Covid19-Sources

These landscape documents have been prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) for information purposes only concerning the 2019-2020 global of the novel coronavirus.

Continued evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has led to the emergence of several new Omicron subvariants, including BQ.1, BQ. 1.1, BA.4.6, BF.7 and BA.2.75.2. Here we examine the neutralization resistance of these subvariants, as well as their ancestral BA.4/5, BA.2.75 and D614G variants, against sera from 3-dose vaccinated health care workers, hospitalized BA.1-wave patients, and BA.5-wave patients. We found enhanced neutralization resistance in all new subvariants, especially the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants driven by a key N460K mutation, and to a lesser extent, R346T and K444T mutations, as well as the BA.2.75.2 subvariant driven largely by its F486S mutation. The BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants also exhibited enhanced fusogenicity and S processing dictated by the N460K mutation. Interestingly, the BA.2.75.2 subvariant saw an enhancement by the F486S mutation and a reduction by the D1199N mutation to its fusogenicity and S processing, resulting in minimal overall change. Molecular modelling revealed the mechanisms of receptor-binding and non-receptor binding monoclonal antibody-mediated immune evasion by R346T, K444T, F486S and D1199N mutations. Altogether, these findings shed light on the concerning evolution of newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Understanding the evolution of antibody immunity following heterologous SAR-CoV-2 breakthrough infection will inform the development of next-generation vaccines. Here, we tracked SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific antibody responses up to six months following Omicron BA.1 breakthrough infection in mRNA-vaccinated individuals. Cross-reactive serum neutralizing antibody and memory B cell (MBC) responses declined by two- to four-fold through the study period. Breakthrough infection elicited minimal de novo Omicron-specific B cell responses but drove affinity maturation of pre-existing cross-reactive MBCs toward BA.1. Public clones dominated the neutralizing antibody response at both early and late time points, and their escape mutation profiles predicted newly emergent Omicron sublineages. The results demonstrate that heterologous SARS-CoV-2 variant exposure drives the evolution of B cell memory and suggest that convergent neutralizing antibody responses continue to shape viral evolution. ### Competing Interest Statement C.I.K. is a former employee and holds shares in Adimab. LLC. P.K., H.L.D., E.R.C., and J.C.G. are current employees and hold shares in Adimab LLC. L.M.W. is an employee and holds shares in Invivyd Inc. T.N.S. and J.D.B. consult with Apriori Bio. J.D.B. has consulted for Moderna and Merck on viral evolution and epidemiology. D.R.B. is a consultant for IAVI, Invivyd, Adimab, Mabloc, VosBio, Nonigenex, and Radiant. C.I.K. and L.M.W. are inventors on a provisional patent application describing the SARS CoV 2 antibodies reported in this work. T.N.S. and J.D.B. may receive a share of intellectual property revenue as inventors on Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center optioned technology and patents related to deep mutational scanning of viral proteins. The other authors declare that they have no competing interests.

We recently discovered a superantigen-like motif sequentially and structurally similar to a staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) segment, near the S1/S2 cleavage site of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which might explain the multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) observed in children and the cytokin …

HIV researchers who have made the crossover to studying long COVID-19 are finding unmistakable similarities, but coronaviruses are not retroviruses like HIV, nor are they sexually transmitted like HIV.

Australian researchers have for the first time discovered COVID-19 causes DNA damage to the heart, giving clues to why the diseases causes heart complications in some people.

COVID-19 causes cardiac dysfunction in up to 50% of patients, but the pathogenesis remains unclear. Infection of human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes with SARS-CoV-2 revealed robust transcriptomic and morphological signatures of damage in cardiomyocytes. These morphological signatures include a distinct pattern of sarcomere fragmentation, with specific cleavage of thick filaments, and numerous iPSC-cardiomyocytes that lacked nuclear DNA. Human autopsy specimens from COVID-19 patients also displayed marked sarcomeric disruption and similar fragmentation, as well as prevalently enucleated cardiomyocytes. These striking transcriptomic and cytopathic changes provide a roadmap to understand the mechanisms of COVID-19 cardiac damage, search for potential treatments, and determine the basis for prolonged cardiac morbidity observed in this pandemic.

