Viral Load Between Vaccinated and Unvaccinated, Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Groups Infected with SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant

We found no significant difference in cycle threshold values between vaccinated and unvaccinated, asymptomatic and symptomatic groups infected with SARS-CoV-2 Delta. Given the substantial proportion of asymptomatic vaccine breakthrough cases with high viral levels, interventions, including masking and testing, should be considered for all in settings with elevated COVID-19 transmission.

CITATION: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.09.28.21264262; this version posted September 29, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Natural Immunity v. Vaccine Immunity – Israel Study

Reports of waning vaccine-induced immunity against COVID-19 have begun to surface. With that, the comparable long-term protection conferred by previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear.

CITATION: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.24.21262415; this version posted August 25, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.

The Prevalence of Adaptive Immunity

The prevalence of adaptive immunity to COVID-19 and reinfection after recovery – a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 011 447 individuals

CITATION: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.09.03.21263103; this version posted September 17, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Protect from Reinfection

People with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, a sign of prior infection, were much less likely to test positive for COVID-19 in the following months.

SOURCE: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/sars-cov-2-antibodies-protect-reinfection

SARS-CoV- 2 Re-infection Risk in Austria

A key question concerning coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is how effective and long lasting immunity against this disease is in individuals who were previously infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We aimed to evaluate the risk of SARS-CoV-2 re-infections in the general population in Austria.

Quantifying the Risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 Reinfection Over Time

Despite over 140 million SARS‐CoV‐2 infections worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic, relatively few confirmed cases of SARS‐CoV‐2 reinfection have been reported. While immunity from SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is probable, at least in the short term, few studies have quantified the reinfection risk.

CITATION: O Murchu E, Byrne P, Carty PG, et al. Quantifying the risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 reinfection over time. Rev Med Virol. 2021;e2260. https://doi.org/10.1002/rmv.2260

Predominance of Antibody-Resistant SARS-CoV-2 Variants

Associations between vaccine breakthrough cases and infection by SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants have remained largely unexplored. Here we analyzed SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequences and viral loads from 1,373 persons with COVID-19 from the San Francisco Bay Area from February 1 to June 30, 2021, of which 125 (9.1%) were vaccine breakthrough infections.

CITATION: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.19.21262139; this version posted August 25, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Neutralizing Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 Selected from a Human Antibody Library Constructed Decades Ago

Combinatorial antibody libraries not only effectively reduce antibody discovery to a numbers game, but enable documentation of the history of antibody responses in an individual. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has prompted a wider application of this technology to meet the public health challenge of pandemic threats in the modern era.

CITATION: ©2021 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH

Necessity of Covid-19 Vaccination in Previously Infected Individuals

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2.

CITATION: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.01.21258176; this version posted June 5, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Differential Effects of the Second SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine dose on T cell immunity in naïve and COVID-19 recovered individuals

While a two-dose immunization regimen with the BNT162b2 vaccine has been demonstrated to provide a 95% efficacy in naïve individuals, the effects of the second vaccine dose in individuals who have previously recovered from natural SARS-CoV-2 infection has been questioned.

CITATION: bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.22.436441; this version posted March 22, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.

mRNA Vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2-specific T Cells

Focusing on the T cell response, this study conducted a longitudinal study of infection-naïve and COVID-19 convalescent donors before vaccination and after their first and second vaccine doses, using a high-parameter CyTOF analysis to phenotype their SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells. Vaccine-elicited spike-specific T cells responded similarly to stimulation by spike epitopes from the ancestral, B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variant strains, both in terms of cell numbers and phenotypes.

Large-scale Study of Antibody Titer Decay Following BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine or SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Large scale study display the kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies present in individuals vaccinated with two doses of mRNA vaccine vs. unvaccinated patients who had recovered from the disease: initial levels of antibody are much higher in vaccinated patients, but decrease faster.

CITATION: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.19.21262111; this version posted August 22, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Up to 15 Months After Infection

Information concerning the longevity of immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) following natural infection may have considerable implications for durability of immunity induced by vaccines.

