Hospitalizations, Intubations Surged in Kids in Arkansas During Delta – MedPageToday
Pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations rose by 84%, and mechanical ventilation among children more than quadrupled during summer 2021 when the Delta variant was predominant, a researcher said.
The summer coronavirus surge has started to ebb, but delta’s danger remains – Washington Post
A nationwide decline in new infections and hospitalizations is fueled by sharp drops in Southern states that were hit hard by the highly contagious delta variant. Hospital admissions nationwide crested above a weekly average of 100,000 in early September and are still at levels not seen since the winter, before vaccines were widely available. New infections plateaued in the first half of September, averaging above 150,000 daily, and are now on track to slip below 100,000.
From ‘heroes to villains’: Why this Covid surge is different for health care workers – NBC News
Many were already overworked and nearing their breaking points. Now they are bearing the brunt of patients’ rage, too.
Even in its first months, the U.S. coronavirus vaccination campaign saved the lives of tens of thousands of older people, according to a federal government report released on Tuesday.
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday scheduled three days of public meetings with its panel of independent vaccine experts for later this month, as the agency prepares to make high-profile decisions on whether to authorize emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 and booster shots for adult recipients of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
New cases in the U.S. have fallen by more than a third in the past month.
Report touts continuous manufacturing to enhance US drug supplies – CIDRAP
Experts have long touted continuous manufacturing as one of the solutions for shoring up the US drug supply chain, but it was only in January that Continuous Pharmaceuticals won a contract to set up the United States’ first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved continuous production facility, according to Fierce Pharma. (Prior to that, manufacturers of at least six drugs have partially used continuous manufacturing since the concept came up in 2007.)
Vaccine Headlines
Most Vaccine-Hesitant People Remain Willing to Change Their Minds – NIH Director’s Blog
As long and difficult as this pandemic has been, I remain overwhelmingly grateful for the remarkable progress being made, including the hard work of so many people to develop rapidly and then deploy multiple life-saving vaccines. And yet, grave concerns remain that vaccine hesitancy—the reluctance of certain individuals and groups to get themselves and their children vaccinated—could cause this pandemic to go on much longer than it should.
People Are Getting Moderna ‘Boosters’ Anyway – MedPageToday
Several sources have told MedPage Today that they’ve received a “booster” shot of Moderna, even though the vaccine isn’t yet authorized for this indication.
Johnson & Johnson seeks F.D.A. authorization for its booster shot – New York Times
Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday morning asked federal regulators to authorize a booster shot for adults, becoming the third coronavirus vaccine manufacturer to do so.
Clinical Considerations
Long Covid Symptoms May Be Caused by Micro Clots, Scientists Say – Bloomberg
Some of the symptoms of so-called long-covid, the ailments that can persist for months after a Covid-19 infection, may be caused by inflammatory molecules trapped inside tiny blood clots, a scientist at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University said.
Mitigating lung damage, mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 – UIC
In a new paper, researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago report that a drug approved for treating patients with autoimmune disease helped to prevent lung damage and death in mice infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 in humans.
Official Reporting for October 17, 2021
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update October 4th (latest release)
New Cases: 355,049
Confirmed Cases: 235,175,106
Deaths: 4,806,841
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 235,676,596
Deaths: 4,814,114
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 43,773,5733 (+71,127 New Cases)
Total deaths: 702,360 (+1,032 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
COVID Prevention Tx Safe, Shows Efficacy in High-Risk Groups – MedPageToday
A monoclonal antibody cocktail designed for COVID-19 pre-exposure prophylaxis was safe, and appeared to be effective across populations at risk of severe COVID and who may have a subpar response to vaccination, a researcher said.
AstraZeneca Seeks U.S. Emergency Approval for Covid Antibody – Bloomberg
AstraZeneca Plc submitted its antibody cocktail for U.S. emergency approval to prevent Covid-19 infection as therapeutic options for the pandemic broaden beyond vaccination.
Everything You Need to Know About Merck’s Game-Changing Covid Pill – Bloomberg
Molnupiravir, an antiviral pill being developed by Merck & Co., has been touted as a potential game changer in the fight against Covid-19. The experimental medication was shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by about half in a late-stage study of adults with mild-to-moderate cases. The promise of a drug that patients can easily get and take at home has prompted some governments to order supplies even before regulators have decided whether to approve its use.
Remdesivir Appears Effective in COVID Outpatients, Too – MedPageToday
Remdesivir (Veklury) reduced risk of hospitalizations by 87% compared with placebo in outpatients at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19, a researcher said.
A Neanderthal Gene That Protects Us From Covid-19 – Forbes(Part 14)
Science continues to unveil the secrets of Covid-19 one paper at a time, decoding how the virus works and what the body does to protect itself in response. A new study offers a deep glimpse into this perennial battle between humans and infectious diseases by way of a gene that appears to have the power to knock out SARS-CoV-2.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
After covid, we are all going to need some help -Washington Post
A year ago, I wrote about covertigo — a word I proposed to describe the constellation of symptoms associated with the pandemic lockdown, personal tumult and political malfeasance from a president who refused to provide the leadership we needed when covid swept across the country.
Published Research
The durability of immunity against reinfection by SARS-CoV-2: a comparative evolutionary study – The Lancet
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
Doctors grow frustrated over COVID-19 denial, misinformation – AP
The COVID-19 patient’s health was deteriorating quickly at a Michigan hospital, but he was having none of the doctor’s diagnosis. Despite dangerously low oxygen levels, the unvaccinated man didn’t think he was that sick and got so irate over a hospital policy forbidding his wife from being at his bedside that he threatened to walk out of the building.
Coping with COVID
So, FB, IG and WhatsApp were down yesterday! The memes are hitting the interwebs today.
