COVID-19

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.

Community pharmacies and organizations can collaborate to tailor strategies and interventions and address the challenges and specific needs of the community.

Expert panelists addressed concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine costs, availability, efficacy, and timing.

By educating their patients on the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, pharmacists can have an even greater impact by increasing vaccine uptake in historically underserved groups.

Compared with COVID-19 vaccination alone, recent study findings show health care workers who received both a COVID-19 booster and influenza vaccinations did not have lower immune response or more frequent adverse events.

The CDC emphasized the need for protein-based vaccine options in endorsing a vote by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the universal recommendation of the 2023-2024 monovalent, XBB containing COVID-19 vaccines.

Failing to protect the elderly from disease has consequences beyond nursing homes.

Senate Bill 219 will also allow pharmacists to independently administer influenza and COVID-19 tests waived by the clinical laboratory improvement amendments.

FDA grants updated Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines with emergency use authorization to target currently circulating variants of the virus.

With the emergence of BA.2.86, and the growing prevalence of EG.5 and FL1.5.1, there is a need for updated vaccines against COVID-19 to help decrease severe disease and hospitalizations.

Understanding the virus protein’s insertion mechanisms can be useful in creating new COVID-19 vaccine targets.

AI is revolutionizing pharmacy practice by improving medication management, streamlining workflow, and enhancing patient safety and outcomes.

Although the pandemic has negatively influenced the care that patients with cardiovascular conditions receive, the study authors found that there were not significant inequities regarding patients’ race.

In a previous trial, DARE-19, investigators reported that the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin did not benefit patients with COVID-19 who had cardiometabolic risk factors.

The pharmacy is no longer considered to offer full service (or to be financially sustainable) without a robust vaccination practice.

Despite study findings showing that 1 in 5 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 developed persistent high blood pressure, many had underlying risk factors.

Technology and regulations can revolutionize drug manufacturing and ensure a stable supply of medications.

This technique may be applied to transdermal applications, such as shot-free vaccines.

Investigators determined that there needs to be an evaluation of harm caused by pharmacy professionals who are in unique positions on social media, propagating misinformation about COVID-19, vaccines, treatment, masks, and other conspiracy theories.

The drug is the first approved antiviral COVID-19 treatment that could be used across all stages of liver disease.