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Two new studies highlight waning mRNA COVID-19 efficacy against infection against the Delta (B1617.2) variant, with one showing that two doses of the Moderna vaccine were highly effective against all variants but that protection against Delta fell over time since vaccination.

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News Scan for Dec 15, 2021

Researchers updated a Commonwealth Fund study yesterday, and now estimate that COVID-19 vaccination has prevented 1.1 million US deaths and 10.3 million hospitalizations, up from July's figure of 279,000 deaths and 1.25 million hospitalizations prevented.Without the US vaccination program, COVID-19 deaths w

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South Africa Omicron study finds drop in vaccine protection, fewer hospitalized

In some of first real-world findings on Omicron's impact in South Africa, researchers found a drop in Pfizer vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization, but also a drop in hospitalizations, another early hint that infections might be less severe.

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Pfizer says its pill may be effective against Omicron COVID-19

Pfizer announced this morning more promising data from a phase 2/3 study of its oral antiviral medication, Paxlovid. The pill reduced COVID-19 hospitalization or death by 89% if taken within 3 days of symptom onset, and 88% if taken within 5 days, and in vitro studies indicated the pill could work against the Omicron variant.

Albert Bourla hospital covid-19 vaccine

News Scan for Dec 14, 2021

UK researchers estimate that an additional 2, 1, and 6 cases of myocarditis occur per 1 million people in the week after one dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, respectively, while a positive SARS-CoV-2 test was tied to much higher odds of that and other serious heart conditions.The data, published today in Nature Medicine, also show an extra 10 my

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COVID-19 much less likely in homeless housed in hotels: study

People experiencing homelessness (PEH) in Chicago were 2.5 times less likely to have a COVID-19 infection if they were housed in individual hotel rooms along with medical and social support than if they stayed in a city shelter, according to an observational study yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

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Rapid Omicron spread prompts rise in UK COVID alert level

The United Kingdom yesterday raised its COVID-19 alert to its second highest level, due to a rapid rise in Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant cases that appears likely to put more pressure on an already strained health system.

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News Scan for Dec 13, 2021

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week released its Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan, which is designed to boost the speed, effectiveness, coordination, and communication of events for both the FDA and its investigation partners.The plan included input from the US Department of Ag

Usa state Minnesota covid-19 patient Health

60% of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in 1 year

COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for use in the United States for 1 year, and despite being free and widely available, only 60.8% of Americans are fully vaccinated against the virus, while 72% have at received at least one dose of vaccine, and 26.6% have received a booster dose.

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Review uncovers weak COVID clinical practice guidelines

A new systematic review of 32 clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for severely ill COVID-19 patients reveals that most were of poor quality, with few reporting funding sources or conflicts of interest, employing a methodologist, describing a search strategy or study selection process, or synthesizing evidence.

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25 states report Omicron COVID-19; most cases mild

In the first week of December, 43 cases of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant were identified in the United States, and almost all were mild, according to data presented today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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UK notes fast-unfolding Omicron COVID-19 impact

As health experts closely watch how the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant spreads outside of South Africa, the United Kingdom today provided an early but detailed snapshot of how the virus is behaving, which shows that it is outpacing Delta (B1617.2) on many fronts.

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Face mask, other PPE litter skyrockets amid pandemic

The proliferation of face coverings to protect against COVID-19 has had a devastating, lasting effect on the environment, with a 9,000% increase in mask litter over 14 months in 11 countries, finds an observational study led by UK researchers yesterday in Nature Sustainability.

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COVID-19 Scan for Dec 10, 2021

Programs that reward the newly vaccinated with an entry in a lottery were associated with an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations in most—but not all—US states offering the incentive and may have spurred almost 2 million people to get immunized, according to research published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.From Mar 17 to Jul 5, 2021, researchers from Drexel University and the

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FDA green-lights Pfizer COVID-19 boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds

Today the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster vaccine in adolescents ages 16 and 17.

Janet Woodcock covid-19 vaccine prevention

Africa's COVID-19 numbers surge, but hospital cases stay low

Africa's COVID-19 cases rose 93% over the past week, with increases occurring across all of the continent's regions, but early signals from South Africa—the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant epicenter—show that hospitalizations remain low, officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office said today at a briefing.

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FDA green-lights Pfizer boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds

Today the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster vaccine in adolescents ages 16 and 17.