SOURCE: See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/355282378

Highly Functional Virus-specific Cellular Immune Response in Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The efficacy of virus-specific T cells in clearing pathogens involves a fine balance between antiviral and inflammatory features. SARS-CoV-2–specific T cells in individuals who clear SARS-CoV-2 without symptoms could reveal nonpathological yet protective characteristics.

SOURCE: Journal of Experimental Medicine https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20202617

Comparing SARS-CoV-2 Natural Immunity to Vaccine-induced Immunity: Reinfections Versus Breakthrough Infections

Reports of waning vaccine-induced immunity against COVID-19 have begun to surface. With that, the comparable long-term protection conferred by previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear.

CITATION: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.24.21262415; this version posted August 25, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.

Vaccinating People Who Have Had COVID-19: Why Doesn’t Natural Immunity Count in the US?

The US CDC estimates that SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 100 million Americans, and evidence is mounting that natural immunity is at least as protective as vaccination. Yet public health leadership says everyone needs the vaccine.

CITATION: BMJ 2021;374:n2101 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2101

Naturally Enhanced Neutralizing Breadth Against SARS-CoV-2 One Year After Infection

Report on a cohort of 63 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 assessed at 1.3, 6.2 and 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, 41% of whom also received mRNA vaccines3,4. In the absence of vaccination, antibody reactivity to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2, neutralizing activity and the number of RBD-specific memory B cells remain relatively stable between 6 and 12 months after infection.

SOURCE: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03696-9

Antibody Evolution After SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection produces B-cell 21 responses that continue to evolve for at least one year. During that time, memory B cells express increasingly broad and potent antibodies that are resistant to mutations found in 23 variants of concern.

CITATION: bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.29.454333; this version posted July 29, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC 4.0 International license.

2021-22 School Year New York State Immunization Requirements for School Attendance

NYS School Vaccine Schedule by Grade Level.

SOURCE: New York State Department of Health/Bureau of Immunization health.ny.gov/immunization

Universal Masking in Hospitals in the Covid-19 Era

As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to explode, hospital systems are scrambling to intensify their measures for protecting patients and health care workers from the virus. An increasing number of frontline providers are wondering whether this effort should include universal use of masks by all health care workers. Universal masking is already standard practice in Hong Kong, Singapore, and other parts of Asia and has recently been adopted by a handful of U.S. hospitals.

SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine Downloaded from nejm.org on December 9, 2021. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2020 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.

Optical Microscopic Study of Surface Morphology and Filtering Efficiency of Face Masks

Low-cost face masks made from different cloth materials are very common in developing countries. The cloth masks (CM) are usually double layered with stretchable ear loops. It is common practice to use such masks for months after multiple washing and drying cycles. If a CM is used for long time, the ear loops become stretched. The loop needs to be knotted to make the mask loop fit better on the face. It is not clear how washing and drying and stretching practices change the quality of a CM. The particulate matter (PM) filtering efficiency of a mask depends on multiple parameters, such as pore size, shape, clearance, and pore number density. It is important to understand the effect of these parameters on the filtering efficiency.

CITATION: Neupane BB, Mainali S, Sharma A, Giri B. 2019. Optical microscopic study of surface morphology and filtering efficiency of face masks. PeerJ 7:e7142 DOI 10.7717/peerj.7142

N95 Respirators vs Medical Masks for Preventing Influenza Among Health Care Personnel

Is the use of N95 respirators or medical masks more effective in preventing influenza infection among outpatient health care personnel in close contact with patients with suspected respiratory illness?

SOURCE: https://jamanetwork.com/

Medical Masks Are a Tool that can be Used to Prevent the Spread of Respiratory Infection

Medical masks are a type of personal protective equipment used to prevent the spread of respiratory infections. These masks cover the mouth and nose of the wearer and, if worn properly, may be effective at helping prevent transmission of respiratory viruses and bacteria.

