Covid-19
RCT supports the use of therapeutic heparin in moderately ill patients admitted to the hospital with Covid-19.
17 Oct, 2021 | 21:35h | UTCRelated studies (some conflicting results)
Commentary on Twitter
What are the effects of therapeutic heparin compared with prophylactic heparin among moderately ill patients with covid-19 admitted to hospital? #BMJResearch by @sholzberg and colleagues.
Includes a #VisualAbstract summarising the study #BMJInfographichttps://t.co/82VisuBKSU pic.twitter.com/b06TdIJvLX
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) October 15, 2021
J&J COVID-19 Vaccine: FDA recommends booster shot for all adults aged 18 and older at least two months following initial vaccination with the single-shot vaccine.
17 Oct, 2021 | 21:32h | UTCCommentaries:
FDA panel endorses booster shot for J&J COVID-19 vaccine – Associated Press
FDA advisers recommend J&J Covid-19 vaccine boosters, talk mix and match boosters – CNN
Review: SARS-CoV-2 Dose, Infection, and Disease Outcomes for COVID-19.
17 Oct, 2021 | 21:30h | UTCRelated: Seroconversion and fever are dose-dependent in a nonhuman primate model of inhalational COVID-19.
Commentary from the author on Twitter (thread – click for more)
SARS-CoV-2 Dose, Infection, and Disease Outcomes for COVID-19 – A Review @brosseau_lisa @KevinEscandonMD @AngelaKUlrich @angie_rasmussen Chad Roy @neuronerdsunite @SaskiaPopescu @mtosterholm
https://t.co/2rv0oH1OM5
Quick 🧵 1/ @CIDRAP @acinnacional pic.twitter.com/7lnNYu6eto— Kevin Escandón MD MSc (@KevinEscandonMD) October 15, 2021
[Preprint] Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections in 620,000 U.S. Veterans, February 1, 2021 to August 13, 2021 – “Vaccine protection declined by mid-August 2021, decreasing from 91.9% in March to 53.9%”.
17 Oct, 2021 | 21:29h | UTCRelated:
Editorial | Covid-19 vaccination: evidence of waning immunity is overstated.
COVID vaccine effects wane over time but still prevent death and severe illness.
Perspective | What we actually know about waning immunity.
Another study shows Pfizer mRNA vaccine immunity is reduced over time.
Studies: COVID vaccine protection waning against infection but not hospitalization.
Commentary on Twitter
New on breakthrough infections in 620,000 Veterans
"Vaccine protection declined by mid-August 2021, decreasing from 91.9% in March to 53.9%"https://t.co/xonBb4aEqJ highest reduction with J&J vaccine pic.twitter.com/rbhXOREFPP— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) October 15, 2021
Eight months later: Researchers compare immune responses elicited by three COVID-19 vaccines.
17 Oct, 2021 | 21:27h | UTCOriginal study: Differential Kinetics of Immune Responses Elicited by Covid-19 Vaccines – New England Journal of Medicine
Commentary on Twitter
Just published @NEJM
Neutralizing antibody levels and T cells response out to 8 months for Pfizer, Moderna and J&J vaccines https://t.co/ghAgk3Y4kR
Moderna highest antibody response; J&J while lower doesn't fall off and best CD8 T-cell response at 8 months pic.twitter.com/uANSzAylMF— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) October 15, 2021
What can masks do? Part 2: What makes for a good mask study — and why most fail.
17 Oct, 2021 | 21:25h | UTCCOMMENTARY: What can masks do? Part 2: What makes for a good mask study — and why most fail – CIDRAP
See also: COMMENTARY: What can masks do? Part 1: The science behind COVID-19 protection – CIDRAP
PHE Statement: The role of face coverings in mitigating the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus.
15 Oct, 2021 | 02:52h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
A good, objective review and a very reasonable choice of words, all things considered: "the evidence suggests that all types of face coverings are, *to some extent*, effective in reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in both HC & public, community settings". https://t.co/7DUD6BxemZ
— Jake Dunning (@OutbreakJake) October 14, 2021
What can masks do? The science behind COVID-19 protection.
15 Oct, 2021 | 02:51h | UTCCOMMENTARY: What can masks do? Part 1: The science behind COVID-19 protection – CIDRAP
Study evaluated several heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccine regimens; no efficacy data but there was increased antibody production on study days 15 and 29 after booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer.
