COVID-19

CMS Interim Final Rule on mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for all facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid potentially impacts pharmacies that provide services under a contract or arrangement with these facilities.

If authorized, ritonavir could be prescribed broadly as an at-home treatment to help reduce COVID-19 severity, hospitalizations, and deaths, as well as to reduce the probability of infection following exposure among adults.

Trends to watch include increased spending on drugs and treatments, expansion of pharmacists' role, and ongoing interest in home infusion therapy.

Study results show that those with lymphoproliferative disorders are the most likely to develop the virus after vaccination.

Parents or legal guardians of children in this age range are now able to schedule appointments for vaccination.

A single 1200 mg subcutaneous dose of casirivimab and imdevimab (Regen-COV, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals), a preventative COVID-19 treatment, reduced the risk of contracting COVID-19 by 81.6% during months 2-8, according to additional results from a phase 3 trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The company plans to submit data to the European Medicines Agency, FDA, and other global regulators.

Michael Hogue joins Ed Cohen and John Beckner to dig deeper into vaccine hesitancy, boosters, and other topics in the immunization space.

Structural changes to the COVID-19 virus highlight the need to expand the research efforts.

The difference between individuals who were vaccinated and had the infection were higher at different intervals than for those who were unvaccinated.

A new poll shows that this year 64% of individuals between aged 50 and 64 years say they already got or are likely to get their influenza shots up from 54% last year.

In addition to the prevention of disease in children, COVID-19 vaccination can also limit disruptions in school attendance so that children can participate safely in school and other activities.

Study shows that about half the pediatric cases were symptomatic compared with 88% for individuals aged 18 years and older.

Pharmacists and technicians have an opportunity to prove their value as immunizers now that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for use in children ages 5 to 11.

The results also showed they were nearly 20 times more effective at preventing hospitalizations from the virus for individuals older than 65 than a prior infection alone.

The results of a study show that individuals who received 3 doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine had a 93% lower risk of hospitalization than those who had just 2.

Among those who were infected with the delta variant (126), 25% were fully immunized and 38% were unvaccinated, study results show.

Mathematical model from Penn State shows an alternative to business shutdowns and stay-at-home orders that are unsustainable over time.

Linda Mendonça, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, president of the National Association of School Nurses, discusses a new poll released by the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project and the National Association of School Nurses about parents’ plans to vaccinate their school-aged children.

These biomarkers may be able to control inflammation in the body once infected with COVID-19 and can help determine the seriousness of the infection, the researchers noted.

Investigators reviewed 65 analyses published in the Journal of Affective Disorders showing that by mid-2020 signs were comparable to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Pfizer and BioNTech have also announced that they will be providing the US government with an additional 50 million of the 10 μg doses, with an expected delivery by April 30, 2022.

The investigators said this study is one of the first to measure the impairment and impact of post-acute COVID syndrome on patients.

The investigators evaluated and compared the immune responses induced by the 3 vaccines over the course of an 8-month follow-up period.