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 Aug. 23 to 27, 2021. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
Half of American Workers Support COVID-19 Vaccination, Mask Mandates in Workplace
FRIDAY, Aug. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 vaccination and mask mandates in the workplace have the support of roughly half of American workers, a new poll shows.
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Adverse Events Associated With BNT162b2 Vaccination ID’d
FRIDAY, Aug. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Vaccination with the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is associated with an increased risk for myocarditis and lymphadenopathy, according to a study published online Aug. 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Adults With Disabilities Have Worse Mental Health During COVID-19
FRIDAY, Aug. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Adults with disabilities are disproportionately affected by adverse mental health symptoms and substance use during COVID-19, according to research published in the Aug. 27 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Breast Cancer Screening Down Among Low-Income Women During Pandemic
FRIDAY, Aug. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Breast cancer screening rates decreased from 2019 to 2020 at community health centers for medically underserved populations, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in Cancer.
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Awake Prone Positioning May Prevent Intubation in COVID-19
FRIDAY, Aug. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For hospitalized patients with acute hypoxic respiratory failure due to COVID-19 who require respiratory support with a high-flow nasal cannula, awake prone positioning may reduce the need for intubation, according to a study published online Aug. 20 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
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Moderna Readies for Full Vaccine Approval, as Pfizer Submits Data on Booster Shot
THURSDAY, Aug. 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Moderna Inc. announced Wednesday that it has completed its submission for full approval of its COVID-19 vaccine, while Pfizer Inc. said it has begun to file data for full approval of a third booster shot of its vaccine.
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Record High COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Reported in Florida
THURSDAY, Aug. 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 cases and deaths in Florida are at record highs as the delta variant ravages the state and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis holds firm on forbidding vaccine and mask mandates.
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WHO Team Says Search for Coronavirus Origins at Standstill
THURSDAY, Aug. 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The search for the source of the new coronavirus is at an impasse and the window of opportunity to identify the origin of the virus is “closing fast,” a World Health Organization-appointed team of experts said Wednesday.
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SARS-CoV-2 Shot Continues to Prevent Infection, Hospitalization With Delta Variant
THURSDAY, Aug. 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Vaccination protects against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and hospitalization during a period with increasing predominance of the delta variant, according to research published in the Aug. 24 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Current, Recent SARS-CoV-2 Infection May Up VTE Risk After Surgery
THURSDAY, Aug. 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For patients undergoing elective or emergency surgery, perioperative or recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection is associated with an increased risk for postoperative venous thromboembolism, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Anaesthesia.
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SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Effectiveness 66 Percent During Delta Predominance
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 25, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The vaccine effectiveness against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection decreased to 66 percent when the delta variant became predominant, according to research published in the Aug. 24 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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J&J Says Booster Shot Ups Immune Response to COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Aug.. 25, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Johnson & Johnson reported Wednesday that a booster shot of its vaccine dramatically raised the levels of antibodies against COVID-19.
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Pentagon Says Troops Must Start Lining Up Now for COVID-19 Shots
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 25, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Unvaccinated U.S. troops must immediately start getting COVID-19 vaccines, says a memo issued Tuesday by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
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Suicide Ideation Rates Reduced Among Veterans During COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 25, 2021 (HealthDay News) — U.S. military veterans had a reduction in suicide ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic, with risk factors for new-onset suicide ideation including low social support and worsening of social relationships, according to a study published online Aug. 25 in JAMA Psychiatry.
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Risk for Bell Palsy Up 42 Days After First Dose of CoronaVac
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 25, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The risk for Bell palsy is increased after CoronaVac vaccination, but not after BNT162b2 vaccination, according to research published online Aug. 16 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies ID’d in Breast Milk of Vaccinated Lactating Women
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 25, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Breast milk from women vaccinated with the novel mRNA-based Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine contains specific anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 immunoglobulin G(S1) antibodies, according to a research letter published online Aug. 11 in JAMA Network Open.
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More Than 10 Percent of Adults Missed Health Care in Spring 2021
TUESDAY, Aug. 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Eleven percent of nonelderly adults and 9.2 percent of parents (on behalf of their children) report delaying or forgoing health care in the past 30 days due to concerns about coronavirus exposure, according to two reports published by the Urban Institute and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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Alcohol Use Down, Nicotine Use Up for Teens During COVID-19 Pandemic
TUESDAY, Aug. 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) — During the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, youth in early adolescence had a reduced use of alcohol and an increased use of nicotine and misuse of prescription drugs, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
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FDA Warns Against ‘Off-Label’ Use of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine in Younger Children
TUESDAY, Aug. 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) — “Off-label” use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in children younger than 12 years is “not appropriate,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Monday. The American Academy of Pediatrics also “strongly discourages” such use.
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No Benefit Found for COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma in High-Risk Outpatients
TUESDAY, Aug. 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Infusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma with a high titer of antibodies does not prevent COVID-19 progression in outpatients at high risk for severe disease, according to a study published online Aug. 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Most Parents Plan to Send Children to In-Person Learning, Despite COVID-19
MONDAY, Aug, 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — While the majority of parents plan to send their children back to school in-person, many remain concerned about COVID-19 safety precautions, according to the results of a survey released on Aug. 18 by the RAND Corporation.
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Israeli Study Shows Pfizer Booster Gives Seniors Big Rise in Immunity
MONDAY, Aug. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A third dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine gives four times greater protection against COVID-19 infection and is five to six times more effective in preventing serious illness and hospitalization in seniors than just two doses are, new data from the Israeli health ministry shows. The study assessed patients 10 days after they received their third dose, and the findings were published by the ministry on Sunday, The Washington Post reported.
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Pentagon to Make COVID-19 Vaccination Mandatory for Military
MONDAY, Aug. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Following on full U.S. regulatory approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the Pentagon announced on Monday that all military personnel — including 1.3 million active-duty troops — must get their shots.
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Stop Using Ivermectin Veterinary Drug to Treat COVID-19, FDA Urges
MONDAY, Aug. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Taking a drug meant for horses and cattle to prevent or treat COVID-19 is dangerous and could be fatal, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.
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Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Receives Full FDA Approval
MONDAY, Aug. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
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No Permanent Lung Damage Observed After COVID-19 Recovery
MONDAY, Aug. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — No postacute histopathologic changes indicative of permanent pulmonary damage were observed among a small sample of COVID-19 survivors who have recovered and become asymptomatic, according to a study published online July 31 in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
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Teens, Young Men Have Higher SARS-CoV-2 Infection Rates
MONDAY, Aug. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Young persons, especially young men, have higher severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection rates compared with the general population, according to a study published online Aug. 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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COVID-19 Mortality Lower for Vaccinated Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
MONDAY, Aug. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Solid organ transplant recipients who have received two doses of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccine have lower COVID-19 mortality rates than those who remain unvaccinated, but their risk for breakthrough infections is higher compared with the general population, according to two research letters published online July 23 in Transplantation.
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