Jonna Lorenz

A new study in the United Kingdom provided evidence in support of a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines, showing a strong boost in immunity.

Phase 3 clinical trial data showed Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ antiviral drug maribavir (Livtencity) was superior to conventional antiviral treatment for clearing cytomegalovirus infections in transplant recipients.

Using monoclonal antibodies as post-exposure prophylaxis could be a cost-effective approach to battling COVID-19 in scenarios that include high transmission of susceptible variants, a new study suggests.

Immune escape for the BA.2 subvariant, or “stealth Omicron,” was not as severe as that of the original Omicron variant, a new study suggests.

The pandemic offered valuable lessons on improving the translation of evidence to practice, according to a recent survey of academic medical centers.

An analysis of readmissions after hospitalization with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in France found that few readmissions were avoidable, supporting criticism that the measure may lead to unfair penalties under pay-for-performance programs.

Patients scheduled for primary care appointments were more likely to get an influenza vaccine if they received a text message the night before indicating one was reserved for them, a new study shows.

Humanigen’s monoclonal antibody lenzilumab shows promise for treating COVID-19 as new variants of the disease challenge the efficacy of other therapies.

A pair of new studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association add to growing evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are safe during pregnancy, showing no increased risk for adverse outcomes among women who were vaccinated during pregnancy and their babies.

The World Health Organization updated its guidelines for the treatment of nonsevere tuberculosis in children after a study showed a four-month duration was noninferior to six months.

COVID-19 vaccines were less protective against symptomatic infection from the Omicron COVID-19 variant than the Delta variant.

The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 had a secondary attack rate of 25.1% in Norwegian households compared with 19.4% for the Delta variant.

Recent booster shots of mRNA vaccines prevented severe infection, hospitalization and death during the Omicron wave of the pandemic, despite a higher rate of breakthrough infections than was seen during the Delta wave, a new study found.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill Paxlovid, which includes nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 89% among adults at high risk for severe disease, recently published phase 2/3 trial data show.

A recent study in Guangdong, China, confirmed vaccine effectiveness of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines against the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Investigators evaluating the risks and benefits of adding antiplatelet therapies to the usual heparin therapy for non-critically ill patients hospitalized with COVID-19 found no benefit to the approach.

Health care workers in Taiwan who were previously infected with SARS-CoV-1 showed a more robust antibody response to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, a new study found.

Booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were shown to provide greater protection against infection than the 2 dose primary regimen alone, according to a study of health care workers in Israel.

A recent study in Australia highlights the risk of severe influenza disease in infants younger than 6 months and the need for preventative measures to protect this vulnerable population.

As global health leaders discuss the best long-term strategy for COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, consensus is emerging that repeated boosters of current vaccines within short intervals is not sustainable.

Intravenous acyclovir shortened the duration of herpes simplex virus shedding among mechanically ventilated patients, a new study found, but the dose and duration tested weren’t sufficient to totally suppress oropharyngeal HSV reactivation and shedding.

Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated 90.4% efficacy in a phase 3 trial with no moderate or severe cases reported among participants in the treatment group.

Incidence of hepatitis B has fallen in the Asia and Pacific region, but progress against hepatitis C in the region has lagged and morbidity and mortality continued to rise, underscoring a need to improve diagnosis and linkage of care, according to a recent report.

Nearly 20% of infants were overweight or obese by 1 year of age regardless of HIV exposure, a new study in South Africa found.

Patients with severe COVID-19 who received high-flow oxygen therapy were less likely to need mechanical ventilation and had a shorter time to clinical recovery, investigators in Colombia found.

Health officials in Mississippi reported a sharp increase in COVID-19-associated deaths among pregnant women during after the Delta variant became predominant.

A case series observation study found a slightly higher risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome among Medicare beneficiaries within 42 days after receiving the recombinant zoster vaccine Shingrix, but no changes are needed to guidance recommending the vaccine, investigators said.

Lower-dose amoxicillin was noninferior to higher doses for treating children diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia, according to a new study that also showed that shorter treatment duration was noninferior to longer treatment duration.

High-titer convalescent plasma administered to high-risk outpatients within a week of symptom onset didn’t prevent disease progression, according to a new study.

A recent study supported the use of a therapeutic dose of heparin for moderately ill patients with COVID-19, with results showing a significant reduction in all-cause death despite no significant reduction in a composite of death, mechanical ventilation and ICU admission.