Real-world evidence SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines work and help prevent worst outcomes
Researchers in the United States have conducted a study demonstrating the real-world effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 and Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccines at preventing hospitalizations due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The prospective observational case-control study showed that the vaccines were approximately 87% effective at preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations.
The study was conducted by the “Influenza and Other Viruses in the Acutely Ill (IVY) Network” at 18 geographically dispersed sites across the US during the early phase of the vaccination program.
“The vaccines were highly effective at preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations among adults in March through May 2021,” writes Wesley Self from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville and colleagues.
July 13, 2021
published at 2:09 AMReuters
People line up for nucleic acid testing at a makeshift testing site in a park following the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, on a polluted day in Daxing district of Beijing, China, on Jan 26, 2021.
Reuters
July 12 - Here is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for Covid-19, the illness caused by the virus.
Air pollution makes severe Covid worse
Dirty air contributes to Covid-19 severity, according to a study from one of America s most polluted cities. Researchers who studied 2,038 adults hospitalised with Covid-19 in the Detroit area found those who needed intensive care and machines to help them breathe were more likely to live in neighborhoods with higher levels of air pollution and lead paint. The worse the local air contamination, the higher the odds of needing intensive care and mechanical ventilation.
The claim: Emails show Dr. Anthony Fauci lied about the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19
The recent release of hundreds of Dr. Anthony Fauci s emails from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic has become fodder for online misinformation.
Social media users have claimed Fauci s emails contain the origins of the coronavirus (false) and show that he knew face masks were ineffective at preventing the virus spread (missing context). Others have falsely claimed the emails, which The Washington Post and BuzzFeed News obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, were leaked.
Now, the Gateway Pundit a conservative website that hasrepeatedlypublished false claims about COVID-19 says the emails show Fauci lied about a coronavirus treatment that could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
by Bill Snyder
The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) has been awarded a major federal grant to lead a national trial of treatments targeting the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (RAAS) in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Comprised of the hormones renin, angiotensin and aldosterone, RAAS is essential for the regulation of blood pressure and fluid balance. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can disrupt this system, resulting in life-threatening complications, including pulmonary edema, thromboembolic complications and severe cardiac injury.
Sean Collins, MD, MSc, professor of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who has deep expertise in emergency care and RAAS, will lead the trial, which will test whether drugs targeting RAAS can prevent the vascular, fibrotic and inflammatory consequences of severe COVID-19 disease.
Medical imaging shows the true scope of long-term effects caused by COVID-19
By Austin Williams
US life expectancy drops a full year in COVID-19 pandemic
Estimates released Feb. 18, 2021 by the CDC show minorities suffered the biggest impact, with Black people losing nearly three years and Hispanics losing nearly two years.
LOS ANGELES - Radiological images from researchers at Northwestern University detailed the various types of long-term effects of COVID-19 including rheumatoid arthritis flares, autoimmune myositis or COVID toes, and more.
In a study published on Feb. 17 in the journal Skeletal Radiology, the collections of images included ultrasounds, x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans which confirmed and illustrated the causes of various COVID-19 symptoms.