Category: Corona Virus Vaccine

A recenteBioMedicinestudy identifies shared immunopathology between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and melanoma differentiation-associated protein-5 (MDA5) autoimmunity.

Study:MDA5-autoimmunity and interstitial pneumonitis contemporaneous with the COVID-19 pandemic (MIP-C). Image Credit: Light Studio Design / Shutterstock.com

Dermatomyositis (DM) is an autoimmune diseasethatischaracterizedby severe skin and muscle inflammation. Additionally, DM is associated with interstitial lung disease (ILD),whichcauses progressive pulmonary fibrosis.

Anti-Mi-2, which targets the Mi-2 nuclear antigen, is the first autoantibody to be associated with DM. Over time, multiple myositis-specific and related autoantibodies (MSA) havebeen identifiedfor different phenotypic patterns.

Clinically, amyopathicdermatomyositis (CADM) has been significantly associated with DM and leads to progressive ILD. CADMis expressedthrough retinoic acid-inducible gene 1 (RIG-1)-like receptor family gene, IFIH1, which encodes the MDA5 protein.

A recent study highlighted that MDA5+ cases predating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exhibited a significant manifestation of ILD. However, these patients did not develop the classical DM heliotropic rash and instead developed skin-based clinical symptoms, includingtender palmar papules and skin ulceration.

MDA5 is a RIG-1 helicase12 thatfunctions asan RNA sensor and pattern recognition receptor for SARS-CoV-2. A recent study revealed that variants of the IFIH1 gene confer protection against SARS-CoV-2 infections and facilitate favorable outcomes.

Thus, it isvitalto identify the factors associated with MDA5+-related disease to better understand the rise in anti-MDA5 positivity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current study investigated the epidemiological factors that cause MDA5+ related disease. MDA5 autoimmunity with interstitial pneumonitis cotemporaneous with the COVID-19 pandemic (MIP-C) was also investigated.

To this end, transcriptomic datasets were usedto explore the mechanismsthataresharedbetween MDA5-associated disease and COVID-19. Transcriptomic datasets were also usedto compare autoimmune lung disease, acute COVID-19 lung disease, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)to better understand the origin of the MDA5+ -DM outbreak.

A modelwas developedthat connected severe anti-viral cytokine response with interferon-induced helicase C domain-containing protein 1 (IFIH1) stimulation, which is responsible for the unique immunophenotype linked with MSA-associated progressive ILD.

Data on the number ofMDA5+ cases each year between January 2018 and December 2022 was collectedfrom theLeeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which serves as an immunology laboratory reference for Yorkshire.Clinical notes for MDA5+ cases indicated patterns of symptomatic MDA5 disease, particularly the degree of ILD, treatment, therapy responses, and survival rates.

Public Health England (PHE) data allowed the researchers to quantifymonthly COVID-19 positivity ratesin Yorkshire.Data on these patients' vaccination status and severity of lung infection were also obtained.

The current study documents the features and outcomes of the surge in MDA5+ myositis or ILDthat occurredduring the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, especially in 2021.

Six new MDA5+ cases were identified between January 2018 and December 2019, which indicates 1.2% and 0.4% MSA immunoblot positivity in the respective years. However, after the second COVID-19 wave, there was a rapid increaseinnew MDA5+ cases. More specifically, the number of new cases in 2020, 2021, and 2022 were nine, 35, and 16, respectively; therefore, therate of MDA5 positivity increased from 1.2% in 2018 to 1.7% in 2022.

Approximately 42% of MDA5+ cases were associated with progressive ILD, with about 33% exhibiting aggressive MDA5+-ILD. Both transcriptomic dataset analysis andclinical epidemiologic observations indicated that the surge in MDA5 autoimmunity and ILD during COVID-19 could be due to shared aberrant type 1-centric IFN responses but not IPF.

Considering thestudy findings and similar cases reported internationally, the current study proposed the terms MDA5-autoimmunity and MIP-C.The merit of this acronym lies in the distinct features that can separate MIP-C from the syndrome of adult MDA5+ DM57.For example, the MIP-C phenotypehas similaritiesto multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children(MIS-C), evenin somecaseswhere the patient did not have a history of COVID-19.

