Featured Headlines

Pandemic restrictions force postponement of Hong Kong Open – Reuters

Golf’s Hong Kong Open has been postponed until next year due to the city’s stringent travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisers said in a statement.

Merck Seeks Emergency Use Authorization for Covid-19 Pill – Bloomberg

Merck & Co. and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP sought emergency use authorization in the U.S. for molnupiravir, moving the pill closer to becoming the first oral antiviral treatment for Covid-19.

Flu Is X Factor of Pandemic Winter – Bloomberg

The seasonal illness will almost inevitably make a comeback as travel resumes and colder temperatures set in. The question is whether the reappearance is mild or whether we’re in for something harsher that could compound hospitals’ burden.

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops have not yet complied with vaccine mandate as deadlines near – Washington Post

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. service members remain unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated against the coronavirus as the Pentagon’s first compliance deadlines near, with lopsided rates across the individual services and a spike in deaths among military reservists illustrating how political division over the shots has seeped into a nonpartisan force with unambiguous orders

Among England’s most critically ill covid patients, 1 in 5 is pregnant and unvaccinated – Washington Post

Unvaccinated pregnant women account for nearly 20 percent of the most critically ill coronavirus patients requiring lifesaving care in England in recent months, according to the country’s National Health Service.

Opinion: Herd immunity is almost here. But what does that mean? – Washington Post

Close to 70 percent of Americans have had at least one vaccine dose, while a very substantial if not precisely known percentage of the unvaccinated have recovered from infection. The so-called herd immunity target will be achieved. But what will this actually mean?

Vaccine Headlines

Millions of kids’ coronavirus shots ‘ready’ to go; initial doses to be shared on a population basis – Washington Post

Within days of regulators clearing the nation’s first coronavirus vaccine for younger children, federal officials say they will begin pushing out as many as 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine to immunize school-age kids across the United States in a bid to control the coronavirus pandemic.

Moderna, J&J Make Case for Covid Boosters Ahead of FDA Panel – Bloomberg

Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson said that data they’ve gathered supports the need for booster shots for their Covid-19 vaccines, ahead of a key regulatory meeting later this week.

Clinical Considerations

Finding a Way to Predict COVID-19 Severity in Kids –MedPageToday

Children with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection had significantly elevated levels of a trio of saliva cytokines, according to a preliminary analysis.

COVID-19 is linked to new diabetes cases—but long-term problems could be more severe – National Geographic

In addition to driving new cases of diabetes, the virus may be directly damaging the pancreas in ways that could lead to chronic inflammation and even cancer.

Heart Damage Plagues Covid Survivors a Year After Infection, Study Shows – Bloomberg

Heart damage from Covid-19 extends well beyond the disease’s initial stages, according to a study that found even people who were never sick enough to need hospitalization are in danger of developing heart failure and deadly blood clots a year later.

Alzheimer’s and COVID-19 severity: A genetic link? – Medical News Today

In a new study, scientists have identified a genetic link between the development of Alzheimer’s and severe COVID-19 outcomes. The study also identifies the same immune system changes in both diseases. Targeting specific “risk” genes could lead to future treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and COVID-19.

Official Reporting for October 21, 2021