Janet Woodcock covid-19 vaccine prevention

COVID-19 Scan for Dec 09, 2021

In US counties with high COVID-19 case rates, nursing homes with low staff vaccine uptake saw more infections and deaths among residents than those with high staff vaccination rates, according to a research letter yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).Led by a University of Rochester researcher, the team mined nationa

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Pfizer COVID booster shown highly protective against severe illness, death

A pair of observational Israeli studies yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine find that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster is highly protective, with one estimating much lower rates of infection and severe illness, and the other finding a 90% lower death rate.

Israel covid-19 death vaccine

COMMENTARY: 8 things US pandemic communicators still get wrong

As we approach 2 years of COVID-19, US pandemic messaging has settled into some counterproductive patterns. I want to address eight of these risk communication mistakes that public health officials and experts keep making. Turning them around can rebuild trust and help save lives.

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Multiple early studies find notable Omicron vaccine evasion

In quickly moving scientific developments over the past 24 hours, three separate labs that tested the Omicron (B.1.1.529) COVID-19 variant against vaccines reported significant immune escape based on reduced antibody titers, which were followed by similar findings from Pfizer that also suggest a third dose shores up antibody titers.

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Pfizer-BioNTech says COVID booster should protect against Omicron

Early today Pfizer and BioNTech announced that initial lab tests show three doses of their COVID-19 vaccine neutralize the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant, while two doses demonstrated significantly reduced neutralization titers.

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High-flow oxygen cuts ventilator use, speeds COVID recovery

The use of high-flow oxygen through a nasal cannula significantly reduced the need for invasive mechanical ventilation and sped time to recovery among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, compared with conventional oxygen therapy, according to a multicenter randomized clinical trial published yesterday in JAMA.

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News Scan for Dec 08, 2021

A study of 1,883 Canadian children and teens with newly diagnosed or atypical anorexia nervosa shows that rates of the disease rose 66%, and hospitalizations climbed 267%, per month during the first 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.The study, published yesterday in JAMA Network Open, also showed tha

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US COVID vaccination rates rise as 19 states now confirm Omicron

Texas is the latest state to confirm COVID-19 infection cause by the Omicron variant, making the total number of states with confirmed infections at least 19. In addition to identifying a patient with the variant, health officials in Houston say they have confirmed the variant in wastewater, ABC News reports.

Anthony Fauci Usa state Texas city Houston covid-19 vaccine reports

Countries see signs of growing community Omicron spread

Danish health officials today said the COVID-19 Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant is spreading across the country, following revelations yesterday from the United Kingdom that the variant is spreading in different parts of England.

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Unvaccinated parents highly unlikely to OK COVID vaccine for their kids

A research letter yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics shows that 25.6% of a sample of US parents responding to an online survey said they were hesitant to vaccinate themselves against COVID-19, and these parents were highly unlikely to approve of COVID vaccination for their children—by a wide margin.

New York Usa covid-19 vaccine Citi

COVID-19 Scan for Dec 07, 2021

The stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic have been particularly detrimental for the mental health of Black adults, finds a new US study in the Journal of Gerontology.Georgia Institute of Technology and North Carolina State Universit

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Report from South Africa's Omicron hot spot spurs cautious optimism

A report on hospital admissions in South Africa's worst-affected Omicron (B.1.1.529) COVID-19 variant district—Tshwane near Pretoria—sheds light on clinical patterns, offering some optimism, but with the caveat that the information portrays only the first 2 weeks of the surge.

Denmark Norway South Africa county Early city Pretoria covid-19 patient reports

Omicron COVID-19 variant now in at least 17 states

Since first being detected in California on Dec 1, the Omicron COVID-19 variant has now been confirmed in 17 states, with dozens of more probable cases likely to be confirmed in the coming days.

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Blood pressure up during pandemic? You're not alone, study finds

Middle-aged US adults' blood pressures climbed during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely owing to increased stress and alcohol consumption, decreased physical activity and medication adherence, poor sleep, and disrupted access to healthcare, according to a research letter today in Circulation.

