Miss a day, miss a lot. Subscribe to The Defender's Top News of the Day. It's free.

COVID Can ‘Rebound’ After Treatment With Paxlovid, CDC Says

U.S. News reported:

COVID-19 can make a comeback after an infected person has gone through a round of Paxlovid, the antiviral used to minimize a bout with the coronavirus, according to an advisory issued Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Recent case reports document that some patients with normal immune response who have completed a five-day course of Paxlovid for laboratory-confirmed infection and have recovered can experience recurrent illness two to eight days later, including patients who have been vaccinated and/or boosted,” the CDC advisory said.

In these cases of “COVID-19 rebound,” the illness improved or resolved within an average three days, without additional anti-COVID treatment, the CDC said.

U.S. CDC Recommends Re-isolation if COVID Recurs After Taking Pfizer’s Pill

Reuters reported:

Patients who experience recurrence of COVID-19 symptoms after completing treatment with Pfizer’s (PFE.N) drug Paxlovid should isolate again for five days, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an advisory issued on Tuesday.

Dozens of individuals have reported rebounding COVID symptoms on social media or to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after taking Paxlovid, but Pfizer suggests the experience is rare. A recent rise in COVID cases has driven up use of therapeutics in the country.

The CDC said in its advisory that case reports suggest that recurrence results in mild symptoms, and there have been no reports of severe disease so far. The agency still continues to recommend the oral antiviral drug as a treatment, despite the possibility of recurrences.

Pandemic Has U.S. Hospitals Overwhelmed With Teens in Mental Crisis

U.S. News reported:

The COVID-19 pandemic and the isolation it imposed took a dramatic toll on kids’ mental health, increasing the demand for services in an already overburdened system.

As a result, many kids found themselves being “boarded” in emergency departments as they awaited care, according to a new study conducted at Boston Children’s Hospital. The average wait was nearly five days without specialized treatment.

“This is a huge problem nationwide,” said Dr. Jennifer Havens. She is a professor and chair of child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine in New York City.

Germany’s Vaccine Panel Says One COVID Shot Enough for Children

Reuters reported:

Germany’s vaccine advisory panel on Tuesday said one COVID-19 shot was enough for healthy five- to 11-year-olds because most of them had already undergone an infection, maintaining its cautious approach.

The view by the panel of 18 appointees, known as STIKO, contrasts with European Union regulators’ approval for a two-shot regimen in that age group. U.S. regulators last week even authorized a third, booster shot for the group.

“For children we have to assume that the rate of spreading of the infection is the highest. That’s why it’s reasonable to administer only one vaccination,” STIKO panel member Martin Terhardt told a media briefing.

COVID-19: Vaccine Effectiveness Wanes More Rapidly for Cancer Patients, Study Finds

The BMJ reported:

COVID-19 vaccination is effective for cancer patients but protection wanes much more rapidly than in the general population, a large study has found.

Vaccine effectiveness is much lower in people with leukemia or lymphoma, those with a recent cancer diagnosis, and those who have had radiotherapy or systemic anti-cancer treatments within the past year, according to the research published in Lancet Oncology.

The authors of the world’s largest real world health system evaluation of COVID-19 in cancer patients highlighted the importance of booster programs, non-pharmacological strategies, and access to antiviral treatment programs in order to reduce the risk that covid-19 poses to cancer patients.

Long COVID Symptoms Can Last More Than a Year, Researchers Say

The Hill reported:

A new study published on Tuesday found that long COVID-19 symptoms can last 14.8 months after initial infection.

The study comes as researchers try to better understand the effects of long COVID-19.

A study published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology looked at 52 people who were a part of an initial subset of 100 long COVID-19 patients surveyed last year. Patients participated in the study between 11 and 18 months since they initially tested positive for COVID-19.

Sweden: 5th COVID-19 Shot to People Over 65, Pregnant Women

ABC News reported:

Sweden is recommending a fifth COVID-19 vaccine dose for people with an increased risk of becoming seriously ill, including pregnant women and anyone aged 65 and over, authorities said Tuesday, adding that the country must “be prepared for an increased spread during the upcoming autumn and winter season.”

“The vaccine is our strongest tool for preventing serious illness and death,” Swedish Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren said, adding the pandemic is not over.

As of Sept. 1, Sweden recommends that another booster shot is given to people aged 65 and older and people over 18 in the risk groups. The Swedish Public Health Agency said the latter includes pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems and people with heart and lung disease.