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 April 11 to 15, 2022. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
FDA Approves First Breath Test for COVID-19
FRIDAY, April 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) — People who suspect they may have COVID-19 could soon find out with a simple breath test that delivers results in three minutes.
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Psychiatric Disorders May Up SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infection Risk
FRIDAY, April 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Fully vaccinated individuals with psychiatric disorders may be at increased risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 breakthrough infection, according to a study published online April 14 in JAMA Network Open.
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Third mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Appears to Be Safe
FRIDAY, April 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The third dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is safe, according to a study published online April 14 in JAMA Network Open.
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Rate of Retinal Vein Occlusions Up After COVID-19 Infection
FRIDAY, April 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The risk for retinal vein occlusion may be increased in the six months following COVID-19 infection, according to a study published online April 14 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
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Pfizer Says Its Booster Shot Bolsters Immune Response in Those Aged 5 to 11 Years
THURSDAY, April 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Pfizer Inc. said Thursday that its booster shot raised levels of neutralizing antibodies against both the original coronavirus strain and the omicron variant in children aged 5 to 11 years.
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Two New Omicron Subvariants Fueling COVID-19 Infections in New York State
THURSDAY, April 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Rising COVID-19 infections in New York state appear to be driven by two new versions of the omicron BA.2 variant and may explain why the state has been the national coronavirus hot spot in recent weeks, state health officials said Wednesday.
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Biden Administration Extends COVID-19 Public Health Emergency for 90 Days
THURSDAY, April 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) — America’s public health emergency plan for COVID-19 will continue for at least another 90 days, the Biden administration announced Wednesday. Pushing the deadline to mid-July means that vulnerable Americans will keep getting the health care benefits the program offers.
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Health Care Personnel More Likely to be Exposed to COVID-19 at Work
THURSDAY, April 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Health care personnel with COVID-19 were more likely to be exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in their workplace than in the community, according to a study published online April 14 in the American Journal of Infection Control.
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COVID-19 Cases Reach 500 Million Worldwide
WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) — As the number of known COVID-19 cases worldwide hit 500 million on Tuesday, health experts called for increased testing, vaccination, and contact tracing.
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CDC Extends Mask Mandates on Planes, Trains to May 3
WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) — A federal mask mandate for planes, trains, airports, and some bus services that was set to expire in five days will be extended until May 3, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.
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Adding Pulse Oximetry Shows No Benefit in COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The addition of home pulse oximetry to remote monitoring does not improve the number of days alive and out of the hospital among patients with COVID-19, according to a research letter published online April 6 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Link Between Diabetes, COVID-19 Outcomes Mediated by Hyperinflammation
WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The correlation between diabetes mellitus and outcomes in COVID-19 is mainly mediated by hyperinflammation, as assessed by soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor levels, according to a study published online in the March issue of Diabetes Care.
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Philadelphia Becomes First U.S. City to Bring Back Indoor Mask Mandate
TUESDAY, April 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Faced with rising COVID-19 case counts, Philadelphia has announced that it will reinstate an indoor mask mandate next week.
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Subcutaneous mAb May Benefit High-Risk Outpatients With COVID-19
TUESDAY, April 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) — For high-risk outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, subcutaneously administered monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment with casirivimab and imdevimab is associated with reduced risk for 28-day hospitalization or death compared with no mAb treatment, according to a study published online April 12 in JAMA Network Open.
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Overall Risk of Myopericarditis Low After COVID-19 Vaccine
TUESDAY, April 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Myopericarditis is rare following COVID-19 vaccination, with an overall incidence not differing significantly for those receiving COVID-19 vaccines or non-COVID-19 vaccines, according to a review published online April 11 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
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COVID-19-Associated Acute Myocarditis Reported in 2.4 Per 1,000 Patients
MONDAY, April 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Acute myocarditis occurs in 2.4 per 1,000 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, according to a study published in the April 12 issue of Circulation.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Largely Protects Cancer Patients
MONDAY, April 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Real-world evidence shows that patients with cancer have a higher risk for developing breakthrough COVID-19 infections and severe outcomes, according to a study published online March 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Rising COVID-19 Cases in U.S. Not Yet Cause for Alarm: Fauci
MONDAY, April 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Rising numbers of COVID-19 infections in the United States are not surprising and not yet a cause for alarm, Anthony Fauci, M.D., the nation’s top infectious doctor, said Sunday.
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AHA Looks at CV Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children
MONDAY, April 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes of cardiovascular manifestations of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in children are detailed in a scientific statement from the American Heart Association published online April 11 in Circulation.
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Age, Higher Ferritin Levels Linked to More Severe MIS-C
MONDAY, April 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Age and higher ferritin levels are associated with more severe multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, resulting in intensive care unit admission, according to a study published online April 11 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
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