Covid-19
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
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
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
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.
[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
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?
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
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
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.
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
M-A: Frequency of Neurologic Manifestations in COVID-19 – up to one-third of patients (89% hospitalized) experienced at least one neurological manifestation.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:40h | UTC
RCT: No benefit from antithrombotic therapy (aspirin or apixaban) in outpatients with clinically stable symptomatic COVID-19.
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:28h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Data do not support the use of aspirin or apixaban in the outpatient setting to reduce the major adverse cardiovascular or pulmonary consequences associated with symptomatic but clinically stable #SARSCoV2 infection https://t.co/SH6OefXOCj #COVID19
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) October 11, 2021
Nationwide study in Sweden shows link between COVID vaccination and reduced household transmission.
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:25h | UTCNews release: Nationwide study shows link between COVID vaccination and reduced household transmission – Umea University
Original study: Association Between Risk of COVID-19 Infection in Nonimmune Individuals and COVID-19 Immunity in Their Family Members – JAMA Internal Medicine
Related:
Review | Prevention of host-to-host transmission by SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
Study ties COVID vaccines to lower transmission rates.
Covid-19 vaccination prevents transmission from vaccinated to unvaccinated household members.
D-Dimer testing for the exclusion of pulmonary embolism has limited clinical utility among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 – most patients with or without pulmonary embolism have increased levels.
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:26h | UTCCommentary: D-Dimer Level Not Useful for Ruling Out PE in COVID-19 Patients – HealthDay
Covid-19: Is New Zealand’s switch in policy a step forward or a retreat?
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:21h | UTCCovid-19: Is New Zealand’s switch in policy a step forward or a retreat? – The BMJ
Related:
New Zealand acknowledges it can no longer completely get rid of the coronavirus.
Why we must not allow COVID to become endemic in New Zealand – The Conversation
Commentary on Twitter
On 4 October New Zealand's prime minister announced that the country was shifting from a policy of elimination to a mitigation approach more in line with policies in other developed countries.
What comes next and what lessons have been learnt?https://t.co/Z62olXHzb9
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) October 11, 2021
How antiviral pill Molnupiravir shot ahead in the COVID drug hunt.
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:18h | UTCHow antiviral pill molnupiravir shot ahead in the COVID drug hunt – Nature
Related:
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.
Why easing COVID restrictions could prompt a fierce flu rebound – “As pandemic restrictions ease, other respiratory viruses are returning in unexpected ways”.
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:19h | UTCWhy easing COVID restrictions could prompt a fierce flu rebound – Nature
Kids are losing school days to quarantines. Here’s a way to keep them in classrooms – “Test-to-stay could dramatically reduce close contact quarantines”.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:52h | UTCKids are losing school days to quarantines. Here’s a way to keep them in classrooms – NPR
Related study: Cluster RCT: Daily contact testing of school-based contacts was non-inferior to self-isolation for control of COVID-19 transmission.
New Global Burden of Disease analyses show depression and anxiety among the top causes of health burden worldwide, and a significant increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:57h | UTCCommentaries:
Depression and anxiety disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic: knowns and unknowns – The Lancet
Covid crisis dramatically worsened global mental health, study finds – The Guardian
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
✨🆕–The #COVID19 pandemic led to a stark rise in depressive and anxiety disorders globally in 2020 w/women & younger people most affected, according to a new study by our researchers & collaborators published today in @TheLancet. #GBDstudy #MentalHealth
»https://t.co/qXEDzn3idV pic.twitter.com/4xsofBXyvS
— Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) (@IHME_UW) October 8, 2021
RCT: Therapeutic-dose heparin superior to standard prophylactic or intermediate-dose heparins for thromboprophylaxis in high-risk hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:53h | UTCInvited commentary: Anticoagulant Therapy in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 – JAMA Internal Medicine
Related studies (some conflicting results)
Commentary on Twitter
Thromboprophylaxis w therapeutic-dose LMWH reduced major thromboembolism and death by 32% compared with institutional standard heparin without increased major bleeding among #COVID19 inpatients with elevated D-dimers. The effect wasn't seen in ICU patients https://t.co/Wrgj2Ho5lv
— JAMA Internal Medicine (@JAMAInternalMed) October 7, 2021
Heart-inflammation risk from Pfizer COVID vaccine is very low.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:42h | UTCHeart-inflammation risk from Pfizer COVID vaccine is very low – Nature
Original studies:
[Preprint] COVID-19 in children due to SARS-CoV-2 Delta strain resembles illness due to the Alpha variant, with short duration and similar symptom burden.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:44h | UTCIllness characteristics of COVID-19 in children infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant – medRxiv
Commentary on Twitter
Did you hear “Delta is different”, when it comes to #COVID19 symptom severity in children?
GOOD NEWS 🥳
Turns out there is barely any difference at all between Delta and Alpha in symptom duration, severity, or risk of “long covid”
Myth busted 💥 https://t.co/iPd9AedXaS
— Alasdair Munro (@apsmunro) October 7, 2021
Bioethics | The Trolley Problem and Vaccinating Young People Against COVID-19.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:50h | UTCThe Trolley Problem and Vaccinating Young People Against COVID-19 – Science-Based Medicine
WHO Guidance: Antigen-detection in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
8 Oct, 2021 | 10:47h | UTCAntigen-detection in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection – World Health Organization
Related infographics:
Use of antigen detection rapid diagnostic testing – World Health Organization
Diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Testing remains a critical component to the strategy to end the #COVID19 pandemic, and testing needs to be reliable, accessible, affordable, fast and linked to public health action.
So many around 🌍 have worked hard to increase testing capacities @WHOhttps://t.co/VDPdU0VK4g
— Maria Van Kerkhove (@mvankerkhove) October 7, 2021