A year after infection with the coronavirus – when antibodies in the blood are barely detectable – the immune system continues to “remember” the virus and should respond to some extent upon re-encountering it, a study from China suggests. According to new research, women who were pregnant during the recent Omicron surge had more than eight times the rate of COVID-19 diagnoses, but lower odds of severe illness compared with pregnant women diagnosed earlier in the pandemic.
After producing vaccines and treatments for acute COVID-19 in record time, researchers and drugmakers are turning to finding a cure for long COVID, a more elusive target marked by hundreds of different symptoms afflicting millions of people.
Risk of type 2 diabetes rises after COVID; organ transplant from donors who had COVID likely safe
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, COVID-19 Severe Complications, COVID-19 Studies, JAMA Psychiatry, Medical Journals, Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Organ Transplantation, R&D, Reuters, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Type 2 Diabetes, U.S. Department of Veterans AffairsPeople may be at increased risk for developing diabetes for up to a year after a diagnosis of COVID-19, according to two studies. Additionally, organ donation from dying donors with current or previous COVID-19 infection is likely safe, transplant teams from the United States and Italy will report at the April 2022 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases meeting.
Studies Suggest Links Between COVID-19 and Diabetes, Pregnancy Risks and Dementia
Clinical Trials, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), COVID-19 Studies, Dementia, Diabetes, Heart Problems, JAMA Internal Medicine, Nature Medicine, Neurological Conditions, Pregnancies, R&D, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Type 2 Diabetes, University of Iowa, University of Rochester Medical CenterThe most obvious risks from COVID-19 are hospitalization and death. But study after study shows the disease comes with an increased risk of a number of health problems, including diabetes.
Omicron linked to rise in croup in babies; TB vaccine improves immune response to coronavirus
Annals of Neurology, Babies, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Vaccine, Coronavirus, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, COVID-19 Studies, Croup, Data, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients, Immune Response, Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), Pediatrics, R&D, Research, Respiratory Conditions, Toddlers, Tuberculosis, VentilatorsThe Omicron variant of the coronavirus is causing a dramatic rise in cases of croup, a dangerous respiratory condition usually seen in babies and toddlers, new data suggest. Additionally, new research sheds light on how a tuberculosis vaccine might help protect against COVID-19.
A quarter of symptomatic kids hit by long COVID; mRNA shots provide best protection in breast milk
Asia, Australia, Babies, Children, Covid-19 Data, COVID-19 Studies, COVID-19 Vaccinations, Europe, JAMA Pediatrics, Kids, Long COVID, Messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccines, mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), Pfizer, Researchers, South America, Surfaces, WomenOne in four children with COVID-19 symptoms develop “long COVID,” according to data pooled from 21 earlier studies conducted in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. Also, according to a study reported on March 14 in JAMA Pediatrics, women who wish to pass protective antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines to their babies via breast milk should opt for the mRNA shots from Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech.
GeoVax vaccine targeting virus in two places shows promise; virus may become resistant to antibody drugs
Antibody Studies, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Cell, Clinical Trials, COVID-19 Studies, Delta Variant (B.1.617.2; India), Genetics, GlaxoSmithKline, Immunosuppression, Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine (J&J), Medical Journals, mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Mutations, New England Journal of Medicine, Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), R&D, Researchers, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, The Lancet, The Lancet Microbe, Vir BiotechnologyAn experimental vaccine developed by GeoVax Labs Inc. succeeded in promoting development of antibodies that target two different sites on the virus in a small pilot study and was advanced to mid-stage clinical trials, researchers reported.
COVID-19 patients who receive one of the few antibody treatments that works against the Omicron variant must be carefully monitored because after the drug is infused, the virus may mutate and become resistant to it, researchers warned after seeing such cases with Delta variant patients.
An Oxford University study has found that COVID-19 can cause the brain to shrink, reduce grey matter in the regions that control emotion and memory, and damage areas that control the sense of smell.
Redhill antiviral shows promise in safety study; J&J shot less effective preventing hospitalization
Antibodies, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Cells, Coronavirus Vaccines, COVID-19 Studies, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients, JAMA Network, Janssen, Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine (J&J), Johnson & Johnson, Proteins, R&D, SARS-CoV-2 virus, Science Translational MedicineAn experimental oral drug being developed by Redhill Biopharma Inc. interrupts a process that helps the coronavirus infect cells and might keep COVID-19 patients from becoming seriously ill, the company said. Additionally, the risk of hospitalization after vaccination with Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine was about five times higher than for those who received the Pfizer and BioNTech shot, a large French study found.
Three new studies have been released—but not yet peer-reviewed—that support the wet market theory about the origin of COVID-19.