Monthly Archives: October 2021

The effect of mass vaccination on COVID-19 mortality in Israel

A team of scientists from Israel and the USA has recently examined the efficacy of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in reducing the death risk among people aged 70 years and above. They observe that despite government-imparted relaxation on non-pharmaceutical control measures, the vaccine saved more lives than expected by individual-level vaccine efficacy.

Alteration in gut microbiome may lead to hyperinflammation in severe COVID-19

A team of international scientists has recently identified a distinct set of proinflammatory mediators and metabolites associated with the fatal consequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Moreover, they have established a link between gut microbiome alteration and hyper-inflammatory response in patients with severe COVID-19. The study is currently available on the […]

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant A.30 efficiently evades vaccine-induced immunity

A recent study published in the journal Cellular & Molecular Immunology shows that a new A.30 variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can evade vaccine-induced antibodies and might spread outside the lungs extraordinarily well, with important implications for our public health response.

Study shows COVID vaccination highly protective against death, especially for older age groups

Researchers from the UK used EAVE II, an individual-level, national surveillance system, to determine the frequency of COVID-19-related fatalities among fully vaccinated individuals and to define the clinical and demographic characteristics of COVID-19 deaths in fully vaccinated individuals since the beginning of the COVID-19 vaccination program in Scotland.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women’s perceptions and concerns about COVID-19 vaccines

Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination is one of the most important ways of fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the recommendations for vaccination for pregnant and breastfeeding women are not consistent.

Large U.S. study finds majority of mRNA COVID-19 side effects are mild and temporary

A new study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, analyzed safety data from over 298 million mRNA COVID-19 vaccines administered in the first six months after the U.S. began its vaccination campaign.

Neurological complications are higher with SARS-CoV-2 infection than COVID vaccine, study finds

Research published in the journal Nature Medicine suggests a risk for neurological complications after the first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, the likelihood of developing neurological complications remains far greater among people infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Clinical assay validation for SARS-CoV-2 sequencing using Swift Biosciences amplicon panel

The current study used the guidelines of the FDA to validate the one-tube SARS-CoV-2 Swift Normalase Amplicon Panel Version 2.0 from Swift Biosciences.