Here is what the editors at Physician’s Briefing chose as the most important COVID-19 developments for you and your practice for the week of Dec. 14 to 18, 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
ACAAI: Reaction to COVID-19 Vaccine Unlikely for Those With Common Allergies
FRIDAY, Dec. 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Allergic reactions to vaccines are generally rare and people with common allergies are not more likely to have a reaction to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, according to guidance released by the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
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U.S. Indigenous Communities Start Receiving COVID-19 Vaccines
FRIDAY, Dec. 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Indigenous communities in the United States have started receiving COVID-19 vaccines from federal and state agencies.
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CDC: Concerning Increase Seen in Overdose Deaths During Pandemic
FRIDAY, Dec. 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In the 12-month period ending May 2020, the highest number of overdoses ever was recorded, topping 81,000, according to a health advisory issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Tocilizumab Cuts Progression to Ventilation or Death in COVID-19
FRIDAY, Dec. 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Tocilizumab reduces the risk for progression to ventilation or death among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Infants With COVID-19 May Present With GI Symptoms
FRIDAY, Dec. 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Among 10 infants hospitalized with COVID-19, most had mild disease and most commonly presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, according to a research letter published online Dec. 14 in JAMA Network Open.
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Advisory Committee Votes to Recommend EUA for Moderna Vaccine
THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine received recommendation from a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on Thursday, clearing the way for it to become the second COVID-19 vaccine to be granted emergency use authorization.
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71 Percent in U.S. Report That They Would Get COVID-19 Vaccine
THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Seventy-one percent of the U.S. public report that they would definitely or probably get a COVID-19 vaccine, marking an increase from 63 percent in September, according to the ongoing research project, the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor.
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Suicide Mortality Up for Blacks During Closure Period of COVID-19
THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In Maryland, suicide mortality increased among Blacks and decreased among Whites during the progressive closure period of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a research letter published online Dec. 16 in JAMA Psychiatry.
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High-Income Countries Have Secured COVID-19 Vaccine Supplies
THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — High-income countries have secured supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, but access is uncertain for other countries, according to a study published online Dec. 15 in The BMJ.
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Alaska HCW First in U.S. to Have Allergic Reaction to COVID-19 Vaccine
THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2020 (Healthday News) — An Alaska health care worker is the first person in the United States reported to suffer an allergic reaction to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
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Outpatient Buprenorphine Dispensing Up During COVID-19
THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in the number of patients receiving an outpatient buprenorphine prescription in Texas, according to a research letter published in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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COVID-19 Linked to Increased All-Cause Mortality in Young Adults
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — From March to July 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increased all-cause mortality among 25- to 44-year-olds in the United States, according to a research letter published online Dec. 16 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Most Health Facilities Still Using Crisis Standards for Protective Equipment
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Many health care facilities still have crisis standards of care for use of personal protective equipment, according to the results of a survey released by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
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WHO Team Seeks to Pinpoint Source of COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A World Health Organization team of experts will examine samples and medical data from China to try to find out where the new coronavirus first made the leap from animals to people.
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Hyperglycemia, Hypoglycemia Linked to Poor Outcomes in COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with COVID-19, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia are associated with poor outcomes, according to a study published online Dec. 15 in Diabetes Care.
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Americans Showing Hesitancy Toward COVID-19 Testing
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Three in four Americans who believed they needed a COVID-19 test report that they either did not get one or delayed getting one, according to the results of a survey released by Quest Diagnostics.
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One in Five Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 Dies
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Severe acute complications are common among adults hospitalized with COVID-19, leading to an inpatient mortality rate of 20 percent, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in JAMA Network Open.
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FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Fully At-Home Test for COVID-19
TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The first nonprescription COVID-19 test that enables people to collect samples and get results at home has received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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Risk for COVID-19 Infection Increased With Common Cancers
TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Patients with 13 common cancer types have a significantly increased risk for COVID-19 infection and significantly worse outcomes, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in JAMA Oncology.
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U.S. COVID-19 Death Toll Hits 300,000 as Vaccine Rollout Begins
TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The number of Americans killed by COVID-19 topped 300,000 on Monday, the same day the country launched a massive vaccination campaign to curb the spread of COVID-19.
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Many Young Asthma Patients Noncompliant With COVID-19 Measures
TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A substantial percentage of young patients with asthma do not comply with COVID-19 prevention measures, according to a Mexican study recently published in the Journal of Asthma.
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13 Percent of U.S. Adults Report Serious Psychological Distress During COVID-19
MONDAY, Dec. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Serious psychological distress among U.S. adults remained fairly steady between April and July 2020, according to a research letter published online Nov. 23 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Receives Emergency Use Authorization
MONDAY, Dec. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has received the first emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.
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Risk of Severe COVID-19 Up Among Those With Diabetes
MONDAY, Dec. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes independently increase the adverse impacts of COVID-19, according to a study published online Dec. 2 in Diabetes Care.
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Blacks, Hispanics More Likely to Test Positive for SARS-CoV-2
MONDAY, Dec. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Black and Hispanic patients are more likely than white patients to test positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, but are not more likely to be hospitalized, according to a study published online Dec. 4 in JAMA Network Open.
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Adding Baricitinib Speeds Recovery for COVID-19 Pneumonia
MONDAY, Dec. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For hospitalized adults with COVID-19, baricitinib plus remdesivir is better for reducing recovery time and improving clinical status than remdesivir alone, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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