(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the new coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Vaccinating adults also seems to protect children
New data from Israel, where health officials moved quickly to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE, suggests that vaccinating adults also does not protect vaccinated people living around them. About a third of Maccabi Healthcare Services’ (MHS) 1.95 million members – all older than 16 – received at least a single vaccine dose by 30 January. In analyzing the results in 223 communities, researchers found that as the number of vaccinated adults increased, infection rates among unvaccinated MHS members decreased in the same community – especially among children. MHS is Israel’s second largest health care organization. “While the perceived protection of unvaccinated vaccine is encouraging, further studies are needed to understand whether and how it can support the prospect of herd immunity and disease eradication,” the researchers said in the study. the conclusion came Wednesday on medRxiv before peer review. (bit.ly/3wnIVVf)
Bar opening event in Illinois linked to 46 cases of COVID-19
An indoor celebration of a pub opening in rural Illinois in February led to 46 new cases of COVID-19 and greater consequences, according to a U.S. study that serves as a warning about how such events could affect local communities. Four participants had COVID-19 symptoms that day. Of the 46 coronavirus infections linked to the party, there were 26 cases among patrons, three staff members and 17 “secondary cases” in people infected by them, according to a report released Monday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the US has been published. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The secondary cases included children and residents of long-term care facilities. “Transfer related to the opening event led to one closure of the school which affected 650 children (9,100 lost personal days of the school), and admitted a resident of a long-term care facility with COVID-19 to the hospital,” he said. researchers said. “These findings show that opening up institutions such as bars, where mask wear and physical distance are difficult, may increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 spreading in the community.” Businesses need to work with local health officials to promote behaviors and maintain environments that reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 spread and develop strategies to reopen safely to prevent outbreaks in the community, such as plants and work procedures to adapt, ‘they said. (bit.ly/3mtsoKU)
Congenital heart disease does not aggravate COVID-19 risks
According to the international study, adults with congenital heart disease are no more likely than the average person to have or die of severe COVID-19. Risk factors associated with poor outcomes in these individuals are the same as those associated with the general public – older age, male gender, a history of heart failure, irregular heart rhythm, kidney problems, diabetes and extra oxygen before UMLA Jamil Aboulhosn Adult Congenital Heart Center said co-author Dr. Jamil Aboulhosn is infected with the coronavirus. Researchers analyzed data from 1,044 adults with COVID-19 from 58 congenital heart disease centers worldwide. Even people with very complex heart disorders did not appear to be at increased risk for severe COVID-19, as long as they did not have severe signs and symptoms of heart disease, Aboulhosn said, calling the finding ‘somewhat surprising’. The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (bit.ly/2PPhFxQ; bit.ly/2OcdzQ0)
Stroke patients with COVID-19 have worse outcomes
Among the patients who went to a hospital because they had a stroke, those who tested positive for COVID-19 were more likely to die there, a new study shows. The patients with COVID-19 also had more severe strokes and had a stroke while being admitted to the hospital, researchers report in the journal Stroke. They studied nearly 42,000 patients who arrived at 458 hospitals with ischemic stroke, caused by blockages in the arteries that carry blood to the brain. About 3% of patients tested positive for COVID-19. On average, they came to the hospital just as quickly as patients without coronavirus infection. After that, things slowed down. “This is probably due to the need for the use of personal protective equipment and other precautions” by hospital staff, it took longer before patients of COVID-19 receive blood clot treatments that reopen the clogged vessels, said Dr. Gregg Fonarow of the University of the study said. California, Los Angeles. The study could not prove that the delay in treatment caused the worse outcomes. However, Fonarow said: “these findings suggest that stroke protocols need to be further improved to more quickly diagnose and treat patients with (ischemic stroke) to speed up care, while still protecting health workers from exposure.” (bit.ly/3sLF2Hp)
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Reporting by Nancy Lapid, Marilynn Larkin and Megan Brooks; Edited by Bill Berkrot