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Overall Risk of Pediatric ICU Stay, Death in COVID, MIS-C Low, Study Shows
A University College London–led team finds a very low risk of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission and death from COVID-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) during the first 2 years of the pandemic, with the highest risk among children with complex medical problems and neuro disabilities.
The researchers conducted a population-level analysis of hospitalizations after COVID-19 infection in England among youth 0 to 17 years old from February 1, 2020, to January 31, 2022. They linked national hospital data with data on COVID-19 testing, vaccination, PICU admissions, and death.
House COVID Panel Requests Briefing on Fall Vaccine Plans From New CDC Head
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has requested that Mandy Cohen, the recently appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), answer questions on the federal government’s plans for a COVID-19 vaccine campaign this fall.
In a letter to Cohen, subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) indicated that his request for information was made in response to a recent interview the director gave to Spectrum News.
In the interview, Cohen said, “I don’t want to get ahead of where our scientists are here and doing that evaluation work, but yes, we anticipate that COVID will become similar to flu shots, where it is going to be you get your annual flu shot and you get your annual COVID shot.”
Wenstrup wrote that it was “unclear if the science supports such a recommendation.”
“If this anticipated CDC recommendation occurs, it will mark a significant change in federal policy and guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccines and the way in which they are utilized,” he said. The Ohio congressman requested that Cohen provide the select subcommittee with documents and communications having to do with vaccine recommendations as well as a briefing from the CDC next week.
Moderna Sees up to $8 Billion in 2023 COVID Vaccine Sales on Private Market Hopes
Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) on Thursday raised its annual forecast for COVID-19 vaccine revenue to up to $8 billion in anticipation of a boost in the fall season, as sales move to the private market in the United States from government contracts.
COVID vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer are expecting private market sales and strong demand for their new updated shots targeting XBB.1.5 variant to turn around a slump in demand after a surge during the peak of the pandemic.
Moderna expects $6 billion to $8 billion in sales from its COVID shots this year, up from its previous forecast of $5 billion.
It forecast U.S. demand at 50 to 100 million doses in the fall season, adding a low-end and range to its previous expectation of 100 million doses.
COVID Pandemic Might Have Pushed More Girls Into Early Puberty
U.S. News & World Report reported:
More girls started puberty before age 8 during the COVID-19 pandemic, a phenomenon called precocious puberty, researchers say.
The reasons include potential risk factors such as increased screen time and less exercise, according to a new study, published online on Aug. 3 in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.
The number of girls referred to pediatric endocrinologists for precocious puberty rose substantially over the past two years, researchers found. COVID-19 has also been linked to endocrine diseases, including obesity, which can contribute to early puberty in girls.
“The role of stress, social isolation, increased conflicts between parents, economic status and the increased use of hand and surface sanitizers represent potentially further interesting hypotheses as to why early puberty is increasing in youth,” said study author Dr. Mohamad Maghnie, of the University of Genoa and the Giannina Gaslini Institute in Italy. “Although, the consequence of biological adaptation cannot be entirely ruled out.”
Pfizer: FDA Authorization for Updated COVID Vaccine Expected in August
U.S. News & World Report reported:
Originally, federal officials had proposed September for the rollout of the fall COVID-19 shots, which have been updated to combat the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5. But the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told NPR this week that the shots will be available “probably in the early October time frame.”
Experts hope that a fall booster campaign will increase protection against the coronavirus ahead of a potential fall and winter wave. Moderna and Novavax are also working on updated COVID-19 shots for this timeline. Insurance will cover the costs of the shots for most Americans, while the Biden administration plans to launch a program in the fall that will provide free COVID-19 shots and treatments to uninsured and underinsured Americans.
It’s unclear which populations federal officials will target with the updated shot, but they could face an uptake issue, considering only 17% of Americans rolled up their sleeves for the latest shots as of May.
Additionally, COVID-19 hospitalizations increased last week for the second week in a row after months of declines. Should the trend continue, more Americans may become aware of a potential coronavirus wave, likely increasing willingness to roll up their sleeves for another shot.
Risk of Smell Loss From COVID Has Plummeted Since 2020
When the pandemic began, losing your sense of smell was considered a key indicator of COVID-19, and the condition affected about half of those who tested positive for the coronavirus. However, a new study reveals that the chance of smell loss from the latest Omicron variants is as low as 6% to 7% of what it was in the early days of the pandemic.
The findings, published in the journal Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, mean that losing smell and, by association, your sense of taste is no longer a reliable sign that someone has a COVID infection, study leader Evan Reiter, the medical director of Virginia Commonwealth University Health’s Smell and Taste Disorders Center, said.
Doctors have had difficulty explaining the cause of smell loss, but some research suggests it is due to COVID triggering a prolonged immune assault on olfactory nerve cells. These cells sit at the top of the nasal cavity and help send smell signals from the nose to the brain.
Despite the dramatic decline, Reiter said he still sees patients who have either completely lost or have a distorted sense of smell, which takes a significant toll on their quality of life.
New Breath Test Shows Promise for Rapid COVID Detection
A new device created by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis can detect SARS-CoV-2 in just one or two breaths and provide results in less than 1 minute. Study results are published in ACS Sensors.
The test could be more accurate than at-home tests and faster than polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or swab-based tests, which can take at least 15 minutes to produce results. The device, created by 3D printers, was tested using eight participants (two negative for COVID-19, six positive as indicated by PCR testing), who breathed two, four, and eight times into a flexible tube.
The breath test provided no false results, with accurate results obtained after two breaths for each participant. The technology grew out of tests built to detect amyloid beta and other Alzheimer’s disease–related proteins in the brains of mice.
Using SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from llamas, researchers were able to adapt the test for COVID-19, and they said the test could be easily changed to test for influenza, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), or even an emerging respiratory pathogen.
Coronavirus Hospitalizations Tick Up, Prompting Questions About the Next COVID Wave
U.S. News & World Report reported:
Many in the U.S. have moved on from COVID-19, but a recent increase in hospitalizations is a reminder that the coronavirus is sticking around for the long term.
It’s the fourth summer with COVID-19 and it’s one marked by periods of record travel — likely an indicator that after spending years in a pandemic, a significant number of Americans are ready and willing to get back to normal.
But the past few weeks saw an increase in coronavirus metrics that can provide an early warning of COVID-19 spread like emergency department visits, wastewater surveillance and test positivity. And now, coronavirus hospitalizations are on the rise, too.
Dozens of Omicron subvariants are circulating in the U.S., including the so-called “Arcturus” variant. But several of the strains are on the rise, giving Arcturus a run for its money.
