Researchers find that COVID-19 infection increases diabetes risk
Cedars-Sinai’s Smidt Heart Institute investigators found that people who have had COVID-19 have an increased risk for new-onset type 2 diabetes, a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease. The findings, published February 14 in JAMA Network Open, also suggest that vaccination prior to infection may help to reduce risk of post-infection diabetes. Read More
Paxlovid effective against Omicron subvariants in study
Colorado researchers investigated the effectiveness of the drug nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, in non-hospitalized patients during a time period in which Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 were prevalent. Read More
Researchers discover small molecules that render spike proteins harmless
The infamous spike proteins on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 enable it to bind with and enter human cells. Because of their key role in spreading infection, these spike proteins are one of the main targets for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Read More
Vaccine effectiveness against Omicron variants may change over time
Researchers from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts collaborated on a case-control study and found that two vaccines were generally effective over time against severe outcomes from SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection. The research, published February 3 in the journal JAMA Network Open, also showed that protection among older individuals was more likely to wane six months after the second dose. Read More
Reviewing the COVID-19 response
Members of a policy forum have reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of the National Institute of Health-led research response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lessons learned thus far. Read More
University of Missouri researchers say specific long-COVID symptoms fewer than expected
University of Missouri (MU) researchers have reported an unexpected discovery: people experiencing persistent COVID-19 effects -- known as long COVID -- are susceptible to developing only seven symptoms from a list of 47 top-reported long COVID symptoms for up to a year following infection. Read More
Study suggests immune response to anticancer checkpoint inhibitors unaffected by COVID-19 vaccination
Immune checkpoint inhibitors perform comparably in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, allaying concerns that injections given to protect against COVID-19 will interfere with cancer treatment. Read More
Researchers discover antibodies that recognize all SARS-CoV-2 variants
Scientists at Switzerland’s Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) and their collaborators pored through over 10 million coronavirus sequences to discover that some portions of the virus spike were remarkably unchanged, despite the many currently circulating virus variants. The research, published on January 26 in Science Immunology, also revealed that certain antibodies recognize all SARS-CoV-2 variants, along with other human disease-causing coronaviruses. Read More
COVID-19 immune response strengthens over time
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) researchers found that the more time between vaccination and infection, the greater the strength of the immunity from COVID-19. The findings, published on Thursday in the Journal for Clinical Investigation Insight, suggest that people who’ve had COVID-19 can benefit from vaccination, even if they’ve delayed it. Read More
mRNA COVID-19 booster rates low among immunocompromised
Researchers have found low adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mRNA monovalent COVID-19 booster recommendations among immunocompromised individuals. Read More
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