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News Scan for Dec 06, 2021

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) recently announced the first positive chronic wasting disease (CWD) test in a hunter-harvested deer in Union County, far from the nearest known positive finding in the state.The white-tail deer was taken in Felsenthal N

state Arkansas county Union state Wisconsin city Madison outbreak malaria reports

COVID-19 Scan for Dec 06, 2021

Today in Circulation, researchers report that most cases of rare yet potentially serious episodes of myocarditis related to COVID-19 vaccinations in teens and young adults were mild, and the case-patients recovered quickly.Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, often foll

Usa covid-19 Health reports

COVID-19 Scan for Dec 03, 2021

Close contact with COVID-19 cases outside of work is the biggest risk factor for infections among American healthcare workers, according to research published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.The case-control study was based on part

Usa covid-19 vaccine patient

Omicron widens global footprint as COVID spikes in South Africa

At least 35 countries have now reported Omicron (B.1.1.529) COVID-19 variant cases, as South Africa's outbreak involving the virus continues to grow steeply with the impacts now affecting both older and younger people.

Britain Eu South Africa virus Health reports

US donates more COVID vaccine as new states confirm Omicron

Today the Biden administration's COVID-19 response coordinator, Jeff Zients, said the United States would be shipping 9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Africa in the coming days, as the global threat of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant continues to grow.

Joe Biden Jeff Zients Usa state New York South Africa state Nebraska covid-19 vaccine reports

Six different COVID-19 boosters induce variable immune response

A UK phase 2 trial shows that different COVID-19 booster shots are safe and boost immunity when given 10 to 12 weeks after two doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, although immune responses varied widely.

Britain city Southampton county Oxford vaccine Immunic

Six different COVID boosters induce variable immune response

Britain city Southampton county Oxford vaccine Immunic

Biden outlines winter COVID-19 focus on vaccination, testing

"We will fight the variant with science and speed, not chaos and confusion," President Joe Biden said today at the National Institutes of Health, where he unveiled his administration's winter strategy to combat the COVID-19 virus.

Joe Biden state Minnesota state Colorado covid-19 testing vaccine focus

Global Omicron COVID cases rise as evidence for immune escape grows

India and mainland France are among the countries to report their first Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant detections, as scientists from South Africa in a preprint study detailed early data on reinfection risk, which appears to be three times higher than two earlier variants.

India France South Africa state Karnataka vaccine infection reports

COVID-19 Scan for Dec 02, 2021

The neutralizing monoclonal antibody lenzilumab significantly raised survival without the use of mechanical ventilation in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and had a good safety profile, according to a phase 3 clinical trial yesterday in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.A team led by Mayo Clinic researchers enrolled 520 hospitalized COVID-

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Moderna vaccine a bit better against COVID-19 than Pfizer, study finds

In the first head-to-head comparison of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, Moderna edged out its competition with a 21% lower risk of infection and a 41% lower risk of hospitalization over 24 weeks, according to a study yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

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Delta surge remains strong as world sizes up Omicron threat

As the world responds to newly emerged Omicron variant, the battle against Delta (B1617.2)-driven surges continues, with activity showing signs of a plateau last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its weekly snapshot of the pandemic.

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California has first US Omicron COVID-19 case

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced the United States' first case of COVID-19 caused by the Omnicron (B.1.1.529) variant.

Anthony Fauci Usa state California San Francisco South Africa covid-19 vaccine reports

Severe COVID tied to high risk of death, mostly by other causes, within year

Survivors of severe COVID-19—especially those younger than 65 years—may be at more than twice the risk of dying within the next year than those who had mild or moderate illness or were never infected, finds a study today in Frontiers in Medicine.

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News Scan for Dec 01, 2021

A third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine appears to counteract waning vaccine protection in the short term, according to a preliminary case-control analysis of more than 500,000 coronavirus tests in Israel.In the retrospective study, published yesterday in JAMA Internal Medi

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Netherlands detections hint at earlier Omicron spread

Health officials in the Netherlands today said they have detected the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant in two samples collected before travel measures took effect, raising the possibility of earlier and wider spread than originally thought.

Netherlands covid-19 vaccine travelers

FDA panel recommends molnupiravir, first pill for COVID-19

Today the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) antimicrobial drugs advisory committee voted to recommend the use of Merck's molnupiravir—the first pill indicated to treat COVID-19 infections and prevent hospitalization and death—13 to 10, concluding that potential benefits outweighed risks to patients who were at risk for developing severe COVID-19.

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United States	Cases: 46 252 513 Deaths: 750 423 Recovered: 0
India	Cases: 34 321 025 Deaths: 459 652 Recovered: 0
Brazil	Cases: 21 835 785 Deaths: 608 235 Recovered: 0
United Kingdom	Cases: 9 215 683 Deaths: 141 607 Recovered: 0
Russia	Cases: 8 494 589 Deaths: 237 619 Recovered: 0

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