Click on the link for the NEJM Journal Watch weekly update. Another good week for SARS-CoV-2 articles. For the second week in a row I did not forget to post this link.
https://www.jwatch.org/fw117693/2021/04/10/latest-covid-19-news-week-ending-apr-10
Meanwhile in B.C. Canada…
While the data provide useful insights, they also remain subject to gaps, limitations, and inconsistencies that limit the ability to get a complete picture of who is and who is not getting vaccinated. For example, data gaps and separate reporting of data for vaccinations administered through the Indian Health Service limit the ability to analyze vaccinations among American Indian and Alaska Native people and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Moreover, some states have high shares of vaccinations that are missing race/ethnicity or that are classified as “other,” limiting the ability to interpret the data. For example, in Alaska, over 30% of vaccinations were among people classified as “other” race, and race was unknown for over 30% of vaccinations in Virginia. Four states were not reporting vaccination data by race/ethnicity, including Georgia which halted reporting its data in March. Comprehensive standardized data across states will be vital to monitor and ensure equitable access to and take up of the vaccine.
Latest Data on COVID-19 Vaccinations Race/Ethnicity — https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/latest-data-on-covid-19-vaccinations-race-ethnicity/
Meanwhile in Oklahoma…
In their study of recovered COVID-19 patients, the researchers determined that SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T-cell responses remained largely intact and could recognize virtually all mutations in the variants studied. While larger studies are needed, the researchers note that their findings suggest that the T cell response in convalescent individuals, and most likely in vaccinees, are largely not affected by the mutations found in these three variants, and should offer protection against emerging variants.
T cells recognize recent SARS-CoV-2 variants — https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/t-cells-recognize-recent-sars-cov-2-variants
Click on the link for the NEJM Journal Watch weekly update. Another very good week for SARS-CoV-2 articles. I forgot about this update until Sunday after numerous cups of coffee.
https://www.jwatch.org/fw117673/2021/04/03/latest-covid-19-news-week-ending-apr-3
Happy Easter from Brazil…
Understanding the infectiousness of the double mutant variant becomes all the more important as noncompliance to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour is uniformly poor across India. Yet, the surge in cases is seen only in 19 States, and mainly in about a dozen States. In the absence of timely results of such studies, which will help policy […]
What is driving the second wave in India? — Science Chronicle
Just the use of the phrase “double mutant variant” sends chills up my spinal cord.
Whistler recorded 1,120 COVID-19 cases from the beginning of January to March 28, with 218 of them last week alone, driven by the P.1 variant most commonly associated with Brazil. The majority of cases – 83.2 per cent – are in people aged 20 to 39.
Variant that forced B.C. ski resort shut is rapidly spreading, sending more young people to hospital — https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-covid-19-variant-spreading-rapidly-in-bc/
Young adults age 18 to 34 years hospitalized with COVID-19 experienced substantial rates of adverse outcomes: 21% required intensive care, 10% required mechanical ventilation, and 2.7% died. This in-hospital mortality rate is lower than that reported for older adults with COVID-19, but approximately double that of young adults with acute myocardial infarction.4 Morbid obesity, hypertension, and diabetes were common and associated with greater risks of adverse events. Young adults with more than 1 of these conditions faced risks comparable with those observed in middle-aged adults without them. More than half of these patients requiring hospitalization were Black or Hispanic, consistent with prior findings of disproportionate illness severity in these demographic groups.5,6
Clinical Outcomes in Young US Adults Hospitalized With COVID-19 — https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2770542
Please get vaccinated as soon as you’re eligible. This is a gentle reminder before I start getting a bit harsher with my messaging.
Nice map from WAPO. Dr. Gandhi’s bird app post caught my eye. But for all you youngsters reading this it ain’t just Michigan.
Young adults age 18 to 34 years hospitalized with COVID-19 experienced substantial rates of adverse outcomes: 21% required intensive care, 10% required mechanical ventilation, and 2.7% died. This in-hospital mortality rate is lower than that reported for older adults with COVID-19, but approximately double that of young adults with acute myocardial infarction.4 Morbid obesity, hypertension, and diabetes were common and associated with greater risks of adverse events. Young adults with more than 1 of these conditions faced risks comparable with those observed in middle-aged adults without them. More than half of these patients requiring hospitalization were Black or Hispanic, consistent with prior findings of disproportionate illness severity in these demographic groups.5,6
Clinical Outcomes in Young US Adults Hospitalized With COVID-19 — https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2770542
No politics. No religion. No conspiracies. No bullshit. Please get vaccinated as soon as you’re eligible.
Weekly New Infections Charts Every Monday we take a look at our week-to-week totals and chart how BC’s fight against COVID-19 is progressing. Because…
COVID-19 Diary – Day 381
The map on the CDC website is interactive and will show different variants by state.
I don’t consider myself to be an alarmist. Truth be told I am pragmatic. And what I read and research about this nasty virus tells me this is no time to let our guard down. Get vaccinated as soon as you are eligible. In group settings or mingling amongst vaccination status unknowns wear a mask. Practice sensible hygiene. Don’t believe SARS-CoV-2/VOC’s is just an old person disease.
Meanwhile in Brazil…
By the way we have just one P.1 confirmed case in Oklahoma. Let’s together do what’s necessary to keep this number as low as possible.
Monica Gandhi MD, MPH is Professor of Medicine and Associate Division Chief (Clinical Operations/ Education) of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at UCSF/ San Francisco General Hospital. She also serves as the Director of the UCSF Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the Medical director of the HIV Clinic at SFGH (“Ward 86”). Dr. Gandhi completed her M.D. at Harvard Medical School and then came to UCSF in 1996 for residency training in Internal Medicine. After her residency, Dr. Gandhi completed a fellowship in Infectious Diseases and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, both at UCSF. She also obtained a Masters in Public Health from Berkeley in 2001 with a focus on Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
https://profiles.ucsf.edu/monica.gandhi