About 42% of new caseswere not vaccinatedbefore MDA5+ diseaseand represented milder COVID-19 infection, which could be sufficient to cause MDA5 autoimmunity.

An immune reaction or autoimmunity against MDA5 upon SARS-CoV-2and/orvaccine exposure was assessed.Thisindicated novel immunogenicity in non-immune subjects upon RNA engagement with MDA5 that increased cytokine response and induced autoimmune disease.

Theoretically, the development of herd immunity and reduced SARS-CoV-2 exposure contributed to milder symptoms in the MIP-C cohort.Taken together, MDA5 proteinactivation through natural infection orvaccination can potentially induce MIP-C.

The current transcriptomic analysis elucidated the possible causal link between the surge in anti-MDA5-positivity, COVID-19, and autoimmune ILD. In the future, these findings mustbe validatedusing multicenter cohorts across nations.

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US government suspends funding for virus research group at center of Covid-19 origin controversy - The Albany Herald

AstraZeneca (AZ) has shared positive results from a late-stage study evaluating the efficacy of its investigational long-acting monoclonal antibody, sipavibart, in preventing COVID-19 in immunocompromised individuals.

Despite accounting for approximately 4% of the population, immunocompromised patients make up about 25% of COVID-19 hospitalisations, intensive care unit admissions and deaths.

The phase 3 SUPERNOVA trial has been comparing sipavibart, formerly AZD3152, to tixagevimab/cilgavimab or placebo in patients aged 12 years and older who are at an increased risk of mounting an inadequate response to active immunisation and at a high risk of developing severe COVID-19.

This included solid organ transplant recipients, patients with haematologic malignancies or end-stage kidney disease, and those within one year of receiving B cell depleting therapy, with AZ noting that demographic and baseline characteristics across the treatment groups were generally well balanced.

The study met its dual primary endpoints of relative risk reduction of symptomatic COVID-19 caused by any SARS-CoV-2 variant and relative risk reduction of infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 variants not containing the F456L mutation.

Sipavibart was also shown to be well tolerated and preliminary analyses demonstrated that adverse events were balanced between the control and sipavibart arms.

By delivering infection-fighting antibodies directly to patients who often dont respond adequately to vaccines, the data supports that sipavibart has the potential to provide much-needed protection against COVID-19 in this highly vulnerable population, said SUPERNOVA trial primary investigator Ghady Haidar, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

AZ outlined that the data will be presented at a forthcoming medical meeting, adding that it is in dialogue with regulatory authorities on potential authorisation or approval pathways.

Iskra Reic, executive vice president, vaccines and immune therapies, AZ, said: Immunocompromised patients currently have limited or no options for COVID-19 protection and continue to face a significant burden of disease, despite often being fully vaccinated.

Sipavibart has the potential to prevent COVID-19 in the immunocompromised and we will now work with regulatory authorities globally to bring sipavibart to these vulnerable patients.

The readout comes just one week after AZ said it had begun the global withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine, citing a surplus of vaccines that have been updated to target new variants of the virus.

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AstraZenecas sipavibart shown to prevent COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients - PMLiVE

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Two new COVID-19 subvariants, collectively nicknamed FLiRT, are increasingly edging out the winter's dominant strain ahead of a possible summer uptick in coronavirus infections.

The new FLiRT subvariants, officially known as KP.2 and KP.1.1, are believed to be roughly 20% more transmissible than their parent, JN.1, the winter's dominant subvariant, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco.

The two FLiRT subvariants combined comprised an estimated 35% of coronavirus infections nationally for the two-week period that began April 28, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By contrast, JN.1 is now believed to comprise 16% of infections; in mid-winter, it was blamed for more than 80%.

"It's been quite a while since we've had a new dominant variant in the U.S.," said Dr. David Bronstein, an infectious diseases specialist at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. "With each of these variants that takes over from the one before it, we do see increased transmissibilityit's easier to spread from person to person. So, that's really the concern with FLiRT."

The largest FLiRT subvariant, KP.2, is growing particularly fast as a proportion of existing coronavirus infections. In late March, it comprised just 4% of estimated infections nationally; most recently, it's estimated to comprise 28.2%.

The new subvariants have been dubbed FLiRT for the mutations on the evolved COVID-19 virus. "So instead of an 'L,' there's an 'F.' And instead of a 'T,' there's an 'R.' And then they put an 'i' in to make it cute," Chin-Hong said.

