October 2024 Condition Watch: COVID-19

Study: 1 in 10 Pregnant Individuals With COVID-19 Will Develop Long COVID

According to data published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, approximately 10% of pregnant patients with COVID-19 will develop long COVID. The investigators said this finding aligns with other evidence showing that pregnant individuals infected with COVID-19 are more likely to be hospitalized, die, or experience pregnancy complications such as preterm birth or stillbirth.

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For this multicenter cohort study, pregnant individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 for the first time between December 2021 and September 2023 were enrolled in the trial, either within 30 days of infection or at differential time points thereafter. A total of 1502 participants were included in the analysis, with a primary outcome of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC, defined as a score of ≥12 based on symptoms and severity).

The data showed that approximately 61.1% of participants had their first COVID-19 infection either on or after December 1, 2021—during the Omicron variant wave—with 51.4% being fully vaccinated prior to infection. A total of 182 patients (12.1%) were enrolled within 30 days of their acute infection. Additionally, the prevalence of PASC was about 9.3% (95% CI, 7.9%-10.9%) and measured at a median of 10.3 months (range, 6.1-21.5) following the first infection.

The most common symptoms associated with participants with PASC were postexertional malaise (77.7%), fatigue (76.3%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (61.2%).

REFERENCE

Metz TD, Reeder HT, Clifton RG, et al; NIH Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Consortium. Post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) after infection during pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol. 2024;144(3):411-420. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000005670

Greater COVID-19 Vaccination Rates May Protect Against Symptomatic Asthma in Pediatric Patients

Authors of study findings published in JAMA Network Open evaluated whether symptomatic asthma was positively associated with COVID-19 overall mortality and would then be conversely associated with populationlevel completion of the COVID-19 primary vaccination series with state mask mandates.

The investigators included state-level data regarding parent-reported current asthma symptom prevalence in children from the National Survey of Children’s Health 2018-2019 and 2020-2021; age-adjusted COVID-19 overall mortality rates—a proxy for SARS-CoV-2 exposure—from the CDC during 2020 and 2021; the proportion of the population 5 years and older who completed the primary COVID-19 vaccination series in 2020 and 2021 (also from the CDC); and mask requirements in enclosed spaces through August 2021, gathered from 20 states and the District of Columbia. They analyzed the data in February 2024.

The mean state-level prevalence of parent-reported childhood asthma symptoms decreased from approximately 7.77% (95% CI, 7.34%-8.21%) from 2018 to 2019 to 6.93% (95% CI, 6.53%-7.32%) from 2020 to 2021 (P < .001), with an absolute mean change in score of approximately –0.85%. The mean (SD) age-adjusted state-level COVID-19 mortality rate was 80.3 (30.2) per 100,000 population in 2020, which increased to 99.3 (33.9) in 2021. Further, the mean state-level COVID-19 primary series vaccination rate as of December 2021 was approximately 72.3% (10.3%).

REFERENCE

Davis MM, Halasyamani LK. COVID-19 vaccination and parent-reported symptomatic child asthma prevalence. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(7):e2419979. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.19979

Data Show Similar COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in Undocumented Latinx Patients and US Citizens

According to results from a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, undocumented Latinx patients who went to the emergency department (ED) during the COVID-19 pandemic had the same reported rate of COVID-19 vaccination as US citizens.

Investigators of the prospective, cross-sectional study observed undocumented patients 18 years or older from September 2, 2021, through March 31, 2022. A total of 306 participants were enrolled in the study, of whom 209 identified as Latinx (68%), 34 as non-Latinx Black (11%), 43 as non-Latinx White (14%), and 20 as another race or ethnicity (7%). Additionally, among the Latinx patients in the undocumented group, 26 were uninsured, 99 reported Spanish as their primary language, and 31 used the ED as their usual health care source.

The results indicated that at least 1 prior COVID-19 infection was more likely to be reported by undocumented Latinx participants (OR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.66-7.23) and legal Latinx residents (OR, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.32-5.83) than by the non-Latinx group. Among the 306 enrolled patients, 265 (87%) reported receiving at least 1 COVID-19 vaccine, and the remaining 41 (13%) reported declining the vaccine. According to the study authors, this finding had similar distributions across all 3 groups. The most common reason for declining vaccines was concern about potential vaccine-related adverse effects, which 15 participants reported.

Further, unlike those in the undocumented Latinx group, those in the non-Latinx group were less likely to believe that undocumented immigrants should receive COVID-19 vaccinations in the US (OR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01-0.39), and 41 participants (13%) reported knowing undocumented individuals who did not receive the vaccine because of their fear of deportation or discovery of their documentation status.

REFERENCE

Torres JR, Taira BR, Bi A, et al. COVID-19 vaccine uptake in undocumented Latinx patients presenting to the emergency department. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(4):e248578. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.8578