SOURCE: https://jamanetwork.com/ on 10/22/2021

Facial Masks Affect Emotion Recognition in the General Population and Individuals with Autistic Traits

Facial expressions, and the ability to recognize these expressions, have evolved in humans to communicate information to one another. Face masks are equipment used in healthcare by health professionals to prevent the transmission of airborne infections. As part of the social distancing efforts related to COVID-19, wearing facial masks has been practiced globally. Such practice might influence affective information communication among humans.

SOURCE: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257740

Facemasks and Similar Barriers to Prevent Respiratory Illness Such as COVID-19

The current pandemic of COVID-19 has lead to conflicting opinions on whether wearing facemasks outside of health care facilities protects against the infection. To better understand the value of wearing facemasks we undertook a rapid systematic review of existing scientific evidence about development of respiratory illness, linked to use of facemasks in community settings.

medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.01.20049528; this version posted April 6, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license .

Effectiveness of Surgical, KF94, and N95 Respirator Masks in Blocking SARS-CoV-2: a Controlled Comparison in 7 Patients

Face masks serve dual roles in respiratory viral diseases by preventing both the transmission and acquisition of diseases, which is especially important in this current pandemic spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19). Proper use of face masks among patients with COVID-19 would be critically helpful in preventing contamination of the surrounding air and environments with particles of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). A previous study reported that surgical masks and N95 masks were equally effective in preventing the dissemination of influenza from patients with acute influenza infection. However, the filtration efficacies of various masks against SARS-CoV-2 are unknown. We thus evaluated the effectiveness of the surgical mask, the N95 respirator mask, and its equivalent (KF94 mask) in filtering SARS-CoV-2.

SOURCE: https://doi.org/10.1080/23744235.2020.1810858

COVID-19: Performance Study of Microplastic Inhalation Risk Posed by Wearing Masks

Wearing face masks has become the new normal worldwide due to the global spread of the coronavirus disease 2019. The inhalation of microplastics due to the wearing of masks has rarely been reported. The present study used different types of commonly used masks to conduct breathing simulation experiments and investigate microplastic inhalation risk. Microplastic inhalation caused by reusing masks that underwent various treatment processes was also tested.

CITATION: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124955 Received 29 October 2020; Received in revised form 19 December 2020; Accepted 22 December 2020 Available online 30 December 2020 0304-3894/© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Filtration Efficiency and Pressure Drop in Anti-Yellow Sand Masks, Quarantine Masks, Medical Masks, General Masks, and Handkerchiefs

Particulate respirators have been used in both general environments and in the workplace. Despite the existence of certified respirators for workers, no strict regulations exist for masks worldwide. The aims of this study were to evaluate the filter efficiency of various mask types using the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) [similar to the European Union (EU) protocol] and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) protocol and to compare the test results.

CITATION: Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 14: 991–1002, 2014 Copyright © Taiwan Association for Aerosol Research ISSN: 1680-8584 print / 2071-1409 online doi: 10.4209/aaqr.2013.06.0201

Analysis of the Effects of COVID-19 Mask Mandates on Hospital Resource Consumption and Mortality at the County Level

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threatens vulnerable patient populations, resulting in immense pressures at the local, regional, national, and international levels to contain the virus. Laboratory-based studies demonstrate that masks may offer benefit in reducing the spread of droplet-based illnesses, but fewdata are available to assessmask effects via executive order on a population basis. We assess the effects of a county-wide mask order on per-population mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) utilization, and ventilator utilization in Bexar County, Texas.

CITATION: Copyright © 2021 The Southern Medical Association. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.

Aerosol Filtration Efficiency of Common Fabrics Used in Respiratory Cloth Masks

The emergence of a pandemic affecting the respiratory system can result in a significant demand for face masks. This includes the use of cloth masks by large sections of the public, as can be seen during the current global spread of COVID-19. However, there is limited knowledge available on the performance of various commonly available fabrics used in cloth masks. Importantly, there is a need to evaluate filtration efficiencies as a function of aerosol particulate sizes in the 10 nm to 10 μm range, which is particularly relevant for respiratory virus transmission. We have carried out these studies for several common fabrics including cotton, silk, chiffon, flannel, various synthetics, and their combinations.

