greater risk to young people than the vaccines.
5 Jul, 2021 | 02:34h | UTCCovid Is a Greater Risk to Young People Than the Vaccines – The New York Times
Counterpoint: Weighing myocarditis cases, ACIP failed to balance the harms vs benefits of 2nd doses – by Wesley Pegden AND Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis Concerns Demand Respect, Not Absolutism – Medscape (free registration required)
Commentary on Twitter
“Realize the choice is not ‘vaccinate or do nothing.’ It’s ‘vaccinate or eventually contract the coronavirus,’ and the risks that come with it.”
My latest with @celinegounder and @EMDocinTraining@NYTOpinion @acsifferlin https://t.co/wGugCuWgSs
— Jeremy Faust MD MS (ER physician) (@jeremyfaust) July 4, 2021
Why Covid-19 outbreaks in countries using Chinese vaccines don’t necessarily mean the shots have failed.
5 Jul, 2021 | 02:30h | UTC
Germany issues world’s strongest recommendation for mixing Covid-19 vaccines.
5 Jul, 2021 | 02:27h | UTCGermany issues world’s strongest recommendation for mixing Covid-19 vaccines – CNN
[Preprint] Mixing Covid jabs has good immune response, study finds – “The Com-Cov trial looked at the efficacy of either two doses of Pfizer, two of AstraZeneca, or one of them followed by the other. All combinations worked well, priming the immune system”.
2 Jul, 2021 | 11:47h | UTCMixing Covid jabs has good immune response, study finds – BBC
The 3 Simple Rules That Underscore the Danger of Delta – “Vaccines are still beating the variants, but the unvaccinated world is being pummeled”.
2 Jul, 2021 | 11:45h | UTCThe 3 Simple Rules That Underscore the Danger of Delta – The Atlantic
Patient page: return to play after COVID-19 infection in children
2 Jul, 2021 | 11:21h | UTCReturn to Play After COVID-19 Infection in Children – JAMA Pediatrics
Viewpoint | Sharing technology and vaccine doses to address global vaccine inequity and end the COVID-19 pandemic.
2 Jul, 2021 | 11:22h | UTC
Perspective | “Prohibitive policies cause more problems than illict drugs, say experts”
2 Jul, 2021 | 11:07h | UTCProhibitive Policies Cause More Problems Than Illict Drugs, Say Experts – Health Policy Watch
Exclusive-WHO estimates COVID-19 boosters needed yearly for most vulnerable.
30 Jun, 2021 | 10:17h | UTCExclusive-WHO estimates COVID-19 boosters needed yearly for most vulnerable – Reuters
Related: CDC group says there isn’t enough data yet to recommend Covid booster shots – CNBC
Covid: Masks upgrade cuts infection risk, research finds.
30 Jun, 2021 | 10:16h | UTCCovid: Masks upgrade cuts infection risk, research finds – BBC
COVID-19 cut Brazilian life span almost 2 years in 2021.
30 Jun, 2021 | 10:19h | UTCCOVID-19 cut Brazilian life span almost 2 years in 2021 – CIDRAP
Original Study: Reduction in life expectancy in Brazil after COVID-19 – Nature Medicine
Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials – “IVM did not reduce all-cause mortality, length of stay or viral clearance in RCTs in COVID-19 patients with mostly mild disease”.
29 Jun, 2021 | 10:00h | UTC
WHO urges fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks as delta Covid variant spreads.
28 Jun, 2021 | 09:55h | UTCWHO urges fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks as delta Covid variant spreads – CNBC
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
⚠️WEAR MASK EVEN IF VACCINATED—Top @WHO leader urges masks against #DeltaVariant even if 2-dose vaxxed. "Vaccine alone won't stop community transmission. People need to use masks consistently, be in ventilated spaces—even if you're vaccinated" #COVID19🧵https://t.co/qPZTmcy9iW pic.twitter.com/j5V6fbHdoi
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) June 26, 2021
Study finds 96.1% of patients objectively recovered from anosmia 1 year after COVID-19 diagnosis.
28 Jun, 2021 | 09:49h | UTCClinical Outcomes for Patients With Anosmia 1 Year After COVID-19 Diagnosis – JAMA Network Open
Commentary: Did Covid-19 take your taste and smell? Here’s when they may return – CNN AND Lost Sense of Smell Returns for Almost All COVID Survivors – HealthDay
WHO: Delta variant is ‘most transmissible’ identified so far.
28 Jun, 2021 | 09:58h | UTCWHO: Delta variant is ‘most transmissible’ identified so far – Associated Press
Related: Delta COVID variant fuels global surges, complicates reopenings – CIDRAP AND Delta variant triggers dangerous new phase in the pandemic – Science AND Delta coronavirus variant: scientists brace for impact – Nature AND Rapid displacement of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 by B.1.617.2 and P.1 in the United States – medRxiv AND COVID-19: The rise and rise of Delta – Sciblogs AND Increased transmissibility and global spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern – “Estimated transmissibility increases of alpha 29% (95% CI: 24–33), beta 25% (95% CI: 20–30), gamma 38% (95% CI: 29–48) & delta 97% (95% CI: 76–117)”.
Impact factor abandoned by Dutch university in hiring and promotion decisions – “Faculty and staff members at Utrecht University will be evaluated by their commitment to open science”.
