Coronavirus

New clinical findings suggest the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster elicited more neutralizing antibody titers for all tested emerging Omicron sublineages, compared to their original COVID-19 vaccine.

Earlier and higher rates of RSV and other respiratory illnesses following reduced COVID precautions challenge capacity of pediatric units.

Read and watch the infectious disease trial data shared this week.

Young women who binge drink, and especially those who use multiple substances, had a higher risk of COVID-19 infection and mental health complications.

Safety profile in this study showed the frequency of adverse reactions with these boosters were similar or lower than that of either a second or third dose of the original vaccine.

Looking for the latest developments in infectious disease? Here are the top stories Contagion covered this week.

In Boston school districts, lifting mask mandates was correlated with an additional 44.9 COVID-19 infections per 1000 students and staffers.

Studies suggest young women’s substance use is catching up to men's. Tammy Chung, PhD, examined whether this was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frontier Biotechnologies reported data from its phase 1 trial for its investigational therapy, FB2001, for patients exposed to the virus.

The benefits to children of wearing face masks to prevent COVID-19 outweigh potential infectious risks from face touching, according to a study analyzing hand-to-face contact in a simulated school environment.

In communities of color, hesitancy, mistrust, and access issues all drove low COVID-19 vaccination rates during the pandemic.

Vaxxinity is moving forward with research to bring its UB-612 COVID-19 vaccine to market as a mix-and-match booster to authorized vaccines.

Is it safe and beneficial to administer a second immunomodulator in patients with moderate COVID-19? How do we identify which patients are likely to progress to severe disease?

Remdesivir was the first FDA-approved drug to fight COVID-19, but how has it held up against the latest variants?

“In the long run, what we will have is a virus that will become endemic in our population," said Donald J. Alcendor, MD. "The idea of thinking we can chase variants with boosters is a failed effort. We must realize that.”

Nearly 150 million people were affected by common symptoms of long COVID in 2020 and 2021, according to an analysis of global data on more than 1.2 million people.

The simple truth is that the long-lasting symptoms of COVID are something we should all be worried about.

What makes Novavax’s COVID-19 booster different? The adjuvanted vaccine “has kept recognizing variants that arise,” says Novavax executive director Germán Áñez, MD.

Our cover story for the October 2022 print edition of Contagion details the original coronavirus.

At IDWeek 2022, Erica Stohs, MD, MPH, presented surprising findings about unnecessary antibiotics in a cohort coinfected with COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Despite no significant reduction in time to discharge or recovery, inhalable SNG001 may lessen common symptoms of “long COVID.”

Breakthrough COVID-19 infections were rare in fully vaccinated individuals, but the average breakthrough occurred just under 50 days after complete vaccination.

The Novavax booster dose administered in a small study induced more robust antibody responses and its safety profile was considered favorable.

Overall, 91.5% of the hospitalized adults with COVID-19 were unvaccinated and 8.5% of patients were fully vaccinated.

Before the emergence of COVID-19, this precursor virus was a global concern.

Articles covering respiratory infections were our most-clicked this week.

Moderna’s new bivalent COVID-19 booster, which includes 25 micrograms each of messenger RNAs from the Wuhan-Hu-1 and Omicron B.1.1.529 variants of SARS-CoV-2, elicited antibody responses that were superior to those elicited by the original vaccine.

Preliminary results from a phase 2/3 trial suggest Pfizer-BioNTech’s Omicron BA.4/BA.5 bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine provides better protection for younger and older adults.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the rise in pediatric acute respiratory illnesses especially as there is a decrease in hygiene measures that were previously employed during the pandemic.

The Moderna vaccine can be administered to children as young as six years old and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for kids as young as five years old.