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News Scan for Sep 29, 2021

Seven COVID-19 symptoms are more predictive of illness, study says

Seven COVID-19 symptoms can maximize detection of COVID-19 in the community, according to a large study published in PLOS Medicine yesterday that looked at data from England's REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 (REACT-1) study.

COVID-19 Scan for Oct 13, 2021

Hospital-acquired COVID-19 affects patients, workers, study says

While the absolute risk of acquiring COVID-19 in the hospital was low—up to 0.75% risk per day of exposure pre-Delta (B1617.2) variant—patients or healthcare workers (HCWs) with COVID-19 nonetheless can be factors in the spread of COVID-19, a study published yesterday in PLOS One says.

COVID-19 Scan for Oct 14, 2021

Kids may serve as COVID-19 reservoirs for variants, study says

Using COVID-19 viral load and viral cultures from 110 children, researchers suggest that children may serve as reservoirs for COVID-19, furthering transmission and viral evolution.

COVID-19 Scan for Oct 15, 2021

Vaccine effectiveness high against severe Delta-caused COVID-19

A 17-study literature review looking at vaccine effectiveness (VE) during the Delta (B1617.2) variant shows a pooled VE of 90.9% versus hospitalization with a 75.7% and 63.1% VE against symptomatic and asymptomatic infection, respectively.

COVID-19 Scan for Oct 18, 2021

SARS-CoV-2 dose not linked with COVID-19 severity, review says

SARS-CoV-2 dose may affect infection rates, but current data do not show an association between viral dose and COVID-19 severity, according to a review of more than 100 SARS-CoV-2 studies that looks at COVID-19 infectious dose, viral load, severity, and variants.

News Scan for Oct 19, 2021

TNF inhibitors may help COVID patients with IMIDs

COVID-19 patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) may benefit from tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, according to a study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

News Scan for Oct 20, 2021

Overweight, obesity linked to more, longer mild COVID-19 symptoms

COVID-19 outpatients were more likely to have more respiratory symptoms if they were overweight or obese, according to a study published yesterday in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.

COVID-19 Scan for Oct 21, 2021

COVID-19 vaccine appears safe in first-trimester pregnancy

COVID-19 vaccination does not increase the risk of miscarriage during the first trimester of pregnancy, according to a Norwegian case-control study that involved 13,956 women, 5.5% of whom were vaccinated against the virus. The results were published yesterday as a letter to the editor in the New England Journal of Medicine.

COVID-19 Scan for Oct 22, 2021

Risk factors linked to severe pediatric COVID-19

Two recent studies in Pediatrics look at risk factors for severe pediatric COVID-19 and COVID deaths in those younger than 21 years of age.

News Scan for Oct 25, 2021

First responders may have higher COVID-19 risk than healthcare workers

First responders' risk for COVID-19 infection is about 60% more than other essential workers, including healthcare workers (HCWs), according to a study published late last week in JAMA Health Forum.

COVID-19 Scan for Oct 26, 2021

Guaranteed cash worked as a COVID vaccine incentive, study says

A guaranteed $25 cash card for both vaccine recipients and drivers of vaccine recipients lessened slowing COVID-19 vaccine uptake at participating sites in North Carolina, according to a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine yesterday.

COVID-19 Scan for Oct 27, 2021

COVID-mitigating behavior didn't change after vaccination, study says

COVID-mitigating behavior such as physical distancing and mask use didn't change after receipt of vaccination prior to government exemptions, according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

COVID-19 Scan for Oct 28, 2021

New monoclonal antibody sharply reduces risk of severe COVID outcomes

The monoclonal antibody sotrovimab reduced the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by 85% compared with placebo, according to an interim analysis of a phase 3 clinical trial published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

COVID-19 Scan for Oct 29, 2021

Patients with recent cancer therapy at higher risk of poor COVID outcomes

Cancer patients who received systemic treatment like chemotherapy or radiation in the 3 months before testing positive for COVID-19 were at increased risk of death, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), and hospitalization, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Oncology.

News Scan for Nov 01, 2021

Large study shows high protection of 3 vs 2 Pfizer COVID vaccine doses

A third Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose is 92% more effective in reducing severe COVID-related outcomes than two doses of the same vaccine received at least 5 months previously, according to a large real-world study late last week in The Lancet.

News Scan for Nov 02, 2021

mRNA COVID vaccines highly effective against Delta hospitalization, death

Two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were 93% and 96% effective, respectively, in preventing severe, critical, or fatal disease caused by the highly transmissible Delta (B1617.2) variant, a study today in Nature Medicine finds.

News Scan for Nov 03, 2021

Depression, anxiety plagued many European physicians amid pandemic

Spanish, Italian, and UK physicians reported high levels of depression and anxiety during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, finds a study yesterday in PLOS One.

COVID-19 Scan for Nov 04, 2021

US COVID vaccine rollout tied to fewer cases, hospital visits in older adults

The initial COVID-19 vaccine campaign in the United States was associated with fewer infections, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations among adults 65 and older, finds a study yesterday in The Lancet.

News Scan for Nov 05, 2021

Survey reveals entrenched US COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

A detailed national survey of Americans, which included residents of the four largest US metropolitan areas, found that about half of those unwilling to be vaccinated against COVID-19 were unlikely to change their minds. A research team based at Emerson University published their findings yesterday in Scientific Reports.

News Scan for Nov 08, 2021

Half of rheumatology patients report persistent symptoms after COVID-19

Over half of adults diagnosed as having a rheumatologic disease reported persistent COVID-19 symptoms at least a month after recovery from their infection, according to survey results presented late last week at the virtual American College of Rheumatology annual meeting.

News Scan for Nov 09, 2021

SARS-CoV-2–like coronavirus may be widespread in bats in Southeast Asia

A coronavirus sharing 92.6% of nucleotide identity with SARS-CoV-2 was detected in bats in Cambodia in 2010, according to a new study in Nature Communications, adding to the understanding of natural reservoirs for the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic.

News Scan for Nov 10, 2021

Dexamethasone tied to lower risk of death, severe COVID-19

The corticosteroid dexamethasone was associated with a 56% lower risk of death and intensive care unit (ICU) admission among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and is safe to use in monitored diabetes patients, according to research presented at this week's Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.

News Scan for Nov 11, 2021

Tests reveal much higher COVID rate in unvaccinated nursing home staff

Positive COVID-19 test results were more than 10 times more common among unvaccinated, asymptomatic healthcare professionals (HCP) in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) long-term care facilities than among their fully vaccinated counterparts, according to a research letter yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

News Scan for Nov 12, 2021

COVID-19, flu vaccines safe to give at the same time, study shows

A UK study yesterday in The Lancet finds that flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be safely co-administered.

Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Nov 15, 2021

English study finds less antibiotic prescribing amid pandemic

Antibiotic prescribing in general practice in England fell significantly during the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the previous year, according to data released last week by Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK).