With the first shipments of COVID-19 vaccine arriving in Georgia this week, Emory hosted the first of many virtual town halls on the topic Dec. 17.
At this early stage, uncertainties remain about vaccine availability in both the short and long term, but the virtual town hall sought to inform Emory faculty, staff and students about what is known about the safety and efficacy of these vaccines and to begin to answer questions.
Based on CDC guidelines, the initial phase of vaccine rollout will prioritize high-risk health care workers and residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities. It is important that people get the vaccine, as at least 60% of the population needs to be vaccinated in order to control the spread of COVID-19.
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In a randomized, controlled trial of more than 1,000 adults hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia, treatment with the anti-inflammatory drug baricitinib resulted in faster recovery and a greater likelihood of clinical improvement, when combined with the antiviral drug remdesivir.
The results of the international ACTT-2 (Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial), sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, were published Friday Dec. 11 in the
Baricitinib was originally developed by Eli Lilly and Company for rheumatoid arthritis and was FDA-approved for that indication in 2017. The drug, part of a class of drugs that inhibits JAK enzymes, received an emergency use authorization for COVID-19 treatment in November 2020, based upon the ACTT-2 results.