Despite their increased transmissibility, the new mutations don't appear to result in more severe disease. And the vaccine is expected to continue working well, given the new subvariants are only slightly different from the winter version.

The entry of the subvariants also come as COVID-19 hospitalizations hit record lows. For the week ending April 27, there were 5,098 admissionsone-seventh of this winter's peak, in which 35,137 admissions were reported for the week that ended Jan. 6.

However, as of May 1, hospitals nationwide are no longer required to report COVID-19 admissions to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; only voluntarily submitted data will now be posted nationally.

In Los Angeles County, COVID-19 levels appear to be in a lull. For the week that ended April 27, coronavirus levels in L.A. County wastewater were at 8% of the winter peak.

Still, some doctors say they wouldn't be surprised if there is a summer uptick in COVID casesas has occurred in prior seasons.

"By the summer, we can expect people's immunity to be a little bit lower," Chin-Hong said. For those who are older or immunocompromised, "they are potentially at risk for getting more serious disease."

Plus, people often gather indoors during summer to avoid the heat, which can increase the risk of transmission in crowded public venues.

Chin-Hong said he is seeing COVID-19 patients at UC San Francisco with serious illness, and "they were either very old or very immune compromised and they didn't get the most recent shots."

That the FLiRT subvariants are more easily able to spread underscores how important it is for those most at risk to be up to date on vaccinations and stay away from those who are sick, doctors say.

And while the chance of long COVID is likely less than the early days of the pandemic, it still exists.

Many people haven't gotten a recent COVID-19 vaccination, data show. For the week that ended Feb. 24, 29% of seniors nationwide had received a dose of the updated vaccine that became available in September. In California, as of April 30, about 36% of seniors had received an updated dose.

"We are still seeing those hospitalizations and bad outcomes, and even folks who are passing away from COVID. It hasn't gone away," Bronstein said. "The good news is that the ... vaccine still is very good at protecting you against hospitalizations, severe outcomes and death."

Between October and April, more than 42,000 COVID-19 deaths were recorded nationally, according to the CDC. That's significantly larger than the estimated flu deaths over the same time: 24,000.

Still, the number is smaller than the comparable period for the prior season, when more than 70,000 COVID deaths were reported. And that tally is far smaller than the first two devastating pandemic winters: Between October 2021 and April 2022, more than 272,000 deaths were recorded; and between October 2020 and April 2021, the number was more than 370,000.

The CDC in February recommended that seniors 65 and older get a second dose of the updated vaccine as long as it had been at least four months since an earlier injection. The CDC also says everyone 6 months and older should get a dose of the updated vaccine.

"Right now, the most important thing that folks can do is get the vaccine," Bronstein said. He suggested those who are especially vulnerable continue to mask whenever possible, especially in places like crowded airports and planes.

In addition, he said, it's important that people who are sick stay at home to avoid spreading germs to others, particularly the elderly. And if sickened people must leave home, they should wear a mask around others.

"Even in the summertime, what may feel like a cold can actually be a COVID infection," Bronstein said. "We need to make sure that if you're sick, that we're testing whenever possible, staying home ... and make sure that your symptoms are more mild before you decide to go back to your regular activities."

California recommends that people with COVID-19 symptoms stay home until symptoms are mild and improving and they haven't had a fever for 24 hours without medication.

They should also mask around others while indoors for 10 days after becoming sick or, if they have no symptoms, after testing positive. They can stop wearing a mask sooner, if they have two consecutive negative rapid test results at least a day apart. But they should avoid contact with all higher-risk people for 10 days, according to the state Department of Public Health.

And ahead of travel plans this summer, Chin-Hong suggested that older people speak with their health care provider about making sure that, should they come down with COVID-19, that Paxlovid can be prescribed without interfering with other medications. Paxlovid is an antiviral drug that, when taken by people at risk for severe COVID-19 who have mild-to-moderate illness, reduces the risk of hospitalization and death.

Chin-Hong also suggests that it makes sense for health care providers to prescribe Paxlovid to higher-risk people planning to travel where the medicine may not be readily available, as a "just-in-case" prescription. Clinicians have that discretion since Paxlovid has been fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which gives health care providers greater leeway in deciding when to prescribe the drug.

