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May 24, 2021
Childhood Immunization during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Texas
Childhood immunization rates in Texas declined by 47% between 2019 and 2020 among 5-month-olds, along with a 58% decline among 16-month-olds. Small decreases (5%) occurred among 24-month-olds, and there was no decline in vaccines received at birth (i.e., Hepatitis B). Decreases tended to be larger in rural than urban counties. The authors note that these…
Epidemiological Characteristics of Three SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern and Implications for Future COVID-19 Pandemic Outcomes
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A modeling study that accounted for under detection of infection, seasonality, concurrent use of non-pharmaceutical interventions, and mass vaccination, found that the B.1.1.7 variant was 47% more transmissible but infrequently escaped immunity from prior wild-type infection; B.1.351 was 32% more transmissible and had 61% immune escape; and P.1 was 43% more transmissible…
Suicide Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis of 54 Studies
A meta-analysis (n = 54 studies, 308,596 participants) of suicide behaviors from populations in five geopolitical regions found evidence to suggest that the rates of suicidal ideation (10.8%), suicide attempts (4.7%), and self-harm (9.6%) were elevated during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to prior years. People who were younger or female tended to experience more suicidal…
Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes of Pregnant Women with SARS-CoV-2 Infection at the Time of Birth in England: National Cohort Study
A population-based cohort study of pregnant persons in England (n = 342,080) in the context of universal screening for SARS-CoV-2 at delivery hospitalization found that SARS-CoV-2 infection was more common among those who were younger, of non-white ethnicity, pregnant for the first time, resided in the most deprived areas, or had comorbid conditions. Risk of…
Single Dose of BNT162b2 MRNA Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 Induces High Frequency of Neutralising Antibody and Polyfunctional T-Cell Responses in Patients with Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
Among 21 patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), conditions in which the body overproduces blood cells, one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine resulted in a positive anti-S IgG ELISA among 76% (n = 16) of patients, neutralizing antibodies in 86% (n = 18) of patients, and a memory T cell response in 80% of patients following…
Single-Dose BNT162b2 MRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Significantly Boosts Neutralizing Antibody Response in Health Care Workers Recovering from Asymptomatic or Mild Natural SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Among healthcare workers (HCW) who had previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and had mild or no symptoms (n = 41), one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine resulted in higher levels of neutralizing antibody titers than those found in HCW who had received two doses of the vaccine (n = 16) but had never been infected. …
Efficacy Estimates for Various COVID-19 Vaccines What We Know from the Literature and Reports
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A report using data from publications, reports, and press releases concluded that the average efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sputnik, Novavax, Sinovac, and Sinopharm vaccines was about 85% against any disease with infection. Vaccine efficacy was >80% for all vaccines included except for Sinovac (51%, 95% CI 36-62%)….
Clinical and Experimental Factors That Affect the Reported Performance Characteristics of Rapid Testing for SARS-CoV-2
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A systematic review (n = 83 studies) of the diagnostic accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen lateral flow testing (RALFT) compared to RT-qPCR among symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals found the overall sensitivity for RALFT was 75%, and the sensitivity was higher among symptomatic individuals. Viral load was the most important factor for test…
SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 Spike Variants Bind Human ACE2 with Increased Affinity
SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants were found to have 2- and 4.6-times higher binding affinity, respectively, for the human ACE2 receptor than the wildtype virus. The authors suggest that this may explain some of the observed increased transmissibility of these variants. Ramanathan et al. (May 2021). SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 Spike Variants Bind Human ACE2 with…
COVID-19 Mitigation Practices and COVID-19 Rates in Schools Report on Data from Florida New York and Massachusetts
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A report of SARS-CoV-2 mitigation practices and infection rates in schools in Florida, New York, and Massachusetts during the 2020-2021 school year found higher infection rates among students attending schools with lower in-person density, but no association with rates among staff. The authors suggest these results could be attributed to a protective…
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