CITATION: This article is made available via the ACS COVID-19 subset for unrestricted RESEARCH re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.

A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers

The use of facemasks and respirators for the protection of healthcare workers (HCWs) has received renewed interest following the 2009 influenza pandemic,1 and emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-coronavirus)3 4 and Ebola virus. Historically, various types of cloth/ cotton masks (referred to here after as ‘cloth masks’) have been used to protect HCWs. Disposable medical/surgical masks (referred to here after as ‘medical masks’) were introduced into healthcare in the mid 19th century, followed later by respirators. Compared with other parts of the world, the use of face masks is more prevalent in Asian countries, such as China and Vietnam.

CITATION: MacIntyre CR, et al. BMJ Open 2015;5:e006577. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006577

Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings— Personal Protective and Environmental Measures

This study conducted systematic reviews to evaluate the effectiveness of personal protective measures on influenza virus transmission, including hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and face masks, and a systematic review of surface and object cleaning as an environmental measure.

CITATION: Emerging Infectious Diseases • www.cdc.gov/eid • Vol. 26, No. 5, May 2020

Mask Mandate and Use Efficacy in State-1 Level COVID-19 Containment

Case growth was not significantly different between mandate and non-mandate states at low or high transmission rates, and surges were equivocal. Mask use predicted lower case growth at low, but not high transmission rates.

CITATION: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.18.21257385; this version posted May 25, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.

Is a Mask That Covers the Mouth and Nose Free from Undesirable Side Effects in Everyday Use and Free of Potential Hazards?

Many countries introduced the requirement to wear masks in public spaces for containing SARS-CoV-2 making it commonplace in 2020. Up until now, there has been no comprehensive investigation as to the adverse health effects masks can cause. The aim was to find, test, evaluate and compile scientifically proven related side effects of wearing masks.

CITATION: Kisielinski, K.; Giboni, P.; Prescher, A.; Klosterhalfen, B.; Graessel, D.; Funken, S.; Kempski, O.; Hirsch, O. Is a Mask That Covers the Mouth and Nose Free from Undesirable Side Effects in Everyday Use and Free of Potential Hazards?. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4344. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084344

Experimental Investigation of Indoor Aerosol Dispersion and Accumulation in the Context of COVID-19

The present study experimentally investigates the dispersion and build-up of an exhaled aerosol modeled with polydisperse microscopic particles (approximately 1 lm mean diameter) by a seated manikin in a relatively large indoor environment. The aims are to offer quantitative insight into the effect of common face masks and ventilation/air purification, and to provide relevant experimental metrics for modeling and risk assessment.

CITATION: Phys. Fluids 33, 073315 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0057100 Submitted: 17 May 2021 . Accepted: 02 July 2021 . Published Online: 21 July 2021

Transmission potential of vaccinated and unvaccinated persons infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta

COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe illness and death from SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). However, because COVID-19 vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing infection, some infections among vaccinated persons are expected to occur. As global vaccination coverage increases, the role of vaccinated persons in transmission will be a critical determinant of the pandemic’s future trajectory. The extent to which vaccinated persons who become infected contribute to transmission of SARS-CoV-2, including the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, is not yet well understood. Some preprint manuscripts have reported comparable indicators of transmission potential regardless of vaccination status while others have reported reduced viability of virus isolated from vaccinated persons.

Source: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.12.21265796; this version posted November 19, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. This article is a US Government work. It is not subject to copyright under 17 USC 105 and is also made available for use under a CC0 license.

Efficacy & Safety of BNT162b2 booster – C4591031 2 month interim analysis- Pfizer

Recruited approximately 10,000 participants ≥16 years of age who completed a 2 dose primary series of BNT162b2 30 μg in Study C4591001 booster.