Earlier this year, another medicine was also made available to help protect the most vulnerable peoplesuch as cancer patients and those who have received organ transplants. It's a monoclonal antibody called Pemgarda, which is administered intravenously and can be given once every three months. Authorized by the FDA for emergency use, it's given prophylactically and can help recipients prevent COVID-19 if they are later exposed to an infected person.

Anticipation is also building for a fresh version of the COVID-19 vaccine to be released possibly by September. It could be designed against last winter's JN.1 strain, but it's also possible officials decide it should be designed against the rising FLiRT subvariants, Chin-Hong said.

2024 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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There's a new highly transmissible COVID-19 variant: Could FLiRT lead to a summer uptick? - Medical Xpress

The report's authors said changing people's behaviors before vaccines became available saved lives, but at great cost.

BOULDER, Colo. A new study authored by researchers at CU Boulder and UCLA says social distancing and other preventative measures, like lockdowns and school closures, prevented hundreds of thousands of deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19.

According to the report, 800,000 more people would have died from COVID and COVID complications had the precautions not been put into place before vaccines became available.

The study's authors, CU Boulder's Stephen Kissler and UCLA's Andrew Atkeson, said the social changes came at great cost.

Our work shows that behavior change can be a powerful force for slowing the spread of a dangerous and infectious respiratory disease for a long time, said Kissler, an assistant professor of computer science at CU Boulder. But with COVID-19, it came at a tremendous economic, social and human cost.

Kissler and Atkeson's research found that vaccines and behavioral changes were inseparably linked.

Without vaccines, behavior alone would have postponed infections, but in the end, nearly everyone would have been infected and subject to a high infection fatality rate from that first infection, they wrote. Without a behavioral response, vaccines would have come too late to save lives.

Their report showed that 68% of Americans were able to get vaccinated before ever being infected. Had people gotten COVID for the first time before being vaccinated, their risk of dying would have been as much as four times higher, the study says.

Kissler and Atkeson were alarmed at how big an impact behavior changes had. Pre-pandemic studies forecasted the changes would be minimal and short-lived. That said, the authors said they worry that if another pandemic were to occur, Americans would be less willing to stay home.

My concern is that the next pandemic will be deadlier, but people will ignore it, because they will say, Oh, we overdid it during COVID,' Atkeson said.

Atkeson and Kissler said U.S. policymakers need to develop a more centralized infrastructure on gathering data on how people more around and interact to spread viruses. They said if this infrastructure was put in place, future pandemic restrictions could be reduced.

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COVID study: 800,000 deaths were prevented by social distancing | 9news.com - 9News.com KUSA

At the end of March, the KP.2 variant was causing about 4% of infections in the U.S.,according to the CDC, while its parental strain, JN.1, was causing over 50% of infections at that time. As of early May, KP.2 makes up about 28% of infections, overtaking JN.1 as the dominant variant.

KP.2 is one of several variants being referred to as FLiRT variants, named after the technical names for their mutations. The prevalence of these variants comes at a critical time, when experts are deciding how to formulate the fall COVID vaccine.

In this Q&A,Andy Pekosz, PhD, a professor inMolecular Microbiology and Immunology, explains what virologists like him are seeing, whether these variants might cause a summer wave of infections, and how people can protect themselves.

What are these FLiRT variants?

This is the term being used to describe a whole family of different variantsincluding KP.2, JN.1.7, and any other variants starting with KP or JNthat appear to have independently picked up the same set of mutations. This is called convergent evolution. They are all descendants of theJN.1 variant that has been dominant in the U.S. for the past several months.

The particular mutations that people refer to as FLiRTs or FLips refer to specific positions in the spike proteinin this case, positions 456, 346, and 572.

Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 mutate frequently, and when they mutate to evade recognition by antibodies, this often weakens their ability to bind to the cells they want to infect. We then see mutations appear that improve that binding ability. This is a cycle we have seen many times with SARS-CoV-2. The fact that these different variants are picking up the same mutations tells virologists that this combination of mutations is helping the virus accomplish these goals most efficiently.

How do these mutations help the virus bind to cells while evading antibodies?

