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In a recent study published in the journal BMJ, researchers conducted a registry-based study comprising 343,066 infants across Denmark, Sweden, and Norway to investigate if COVID-19 infections or vaccinations during the first trimester were associated with increased risk of congenital anomalies. Of the 11 anomaly subgroups investigated, 10 had adjusted odds ratios (aORs) < 1.04 highlighting no statistically significant risk increases.
Study: Covid-19 infection and vaccination during first trimester and risk of congenital anomalies: Nordic registry based study. Image Credit:Unai Huizi Photography/ Shutterstock
Pregnant women represent a high-risk population, with disease contractions during pregnancy often adversely affecting pregnancy and birth outcomes. Observational accounts and recent research have revealed that Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections during pregnancy comply with this trend, increasing the risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications. Given this knowledge, governments of most nations recommend that pregnant women receive COVID-19 vaccinations.
The first trimester represents a critical period of pregnancy, with most congenital anomalies developing during these first three months. Unfortunately, pregnant women are rarely subjected to randomized controlled trials, preventing robust scientific evidence for the safety of vaccinations in this high-risk group. Encouragingly, observational evidence and registry-based studies conducted across Scotland, Israel, Switzerland, France, and the United States (US) of America failed to find evidence for the increased risk of congenital anomalies following COVID-19 infection or vaccination.
Since these studies suffered from the shared limitations of inadequate sample sizes, a lack of first-trimester focus, or inadequate anomaly subgroup analysis, a study accounting for these limitations is necessary. Furthermore, given differences in race/ethnicity-specific COVID-19 outcomes and a shortage of information for Nordic countries, the present study aims to assess risk associations between COVID-19 infections or vaccinations during the first trimester and congenital anomalies across Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
This study compiled data from liveborn singleton infants from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, the Danish National Patient Register, and the Swedish Pregnancy Register between March 2020 and February 2022. Inclusion criteria comprised mothers and infants who were followed up for at least nine months (275 days) following birth, while preterm births were excluded to avoid confounds.
Data collection included maternal socioeconomic information and COVID-19 infection or vaccination status. The exposures of interest were COVID-19 infections of vaccinations during the first trimester, with each exposure (infection and vaccination) analyzed independently. Notably, combined exposure (vaccination followed by infection) was excluded from the analysis.
The European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT guide version 1.5) was used to define major congenital anomalies. This study categorized anomalies into 11 subgroups 1. any, 2. heart, 3. nervous system, 4. eye, 5. ear, neck, or face, 6. respiratory, 7. oro-facial clefts, 8. abdominal wall defects, 9. kidney or urinary tract, 10. genital, or 11. limb anomalies.
Covariates of interest included maternal age, parity, education level, household income, maternal region of birth, pregnancy start date, smoking status, preexisting chronic disease status, and body mass index (BMI), all of which were used as potential confounders during analysis.
Statistical analysis comprised random effects meta-analysis conducted independently for infections and vaccinations and subgrouped by country (Sweden, Norway, or Denmark). Between-country heterogeneity was assessed using I2 tests. Sensitivity analyses were conducted in two stages 1. Infants with a minimum of 12 months of follow-up were included, and 2. Infants with genetic-associated congenital anomalies were excluded.
Of the 343,066 infants included in the study, 17,704 presented at least one major congenital anomaly. Of these, 4.2% (n = 737) presented more than one major congenital anomaly. COVID-19 infections were observed for the mothers of 10,229 (3%) of infants, but analysis revealed no additional risk of congenital anomalies in this group (adjusted Odds Ratios [aORs] = 0.96). On a per-subgroup basis, aORs ranged from 0.84 (eye) to 1.12 (oro-facial clefts), but these results did not indicate increased infection-associated risk statistically.
COVID-19 vaccinations were observed for the mothers of 152,261 infants, of which 29,135 (19%) were vaccinated during the first trimester and hence included in subsequent analysis. Once again, the analysis revealed no additional risk of vaccination-associated anomalies, with aORs ranging from 0.84 (nervous system) to 1.69 (abdominal wall defects). Abdominal wall defects were the only statistically significant subgroup, with the remaining 10 subgroups presenting aORs < 1.04.
The present study represents the largest (n = 343,066) assessment of COVID-19 infection or vaccination-associated congenital anomaly risk, with the most prolonged follow-up period (9-12 months). It is also the first to investigate these associations in Nordic populations.