15 Oct, 2021 | 02:49h | UTCHeterologous SARS-CoV-2 Booster Vaccinations: Preliminary Report – medRxiv
Commentary: Study: Mixing and Matching COVID-19 Booster Shots Is Effective, Safe – U.S. News
Commentary on Twitter
So yes, mRNA vaccines are great at generating antibodies but what does that mean? Where is the efficacy data? How come JnJ gets really great efficacy at preventing symptomatic COVID and severe disease with low antibodies? T-cells? Still much to learn. https://t.co/YwKUyogAhQ
— Daniel Griffin MD PhD (@DanielGriffinMD) October 13, 2021
Statins linked to reduced risk of death from COVID-19 in major population study – “Randomized studies will be needed to ascertain whether there is a causal relationship, note the researchers”.
15 Oct, 2021 | 02:47h | UTCNews release: Statins linked to reduced risk of death from COVID-19 in major population study – Karolinska Institutet
Original study: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and COVID-19 mortality in Stockholm, Sweden: A registry-based cohort study – PLOS Medicine
Commentaries:
Expert reaction to study looking at statins and risk of death from COVID-19 – Science Media Centre
People taking statins less likely to die from Covid, study suggests – The Guardian
‘I hope you die’: how the COVID pandemic unleashed attacks on scientists.
15 Oct, 2021 | 02:46h | UTC‘I hope you die’: how the COVID pandemic unleashed attacks on scientists – Nature
Commentary on Twitter
#COVID19 has changed many things- one has been the way the public interacts with scientists.
Like many of my colleagues I was not prepared for the onslaught of harassment and it affected me deeply.
Thanks to @Nature for telling our stories https://t.co/PiVCREyc8A
— Krutika Kuppalli, MD FIDSA (@KrutikaKuppalli) October 13, 2021
Perspective | Trying to Block SARS-CoV-2 Transmission With Intranasal Vaccines.
15 Oct, 2021 | 02:44h | UTCTrying to Block SARS-CoV-2 Transmission With Intranasal Vaccines – JAMA
FDA panel green-lights Moderna COVID boosters for risk groups.
15 Oct, 2021 | 02:43h | UTCFDA panel green-lights Moderna COVID boosters for risk groups – CIDRAP
Editorial: Covid-19 treatments and vaccines must be evaluated in pregnancy.
15 Oct, 2021 | 02:41h | UTCCovid-19 treatments and vaccines must be evaluated in pregnancy – The BMJ
Related:
Study shows high effectiveness of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy.
5 Crucial Things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy.
CDC Guidance: Pregnant people should be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Cohort study: Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine associated with 78% lower risk of Covid-19 in pregnancy.
Commentary on Twitter
Inconsistent messaging from authorities, driven by lack of trial data, has increased covid-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women@DrAllyah and colleagues argue that pregnant women should be included in drug and vaccine development from the outsethttps://t.co/P3v1ouk8tQ
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) October 14, 2021
Cohort study: Vaccinated pregnant patients had 90% lower risk of severe or critical Covid-19 compared with unvaccinated pregnant patients.
15 Oct, 2021 | 02:38h | UTCRelated:
Study shows high effectiveness of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy.
5 Crucial Things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy.
CDC Guidance: Pregnant people should be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Cohort study: Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine associated with 78% lower risk of Covid-19 in pregnancy.
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
First dataset I have seen for vaccine efficacy in pregnant persons during #Delta era. Impressive aOR for both severe illness (0.11) and infection positivity in general (0.31)! #GetVaccinatedNow 🤰🏻💉 https://t.co/VhBHyeOWjz
— Lauren Hassen, MD MPH (@ljhassen) October 14, 2021
[Preprint] In RCT with 29,949 participants, the Novavax vaccine demonstrated high overall efficacy (>90%) for the prevention of Covid-19, and all moderate-to-severe cases occurred in placebo recipients.
14 Oct, 2021 | 10:17h | UTCEfficacy and Safety of NVX-CoV2373 in Adults in the United States and Mexico – medRxiv
Commentary: Novel vaccine demonstrates high efficacy for prevention of COVID-19 – News Medical
Related:
Opinion | The mRNA vaccines are extraordinary, but Novavax is even better.
RCT: Novavax vaccine is 49.4% effective against B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant.
New COVID-19 vaccines: here’s how the promising Novavax and Johnson & Johnson jabs work
Covid-19: Novavax vaccine efficacy is 86% against UK variant and 60% against South African variant
Commentary on Twitter
Remember Novavax's #COVID vaccine?
Recent data looks really good.
~30K participants enrolled in a prospective clinical trial.
The vaccine appeared to be safe & effective (>90%).
Unclear why approval is taking so long.
Preprint 👉 https://t.co/MQkJXdgJyR pic.twitter.com/217Erw2stC
— Isaac Bogoch (@BogochIsaac) October 12, 2021
Systematic Review: Short-term and long-term rates of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
14 Oct, 2021 | 10:15h | UTCCommentaries:
Most COVID-19 survivors have symptoms 6 months on, review finds – CIDRAP
How many people get ‘long COVID’? More than half, researchers find – Penn State
Related:
WHO Consensus: A clinical case definition of post COVID-19 condition (Long Covid).