Two of these mutations456 and 346eliminate binding sites for antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2. However, those same antibody binding sites are also important for the virus to bind to and enter cells. So in evading antibodies, these FLiRT variants may have also lost some ability to bind to their receptor. At the same time, the 572 mutation appears to allow the virus to more tightly bind to cells and ultimately cause an infection.

Do people who recently had COVID have any protection against infection from FLiRT variants?

A JN.1 infection should provide pretty strong protection against all the FLiRT variants. The difference between JN.1 and these variants is only one or two amino acid changes, so there are still a lot of other places antibodies can bind to. Infection from a variant older than JN.1 is less likely to offer as much protection.

Do we know yet how well the current COVID-19 vaccines work against the FLiRT variants?

Against JN.1, the vaccine designed around XBB.1.5 does generate some cross-reactive antibodies. Studies have not been yet done with some of these newer variants, but those are likely to be a little less cross-reactive. Its also been several months since many people received their last dose of the vaccine, and that immunity wanes over time.

Back in February, the CDC recommendedan additional dose of the current COVID vaccine for adults 65 and older who received theirs in the fall. There is a question now of what the guidance will be going into the summer. Weve seen fairly low uptake of these additional boosters when theyre recommended, even in high risk populations, so its unclear whether a third dose of the current vaccine will be recommended. If case numbers remain relatively low, it may not be necessary.

Should we anticipate these variants to drive a surge in cases this summer?

Its certainly possible. The FLiRT variants would be high on my list of viruses that could cause another wave of infections in the U.S. That said, our definition of a wave has changed; while we still see case rates rise and fall throughout the year, we see much lower numbers of cases of hospitalizations or deaths than we saw in the first couple years of the pandemic.

And yet, while these waves are becoming smaller, they are still having the greatest impact on our susceptible populations: the elderly, people who are immunocompromised and those with other secondary medical conditions. Everyone can play a role in protecting those populations that remain the highest-risk when new variants cause an uptick in cases.

How might these variants impact plans for the COVID vaccine formula that gets updated for the fall?

This is the time of year when governing bodies like the WHO and FDA recommend a formulation for updated COVID vaccines that will roll out in early fall. Last year, thevaccines were based on the XBB.1.5 variant, and only a few months later, theJN.1 variant became the dominant variant in the U.S.

At the end of April, theWHO announced that their COVID vaccine advisory group advises using the JN.1 lineage as the antigen for the upcoming formulations of the vaccine. All of these FLiRT variants are within the JN.1 family of variants.

Here in the U.S.,the FDA has postponed its meeting to determine the fall 2024 COVID vaccine from mid-May to early June. That gives them more time to see which of the FLiRT variants is becoming the dominant one so they can fine-tune the WHO recommendation to what they anticipate will be most prominent in the fall.

New COVID variants are likely to crop up after a decision is madejust as it did last summerbut the goal remains to select a formulation that, come fall, will match the circulating variants as closely as possible.

What are the usual symptoms and transmission timeline for FLiRT variants?

When it comes to symptoms, were not seeing anything new or different with these variants. We continue to see more mild disease, but thats likely not because the virus is milder, but because our immunity is so much stronger now. After years of vaccinations and infections, most of the population is better able to fight off an infection without as much concern for severe disease.

The period of infectiousness for these FLiRT variants remains the same as with JN.1 and previous omicron variants: After exposure, it may take five or more days before you develop symptoms, though symptoms may appear sooner. You are contagious one to two days before you experience symptoms and a few days after symptoms subside. And as with previous variants, some people may have detectable live virus for up to a week after their symptoms begin, and some may experiencerebound symptoms.

At-home testing remains a really important tool for knowing whether you could potentially infect others.

Are antivirals like Paxlovid effective against FLiRT variants?

Yes, the good news is thatPaxlovid is still recommended for high risk individuals. It still works against variants up to JN.1, and based on the sequencing of the FLiRT variants, they should still be susceptible to Paxlovid, as well as to antiviral drugs like molnupiravir and remdesivir. The companies that produce these drugs are always testing them against new variants to ensure they continue to be effective.

How can people protect themselves and their loved ones as we head into summer?

As with any respiratory virus, even when case rates nationally are low, its common to see infections increase in one area of the country but not another. Keep an eye on case rates in your region or anywhere you plan to travel, to know whether you should take additional precautions, like wearing a mask or gathering in well-ventilated areas. Some local health departments report on virus levels in wastewater, which can signal an upcoming rise in cases. This is particularly helpful as people experience more mild illness; those cases may not require hospitalization, but theyll still be detected in wastewater data.

