Germinal center - Wikipedia
Covid19-Sources
SARS-CoV-2 Transmission After COVID-19 Screening for Primary School Children
This cohort study uses data from a primary school in Belgium to examine the possible role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Eric Feigl-Ding auf Twitter: "💡New VACCINE RANKING of ability to neutralize #Omicron—Moderna appears to be the strongest against Omicron in this study, but still big drop. Pfizer next best (but we know infection efficacy is 30-34%), AstraZeneca & Sinopharm poor. J&J & Sputnik = zero.🧵https://t.co/5xmnXH2XaJ https://t.co/eZq8jbMEsQ" / Twitter
💡New VACCINE RANKING of ability to neutralize #Omicron—Moderna appears to be the strongest against Omicron in this study, but still big drop. Pfizer next best (but we know infection efficacy is 30-34%), AstraZeneca & Sinopharm poor. J&J & Sputnik = zero.🧵https://t.co/5xmnXH2XaJ https://t.co/eZq8jbMEsQ
Myths of Vaccine Manufacturing
In the last few days, the question of why more drug companies haven't been enlisted for vaccine production has come up. It's mostly due to this tweet:The problem is, as far as I can see, this is simply wrong. There are not
Kindern im corona pandemiegeschehen data
Bereits in den Anfängen der Corona-Epidemie in China deuteten erste Studien darauf hin, dass
bei Kindern eine COVID-19-Erkrankung (Corona)1 im Allgemeinen weniger schwerwiegend ver-
läuft als bei Erwachsenen. Diese Erkenntnis hat sich auch ein Jahr später nicht geändert. Kinder
(älter als ein Jahr) erkranken im Durchschnitt weniger schwer, Krankheitsverläufe sind häufig
asymptomatisch2. Hieraus kann jedoch nicht gefolgert werden, dass Kinder nur eine geringe oder
gar keine Rolle im Infektionsgeschehen spielen. Ferner ist nicht geklärt, in welchem Ausmaß sie
von Spätfolgenerkrankungen betroffen sind („Long Covid“). Um ihre Bedeutung für das Pande-
miegeschehen beurteilen zu können, muss zum einen geklärt werden, in welchem Ausmaß sie
sich selbst infizieren und zum anderen, wie effizient sie die Infektion weitergeben können. Ge-
rade in Hinblick auf die Schließung von Kindergärten und Schulen ist es wichtig, diese Fragen
zu beantworten. Hierzu sind in den vergangenen Monaten zwar zahlreiche Forschungsarbeiten
erschienen, aber eine Reihe von Argumenten für und wider die Schließung/Öffnung von Schulen
und Kindergärten wird nach wie vor kontrovers diskutiert. Dies liegt daran, dass verschiedene
Erhebungen unter ganz spezifischen Voraussetzungen entstanden sind. Dadurch ist die Interpre-
tation des Infektionsgeschehens nur unter spezifischen Einschränkungen möglich und die Aussa-
gen können nur in begrenztem Umfang die Frage zur Rolle von Kindern im Corona-Pandemiege-
schehen beantworten.
A Public Health Antibody Screening Indicates a 6-Fold Higher SARS-CoV-2 Exposure Rate than Reported Cases in Children - ScienceDirect
Antibody responses to virus reflect exposure and potential protection.We developed a highly specific and sensitive approach to measuring antibodies ag…
Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain (ENE-COVID): a nationwide, population-based seroepidemiological study
The majority of the Spanish population is seronegative to SARS-CoV-2 infection, even
in hotspot areas. Most PCR-confirmed cases have detectable antibodies, but a substantial
proportion of people with symptoms compatible with COVID-19 did not have a PCR test
and at least a third of infections determined by serology were asymptomatic. These
results emphasise the need for maintaining public health measures to avoid a new epidemic
wave.
Effectiveness of CoronaVac among healthcare workers in the setting of high SARS-CoV-2 Gamma variant transmission in Manaus, Brazil: A test-negative case-control study
Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant, Gamma, emerged in the city of Manaus in late 2020 during a large resurgence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and has spread throughout Brazil. The effectiveness of vaccines in settings with widespread Gamma variant transmission has not been reported.