Study findings support previous literature highlighting no association between COVID-19 infection or vaccination and subsequent congenital anomaly risk. However, COVID-19 infections are known to result in other pregnancy and birth complications, supporting governments recommendations for pregnant women to receive vaccinations.
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With COVID-19 cases on the rise, Quebec's immunization committee has released its recommendations on administering vaccines this fall.
In a report published Monday, the committee recommends that the same groups as it did last year get a booster dose. They include:
People aged 60 and over.
People living in long-term care homes.
People who are immunocompromised, undergo dialysis or live with a chronic illness.
Pregnant people.
Health-care workers.
Adults living in isolated areas.
Quebec had790 positive COVID-19 casesin the week of July 14, according to the latest data from the Institut national de sant publique du Qubec (INSPQ). About 820 patients were hospitalized due to COVID-19 that same week, nearly twice as many since the end of April.
The positivity rate for COVID-19 tests jumped to 16.3 per cent in July from 2.3 per cent in April.
People who have never had COVID-19 are more likely to develop complications following their first infection with SARS-CoV-2 despite good vaccination coverage, the immunization committee report says. That's because the effectiveness of the vaccine tends to wane after several months, especially when new variants emerge.
The committee says the likelihood of experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms leading to hospitalization is much higher for elderly people, and that risk is compounded when a person has a chronic illness.
Preliminary analyses conducted on people who were 60 years old and older during the 2023 vaccination campaign show that they were 43 per cent more protected than people who only received a booster dose in 2022.
Young adults in good health may get another dose, but the committee says a booster dose for thatgroup would have few benefitsgiven the group'slow risk of developing COVID-19 complications.
"The vaccine is very effective to prevent severe hospitalization. It's not as effective to prevent transmission," said Dr. Nicholas Brousseau, a public health physician at theINSPQ."That's why our recommendations target at-risk people."
New variants
The committee is also recommending that the government wait for the availability of vaccineswhich are better adapted to new strains circulatingbefore launching the next vaccination campaign.
It iscalling on the government to withdraw its preference for mRNA vaccines over Nuvaxovid (Novavax) so that Quebec may recommend the vaccine that "offers protection against variants that are closest to those circulating" and look into offering booster doses along with the flu shot.
The virus SARS-CoV-2 continues to produce new variants since it was first detected in 2019, with the JN.1 strain being the most prominent in Quebec and Canada as of March 13, 2024.
The last provincial vaccination campaign targeted the XBB.1.5 variant.
"By fall 2024, it is expected that new versions of COVID-19 vaccines, targeting one or more strains closer to those currently in circulation, will be developed and authorized," the report says.
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Quebec renews COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for fall amid uptick in cases - Yahoo News Canada
Sinovac Photo: VCG
Reuters reported in June that the US military had launched, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a secret campaign to counter what it perceived as China's growing influence in the Philippines, a nation hit especially hard by the deadly virus.
The US government's disinformation campaign against China's anti-COVID vaccine "has caused significant damage in the Philippines on so many levels," a Filipino infectious diseases expert Edsel Salvana was cited by the Manila Times on Saturday.
The campaign "led to unnecessary suffering and deaths among those who were hesitant to take the available vaccines as the anti-Sinovac propaganda forced people to wait for the arrival of the American-made alternative," Salvana said, adding that it was also "disheartening to learn the US, as an ally, would do such a thing at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that killed millions worldwide."
The US Marine Corps has recently published a doctrine titled "Deception," according to the US website Military.com, which is a tactic used to deceive enemy and create disinformation. Jeffrey Hill, a US intelligence officer and the lead author of the doctrine, reportedly said that "if you ain't deceiving, you ain't fighting."
Commenting on the series of actions, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in Manila said that from former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly saying "we lied, we cheated, we stole," to the recent revelation of Pentagon disinformation campaign against Chinese vaccines, and to the latest military doctrine "Deception," facts have shown time and again that to advance selfish agenda in the name of justice, to spread disinformation through deceptive propaganda, and to frame and suppress other countries through manipulating public opinion and perception have become the US' go-to tactics.
"What the US has been doing is not unknown to the world who is wary against such tactics," the spokesperson noted. "Long gone are the days when the US could deceive the world into serving its selfish agenda."