Its always a good idea to keep a few COVID tests around the house in case you start to feel sick. Testingwhether at home or in a health care settingwill make sure you know what you're infected with, which can inform the best treatment plan if you are in a high risk group or your symptoms progress to more severe illness.

If you do feel sick, follow the CDCssimplified guidance for respiratory illnesses. This is especially important if you plan to spend time with friends or family who are at higher risk of severe illness.

Aliza Rosen is a digital content strategist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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What to Know About COVID FLiRT Variants | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

(NEXSTAR) There are two new COVID-19 variants circulating, posing a threat to a summer surge.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been tracking the new variants, scientifically known as KP.2 and KP.1.1 since at least the start of 2024. Theyve been steadily growing in prominence ever since and have garnered the nickname FLiRT because of their mutations.

The latest data shows KP.2 is the dominant strain in the U.S., comprising almost 25% of the tests that have been sequenced. KP.1.1 makes up about 8% as of the end of April. Both are sublineages of the JN.1 lineage of the Omicron variant, the main COVID variant for roughly three years.

Both FLiRT variants are considered very similar to JN.1, health officials say, with early data suggesting only a couple of changes in their spike proteins.

With the virus expected to spread as the summer months approach, it may be sparking concerns about whether the last vaccine dose you received is still protecting you. Ultimately, it depends on when you got your last dose.

In the fall, an updated COVID vaccine was released. The CDC has recommended everyone 6 months old and older get the updated vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax. In February, a federal immunization committee voted in favor of recommending an additional dose for those ages 65 and up. Those between the ages of 6 months and 4 years old require multiple doses, the CDC says.

Previously, health officials have said the COVID vaccines would provide protection from the virus for several months. In a February update on the newest vaccine booster made available in September, the CDC said that while it had (from September to January) been effective, they expected that protection would decline over time as had been seen with previous doses.

However, because the FLiRT variants are relatively new, there isnt enough data to show whether the vaccine or immunity from a recent case of COVID will provide effective protection against them.

Speaking with TODAY, Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said lab studies so far have shown vaccines and immunity may only provide partial protection. Late last month, the World Health Organization recommended that future COVID vaccines formulations be based on the JN.1 variant, a close relative of the FLiRT off-shoots that reigned as the most common in the U.S. over the last few months.

As of Thursday, the CDC is reporting minimal COVID activity in wastewater nationwide, and virus-related hospitalizations and deaths, as well as the rate of patients visiting emergency departments testing positive for COVID, are down.

A spokesperson for the CDC tells Nexstar that the agency is working to better understand [KP.2 and KP.1.1]s potential impact on public health, but notes that based on lab tests, there are low levels of SARS-CoV-2 transmission overall at this time.

That means that while KP.2 is proportionally the most predominant variant, it is not causing an increase in infections as transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is low, the spokesperson added. Based on current data there are no indicators that KP.2 would cause more severe illness than other strains. CDC will continue to monitor community transmission of the virus and how vaccines perform against this strain.

Its too soon to say whether a new COVID vaccine will be created for the summer months. While the CDC recently eased guidance surrounding COVID, the agency still recommends everyone 6 months old and older get the updated COVID vaccine released in fall, if they havent already. Health experts are also continuing to encourage testing if you experience symptoms or are exposed, staying home if youre sick, practicing good hygiene, and wearing a mask and social distancing when in public.

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Will your last COVID vaccine work against new FLiRT variants? - NewsNation Now

If media reports are to be believed, COVID-19 has not completely gone away. It keeps on lurking around the corner and can unleash the mayhem again. After JN.1, the latest variety of COVID-19 variants is KP.2. It is an offshoot of the omicron variant. The Centers for Disease and Prevention has said that currently, it accounts for an estimated 28.2% of COVID cases after making up just 1.4% of cases in mid-March, reports ABC News'.

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Will COVID-19 cases increase in the summer?Virologists in the US have predicted an increase in Covid cases during this summer also, as has been noticed since 2020. If KP.2 continues to gain prevalence, it may happen again, but it would be less dangerous and less dramatic.