Source: Pfizer - John L. Perez, MD, MBA, MA Pfizer, Vice President Vaccine Clinical Research & Development

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines drive differential antibody Fc-functional profiles in pregnant, lactating, and nonpregnant women

Pregnant women experience both increased disease severity and morbidity upon severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (1, 2). However, pregnant and lactating women were left out of initial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine trials because of heightened safety concerns (3–6). Given that pregnant women are vulnerable to severe COVID-19, it is important to understand the immunological response to vaccination in pregnant and lactating women. Understanding how pregnancy and lactation affect responses to vaccination and antibody transfer to infants offers critical opportunities to guide recommendations for this population.

CITATION: Copyright © 2021 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY).

Waning of BNT162b2 Vaccine Protection against SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Qatar

Waning of vaccine protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection or coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is a concern. The persistence of BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) vaccine effectiveness against infection and disease in Qatar, where the B.1.351 (or beta) and B.1.617.2 (or delta) variants have dominated incidence and polymerase-chain-reaction testing is done on a mass scale, is unclear.

CITATION: The New England Journal of Medicine Downloaded from nejm.org on October 12, 2021. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2021 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.

Waning Immune Humoral Response to BNT162b2 Covid-19 Vaccine over 6 Months

Despite high vaccine coverage and effectiveness, the incidence of symptomatic infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been increasing in Israel. Whether the increasing incidence of infection is due to waning immunity after the receipt of two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine is unclear.

CITATION: The New England Journal of Medicine Downloaded from nejm.org on October 12, 2021. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2021 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.

Two Different Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) Risks for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies

COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) disease severity and stages varies from asymptomatic, mild flu-like symptoms, moderate, severe, critical, and chronic disease. COVID-19 disease progression include lymphopenia, elevated proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, accumulation of macrophages and neutrophils in lungs, immune dysregulation, cytokine storms, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), etc. Development of vaccines to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and other coronavirus has been difficult to create due to vaccine induced enhanced disease responses in animal models. Multiple betacoronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1 expand cellular tropism by infecting some phagocytic cells (immature macrophages and dendritic cells) via antibody bound Fc receptor uptake of virus.

CITATION: Ricke DO (2021) Two Different Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) Risks for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies. Front. Immunol. 12:640093. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.640093

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Protection and Deaths Among US Veterans During 2021

This report studies SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness against infection (VE-D) by vaccine type (n=780,225) in the Veterans Health Administration, covering 2.7% of the U.S. population. From February to October 2021, VE-I of 13.1%. Although breakthrough infection increased risk of death, vaccination remained protective against death in persons who became infected during Delta surge. From July to October 2021, VE-D for age 65 years was 73.0% for Janssen, 81.5% for Moderna, and 84.3% for Pfizer-BioNTech. Findings support continued efforts to increase vaccination, booster campaigns, and multiple additional layers of protection against infection.

CITATION: B. A. Cohn et al., Science 10.1126/science.abm0620 (2021).

Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 Among Adults Hospitalized with COVID-19–Like Illness with Infection-Induced or mRNA Vaccine-Induced SARS-CoV-2 Immunity — Nine States, January–September 2021 MMWR

On October 29, 2021 this report was posted as an MMWR Early Release on the MMWR website (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr). Previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) or COVID-19 vaccination can provide immunity and protection from subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection and illness. CDC used data from the VISION Network* to examine hospitalizations in adults with COVID-19–like illness and compared the odds of receiving a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result, and thus having laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, between unvaccinated patients with a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection occurring 90–179 days before COVID-19–like illness hospitalization, and patients who were fully vaccinated with an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine 90–179 days before hospitalization with no previous documented SARS-CoV-2 infection.

CITATION: MMWR / November 5, 2021 / Vol. 70 / No. 44 US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Increases in COVID‑19 are Unrelated to Levels of Vaccination Across 68 Countries and 2947 Counties in the United States

Vaccines currently are the primary mitigation strategy to combat COVID-19 around the world. For instance, the narrative related to the ongoing surge of new cases in the United States (US) is argued to be driven by areas with low vaccination rates [1]. A similar narrative also has been observed in countries, such as Germany and the United Kingdom [2]. At the same time, Israel that was hailed for its swift and high rates of vaccination has also seen a substantial resurgence in COVID-19 cases [3]. We investigate the relationship between the percentage of population fully vaccinated and new COVID-19 cases across 68 countries and across 2947 counties in the US.

