COVID-19

The percentage of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths that were prevented from COVID-19 vaccination increased with greater vaccine coverage, according to a recent study.

Children younger than age 6 years might be protected from other COVID-19 variants for up to a year after infection.

Pharmacists handle public vaccination efforts and need to assess where patients are on the hesitancy spectrum to provide reliable information.

Findings have implications for patients who take supplementary folate to prevent complications of other pharmacological therapies.

Researchers suggest that understanding the incubation period of COVID-19 and its individual strains could determine the isolation period.

Doug Long and Scott Biggs of IQVIA discussed how data from Australia can help predict the strength of the upcoming flu season.

Researchers suggest that more public health measures should be taken to address disparities among adults boosted for COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted people experiencing homeless, though estimates remain unknown and highlights a need for more inclusive data.

School-aged children that self-swabbed for COVID-19 did so with almost as much accuracy as a health care provider, which could ease strain on school health care systems.

With these bivalent vaccine authorizations, the monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are still not authorized as booster doses for individuals 12 years of age and older.

Analysis from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and University of Colorado indicates that cancellation of sports and a switch to virtual learning likely increased this risk.

New research indicates that COVID-19 vaccinations did not increase the risks of preterm births or gestational issues for pregnant women, despite prior conflicting evidence.

Analysis shows that myocarditis was the most commonly diagnosed condition associated with pediatric post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2.

Analysis is based on previously reported data collected in March and April 2022, with the FDA granting emergency use authorization for individuals aged 6 months to 4 years on June 17.

During the surge caused by the Delta variant, a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reduced infections and COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths among patients in long term care facilities.

Analysis includes nearly 43 million individuals aged 13 year and older who received at least 1 dose in England between December 1, 2020, and December 15, 2021.

Survey data indicates that people experiencing homelessness had a lower annual incidence of COVID-19 despite having a higher burden of infectious diseases, suggesting opportunities for better integration of homelessness status in infectious disease reporting.

Results also show that no association with an increased frequency of myocarditis, venous thromboembolism, or worsening HF in these individuals.

The mRNA-1273.222 vaccine candidate targets both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain in addition to the BA.4/BA.5 subvariants of the Omicron strain.

The companies are prepared to deliver doses of the Omicron-adapted bivalent vaccine for September, pending authorization.

Less than half of fully vaccinated individuals in the United States have received a COVID-19 booster dose, with lower uptake rates among individuals with less education, lower socioeconomic status, and current enrollment in Medicaid.

Investigators report that while lateral flow tests do not detect the start of infectiousness well, they can identify individuals who will not infect others and can safely leave isolation.

Francesca Ceddia, MD, senior vice president of respiratory vaccines at Moderna, said the company is in early stages of development for a combined mRNA vaccine for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV.

Overall low awareness of the Omicron variant infection contributed to high transmission rates and rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 in communities.

The announcement marks the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the United States for this patient population.