28 Jun, 2021 | 09:37h | UTCImpact factor abandoned by Dutch university in hiring and promotion decisions – Nature
Related: Open-access Science Funders Announce Price Transparency Rules for Publishers (several resources on the subject) AND A new mandate highlights costs, benefits of making all scientific articles free to read – Science AND A guide to Plan S: the open-access initiative shaking up science publishing – Nature
[Preprint] Long Covid: Third of people infected have long term symptoms.
25 Jun, 2021 | 10:30h | UTCCovid-19: Third of people infected have long term symptoms – The BMJ
Original study (preprint): Persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection in a random community sample of 508,707 people – Imperial College London
Long Covid: Half of young adults with COVID-19 have persistent symptoms 6 months after, study finds.
25 Jun, 2021 | 10:33h | UTCOriginal Study: Long COVID in a prospective cohort of home-isolated patients – Nature Medicine
Commentary on Twitter
Analysis of a prospectively enrolled cohort of patients with #SARSCoV2 infections reveals a high proportion who experienced #LongCovid symptoms at 6 months, despite being relatively young and having only mild to moderate acute #COVID19 symptoms https://t.co/fuW2QpfJog
— Nature Medicine (@NatureMedicine) June 23, 2021
Delta COVID variant fuels global surges, complicates reopenings.
25 Jun, 2021 | 10:23h | UTCDelta COVID variant fuels global surges, complicates reopenings – CIDRAP
Another study shows a single dose of an mRNA vaccine has maximal effects in those with past infection.
24 Jun, 2021 | 10:38h | UTCPrimary, Recall, and Decay Kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Antibody Responses – ACS Nano
Related: France recommends single dose of vaccine if previous Covid infection detected. AND [Preprint] More data showing a single-dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine may be enough in individuals with previous COVID-19. AND Another study shows a single dose of mRNA vaccine may be enough for patients with previous Covid-19
Commentary on Twitter
Prior covid? Unless it's a severe case, one-dose mRNA vaccine adds considerable protection and nothing added by 2nd dose. This is now concordant w/ >20 studieshttps://t.co/8Qpuw193zk @acsnano pic.twitter.com/TJNbl8HPy9
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) June 23, 2021
Perspective | Delta variant triggers dangerous new phase in the pandemic.
24 Jun, 2021 | 10:43h | UTCDelta variant triggers dangerous new phase in the pandemic – Science
CDC: mRNA vaccines are likely linked to cases of myocarditis and pericarditis – 1,226 cases of myocarditis or pericarditis have been reported mostly in people under 30.
24 Jun, 2021 | 09:51h | UTCSee also: Experts: mRNA COVID-19 vaccines likely tied to heart inflammation – CIDRAP
Related: Case series: 7 cases of myocarditis following mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination. AND Case series: clinical and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings of 4 cases of myocarditis following mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination. AND Case series: symptomatic acute myocarditis in 7 adolescents following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. AND CDC says heart inflammation cases were higher than expected in 16- to 24-year-olds after second Covid vaccine shot, but still rare. AND Israel reports link between rare cases of heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccination in young men. AND CDC is investigating several reports that teenagers and young adults may have developed myocarditis after receiving mRNA vaccines. Most cases were mild, more often in males than females, more often following dose 2 than dose 1, and typically, within 4 days after vaccination.
Opinion | A strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of clinical trials.
24 Jun, 2021 | 09:45h | UTCA strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of clinical trials – The Lancet
New Analysis reveals link between birthdays and COVID-19 spread during the height of the pandemic.
23 Jun, 2021 | 10:22h | UTCNews release: New Analysis reveals link between birthdays and COVID-19 spread during the height of the pandemic – Harvard Medical School
Original Study: Assessing the Association Between Social Gatherings and COVID-19 Risk Using Birthdays – JAMA Internal Medicine
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
The link between birthdays and Covid-19
Thread on our new study (w/ @CM_Whaley, Jon Cantor, Megan Pera) in @JAMAInternalMed
Using data on ~3M households, households in which a member had bday 2 wks prior were ~30% more likely to have a covid diagnosishttps://t.co/KHCvGAlvox
— Anupam Jena (@AnupamBJena) June 21, 2021
Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 2 – “Ivermectin shouldn’t be used to treat COVID-19 outside of the context of a well-designed clinical trial”.
22 Jun, 2021 | 10:08h | UTCIvermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 2 – Science-Based Medicine
Related: [Preprint] Meta-analysis of RCT: Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 – no effect on all-cause mortality, length of stay, or viral clearance AND M-A: Prophylaxis against Covid-19: 1 – no benefit from Hydroxychloroquine; 2 – as studies on ivermectin so far have been small, it remains very uncertain whether ivermectin reduces SARS-CoV-2 infection AND Therapeutics and COVID-19 | WHO guideline update advises Ivermectin should only be used to treat COVID-19 within clinical trials AND EMA advises against use of ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 outside randomized clinical trials AND FDA: Why you should not use Ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19 AND RCT: Ivermectin does not improve time to resolution of symptoms among adults with mild COVID-19 AND NIH Guideline Statement: “there are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19” AND Video (5min): Ivermectin for COVID-19 | A Doctor Explains