Coronavirus Tidbits #160 10/3/21

October 3, 2021 /

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Announcements:

First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I'm getting.

Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don't be shy about that.

News 

COVID-19 may trigger hyperglycemia and worsen disease by harming fat cells 

COVID-19 may bring high risks of severe disease and death in many patients by disrupting key metabolic signals and thereby triggering hyperglycemia, according to a new study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-10-covid-trigger-hyperglycemia-worsen-disease.html?

Booster recap:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recent Authorization coincides with the CDC’s new guidance, which is as follows:

  • People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,
  • People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their 2-dose Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,
  • People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks, and
  • People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.

https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/cdc-director-issues-interim-3rd-covid-19-vaccine-guidance

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Diagnostics:

still an incredible, negligent last of testing.

Drugs and Vaccines:

Hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccine for children highest among Black parents

Nearly half of Black parents (48 percent) were hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine for their child, compared to 33 percent of Latinx parents and 26 percent of white parents, according to survey results from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Parents of children with public health insurance also reported more COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (41 percent), compared to parents of children with private insurance (26 percent).

https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-021-11725-5

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How effective is a Johnson & Johnson booster shot?

When given two months after the first dose, protection against moderate to severe disease increased from 85% to 94% and the amount of neutralizing antibodies increased four-fold. If the booster was administered six months after the first shot, antibody levels increased 12-fold, when measured four weeks after the booster was given.

These findings suggest that although a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine provides strong, durable protection, people may still benefit from a booster because it improves the vaccine’s efficacy.

One important question is whether someone who received the Johnson & Johnson shot should get a second Johnson & Johnson dose or mix and match – get a second dose of a different vaccine. As of late September, the FDA seems more likely to approve a second dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because there isn’t much data yet about a mix-and-match strategy.

https://globalbiodefense.com/2021/09/25/new-jj-data-shows-second-covid-shot-boosts-antibodies-and-protection-but-single-dose-still-strong-against-delta-variant/

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People Are Getting Moderna 'Boosters' Anyway

— Most are getting them at pharmacies, not in doctors' offices

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I Got Moderna. Can I Boost With Pfizer?

— "There's all sorts of anarchy going on"

https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/94678?

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Texas bypasses Gov't allocation of Regeneron's antibody

A Texas-based radio show interviewed Governor Abbott on September 27, 2021, during which he revealed the state of Texas is procuring COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatments directly from the manufacturer.

The Dana Loesch radio program confirmed Texas bypassed the U.S. administration's new monoclonal antibody(mAb) treatment allocation plan by procuring the product directly from the provider.

In Texas, the REGEN-COV treatment is produced by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and is currently available at designated locations.

The mAb treatment is free and available to all Texans who test positive for COVID-19 and have a doctor's referral.

Previously, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on September 13, 2021, 'it is committed to helping ensure consistent availability of these critical drugs for current and future patients in all geographic areas of the USA.'

https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/2021/09/27/texas-scores-monoclonal-antibody-treatments-going-direct

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Merck's Covid pill (Molnupiravir) hailed after cutting hospitalizations by 50%

Pharmaceutical company Merck said Friday it will seek authorization in the US of its oral drug molnupiravir for COVID-19 after it was shown to reduce the chance newly infected patients were hospitalized by 50 percent.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-10-merck-covid-pill-hailed-hospitalizations.html?

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Devices:

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A new study points to the power of wearables to predict even presymptomatic infections, suggesting use one day against Covid-19

A new study offers rigorous evidence that wearable health monitors can predict infections, even before a person starts experiencing symptoms.

https://www.statnews.com/2021/09/29/wearables-predict-presymptomatic-infections-study/

Epidemiology/Infection control:

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Updated analysis of multiple COVID-19-diabetes studies shows the risks associated with diabetes

The latest update to a large and continuing review and meta-analysis of studies of COVID-19 and diabetes confirms that patients with a more advanced course of diabetes have a higher risk of death when infected with SARS-CoV-2. The new data are being presented at this year's annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-10-analysis-multiple-covid-diabetes-diabetes.html?

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Vaccination guards against certain bacterial infections and slows the spread of superbugs in populations

Vaccines that boost immunity against bacteria can protect the immunized from contracting drug-resistant infections, according to a team of scientists in the U.K. who also underscore that the shots can slow the spread of resistant strains in populations.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-09-vaccination-bacterial-infections-superbugs-populations.html?

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From Drs. Trisha Greenhalgh adn Deepti Gurdasani

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00622-X/fulltext

Tips, general reading for public:

StayAtHome

Wash your hands.

Rinse and repeat.

Politics:

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https://twitter.com/ResusCGMedia/status/1443775809957744641?s=20

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The buried lede is that it's ONLY 175 out of 35k.

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https://twitter.com/docrocktex26/status/1442291970920038400?s=20

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https://twitter.com/willmenaker/status/1443635916833099782?s=20

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Feel good du jour:

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Dr. Nadia Chaudhri @DrNadiaChaudhri

This happened because of the massive love I got from my global Twitter supporters!! More than 6000 donors raised half a million dollars for graduate fellowships for minority students! Thank you also to everyone on Team Wingspan, led by @DrDunfield! I’m flooded with peace

More on remarkable Nadia Chaudhri:

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Comic relief:

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Perspective/Poem

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Bits of beauty:

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