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What is KP.2? Everything about new COVID-19 variant that may increase Corona cases this summer - The Economic Times

In a recent study published in The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific, a team of researchers from China and the Netherlands used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging or rs-fMRI to examine the long-term impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on brain function, based on reports of persistent neurological, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms in individuals recovering from the disease.

Study:Brain abnormalities in survivors of COVID-19 after 2-year recovery: a functional MRI study. Image Credit:Aleksandar Malivuk/Shutterstock.com

Although concerted global efforts in medicine have helped contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is substantial evidence indicating that a significant portion of individuals recovering from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections experience long coronavirus disease (long COVID) or post COVID syndrome.

The symptoms of long COVID are varied and impact a wide range of organ systems. While the most common symptoms include fatigue, dyspnea, and post-exertional malaise, individuals experiencing post-COVID syndrome also report experiencing cognitive, neurological, and mental health symptoms such as brain fog, anxiety, inability to concentrate, sleep disturbances, and depression.

Studies have confirmed deficits in specific domains of cognition as long-term impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Research also indicates that individuals who were infected with the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 or the alpha variant and required hospitalization experienced larger cognitive deficits than other COVID-19 patients.

However, the underlying mechanisms or pathophysiology of the neuropsychiatric or cognitive deficits in long COVID patients remain unclear.

The present study aimed to understand the long-term cognitive, neurological, and psychiatric impact of COVID-19 and the brain alterations in long-term COVID patients two years after SARS-CoV-2 infections using rs-fMRI.

The study included adults between the ages of 18 and 65 and included individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, as well as healthy controls.

Medical records confirming a COVID-19 diagnosis were required to categorize a participant as a COVID-19 survivor, while the healthy controls were defined as individuals with no history or medical records of a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antigen test.

Individuals with a current history of neurological or psychiatric diseases, stroke, or brain injury, pregnant or lactating women, or individuals with metallic or electronic implants, claustrophobia, or any other contraindications for the MRI were excluded.

A wide range of measurements, including demographic characteristics such as age, sex, and education levels, as well as information on comorbidities, smoking behavior, mental disorder history, vaccination status for COVID-19, hospitalization duration, and time between COVID-19 diagnosis and follow-up, were obtained from all participants.

The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire was employed to assess cognitive function, and tasks assessing memory recall were used to evaluate working memory.

Additional questionnaires were used to assess mental and physical health fatigue, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, insomnia severity, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, as well as self-reported symptoms of headaches, dizziness, and taste and smell disorders. A magnetic resonance scanner provided scans of the brain at various slice thicknesses and angles.

The study found that individuals who experienced mild to moderate and severe to critical acute symptoms during the SARS-CoV-2 infection had significantly higher cognitive complaints of mental fatigue and cognitive failure compared to healthy individuals in the control group.

However, no significant differences were observed in the cognitive complaints between the individuals who had mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms and those with severe to critical COVID-19 symptoms.

Furthermore, the two COVID-19 survivor groups and the healthy control groups had similar scores in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment questionnaire, as well as the working memory assessment and simple reaction time tasks.

However, the rates of psychiatric symptoms such as depression, insomnia, PTSD, anxiety, and smell and taste disorders were higher in the two COVID-19 survivor groups as compared to the control group.

Additionally, the results from the rs-fMRI showed that among individuals recovering from COVID-19, the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation values were significantly higher in the right inferior temporal gyrus, left putamen, and right pallidum of the brain and lower in the left superior temporal gyrus and right superior parietal gyrus.

The regional homogeneity values were also lower in the left postcentral gyrus, right precentral gyrus, left calcarine fissure and left superior temporal gyrus of COVID-19 survivors.

Low regional homogeneity values in the left superior temporal gyrus were also correlated with lower scores on the cognitive fatigue questionnaire and higher mental fatigue.

Overall, the findings indicated that long COVID patients continue to experience persistent cognitive symptoms and neurological and psychiatric complaints and exhibit brain alterations even two years after recovering from the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The study reported brain function changes in various regions of the brain that could be contributing to the persistent and long-term cognitive complaints experienced by long COVID patients.

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COVID-19 survivors show lasting brain function alterations, fMRI study finds - News-Medical.Net

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