SOURCE: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs 0654-021-00808-7

Early Adverse Events between mRNA and Adenovirus-Vectored COVID-19 Vaccines in Healthcare Workers

Mass vaccination campaigns are important to control the COVID-19 pandemic, however, adverse events (AEs) contribute to vaccine hesitancy. To investigate and compare early AEs between the BNT162b2 mRNA and AZD1222 adenovirus-vectored vaccines, recipients completed daily surveys about local and systemic reactions for 7 days after each dose, respectively. A total of 80 and 1440 healthcare workers received two doses of BNT162b2 and a first dose of AZD1222 vaccines. Any AEs were reported by 52.5% of recipients after the first dose of BNT162b2, by 76.2% after the second dose of BNT162b2, and by 90.9% after the first dose of AZD1222 (p < 0.001). Younger vaccinees had more AEs after the second dose of BNT162b2 and first dose of AZD1222. Sex based differences were only observed in the AZD1222 recipient group. No incidence of anaphylaxis or neurologic AEs were observed. In conclusion, early AEs were mostly mild to moderate in severity and generally transient in both BNT162b2 and AZD1222 groups. Sufficient explanation of the expected AEs of the vaccine would be helpful for wider vaccination.

CITATION: Wi, Y.-M.; Kim, S.-H.; Peck, K.-R. Early Adverse Events between mRNA and Adenovirus-Vectored COVID-19 Vaccines in Healthcare Workers. Vaccines 2021, 9, 931. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9080931

Impact of Delta on Viral Burden

Impact of Delta on viral burden and vaccine effectiveness against new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the UK.

Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts

During July 2021, 469 cases of COVID-19 associated with multiple summer events and large public gatherings in a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, were identified among Massachusetts residents; vaccination coverage among eligible Massachusetts residents was 69%. Approximately three quarters (346; 74%) of cases occurred in fully vaccinated persons.

SOURCE: US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention MMWR / August 6, 2021 / Vol. 70 / No. 31

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Early Child Cognitive Development Initial Findings in a Longitudinal Observational Study of Child Health

Since the first reports of novel coronavirus in the 2020, public health organizations have advocated preventative policies to limit virus, including stay-at-home orders that closed businesses, daycares, schools, playgrounds, and limited child learning and typical activities. Fear of infection and possible employment loss has placed stress on parents; while parents who could work from home faced challenges in both working and providing full-time attentive childcare. For pregnant individuals, fear of attending prenatal visits also increased maternal stress, anxiety, and depression. Not surprising, there has been concern over how these factors, as well as missed educational opportunities and reduced interaction, stimulation, and creative play with other children might impact child neurodevelopment. Leveraging a large on-going longitudinal study of child neurodevelopment, we examined general childhood cognitive scores in 2020 and 2021 vs. the preceding decade, 2011-2019. We find that children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor, and overall cognitive performance compared to children born pre-pandemic.

CITATION: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.10.21261846; this version posted August 11, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.

For COVID” or “With COVID”: Classification of SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations in Children

Pediatric hospitalization rates are used as a marker of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease severity in children but may be inflated by the detection of mild or asymptomatic infection via universal screening. We aimed to classify COVID-19 hospitalizations using an existing and novel approach and to assess the interrater reliability of both approaches.

