Still behind with #TWiVTLDR but I need to knit a Christmas gift and I think this is good background noise for that, so I may be catching up soon! 🤞🏻 This Week in Virology from November 9: https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-1060/
Dr. Griffin says we’re still seeing about 200 deaths a day from #COVID, and hospitalizations are starting to tick up.
Did you know that the CDC has voluntary nasal swab stations for people flying in from overseas? (At some airports, they also sample airplane wastewater.) They now do #flu, RSV, #COVID, and “other respiratory viruses” at 7 airports, and if they get a positive sample, they sequence it and upload it to public databases (deidentified obv) for scientists and policy makers to use. The participating airports are LAX, EWR, SEA, IAD, BOS, SFO, JFK.
Cases of syphilis in newborns (from birth parent) has increased 755% in last 10 years. If baby survives until delivery, they might develop blindness, deafness, developmental delays, or skeletal abnormalities if not treated properly. There is lack of testing and lack of treatment for pregnant people. Dr. Griffin describes both denial of a positive #syphilis test but also a shortage of common treatments. It’s important to start treating right when a pregnant person tests positive.
Looking at #COVID hospitalizations in Hong Kong over 2 years (6 epidemic waves) shows #omicron is “comparable” in severity to the ancestral strain in unvaccinated, uninfected population. (Omicron is actually a little more severe than ancestral, the figure shows, but it's not statistically significant.) Any perceived change in severity is due to the population being vaccinated. “The virus hasn’t gotten milder. #Vaccines work!”
Vaccinated people hospitalized with delta or omicron who die or were admitted to the ICU within 28 days have lower T-cell response markers to #COVID. 87% had antibody response, but only 50.8% had a detectable T-cell response. Hospitalized people who had both antibody and T-cell response were 84% less likely of dying and 62% less likely of being admitted to the ICU. “T-cells save your life!”
An article about masks that they say everybody should read! Masking (even badly) resulted in less incidences of #COVID. Dr. Griffin also goes into a history lecture about #masks and how they were used successfully, and subsequently derided, even in past centuries. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2811136
#COVID convalescent plasma (for #immunocompromised people who can’t take anything else) given to ventilated patients had the greatest effect if given within 48 hours. Waiting to see how people do is not useful.
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