Methods We performed a matched test-negative case-control study to estimate the effectiveness of an inactivated vaccine, CoronaVac, in healthcare workers (HCWs) in Manaus, where the Gamma variant accounted for 86% of genotyped SARS-CoV-2 samples at the peak of its epidemic. We performed an early analysis of effectiveness following administration of at least one vaccine dose and an analysis of effectiveness of the two-dose schedule. The primary outcome was symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Findings For the early at-least-one-dose and two-dose analyses the study population was, respectively, 53,176 and 53,153 HCWs residing in Manaus and aged 18 years or older, with complete information on age, residence, and vaccination status. Among 53,153 HCWs eligible for the two-dose analysis, 47,170 (89%) received at least one dose of CoronaVac and 2,656 individuals (5%) underwent RT-PCR testing from 19 January, 2021 to 13 April, 2021. Of 3,195 RT-PCR tests, 885 (28%) were positive. 393 and 418 case- control pairs were selected for the early and two-dose analyses, respectively, matched on calendar time, age, and neighbourhood. Among those who had received both vaccine doses before the RT-PCR sample collection date, the average time from second dose to sample collection date was 14 days (IQR 7-24). In the early analysis, vaccination with at least one dose was associated with a 0.50-fold reduction (adjusted vaccine effectiveness (VE), 49.6%, 95% CI 11.3 to 71.4) in the odds of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during the period 14 days or more after receiving the first dose. However, we estimated low effectiveness (adjusted VE 36.8%, 95% CI -54.9 to 74.2) of the two-dose schedule against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during the period 14 days or more after receiving the second dose. A finding that vaccinated individuals were much more likely to be infected than unvaccinated individuals in the period 0-13 days after first dose (aOR 2.11, 95% CI 1.36-3.27) suggests that unmeasured confounding led to downward bias in the vaccine effectiveness estimate.
Interpretation Evidence from this test-negative study of the effectiveness of CoronaVac was mixed, and likely affected by bias in this setting. Administration of at least one vaccine dose showed effectiveness against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in the setting of epidemic Gamma variant transmission. However, the low estimated effectiveness of the two-dose schedule underscores the need to maintain non-pharmaceutical interventions while vaccination campaigns with CoronaVac are being implemented.
Funding Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz); Municipal Health Secretary of Manaus
Evidence before this study We searched PubMed for articles published from inception of the pandemic until April 3, 2021, with no language restrictions, using the search terms “P.1” AND “vaccine” AND “SARS-CoV-2”. Additionally, we searched for “CoronaVac” AND “SARS-CoV-2”. Early studies have found plasma from convalescent COVID-19 patients and sera from vaccinated individuals have reduced neutralisation of the SARS-CoV-2 variant, Gamma or P.1, compared with strains isolated earlier in the pandemic. Pfizer BNT162b2 mRNA, Oxford-AstraZeneca ChAdOx1, and CoronaVac are the only vaccines for which such data has been published to date.
No studies reported effectiveness of any vaccine on reducing the risk of infection or disease among individuals exposed to P.1 or in settings of high P.1 transmission.
Added value of this study This study finds that vaccination with CoronaVac was 49.4% (95% CI 13.2 to 71.9) effective at preventing COVID-19 in a setting with likely high prevalence of the Gamma Variant of Concern. However, an analysis of effectiveness by dose was underpowered and failed to find significant effectiveness of the two-dose schedule of CoronaVac (estimated VE 37.1%, 95% CI -53.3 to 74.2).
Implications of all the available evidence These findings are suggestive for the effectiveness of CoronaVac in healthcare workers in the setting of widespread P.1 transmission but must be strengthened by observational studies in other settings and populations. Based on this evidence, there is a need to implement sustained non-pharmaceutical interventions even as vaccination campaigns continue.
### Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
### Funding Statement
We are grateful for Pan American Health Organization's support to the Fundação de Vigilância em Saúde from Amazonas State and the Municipal Health Secretary of Manaus in making the databases available for analysis. JC and AS are supported by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Edital Covid-19 - resposta rápida: 48111668950485). OTR is funded by a Sara Borrell fellowship (CD19/00110) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. OTR acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019-2023 Program and from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program.
### Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
The study was approved by the Ethical Committee for Research of Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (CAAE: 43289221.5.0000.0021).
All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived.
Yes
I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).
Yes
I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.
Yes
Deidentified databases as well as the R codes will be deposited in the repository https://github.com/juliocroda/VebraCOVID-19
https://github.com/juliocroda/VebraCOVID-19
Cognitive deficits in people who have recovered from COVID-19
There is growing concern about possible cognitive consequences of COVID-19, with reports of
‘Long COVID’ symptoms persisting into the chronic phase and case studies revealing neurological problems
in severely affected patients. However, there is little information regarding the nature and broader preva-
lence of cognitive problems post-infection or across the full spread of disease severity.
Methods: We sought to confirm whether there was an association between cross-sectional cognitive perfor-
mance data from 81,337 participants who between January and December 2020 undertook a clinically vali-
dated web-optimized assessment as part of the Great British Intelligence Test, and questionnaire items
capturing self-report of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 infection and respiratory symptoms.