The embassy urged the US to end this kind of wrongful approach at once, stop manipulation through lies, and halt smearing and vilifying other countries.
What's more, the US should give "a long-overdue explanation" to the international community both for its dissemination of disinformation over the years and for the severe damage inflicted by the US "Deception" strategy and anti-Sinovac propaganda on the Philippines.
Global Times
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By David Dodd, CEO, GeoVax Labs, Inc.
Is anyone talking about COVID-19 anymore? The answer is yes.
In April, a group of new virus strains known as the FLiRT variants, based on the technical names of their two mutations, began to spread, followed in June by a variant known as LB.1. The FLiRT strains are subvariants ofOmicron, and together they accounted for the majority of COVID cases in the U.S. at the beginning of July.
This news comes after the variant JN.1 spread rapidly this year, indicating its either more transmissible, or just better at evading the immune system, according to health officials. The CDC reports COVID-19 is still claiming the lives of hundreds of Americans a week. Thankfully, the virus is not overwhelming our health systems anymore, due to the scientists, researchers and developers, and clinicians that brought the vaccines to the public in record time in less than a year to protect us.
The public health emergency has ended, but the WHO still calls COVID-19 a pandemic. As long as variants to SARS-CoV-2 continue to emerge, there remains a risk of a highly variant form causing epidemic life-threatening infections throughout the world. This is why with COVID-19, few would consider the current situation back to normal.
Yet one year after the Biden administration ended the COVID-19 public health emergency, the CDC estimates only 23% of adult Americans have received the updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine, compared to approximately 80% who received the initial dose. Its safe to say vaccine apathy is rampant. Most people will tell you they are tired of playing catch up with vaccines, or they dont think the vaccines will protect them, even though the virus continues to evolve and poses a critical threat to various patient populations, especially those who are the most vulnerable.
People with compromised immune systems resulting from cancers, immune deficiency diseases, diabetes, kidney disease, autoimmune diseases, those with organ transplants, and other immune-depleting conditions are at extreme risk in their everyday lives.
In the U.S. alone, there are between 20-25 million adults, and worldwide over 250 million, for whom the currently authorized vaccines are inadequate due to underlying medical conditions. In fact, since the beginning of the pandemic, approximately 80% of deaths ascribed to COVID-19 were among those ages 60 and above, as well as those having compromised immune systems due to various medical conditions. For many of such populations, the threat of severe infection, hospitalization, and the risk of death remains.
Even for healthy patients, the COVID-19 vaccines require continued reconfiguration to address new variants, and their durability, which is unfortunately less than six-months. The emergence of new variants is difficult to predict, but scientists have estimated that over the next two years, we are likely to experience another Omicron-like wave. The COVID-19 vaccinations are the most important tool we have and are proven to reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death.
Getting ahead of COVID-19 means vaccine developers have to remain committed to updating the makeup of these vaccines, making sure they are administered efficiently, and sharing them globally as quickly as possible. The White House initiative, Project NextGen, was designed to coordinate a government effort aimed at accelerating the clinical development of new vaccines and therapies with the potential to provide more robust and durable protection. This initiative is focused on providing the public with vaccines and therapies that break the cycle of constantly having to continuously reconfigure vaccines and therapies in response to new variants. This means creating next-generation COVID-19 vaccines that address a breadth of virus strains, including variants yet to emerge.
Through Project NextGen, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a DHS agency, is dedicating five billion dollars to producing vaccines that are broader and more durable, including COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are delivered intranasally, orally, or have the potential to provide protective immunity to variants yet to emerge.
Project NextGen aims to ensure that next-generation safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are brought to the public as quickly as possible and that they can be produced in a manner that meets the public needs. Vaccine candidates that have been funded thus far under Project NextGen include COVID-19 vaccines providing novel delivery such as intranasal (Codegenix; CastleVax) and oral (Vaxart), as well as providing increased variant coverage and greater durability (GeoVax; Gritstone).
We lost millions of people in the pandemic, and many millions more were left with long COVID. Our healthcare systems are fundamentally changed, and we are still learning how to augment and assess data for diseases, viruses, and other potential threats.
We are far from being in the clear with COVID-19. With nearly as many hospitalizations in January 2024 as in January 2023, COVID is not becoming milder, or fading away. The real question, then, is not whether COVID is still a pandemic, but how much COVID illness and death it will take to convince people that vaccinations still matter: perhaps more now than ever.
