COVID-19

In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Rita Carreón, VP of health at UnidosUS, discusses the impact of the COVID-19 educational mobile tour, launched by AARP and UnidosUS.

Michael Frank, CEO of Revive Therapeutics, discussed the results of a phase 3 trial investigating bucillamine as an oral at-home pill for the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms.

Those who are younger than aged 40 years tend to regain these senses at higher rates than those who are older.

A town hall meeting with representatives from the agencies emphasized the effectiveness and likelihood of getting a third dose of the vaccine.

Vaccine efficacy was 93% against the Delta variant at 1 month after the 2-dose vaccine regimen, although it fell to 53% after 4 months.

The phase 3 ENSEMBLE 2 study found that a booster of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine administered 56 days after the primary dose provided 94% protection against symptomatic COVID-19.

AZD7442 (AstraZeneca), a long-acting antibody combination, reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 by 77% compared to placebo.

Labcorp’s collection kit can simultaneously detect the coronavirus and influenza A/B in individuals aged 2 years and older, and results can be determined in 1 to 2 days.

Seronegative patients with COVID-19 who required low-flow or no supplemental oxygen receiving Ronapreve had significant reductions in viral load within 7 days of treatment.

With the Delta variant, there was an increase in coronavirus-related hospitalizations by more than one-third among these individuals.

Molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by approximately 50% among patients with COVID-19 who received the drug.

The main factors behind the vaccine hesitancy are the potential adverse effects post-vaccination and effect on their autoimmune conditions, as well as lack of trial data, an analysis shows.

Among 38 patients with B-cell derived malignancies who were seronegative after 2 COVID-19 vaccine doses, 55% had detectable antibodies after the third dose whereas 45% remained seronegative.

Individuals who used intranasal corticosteroids prior to being infected were about 22% less likely to be hospitalized from severe COVID-19 than those who did not.

T2D is associated with a higher mortality risk linked to the coronavirus than individuals with T1D.

The results were compared to those in the previous Pfizer-BioNTech study in people between 16 and 25 years of age who were immunized with 30 μg doses.

Co-administration of COVID-19 vaccines and flu vaccines is also available.

The COVID-19 booster doses are to be administered at least 6 months after completion of the primary 2-dose series and are the same formulation and dosage strength as the original doses.

Remdesivir demonstrated a statistically significant 87% reduction in risk for the composite primary endpoint of COVID-19-related hospitalization or all-cause death by day 28.

It demonstrated 93.2% efficacy 14 days afterward and greater than 90% for 4 or more months.

In part 2 of their discussion on COVID-19 vaccine mandates, experts Ned Milenkovich, PharmD, and Ron Lanton III, Esq., discussed how provider status could impact potential legal issues around COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

These patients had comparable levels of antibodies to individuals without the disease after a 2-dose course of the vaccination.

With the recent announcement of federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates, in addition to private businesses potentially requiring vaccines for employees, pharmacies and other health care facilities could have questions about legal issues surrounding these mandates.

Stanford research results show that of nearly 39,000 individuals, just 22 had potential allergic reactions, and all recovered.

The results are the first from a pivotal trial of any COVID-19 vaccine in children under 12 years of age, with results in children under 5 years of age expected as soon as later this year.

Sophia Humphreys, PharmD, MHA, said data are continuing to evolve around the safety and recommendations of COVID-19 booster doses, especially for the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech.

Pharmacists will need to make sure they have the necessary personal protective equipment in place to meet increased clinic activity and while keeping an eye on levels of flu vaccines and tests.

Integrating these facilities into the pharmacy supply chain strategy has become key for hospitals during the pandemic.

The panel did, however, vote to recommend the booster shots to adults over 65 years of age and those at high risk of severe COVID-19.

The results of a review by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute finds that pediatric patients who are vaccinated get protection from the long-term effects of the disease.