Findings: People who had recovered from COVID-19, including those no longer reporting symptoms, exhib-
ited significant cognitive deficits versus controls when controlling for age, gender, education level, income,
racial-ethnic group, pre-existing medical disorders, tiredness, depression and anxiety. The deficits were of
substantial effect size for people who had been hospitalised (N = 192), but also for non-hospitalised cases
who had biological confirmation of COVID-19 infection (N = 326). Analysing markers of premorbid intelli-
gence did not support these differences being present prior to infection. Finer grained analysis of perfor-
mance across sub-tests supported the hypothesis that COVID-19 has a multi-domain impact on human
cognition.
Interpretation: Interpretation. These results accord with reports of ‘Long Covid’ cognitive symptoms that per-
sist into the early-chronic phase. They should act as a clarion call for further research with longitudinal and
neuroimaging cohorts to plot recovery trajectories and identify the biological basis of cognitive deficits in
SARS-COV-2 survivors.
Prevalence and 6‐month recovery of olfactory dysfunction: a multicentre study of 1363 COVID‐19 patients - Lechien - 2021 - Journal of Internal Medicine - Wiley Online Library
Objective
To investigate prevalence and recovery of olfactory dysfunction (OD) in COVID-19 patients according to the disease severity.
Methods
From 22 March to 3 June 2020, 2581 COVID-19 patients ...
Escape of SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 from neutralization by convalescent plasma
Nature - Cross-neutralization assays of early variants and the 501Y.V2 variant of SARS-CoV-2 show that plasma from individuals infected with 501Y.V2 effectively neutralizes all variants, indicating...
Screening and vaccination against COVID-19 to minimize school closure
Schools were closed extensively in 2020-2021 to counter COVID-19 spread, impacting students’ education and
well-being. With highly contagious variants expanding in Europe, safe options to maintain schools open are
urgently needed. We developed an agent-based model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in school. We used empirical
contact data in a primary and a secondary school, and data from pilot screenings in 683 schools during the 2021
spring Alpha wave in France. We fitted the model to observed school prevalence to estimate the school-specific
reproductive number and performed a cost-benefit analysis examining different intervention protocols. We
estimated RAlpha=1.40 (95%CI 1.35-1.45) in the primary and RAlpha=1.46 (1.41-1.51) in the secondary school during
the wave, higher than Rt estimated from community surveillance. Considering the Delta variant and vaccination
coverage in Europe, we estimated RDelta=1.66 (1.60-1.71) and RDelta=1.10 (1.06-1.14) in the two settings,
respectively. Under these conditions, weekly screening with 75% adherence would reduce cases by 34% (95%CI 32-
36%) in the primary and 36% (35-39%) in the secondary school compared to symptom-based testing. Insufficient
adherence was recorded in pilot screening (median ≤53%). Regular screening would also reduce student-days lost
up to 80% compared to reactive closure. Moderate vaccination coverage in students would still benefit from
regular screening for additional control (23% case reduction with 50% vaccinated children). COVID-19 pandemic
will likely continue to pose a risk for school opening. Extending vaccination coverage in students, complemented
by regular testing largely incentivizing adherence, are essential steps to keep schools open, especially under the
threat of more contagious variants.
Gruell_and_Vanshylla_et_al_compiled.pdf - Google Drive
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is causing a rapid increase in infections in various
countries. This new variant of concern carries an unusually high number of mutations in key
epitopes of neutralizing antibodies on the spike glycoprotein, suggesting potential immune
evasion. Here we assessed serum neutralizing capacity in longitudinal cohorts of vaccinated
and convalescent individuals, as well as monoclonal antibody activity against Omicron using
pseudovirus neutralization assays. We report a near-complete lack of neutralizing activity
against Omicron in polyclonal sera after two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine, in convalescent
individuals, as well as resistance to different monoclonal antibodies in clinical use. However,
mRNA booster immunizations in vaccinated and convalescent individuals resulted in a
significant increase of serum neutralizing activity against Omicron. Our study demonstrates
that booster immunizations will be critical to substantially improve the humoral immune
response against the Omicron variant.
Epidemiology and transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in two Indian states
The epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in southern India shows marked differences from that observed in higher-income countries.
COVID-19 Daily Dashboard Scottland
COVID-19 Daily Dashboard
Intranasal priming induces local lung-resident B cell populations that secrete protective mucosal antiviral IgA
A heterogeneous population of cells secreting mucosal IgA confers protection against influenza virus infection.
Nasal vaccine may aid fight against new viral variants
A new Yale study finds that intranasal vaccination is better than injection at providing broad-based protection against a variety of flu strains in mice.
Mortality
In the immune arsenal, antibodies offer best long-term hope against
A new study from the lab of Yale’s Akiko Iwasaki finds that antibodies, rather than T cells, are crucial in creating lasting protection from COVID-19.