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and its numerous sub-lineages have exhibited a striking ability to evade humoral immune responses induced by prior vaccination or infection. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently granted Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) to new bivalent formulations of the original Moderna and Pfizer mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that target both the ancestral strain as well as the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 variant. Despite their widespread use as a vaccine boost, little is known about the antibody responses induced in humans. Here, we collected sera from several clinical cohorts: individuals after three or four doses of the original monovalent mRNA vaccines, individuals receiving the new bivalent vaccines as a fourth dose, and individuals with BA.4/BA.5 breakthrough infection following mRNA vaccination. Using pseudovirus neutralization assays, these sera were tested for neutralization against an ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain, several Omicron sub-lineages, and several related sarbecoviruses. At ~3-5 weeks post booster shot, individuals who received a fourth vaccine dose with a bivalent mRNA vaccine targeting BA.4/BA.5 had similar neutralizing antibody titers as those receiving a fourth monovalent mRNA vaccine against all SARS-CoV-2 variants tested, including BA.4/BA.5. Those who received a fourth monovalent vaccine dose had a slightly higher neutralizing antibody titers than those who received the bivalent vaccine against three related sarbecoviruses: SARS-CoV, GD-Pangolin, and WIV1. When given as a fourth dose, a bivalent mRNA vaccine targeting Omicron BA.4/BA.5 and an ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain did not induce superior neutralizing antibody responses in humans, at the time period tested, compared to the original monovalent vaccine formulation. ### Competing Interest Statement D.D.H. is a co-founder of TaiMed Biologics and RenBio, consultant to WuXi Biologics and Brii Biosciences, and board director for Vicarious Surgical. Aubree Gordon serves on a scientific advisory board for Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Other authors declare no competing interests.

There has been substantial research on adult COVID-19 and how to treat it. But how do severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections afflict children? The COVID-19 pandemic has yielded many surprises, not least that children generally develop less severe disease than older adults, which is unusual for a respiratory disease. However, some children can develop serious complications from COVID-19, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and Long Covid, even after mild or asymptomatic COVID-19. Why this occurs in some and not others is an important question. Moreover, when children do contract COVID-19, understanding their role in transmission, especially in schools and at home, is crucial to ensuring effective mitigation measures. Therefore, in addition to nonpharmaceutical interventions, such as improved ventilation, there is a strong case to vaccinate children so as to reduce possible long-term effects from infection and to decrease transmission. But questions remain about whether vaccination might skew immune responses to variants in the long term. As the experts discuss below, more is being learned about these important issues, but much more research is needed to understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 in children.

The current report presents the case of a 76-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who died three weeks after receiving his third COVID-19 vaccination. The patient was first vaccinated in May 2021 with the ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vector vaccine, followed by two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in July and December 2021. The family of the deceased requested an autopsy due to ambiguous clinical signs before death. PD was confirmed by post-mortem examinations. Furthermore, signs of aspiration pneumonia and systemic arteriosclerosis were evident. However, histopathological analyses of the brain uncovered previously unsuspected findings, including acute vasculitis (predominantly lymphocytic) as well as multifocal necrotizing encephalitis of unknown etiology with pronounced inflammation including glial and lymphocytic reaction. In the heart, signs of chronic cardiomyopathy as well as mild acute lympho-histiocytic myocarditis and vasculitis were present. Although there was no history of COVID-19 for this patient, immunohistochemistry for SARS-CoV-2 antigens (spike and nucleocapsid proteins) was performed. Surprisingly, only spike protein but no nucleocapsid protein could be detected within the foci of inflammation in both the brain and the heart, particularly in the endothelial cells of small blood vessels. Since no nucleocapsid protein could be detected, the presence of spike protein must be ascribed to vaccination rather than to viral infection. The findings corroborate previous reports of encephalitis and myocarditis caused by gene-based COVID-19 vaccines.