CITATION: ©2021 American Academy of Pediatrics “For COVID” or “With COVID”: Classification of SARS-CoV-2 hospitalizations in children Lauren E. Kushner, MDa, Alan R. Schroeder, MDb, Joseph Kim, MDc, Roshni Mathew, MDa Affiliations: aDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA bDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Hospital Medicine and Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA cDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Hospital Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA Address correspondence to: Dr. Roshni Mathew, Center for Academic Medicine, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 453 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA 94304, Phone: (650) 725-6276, Email: roshnim@stanford.edu Funding source: No external funding source for this manuscript. Financial disclosure: The authors have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose. Conflict of Interest: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose. Contributor Statements: Dr. Kushner submitted the Human Subjects Research proposal, designed the data collection tool, reviewed the charts, critically reviewed the manuscript, and approved the final manuscript as submitted. Dr. Schroeder conceptualized and designed the study, drafted the initial manuscript, reviewed the charts, and approved the final manuscript as submitted. Dr. Kim reviewed the charts, critically reviewed the manuscript and approved the final manuscript as submitted. Dr. Mathew drafted the initial manuscript, reviewed the charts, and approved the final manuscript as submitted. Acknowledgements: We acknowledge the departments of Infection Prevention and Control and the Enterprise Analytics at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital for information on reporting to the Department of Public Health and development of the dashboard, respectively. The authors would like to thank Monika Roy, MD, from the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health, for providing our team with further insight into the COVID-19 hospitalization reporting process. Downloaded from www.aappublications.org/news by guest on October 13, 2021

FDA Document- Pfizer Approval of Covid Vaccine in children 5-11 years of age

On October 6, 2021, Pfizer submitted a request to FDA to amend its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to expand use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (BNT162b2) for prevention of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals 5 through 11 years of age (hereafter 5-11 years of age). The proposed dosing regimen is a 2-dose primary series, 10 μg mRNA/per dose, administered 3 weeks apart. This EUA request initially included safety data from 1,518 BNT162b2 recipients and 750 placebo (saline) recipients 5-11 years of age who are enrolled in the Phase 2/3 portion (Cohort 1) of an ongoing randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial, C4591007.

Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting - FDA Briefing Document

Adjudicating Reasons for Hospitalization Shows That Severe Illness From COVID-19 in Children Is Rare

Kushner et al conducted an extensive chart review of 117 pediatric hospitalizations with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR from May 10, 2020 to February 10, 2021 at a quaternary care academic children’s hospital In Northern California. Study authors used a set of pre-determined criteria to characterize each hospitalization as either “likely” or “unlikely” for COVID-19 disease. They found that 53 hospitalizations (45%) were unlikely to be due to disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Rather, patients were hospitalized for a wide range of other diagnoses, including bacterial infections, scheduled surgical procedures, appendicitis, ingestions, anaphylaxis, and neurologic conditions. Of the 64 patients who were likely to have been hospitalized for COVID-19, 3 were asymptomatic and 27 had mild to moderate symptoms, with 20 characterized as either severe or critical (the remaining 14 were diagnosed with MIS-C).

CITATION: Beck A, et al. Adjudicating Reasons for Hospitalization Shows That Severe Illness From COVID-19 in Children Is Rare. Hosp Pediatr. 2021; doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2021-006084

Science Brief: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs – Updated

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in schools and ECE programs depends on the local transmission rates; the types of variantscirculating; the epidemiology of COVID-19 among children, adolescents, and staff ; vaccine coverage for those eligible; andmitigation measures in place to prevent transmission.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/transmission_k_12_schools.html

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination-Associated Myocarditis in Children Ages 12-17: A Stratified National Database Analysis

Establishing the rate of post-vaccination cardiac myocarditis in the 12-15 and 16-17-year-old population in the context of their COVID-19 hospitalization risk is critical for developing a vaccination recommendation framework that balances harms with benefits for this patient demographic.

CITATION: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.30.21262866; this version posted September 8, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license .

AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health

As health professionals dedicated to the care of children and adolescents, we have witnessedsoaring rates of mental health challenges among children, adolescents, and their families overthe course of the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating the situation that existed prior to thepandemic. Children and families across our country have experienced enormous adversity anddisruption. The inequities that result from structural racism have contributed todisproportionate impacts on children from communities of color.

CITATION: © Copyright 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved.

Pathophysiology of Covid-19 – Why Children Fare Better Than Adults- India Department of Pediatrics

It has been seen that fewer children contract COVID-19 and among infected, children have less severe disease. Insights in pathophysiological mechanisms of less severity in children could be important for devising therapeutics for high-risk adults and elderly.

SOURCE: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-020-03322-y