Free At-Home COVID Tests and Paxlovid

David Winter, MD, at Baylor Scott & White Health, answers the most common patient questions and reacts to the latest medical research. Are COVID cases starting to go down? (SOT@ :14, TRT :49) How reliable are at-home COVID tests? Can…

Study suggests longer time between COVID-19 vaccines more effective for some

A recent Houston Methodist study may offer some guidance on when certain populations should get their next booster. A research team of computational medicine and data scientists from the Houston Methodist Research Institute predicted the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines with a math model they developed, and also found that current CDC dosing intervals may require customization to protect all individuals alike.

Third Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Offers Needed Boost in Protection for Cirrhosis Patients

New research led by researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and published in the Journal of Hepatology, suggests that getting a third dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine could overcome the decreased vaccine respons in cirrhosis patients and offer strong protection against the virus, severe illness, and death from COVID-19.

NCCN Updates Recommendations for COVID-19 Vaccination with Information on Bivalent Vaccines, Children with Cancer, and Other Developments

National Comprehensive Cancer Network Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination and Pre-exposure Prophylaxis details clarified expert consensus to help guide providers on latest data and information, available at NCCN.org/covid-19.

Myocarditis risk significantly higher after COVID-19 infection vs. after a COVID-19 vaccine

In a detailed analysis of nearly 43 million people, ages 13 and older, who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in England, the risk of myocarditis in unvaccinated individuals after COVID-19 infection was at least 11 times higher compared to people who developed myocarditis after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine or booster dose between December 1, 2020 and December 15, 2021, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation.

Q&A: Advice for a Healthy, Stress-Free Return to School

For the past two-plus years, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted children’s education and frustrated parents. Today, with the back-to-school season in full swing, Suzanne Silverstein, MA, ART, founding director of Cedars-Sinai Share & Care, and Rose Bisellach, RN, nurse manager in the Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center Emergency Room, give their best advice for starting a successful school year.

Most older adults ready to roll up sleeves this fall for updated COVID-19 boosters, U-M poll shows

A new poll shows that 61% of people over 50 who have already gotten at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine are very likely to roll up their sleeves this fall to get an updated booster shot once they become available.
That percentage might increase if health care providers specifically recommend the updated vaccine to their patients, the poll suggests.

Scientists develop effective intranasal mumps-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate

New research has advanced COVID-19 vaccine work in several ways: using a modified live attenuated mumps virus for delivery, showing that a more stable coronavirus spike protein stimulates a stronger immune response, and suggesting a dose up the nose has an advantage over a shot.

COVID-19 vaccination appears to be safe for patients treated for hypothyroidism

Inactivated and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines appear to be safe for patients treated for hypothyroidism,
according to a new study being presented at ENDO 2022, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Ga. The study found these vaccines do not cause significant fluctuations in thyroid function and are not associated with increased risks of emergency department visits or unscheduled hospitalizations.

COVID-19 vaccine incentives get mixed reception from young people

Offering teens and young adults a chance at a college scholarship, cash, discounts or just some free food might help move the needle on COVID-19 vaccination rates, a new study suggests. In all, 82% of people between the ages of 14 and 24 have a positive attitude toward prizes, raffles, giveaways, and other incentives designed to increase vaccination. But a sizable minority of young people have their doubts about whether such vaccine incentives will work or are ethical.

The US reaches 1 Million Deaths from COVID-19: GW Experts Available to Comment

The United States has reached 1 million reported deaths from COVID-19 and that number is likely an undercount, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The George Washington University has a number of experts to comment on the…

COVID-19 vaccine elicits weak antibody response in people taking immunosuppressant

People taking TNF inhibitors, a kind of immunosuppressive drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions, produced a weaker and shorter-lived antibody response after two doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. A third vaccine dose drove antibody levels back up, indicating that this additional dose may provide protection as the virus’s delta variant continues to spread.

Which older adults are getting flu shots and COVID boosters? Poll shows variation

With two viruses threatening to make older adults sick this winter, a new poll shows most people over 50 have gotten protected by vaccines against both influenza and coronavirus, or plan to. And a majority of those who have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine plan to get an additional dose. But the poll also reveals major differences in vaccine attitudes between older adults, including those of different political leanings.

COVID-19 Vaccine Gets Strong Response in Some With Weak Immunity

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai found that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)─whose treatment can weaken the immune system─produced a strong antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination. The study findings have been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

NYU Langone Presentations at American College of Rheumatology Convergence 2021 to Address Vaccine Efficacy and High-risk Pregnancy

NYU Langone rheumatologists are presenting their discoveries at the annual American College of Rheumatology conference, November 1 to November 9. The conference will be held virtually.

FDA authorization of COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5 to 11: IU experts available to comment

Following a daylong meeting Oct. 26, the FDA authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children ages 5 to 11. This was the first in a series of meetings to make this vaccine available to younger children. Next, the Advisory…

Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Show Robust T-Cell Responses to mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines

New research shows that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients undergoing anti-CD20 (aCD20) treatment – which depletes the B cells that contribute to the MS attacks – are able to mount robust T-cell responses to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, despite having a muted antibody response to the vaccines.

The Lancet: Scientific evidence to date on COVID-19 vaccine efficacy does not support boosters for general population, expert review concludes

An expert review by an international group of scientists, including some at the WHO and FDA, concludes that, even for the delta variant, vaccine efficacy against severe COVID is so high that booster doses for the general population are not appropriate at this stage in the pandemic.

“Automated Vaccine Filling Machine”, An Innovation from Chulalongkorn University, Helps Boost the Number of Vaccinations by 20 Percent, and Reduce the Workload of Medical Personnel

The Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University has developed an automated vaccine filling machine that can fill AstraZeneca vaccine into syringes with precision, speed, and safety, helping to increase the number of vaccinated people by 20 percent. The prototype is now operating at Chula Vaccination Center and more machines are planned to be built to support frontline medical personnel in many vaccination centers soon.

COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine that Uses Fundamental Penn Technology Receives FDA Approval

PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the first full approval to a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, which uses modified mRNA technology invented and developed by scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, whose years of research in mRNA science laid a critical piece of the foundation for the largest global vaccination campaign in history.

Cancer Guidelines Organization Supports Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination for Health Workers

National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) COVID-19 Vaccination Advisory Committee calls for healthcare workforce vaccine requirements to assure healthcare community is doing all it can to prevent exposure to COVID-19.

American Society of Anesthesiologists Strongly Encourages all Health Care Personnel to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Amid the new surge of COVID-19 cases across the U.S., the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and eight professional societies associated with the specialty, are strongly encouraging the nation’s health care workers and all eligible Americans to get fully vaccinated with one of the COVID-19 vaccines. ASA and the associated societies remind the public that widespread vaccination is the most effective way to reduce illness and death.