Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Coronavirus; CCHFV; CARB-X
CIDRAP: Two Korean Studies Suggest That Children Are Unlikely To Spread COVID-19
Two South Korean studies in Emerging Infectious Diseases yesterday add to growing evidence that children are less likely than adults to spread COVID-19.The first study examined SARS-CoV-2 transmission from Feb 18 to Jun 7 among 12 children (younger than 19 years) and their uninfected guardians isolated together in seven Korean hospitals. (12/1)
American Academy Of Pediatrics: COVID-19 And Parent Intention To Vaccinate Their Children Against Influenza
Changes in vaccination intentions significantly differed between parents whose children received the 2019–2020 influenza vaccine compared with those whose children did not (P < .001). Specifically, among parents whose children did not receive the 2019–2020 vaccine, 34% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30%–37%) reported that the COVID-19 pandemic made them less likely to have their child receive the 2020–2021 vaccine. (Sokol and Grummon, 12/1)
CIDRAP: Study Finds Irreversible Damage In COVID-19 Lung Transplant Patients
A report in Science Translational Medicine yesterday detailed irreversible lung damage in three patients with severe COVID-19 infection who received lung transplants, with lung injury similar to that of end-stage pulmonary fibrosis. The study suggests that some COVID-19 patients develop fibrotic lung disease and that lung transplants may be a viable option for survival. Researchers examined the lungs removed from three bilateral lung transplant patients with non-resolving COVID-19–associated respiratory failure and two patients who had died from COVID-19–associated pneumonia. (12/1)
Nature Medicine: Effective Control Of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission In Wanzhou, China
The effectiveness of control measures to contain coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wanzhou, China was assessed. Epidemiological data were analyzed for 183 confirmed COVID-19 cases and their close contacts from five generations of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 throughout the entire COVID-19 outbreak in Wanzhou. (Shi et al, 11/30)
Also —
CIDRAP: Vaccine Protects Monkeys From Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever
A DNA-based vaccine for the tickborne Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) given to cynomolgus macaques was shown to provide protection from the disease, according to a study published yesterday in Nature Microbiology. The vaccine candidate uses two plasmids encoding the glycoprotein precursor (GP) and the nucleoprotein (NP) of CCHFV, and it was given to six female macaques at 3-week intervals in three dosages containing 1 milligram of each plasmid and followed by electroporation. Six female macaques were in the placebo group. After the vaccination period, all were infected with CCHFV; tested for symptoms and viral shedding at days 0, 3, 5, and 6 post-infection; and examined after euthanasia on day 6. (12/1)
CIDRAP: CARB-X To Fund Treatments For S Aureus Pneumonia, Pseudomonas
CARB-X today announced two new funding awards for German scientists working on therapies for difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. The first award, worth up to $1.33 million, will go to researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the Lead Discovery Center GmbH for development of a small molecule that inhibits the Staphylococcus aureus toxin a-hemolysin, which damages lung tissue and immune cells. The drug would be used in combination with antibiotics to treat pneumonia caused by S aureus. (12/1)
