Covid-19
Vietnam finds new rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2 variant, hybrid of B.1.617.2 and B.1.1.7 strains.
31 May, 2021 | 08:16h | UTCVietnam finds new virus variant, hybrid of India, UK strains – Associated Press
See also: Covid: Vietnam detects new UK-Indian variant, health officials say – BBC AND Vietnam says new Covid variant is hybrid of India and UK strains – The Guardian
[Not published yet] Observational study in Uruguay found CoronaVac reduced mortality by 97 percent – “In people who had received two doses, it reduced infection with the coronavirus by 57 percent and intensive care admissions by 95 percent”.
31 May, 2021 | 08:14h | UTCCoronaVac reduces mortality by 97 percent: Uruguay study – Associated Press
Oxygen shortages threaten ‘total collapse’ of dozens of health systems.
31 May, 2021 | 08:12h | UTCOxygen shortages threaten ‘total collapse’ of dozens of health systems – The Guardian
Related: How covid-19 revealed the scandal of medical oxygen supplies worldwide – Nature AND COVID-19 Oxygen Needs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Have Tripled in Just Three Months – Where are Solutions? – Health Policy Watch
Lab study found CoronaVac serum neutralization efficiency was significantly decreased against B.1.526, P.1, and B1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variants.
28 May, 2021 | 08:26h | UTC
COLCORONA RCT: Colchicine for community-treated patients with COVID-19 – findings suggest it may lower death and hospital admission rates, but further studies are required.
28 May, 2021 | 08:27h | UTCInvited Commentary: Exploiting an early immunological window of opportunity in COVID-19 – The Lancet Respiratory Medicine
WHO COVAX Joint Statement: Call to action to equip COVAX to deliver 2 billion doses in 2021.
28 May, 2021 | 08:28h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
.@DrTedros, @GaviSeth, @DrRHatchett, Henrietta Fore @unicefchief issued a call to action to equip #COVAX to deliver 2 billion #COVID19 vaccine doses in 2021
👉 https://t.co/wtBaqHAoti #VaccinEquity— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 27, 2021
RCT: Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine shows 100% efficacy in adolescents – mainly transient mild-to-moderate reactogenicity was frequently observed, such as injection-site pain (in 79 to 86% of participants), fatigue (in 60 to 66%), and headache (in 55 to 65%).
28 May, 2021 | 08:24h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
The 12-15 year-olds mRNA vaccine randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial is published @NEJM today [@BioNTech_Group/@Pfizer]https://t.co/7GlgC9xdd0
—100% efficacy (95% CI 75,100)
—1.8 X higher levels of neutralizing antibodies than 16-25 yr olds
—very good safety profile pic.twitter.com/hQzkpuA5Nu— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 27, 2021
Covid-19: Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is “likely” responsible for deaths of some elderly patients, Norwegian review finds.
28 May, 2021 | 08:22h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
The Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine is “likely” to have been responsible for at least 10 deaths of frail elderly people in nursing homes in Norway, an expert review concluded, although it emphasised considerable uncertainty around its conclusionshttps://t.co/w32jH6MtRH
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) May 27, 2021
Count the cost of disability caused by COVID-19 – “Focusing only on cases and deaths hides the pandemic’s lasting health burden on people, societies and economies”.
27 May, 2021 | 08:35h | UTCCount the cost of disability caused by COVID-19 – Nature
RCT: 2 inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines show efficacy of 72.8% and 78.1% on symptomatic COVID-19 infection in adults.
27 May, 2021 | 08:38h | UTCCommentary: China’s Sinopharm Publishes Awaited Covid Vaccine Study Details – Bloomberg
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
https://twitter.com/hildabast/status/1397678056270012419
Systematic review of 45 studies including 9751 participants, most of which were hospitalized, found 73% had at least 1 persistent symptom for weeks after Covid-19.
27 May, 2021 | 08:37h | UTCCommentary: Seven out of ten hospitalized COVID-19 patients will have long-haul symptoms – MedicalXpress
Can people vaccinated against COVID-19 still spread the coronavirus? – “Preliminary evidence seems to suggest the COVID-19 vaccines make it less likely someone who’s vaccinated will transmit the coronavirus”.
27 May, 2021 | 08:27h | UTCCan people vaccinated against COVID-19 still spread the coronavirus? – The Conversation
Related: Indirect Protection by Reducing Transmission: Ending the Pandemic with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination – “Tell the hesitant: the vaccines protect both you and protect others — a lot!”
[Preprint] More data showing a single-dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine may be enough in individuals with previous COVID-19.
27 May, 2021 | 08:31h | UTCSingle-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in a prospective cohort of COVID-19 patients – medRxiv
See also: SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for all but a single dose for COVID-19 survivors – EClinicalMedicine
Related: Another study shows a single dose of mRNA vaccine may be enough for patients with previous Covid-19
Commentaries on Twitter
If you had prior covid and you're wondering about getting vaccinated, here's a new prospective study showing single dose -> marked neutralizing antibody protection to the major variants AND again more than without prior covid and 2 mRNA doses https://t.co/k9v5gEDn2M pic.twitter.com/Z8nT3pL04v
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 26, 2021
One dose of vaccine for prior covid.
Change the policy. Avoid unnecessary side effects and instead of wasting vaccine doses get them to the people around the world in needhttps://t.co/ODhx5kgAnq @EBioMedicine @MattFrieman @VivianaSimonLab @florian_krammer pic.twitter.com/oAeju9AASm— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 26, 2021
COVID Morbidity – The emerging burden of long COVID is significant, and needs to be considered when evaluating the risk vs. benefit of pandemic measures.