#Nature: Durch #SARSCoV2 entstehen schwerwiegende Folgen für #Patienten & #GesellschaftPatienten, die die ersten 30 Tage einer akuten #SARSCoV2-Erkrankung überleben, haben nach 1 Jahr ein erhöhtes Risiko für neurologische Erkrankungen #LongCovid https://t.co/N5n5eFSykk— Bert Weingarten (@WeingartenDE) October 4, 2022

IMPORTANCE During the COVID-19 pandemic children and adolescents were massively infected worldwide. In 2022 reinfections became increasingly common and they may continue to be a main feature of the endemic phase of SARS-CoV-2. It is important to understand the epidemiology and clinical impact of reinfections. OBJECTIVE To assess the incidence, risk, and severity of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in children and adolescents. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A population-level observational study was performed using surveillance data from the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia between March 6, 2020 and April 30, 2022 with follow-up until July 31, 2022. The population-based sample consisted of 32 524 residents of Vojvodina

Auch Kinder und Jugendliche können nach leichten Verläufen Long-COVID-Symptome entwickeln. Wir sprachen mit dem Jenaer Kinderarzt Daniel Vilser darüber.

COVID könnte mehrere Organe 3-4 Jahre schneller altern lassen Nach über zweieinhalb Jahren #COVID-Forschung sehen die Wissenschaftler die ersten Daten, die eine dramatische Veränderung der menschlichen Organe nach einer #COVID19-Infektion belegen.#LongCovid #Corona pic.twitter.com/j93mIjmFof— Ralf Wittenbrink (@RWittenbrink) October 18, 2022

Nature Human Behaviour - In 2021, life expectancies returned to pre-pandemic levels in parts of western Europe but further worsened in eastern Europe, the United States and Chile. Life expectancy...

Der Epidemiologe Jeremy Farrar erklärt in einem Interview, dass die Corona-Pandemie nie vorbei sein werde. „Jetzt sind die Dinge viel komplexer. Wir treten gerade in eine neue Phase der Pandemie ein", so der Experte.

This report describes three-dose monovalent COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalization during Omicron predominance.

Zur Zeit kochen einmal wieder die Behauptungen hoch, dass jemand gezeigt habe, dass das Pandemie-verursachende Virus SARS-CoV-2 aus einem chinesischen Labor stamme. Da solche Behauptungen immer wieder aufkommen, möchte ich mit Euch nicht nur im Detail auf ein bestimmtes Preprint eingehen, sondern die Sache etwas allgemeiner betrachten. Und ja, das

Eine Untersuchung fand keinen Zusammenhang zwischen Impfung und Geburtenrate. Forscher haben zudem Impfstoff-mRNA in Muttermilch nachgewiesen, sie sei aber unbedenklich

Studiensammlung 🧵: #LongCOVID und das GehirnMit Bitte um Retweet, bitte tragt Maske und schützt Euch 🙏💛🧠🌈1/x— LangzeitCOVID (@LangzeitC) October 2, 2022

This cohort study conducted using nationwide registers assesses the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis after SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA vaccinations in a combined population of 23.1 million individuals across Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

Studie zur Verminderung Lebenserwartung während SARS-CoV2-Pandemie. TL;DR: Am ausgeprägtesten in ost-europäischen Ländern und den USA. Klare Korrelation mit Impfquote. Wer sich impfen lässt, lebt länger (und besser, Langzeitfolgen sind auch kein Spass).https://t.co/21n5HZ7Rdb pic.twitter.com/HXiO5fWDsH— Jan Hartmann (@pelagicbird) October 18, 2022

September 20, 2022 — Children and adolescents who have either recovered from COVID-19 or have long COVID show persistent lung damage on MRI, according to a

