Coronavirus

There are many unknowns about the BA.2 COVID-19 variant. It appears 50-60% more transmissible than the original Omicron variant, but health experts are mixed on whether cases will spike dramatically.

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.

A Texas study found children and adolescents who previously contracted COVID-19 retained protective antibodies for 6 or more months after infection. However, natural infection plus vaccination remains the best defense against COVID-19.

Check out these important stories we covered this past week.

The submission is for a fourth dose of its Spikevax (mRNA-1273) vaccine in adults 18 years of age and older.

Policies keep case counts down even when vaccination rates are low, new analysis finds.

A study of over 8 million participants found no correlation between COVID-19 vaccination and developing neurological conditions. However, a risk of some neurological conditions was increased after COVID-19 infection.

A recent JAMA article discussed the role of caregiver vaccination status in pediatric hospitals and ethics of exclusion.

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.

The application is based on 2 Israeli studies for the additional shot for people 65 years and older.

In children and adolescents, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was only mildly effective against symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infections. Broken down by variant, Omicron infections were more likely to occur and more likely to be asymptomatic.

Axcella Therapeutics chief medical officer Dr. Margaret Koziel discusses the stage 2a clinical trial for their novel long covid treatment.

The new COVID-19 sub-variant, called “Deltacron” or “Stealth Omicron,” appears to be the most contagious strain yet. However, this does not necessarily mean there will be a dramatic spike in cases.

In a nationally televised interview, Pfizer Albert Bourla said it is necessary to fend off waning protection.

Findings of JAMA Network Open analysis reveal effects of interventions designed to prevent spread.

The first study of COVID-19 vaccination status among romantic couples found 15.63% were in disagreement over whether to receive the vaccine.

“Deltacron,” a COVID-19 strain with genes from both the Delta and Omicron variants, appears to have been circulating since the beginning of the year.

Popular pain and fever-reducing drugs can have unintended consequences when it comes to infectious diseases.

Patients hospitalized during the COVID-29 pandemic for unrelated conditions were 20% more likely to die than in the prepandemic period.

A large surveillance study of 2 symptom-reporting databases found side effects after Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination were frequently nonserious and resolved within 1-2 days.

The company is examining its antiviral pill for children 6 to 17 years of age in combating COVID-19.

Study with Medicare beneficiaries found those at highest risk of severe COVID-19 among least likely to receive monoclonal antibody treatment.

Even a mild COVID-19 infection can change the brain. People infected had a greater reduction in brain volume and performed worse on cognitive tests than those who did not contract COVID-19.

Investigators finding high risk for cardiovascular complications post-acute COVID-19 urge increased monitoring and preparedness.

Final analysis of phase 3, placebo-controlled trial confirms efficacy and safety of single-dose adenoviral vector vaccine against COVID-19.

Black Americans were more likely than White Americans to have a significant decrease in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy over time.

Associations between social determinants of health (SDOH) and COVID-19 mortality varied across racial and ethnic groups and community types.

This week, one of the m-RNA COVID-19 vaccine’s effectiveness was shown to drop from 68% to 12% in children 5-11 years old within a month. This data raises concerns of what should be done to protect this pediatric population.

One study found people were more likely to take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously when they saw the overall number of infections, as opposed to being presented with only new daily cases.

However, those that do have significant influence—and may have affected vaccination rates and treatment use, research suggests.