27 May, 2021 | 08:34h | UTCCOVID Morbidity – Science-Based Medicine
Opinion | Rich countries cornered COVID-19 vaccine doses. Four strategies to right a ‘scandalous inequity’.
27 May, 2021 | 08:29h | UTCRich countries cornered COVID-19 vaccine doses. Four strategies to right a ‘scandalous inequity’ – Science (a few articles per month are free)
Commentary on Twitter
Tedros @WHO calls it a "scandalous inequity" that COVID-19 vaccine doses largely have gone to wealthy countries. @kakape and I took a close look at four strategies to improve access and equity–and the likely timelines.
https://t.co/10Os0yCnFE pic.twitter.com/RMeL6t8aCV— Jon Cohen (@sciencecohen) May 26, 2021
Moderna says its Covid vaccine is 100% effective in teens, plans to seek FDA OK in early June.
27 May, 2021 | 08:25h | UTCModerna says its Covid vaccine is 100% effective in teens, plans to seek FDA OK in early June – CNBC
Commentary on Twitter
BREAKING: Moderna study of more than 3,700 12- to 17-year olds found 100% effficacy in those who received 2-dose #covid19 #vaccine, no significant safety problems. Will apply for FDA authorization.https://t.co/l0MHiLjCcA
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) May 25, 2021
COVID-19 in Amazonas, Brazil, was driven by the persistence of endemic lineages and P.1 emergence – “viral load was tenfold higher in P.1 infections than in non-P.1”.
26 May, 2021 | 08:42h | UTC
What scientists know about new, fast-spreading coronavirus variants.
26 May, 2021 | 08:45h | UTCWhat scientists know about new, fast-spreading coronavirus variants – Nature
[Preprint] Meta-analysis of RCT: Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 – no effect on all-cause mortality, length of stay, or viral clearance
26 May, 2021 | 08:41h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
🆕💥💥Preprint
Ivermectin for the treatment of #COVID19 : A systematic review & meta-analysis of RCTs
10 RCTs
1173 patients
8 RCTs➡️ Mild
1 RCT ➡️ Moderate
1 RCT➡️ Mild& mod
Ivermectin did not reduce all-cause mortality,length of stay or viral clearance https://t.co/QMx0wlfS8f pic.twitter.com/6yddqwqPF6— Antibiotic Steward Bassam Ghanem 🅱️C🆔🅿️🌟 (@ABsteward) May 25, 2021
Study shows acute and long-term disruption of glycometabolic control after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
26 May, 2021 | 08:37h | UTCRelated: Distinguishing the real from the hyperglycaemia: does COVID-19 induce diabetes? – The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology AND SARS-CoV-2 infects human pancreatic β-cells and elicits β-cell impairment – Cell Metabolism
Commentary on Twitter
For at least 2 months after COVID-19 in people without #diabetes, glucose regulation can be abnormal, along with insulin resistance and abnormal cytokineshttps://t.co/P1xa0lx2c4 @NatMetabolism @PAOLOFIORINA @FiorinaLab pic.twitter.com/Lu7GDMjzdy
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 25, 2021
Estimating infectiousness throughout SARS-CoV-2 infection course – 8% of subjects had very high viral loads, one-third of whom had little to no symptoms; in individuals infected with the B.1.1.7 variant, average viral loads were 10 times higher.
26 May, 2021 | 08:43h | UTCEstimating infectiousness throughout SARS-CoV-2 infection course – Science
Commentary: Estimating infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2: New study on viral load – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Commentary on Twitter
Of 25,000+ people who tested positive for #COVID19 in Germany, 8% had very high viral loads; about a third of these had little to no symptoms. The results suggest asymptomatic people can be expected to be as infectious as hospitalized patients @c_drosten https://t.co/mRkzJrwFwU pic.twitter.com/vsrameCAWk
— Science Magazine (@ScienceMagazine) May 25, 2021
Methotrexate reduces immune response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory disease.
26 May, 2021 | 08:38h | UTCCommentary: Methotrexate users have a reduced immune response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccine – BMJ
Editorial | A patent waiver on COVID vaccines is right and fair.
26 May, 2021 | 08:35h | UTCA patent waiver on COVID vaccines is right and fair – Nature
Related: Analysis: Covid-19: How will a waiver on vaccine patents affect global supply?
Opinion | Protecting Olympic Participants from Covid-19 — The Urgent Need for a Risk-Management Approach.
26 May, 2021 | 08:33h | UTC
Admission respiratory status predicts mortality in COVID-19 – hypoxemic patients (oxygen saturation less than 92%) had a 1.8- to 4.0-fold increased mortality risk; those with respiratory rates over 22 breaths per minute were at 1.9- to 3.2-fold elevated mortality risk.
25 May, 2021 | 08:56h | UTCAdmission respiratory status predicts mortality in COVID-19 – Influenza and Other Respiratory Virus
Commentaries: COVID-19 mortality associated with 2 signs easily measured at home – University of Washington School of Medicine AND Low oxygen levels, shallow breathing tied to COVID death – CIDRAP
2 signs easily measured at home can indicate increased Covid mortality risk—respiration rate & blood-oxygen saturation. Both are distinctly predictive of higher mortality. Anyone receiving a positive Covid test can easily monitor for these signs at home https://t.co/8n7oc0d4E4 pic.twitter.com/02ysVaElsL
— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) May 24, 2021