Background Long COVID occurs in lower frequency in children and adolescents than in adults. Morphologic and free-breathing phase-resolved functional low-field MRI may identify persistent pulmonary manifestations after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Purpose To characterize both morphologic and functional changes of lung parenchyma on low-field MRI in children and adolescents with post COVID-19 compared with healthy controls. Materials and Methods Between August and December 2021, a cross-sectional, prospective clinical trial using low-field MRI was performed in children and adolescents from a single academic medical center. The primary outcome was the frequency of morphologic changes on MRI. Secondary outcomes included MRI-derived functional proton ventilation and perfusion parameters. Clinical symptoms, the duration from positive RT-PCR test and serological parameters were compared with imaging results. Nonparametric tests for pairwise and corrected tests for groupwise comparisons were applied to assess differences in healthy controls, recovered participants and with long COVID. Results A total of 54 participants post COVID-19 infection (mean age, 11 years ±3 [SD], 56 males) and 9 healthy controls (mean age, 10 years ±3 [SD], 70 males) were included: 29 (54%) in the COVID-19 group had recovered from infection and 25 (46%) were classified as having long COVID on the day of enrollment. Morphologic abnormality was identified in one recovered participant. Both ventilated and perfused lung parenchyma (V/Q match) was reduced from 81±6.1% in healthy controls to 62±19% (P =.006) in the recovered group and 60±20% (P=.003) in the long COVID group. V/Q match was lower in post COVID patients with infection less than 180 days (63±20%, P=.03), 180 to 360 days (63±18%, P=0.03) and 360 days ago (41±12%, P

Acta Pharmacologica Sinica - Endothelial dysfunction in COVID-19: an overview of evidence, biomarkers, mechanisms and potential therapies

Lauren Nichols, a 34-year-old logistics expert for the U.S. Department of Transportation in Boston, has been suffering from impaired thinking and focus, fatigue, seizures, headache and pain since her COVID-19 infection in the spring of 2020.

Swaminathan said they are also tracking derivatives of BA.5 and BA.1, which are also more transmissible and immune-evasive.

This duo now makes up more than 11% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

Continuous evolution of Omicron has led to numerous subvariants that exhibit growth advantage over BA.5. Such rapid and simultaneous emergence of variants with enormous advantages is unprecedented. Despite their rapidly divergent evolutionary courses, mutations on their receptor-binding domain (RBD) converge on several hotspots, including R346, K356, K444, L452, N460K and F486. The driving force and destination of such convergent evolution and its impact on humoral immunity established by vaccination and infection remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that these convergent mutations can cause striking evasion of convalescent plasma, including those from BA.5 breakthrough infection, and existing antibody drugs, including Evusheld and Bebtelovimab. BR.2, CA.1, BQ.1.1, BM.1.1.1, and especially XBB, are the most antibody-evasive strain tested, far exceeding BA.5 and approaching SARS-CoV-1 level. To delineate the origin of the convergent evolution, we determined the escape mutation profiles and neutralization activity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from BA.2 and BA.5 breakthrough-infection convalescents. Importantly, due to humoral immune imprinting, BA.2 and especially BA.5 breakthrough infection caused significant reductions in the epitope diversity of neutralizing antibodies and increased proportion of non-neutralizing mAbs, which in turn concentrated humoral immune pressure and promoted the convergent RBD evolution. Additionally, the precise convergent RBD mutations and evolution trends of BA.2.75/BA.5 subvariants could be inferred by integrating the neutralization-weighted DMS profiles of mAbs from various immune histories (3051 mAbs in total). Moreover, we demonstrated that as few as five additional convergent mutations based on BA.5 or BA.2.75 could completely evade most plasma samples, including those from BA.5 breakthrough infection, while retaining sufficient hACE2-binding affinity. These results suggest that current herd immunity and BA.5 vaccine boosters may not provide sufficiently broad protection against infection. Broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and NAb drugs development should be of high priority, and the constructed convergent mutants could serve to examine their effectiveness in advance. ### Competing Interest Statement X.S.X and Y.C. are co-founders of Singlomics Biopharmaceuticals and listed as inventors on patents related to DXP-604, SA55, and SA58. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

The BA.5 subvariant still accounts for more than 90 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in Ontario but experts are now keeping a close eye on the spread of two other subvariants which they say could end up factoring into the next wave of the pandemic.