About The Author:
David Dodd is the CEO of GeoVax Labs, Inc. a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel vaccines for many of the worlds most threatening infectious diseases and therapies for solid tumor cancers. During his career, he has overseen the approval of over 10 NDAs, over 15 acquisitions/divestitures, in excess of $2.5 billion in financial transactions, and led over $5 billion in incremental enterprise growth.
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COVID-19 Is Back: Are We "FLiRT"-ing With Another Disaster? - Life Science Leader Magazine
A large new study provides some of the strongest evidence yet that vaccines reduce the risk of developing long Covid.
Scientists looked at people in the United States infected during the first two years of the pandemic and found that the percentage of vaccinated people who developed long Covid was much lower than the percentage of unvaccinated people who did.
Medical experts have previously said that vaccines can lower the risk of long Covid, largely because they help prevent severe illness during the infection period and people with severe infections are more likely to have long-term symptoms.
But many individuals with mild infections also develop long Covid, and the study, published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that vaccination did not eliminate all risk of developing the condition, which continues to affect millions in the United States.
There was a residual risk of long Covid among vaccinated persons, Dr. Clifford Rosen, a senior scientist at the MaineHealth Institute for Research, who was not involved in the study, wrote in an accompanying editorial. Because of that, Dr. Rosen added, new cases of long Covid may continue unabated.
The study evaluated medical records of millions of patients in the Department of Veterans Affairs health system. It involved nearly 450,000 people who had Covid between March 1, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2022, and about 4.7 million people who were not infected during that time.
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Vaccines Significantly Reduce the Risk of Long Covid, Study Finds - The New York Times
(NewsUSA) - The viruses that cause COVID-19 and flu continuously change or mutate to escape our natural immune responses and the protection provided by vaccines. As a result, for both flu and COVID-19, vaccination is not a one and done proposition.
Fortunately, as these viruses change, flu and COVID-19 vaccines are updated to protect the public against the variants that are currently circulating.Experts at Champions for Vaccine Education, Equity, and Progress (CVEEP)a coalition dedicated to educating the public about vaccines and promoting equity and accessemphasize that the best way to reduce the risk of severe illness from both flu and COVID-19 is to stay up to date with recommended vaccinations.
Some viruses, such as those that cause measles and polio, change infrequently. This means that the vaccines for these viruses can provide immunity that is longer-lasting.By contrast, frequent changes in the viruses that cause COVID-19 and flu mean the protection provided by these vaccines will wane as new variants emerge.
Flu and COVID-19 are serious diseases. Between October 1, 2023, and June 1, 2024, there were approximately 44,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19, and at least 24,000 deaths associated with flu. These numbers highlight the ongoing importance of staying current with vaccinations to protect yourself and your family from these viruses.
Updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines will be available this fall that are formulated to protect against the variants that are most likely to be circulating during the upcoming respiratory illness season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines and routine annual influenza vaccines for individuals aged 6 months and older.
COVID-19 remains a serious threat to public health and still poses significant risks.Staying current on your flu and COVID-19 vaccines is the best way to maintain protection from these illnesses. Help reduce the risk of interruptions and challenges that come from upticks in flu and COVID-19 infections by getting vaccinated this fall.
Visit cveep.org/stayupdatedfor more information or consult with your healthcare provider.
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Protect Yourself from Changing Flu and COVID-19 Viruses - Pittsburg Morning Sun
As new varieties of the coronavirus took center stage during the COVID-19 pandemic, the odds of developing long COVID dropped. Those who were vaccinated against the virus saw the biggest plunge over time.
For every 1,000 unvaccinated people, 104 developed long COVID up to one year after an infection during the pre-delta phase of the pandemic. That fell to 95 per 1,000 during the delta variants era and 78 during omicrons reign. Among vaccinated people, just 53 out of 1,000 developed long COVID up to a year after infection during delta and only 35 during omicron, researchers report July 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System data looked at people who had a COVID infection from March of 2020 the month the pandemic began to the end of January in 2022. The researchers, from the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System, compared the rates of long COVID during three phases of the pandemic among those who had and had not gotten vaccinated. The first COVID vaccine was introduced in December of 2020 (SN: 12/11/20). The delta variant dominated the United States in the summer of 2021, with the omicron variant taking over beginning in December 2021 (SN: 7/2/21; SN: 12/21/21).
