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April 28, 2021
Safety and Immunogenicity of One versus Two Doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine BNT162b2 for Patients with Cancer: Interim Analysis of a Prospective Observational Study
Among patients with cancer, one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine did not elicit a strong antibody response. In a prospective observational study, the proportion of positive anti-S IgG titers measured at 21 days after vaccination was 38% among patients with solid cancers (21/56 patients), 18% among patients with hematological cancer (8/44), and 94% (32/34) among…
Vaccine Side-Effects and SARS-CoV-2 Infection after Vaccination in Users of the COVID Symptom Study App in the UK: A Prospective Observational Study
SARS-CoV-2 infection rates were lower in vaccinated persons, according to reports from the COVID Symptom Study app in the UK (n=627,383). Among Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine recipients, infections were lower by 58% 12-20 days and by 72% 45-59 days after the first dose compared to frequencies in unvaccinated users, and infection rates were also lower among Oxford-AstraZeneca…
Age-Dependent Immune Response to the Biontech/Pfizer BNT162b2 COVID-19 Vaccination
A cohort study in Germany determined that antibody titers were significantly lower in adults over age 80 (n=83) vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine compared to vaccinated individuals under age 60 (n = 93) after one and two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Most participants in both groups produced IgG antibodies. The magnitude of increase of…
Longitudinal Analysis Shows Durable and Broad Immune Memory after SARS-CoV-2 Infection with Persisting Antibody Responses and Memory B and T Cells
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Longitudinal assessment of immune memory response found that SARS-CoV-2 antibodies exhibited an initial rapid decline from peak levels followed by a much slower decrease (“plateau-phase”). Among 254 recovered COVID-19 patients up to 8 months after symptom onset, anti-spike IgG antibodies were estimated to have an initial half-life of 126 days up to…
A Randomised Clinical Trial of Azithromycin versus Standard Care in Ambulatory COVID-19 – the ATOMIC2 Trial
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] In a 1:1 randomized open-label trial among ambulatory patients with mild-moderate COVID-19 in the UK (n=292), those randomized to receive the antibiotic azithromycin had no significance difference in death or hospitalization within 28 days compared to patients receiving standard care (OR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.43-1.92). Rates of respiratory failure, progression to pneumonia, all-cause…
The Dark Side of SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Testing Screening Asymptomatic Patients
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test (Standard Q) only identified 2 of 7 PCR positive patients when used as a screening tool before hospital admission for asymptomatic patients (n=116) in Switzerland, corresponding to a sensitivity of 29%. The rapid test also delivered two false positives (specificity=98.2%). Nasopharyngeal swabs for both the rapid test…
Implementation of Rapid and Frequent SARS-CoV2 Antigen Testing and Response in Congregate Homeless Shelters
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A pilot program offering SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests (BinaxNOW) identified three outbreaks among staff and residents of 10 participating homeless shelters in San Francisco over a period of one month. Roughly half of 828 residents and 435 staff participated per testing event, with 2.2% of participants testing positive. The implementation science analysis…
April 27, 2021
Fatigue Symptoms Associated with COVID-19 in Convalescent or Recovered COVID-19 Patients a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Fatigue was more 3.7-fold as common among patients recovering from COVID-19 compared to healthy controls, according to a systematic review of 39 studies (n=8,825 patients). Over half of hospitalized patients reported symptoms of fatigue up to two months after discharge. Female gender was associated with greater self-reported fatigue and self-report of fatigue…
Risk Factors for Long Covid in Previously Hospitalised Children Using the ISARIC Global Follow-up Protocol A Prospective Cohort Study
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] 24% of children hospitalized with COVID-19 in Moscow, Russia reported persistent symptoms at approximately 1 year post-discharge (n=518; median age 10 years). The most commonly reported symptoms were fatigue, followed by sleep disturbance and sensory problems. Persistent symptoms were more common among those aged 6-18 years compared to patients aged <2 years,…
6-Month Follow Up of 8679 Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in Germany A Nationwide Cohort Study
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] 180-day mortality was 30% in a large cohort (n=8,679; median age 72 years) from Germany hospitalized with COVID-19 from February to April 2020. 180-day mortality was 52% among patients aged ≥80 years and 53% for patients who had undergone invasive mechanical ventilation. Coagulopathy, BMI ≥ 40, and age were risk factors for…
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