Characterizing long COVID: a living systematic review.
Long Covid – The illness narratives.
New guidelines to help doctors manage long COVID patients published.
M-A: More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19. (several articles on the subject)
Commentary on Twitter
Most #COVID19 survivors have symptoms 6 months on, review finds
Data on more than 250,000 survivors reveal 54% had at least 1 symptom 6 months or more after diagnosis #LongCovidhttps://t.co/xd0lvhQFfL pic.twitter.com/65mqe7SQPg
— CIDRAP (@CIDRAP) October 13, 2021
How to be a good science communicator.
14 Oct, 2021 | 10:13h | UTCHow to be a good science communicator – Nature Medicine
Commentary on Twitter
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the public have turned to scientists and doctors for vital information. But science communication is a skill in itself, so we asked the experts to share their tips.
Feature from @polkajunctionhttps://t.co/eK2HYqs67m
— Nature Medicine (@NatureMedicine) October 13, 2021
How Covax failed on its promise to vaccinate the world – “Covax, described as “naively ambitious” by one expert, has contributed just 5% of all vaccines administered globally”.
14 Oct, 2021 | 10:12h | UTCHow Covax failed on its promise to vaccinate the world – The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Related:
Perspective | A beautiful idea: how COVAX has fallen short.
WHO Launches Strategy to Achieve Global Covid-19 Vaccination by mid-2022.
WHO special envoys: To beat Covid, there’s a simple lesson – no one’s safe until everyone’s safe.
WHO COVAX Joint Statement: Call to action to equip COVAX to deliver 2 billion doses in 2021.
Covax: How will Covid vaccines be shared around the world?
Video: Merck’s Covid pill could transform treatment. Here’s how it works.
14 Oct, 2021 | 10:10h | UTCWatch: Merck’s Covid pill could transform treatment. Here’s how it works – STAT
Related:
How antiviral pill Molnupiravir shot ahead in the COVID drug hunt.
What we know — and don’t know — about Merck’s new Covid-19 pill.
Merck’s Covid-19 pill is great news but may not be a game-changer.
Video | A Pill For COVID? A Doctor Explains Molnupiravir.
WHO advisers recommend 3rd COVID vaccine dose for highest-risk groups.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:48h | UTCWHO advisers recommend 3rd COVID vaccine dose for highest-risk groups – CIDRAP
See also: WHO advises additional COVID shot for immunocompromised people – Reuters
Opinion | COVID lesson: trust the public with hard truths.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:47h | UTCCOVID lesson: trust the public with hard truths – Nature
Commentary from the author on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Today in @Nature, I outline a key lesson from COVID-19:
"Governments, dare to to trust your citizens."
Governments' fear of their people is not supported by science & it stymies pandemic management and breeds vaccine hesitancy.
Read it here: https://t.co/dbr5Epggow.
🧵 (1/8) pic.twitter.com/EegEIxGb2r
— Michael Bang Petersen (@M_B_Petersen) October 12, 2021
A primer on what we know about mixing and matching Covid vaccines.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:44h | UTCA primer on what we know about mixing and matching Covid vaccines – STAT
Related:
Another study shows increased immune response with heterologous Oxford-AstraZeneca/mRNA vaccination.
RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Real-world data show that filters clean COVID-causing virus from air.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:43h | UTCReal-world data show that filters clean COVID-causing virus from air – Nature
Original article: The removal of airborne SARS-CoV-2 and other microbial bioaerosols by air filtration on COVID-19 surge units – medRxiv
Commentary on Twitter
Research at a hospital swamped by people with COVID-19 has confirmed that portable air filters effectively remove SARS-CoV-2 particles from the air https://t.co/OT3JKIxWhB
— nature (@Nature) October 11, 2021
Seroconversion and fever are dose-dependent in a nonhuman primate model of inhalational COVID-19.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:41h | UTCCommentary: Dose-dependent COVID-19 symptoms – Nature Reviews Microbiology
Commentaries on Twitter
When exposed to #SARSCoV2 why does one person have no illness, while another is soon in ICU?
Dose.
Controlled study in monkeys shows the dose of viruses inhaled is a key factor determining the severity of the disease.
Seems obvious, yet this is new.https://t.co/zdfCnR40bR pic.twitter.com/HH8kxMM2xm— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) October 11, 2021
In summer of 2020, our group had proposed a hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 viral dose or "inoculum" was associated with severity of symptoms in COVID (and proposed NPIs reduced the dose). There is now an experimental model showing this in cynomolgus monkeys:https://t.co/dXGDPyPBFZ
— Monica Gandhi MD, MPH (@MonicaGandhi9) October 12, 2021