The perils of flawed research and the ivermectin debacle
In this op-ed, epidemiologist Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz discusses problems with medical research that have become increasingly apparent during the pandemic.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Stay-at-home policy is a case of exception fallacy: an internet-based ecological study
Scientific Reports - <ArticleTitle Language="En" OutputMedium="All" xml:lang="en">RETRACTED ARTICLE: Stay-at-home policy is a...
Frontiers | COVID-19 Post-acute Sequelae Among Adults: 12 Month Mortality Risk | Medicine
Background: There are concerns regarding post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, but it is unclear whether COVID-19 poses a significant downstream mortality risk. The objective was to determine the relationship between COVID-19 infection and 12-month mortality after recovery from the initial episode of COVID-19 in adult patients.Methods: An analysis of electronic health records (EHR) was performed for a cohort of 13,638 patients, including COVID-19 positive and a comparison group of COVID-19 negative patients, who were followed for 12 months post COVID-19 episode at one health system. Both COVID-19 positive patients and COVID-19 negative patients were PCR validated. COVID-19 positive patients were classified as severe if they were hospitalized within the first 30 days of the date of their initial positive test. The 12-month risk of mortality was assessed in unadjusted Cox regressions and those adjusted for age, sex, race and comorbidities. Separate subgroup analyses were conducted for (a) patients aged 65 and older and (b) those 65 years.Results: Of the 13,638 patients included in this cohort, 178 had severe COVID-19, 246 had mild/moderate COVID-19, and 13,214 were COVID-19 negative. In the cohort, 2,686 died in the 12-month period. The 12-month adjusted all-cause mortality risk was significantly higher for patients with severe COVID-19 compared to both COVID-19 negative patients (HR 2.50; 95% CI 2.02, 3.09) and mild COVID-19 patients (HR 1.87; 95% CI 1.28, 2.74). The vast major...
Frontiers | Neuromechanisms of SARS-CoV-2: A Review | Frontiers in Neuroanatomy
Recent studies have suggested the neuroinvasive potential of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Notably, neuroinvasiveness might be involved in the pathophysiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Some studies have demonstrated that synapse-connected routes may enable coronaviruses to access the central nervous system (CNS). However, evidence related to the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the CNS, its direct impact on the CNS, and the contribution to symptoms suffered, remain sparse. Here, we review the current literature that indicates that SARS-CoV-2 can invade the nervous system. We also describe the neural circuits that are potentially affected by the virus and their possible role in the progress of COVID-19. In addition, we propose several strategies to understand, diagnose, and treat the neurological symptoms of COVID-19.
Effects of SARS CoV-2, COVID-19, and its vaccines on male sexual health and reproduction: where do we stand?
Since severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first discovered, there have been questions surrounding the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and more recently the COVID-19 vaccine, on men’s health and fertility. Significant research has been conducted to study viral tropism, potential causes for gender susceptibility, the impact of COVID-19 on male sexual function in the acute and recovery phases, and the effects of the virus on male reproductive organs and hormones. This review provides a recent assessment of the literature regarding the impact of COVID-19 and its vaccine on male sexual health and reproduction.
New outlier in B.1.1.529 (Omicron-related) · Issue #367 · cov-lineages/pango-designation
A new diverse genome has appeared within the B.1.1.529 lineage that has all of the shared mutations of B.1.1.529, some of the mutations unique to BA.1 and some unique to BA.2 plus a few of its own....
„Covid-Nachwirkungen sind häufiger als wir denken“ - MRI DE
Joshua Kimmich kämpft nach seiner Corona-Erkrankung mit Infiltrationen in der Lunge. Was hat es damit auf sich – und was kann das für seine Karriere als Fußballprofi bedeuten? …
Seasonal human coronavirus antibodies are boosted upon SARS-CoV-2 infection but not associated with protection
Analysis of human serum samples before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
show that antibodies against common seasonal human coronaviruses are cross-reactive
against SARS-CoV-2 but do not confer cross-protection against infection or hospitalization.
Hybrid immunity
COVID-19 vaccine responses provide insights into how the immune system perceives threats
Breakthrough Infections with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Despite Booster Dose of mRNA Vaccine
Based on its genetic profile and preliminary in vitro and epidemiological data, the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is predicted to evade immune res
The epidemiological relevance of the COVID-19-vaccinated population is increasing
High COVID-19 vaccination rates were expected to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2
in populations by reducing the number of possible sources for transmission and thereby
to reduce the burden of COVID-19 disease. Recent data, however, indicate that the
epidemiological relevance of COVID-19 vaccinated individuals is increasing. In the
UK it was described that secondary attack rates among household contacts exposed to
fully vaccinated index cases was similar to household contacts exposed to unvaccinated
index cases (25% for vaccinated vs 23% for unvaccinated).