COVID-19

Despite adhering to rules and restrictions throughout the pandemic, community pharmacies remain accessible to the public and have worked on the frontlines.

Stress may have more of an effect on migraines than COVID-19 infection or vaccination.

From newsworthy moments to groundbreaking research, these were the most-read coronavirus-related articles on Pharmacy Times in 2023.

Families that reported a lower income before the pandemic were more likely to experience hardships if headed by an adult with COVID-19 illness.

The antibody response among those that interrupted treatment was doubled at 4 weeks and 1.5 times greater at 26 weeks.

Older individuals and individuals that experienced severe COVID-19 are at high risk of increased cardiac disturbances.

Fractional COVID-19 dosing resulted in fewer adverse effects and costs while producing similar immune responses compared to a full dose vaccine.

With wider testing available, diagnosing COVID-19 has become easier and many patients now have access to important treatment options.

Regardless of which of these vaccines patients receive, as long as they receive them according to the prescribed schedules, they can protect themselves and their community against the COVID-19 virus.

Researchers provided recommendations based on the current status of COVID-19 infection and role of therapies.

Even with the current available treatment options, it is important to recognize the importance of masking, particularly for those with immunocompromised conditions.

Homemade indoor air filters can trap and remove 99% of airborne viruses.

Counseling is particularly important for pediatric patients or those with other medical conditions

Both newly approved shots possess activity against subvariant EG5.1, which represents an estimated 21.5% of currently circulating variants

Women with inflammation during COVID-19 infection are at higher risk for Long Covid symptoms, according to study results.

Changes in gene expression could ultimately boost the production of inflammatory cytokines.

AI may help to significantly speed up drug discovery and development, and help researchers end the treatment-resistant infection crisis before it’s too late.

Oldest adults should be prioritized for vaccinations as they remain high risk for severe conditions if infected.

An overview of updated CDC ACIP recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines available through commercial channels for the 2023-2024 season.

The study results also indicate no significant difference of venous thromboembolism risk between individuals with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and individuals without.

Study authors suggest that immunocompromised patients may greatly benefit from nirmatrelvir and ritonavir; however, there was no significant benefit shown in lower-risk patients.

The use of nirmatrelvir or molnupiravir can aid treatment for individuals that are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19, regardless of varying demographics.

NVX-CoV2601 vaccine adjuvanted 2023-2024 formula granted EUA for the prevention of COVID-19 in those 12 years of age and older.

Although respondents reported no impacts on patient safety, workload significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and led to major burnout challenges.

Katalin Karikó, PhD, and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, win Nobel Prize for discoveries in the area of nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

Study findings showed a 10% increase in the proportion of individuals staying home due to COVID-19 policy restrictions being associated with a 0.27 increase in PHQ-9 scores for depression.

Functional exercise resulted in more improvements for individuals with PCC compared to standard treatment, although individuals must be monitored for adverse events.

To promote positive mental health outcomes, researchers urge for policy interventions that focus on home connectedness, peer friendship, and school climate while avoiding full school closures.

Pharmacists play a vital role in providing education and administering influenza, COVID-19, and RSV Vaccines

Research shows a peak of highly cited COVID-19 studies at the end of 2021 and a significant downward trend by the end of 2022.