The rate of long COVID fell as the coronavirus evolved during the pandemic, especially for vaccinated people. The analysis focused on close to 450,000 U.S. veterans infected with COVID from March 2020 to January 2022.
A comparison of omicron infections with infections from prior eras found that 72 percent of the drop in the long COVID rate during omicron was attributable to vaccines. The remainder was due to changes in the virus and improvements in medical care and the use of antiviral treatments during the omicron phase.
Even with the steep decline in the occurrence of long COVID for vaccinated people, there is still a risk, the researchers write. With the large numbers of ongoing new infections and reinfections, and the poor uptake of vaccination, they continue, this may translate into a high number of persons with long COVID.
Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us atfeedback@sciencenews.org | Reprints FAQ
Aimee Cunningham is the biomedical writer. She has a masters degree in science journalism from New York University.
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The odds of developing long COVID dropped as the coronavirus evolved - Science News Magazine
long covid freshidea - stock.adobe.com
The risk of developing long COVID has decreased over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers attributed about 70% of this reduced risk to vaccines and 30% to changes in the virus over time and improved detection and management, according to recent research published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
A team of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis led by Ziyad Al-Aly, M.D., a Washington University clinical epidemiologist, used health records from the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify 441,583 veterans who had COVID-19 between Mar. 1, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2022. They also used about 4.7 million records of uninfected veterans as the control group.
Researchers separated everyone into eight groups, three control cohorts and five COVID-19 cohorts. The control group consisted of the those who did not have the original COVID-19 strain in 2020, the delta variant in 2021 or the omicron variant in 2022.
The COVID-19 group was made up of those who were not vaccinated during the pre-delta, delta, and omicron era and were infected as well as those who were vaccinated and were infected during the delta or omicron era.
Long COVID-19 rates were the highest in the group with the original strain, which makes sense because there was no vaccine available at this time.
In those with COVID-19, long COVID incidence during first year after infection was:
In the vaccinated, long COVID-19 rates were:
Among vaccinated persons, nearly all disease categories showed a lower cumulative incidence of [Long COVID-19] and none showed a higher cumulative incidence of [Long COVID-19] during the omicron era than during the delta era, Al-Aly writes in the study. These findings suggest that vaccine uptake will be key to maintaining the lower cumulative incidence of [Long COVID-19] relative to earlier phases of the pandemic.
Long COVID occurs in about 10% of people, no matter the severity of the initial infection, but it is more common in people who were hospitalized for COVID-19, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is characterized by a variety of symptoms that may be the same or different from the COVID-19 infection. Patients could experience symptoms anywhere in the body. They are commonly chronically fatigued and may experience infertility, shortness of breath, digestive issues, hair loss and joint pain to name a few. Symptoms can last days, weeks, months or even years. To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there have been a total of 7.6 million cases worldwide. In this study, health outcomes were measured using 10 categories: cardiovascular, coagulation, hematologic, fatigue, gastrointestinal, kidney, mental health, metabolic, musculoskeletal, neurologic and pulmonary.
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COVID Vaccines Reduce Long COVID Risk by at Least 70%, Study Shows - Managed Healthcare Executive
A summer wave of Covid is surging in many parts of the nation. Infections, emergency room visits and hospitalizations are all on the upswing.
Recognizing that Covid is now a permanent respiratory threat, as are influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, federal officials have recommended that everyone 6 months and older receive the newest vaccine this fall.
If last year is any indication, many Americans may pay no heed, opting instead to take their chances with another bout. Nearly everyone has layers of immunity acquired from prior illnesses and immunizations. For many, another go-round with Covid just means a few days of misery.
But for some people with certain risk factors age, pregnancy, chronic conditions or a compromised immune system an infection may bring serious illness. Its very, very important that they get vaccinated, said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, the chief of research and development at the V.A. St. Louis Health Care System.
In every age group, even a mild illness may trigger a lasting set of problems. Nearly 14 million Americans, or about 5.3 percent of adults, may now be living with long Covid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A study published on Wednesday offers strong evidence that vaccination reduces the odds of getting long Covid.
Its very clear that no demographic group is spared, Dr. Al-Aly said.
Yes. This summers wave is a sign that Covid remains a problem. By nearly every measure, infections are on the rise.
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Long Covid and Vaccination: What You Need to Know - The New York Times
