Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Covid In Children, Vaccines; Effects Of Pandemic
CIDRAP: SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies In Kids After COVID May Peak At 1 To 3 Months
In a group of nonhospitalized children 0 to 16 years old, SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody levels peaked at about 84% 1 to 3 months after they tested positive for COVID-19 but remain high for more than a year, finds a single-center study published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics. (Van Beusekom, 8/30)
CIDRAP: Half Of Kids With Omicron Test Positive At 7 Days—Beyond CDC Guidance
Almost half of children infected with the original Omicron COVID-19 strain still tested positive 7 days after they first had symptoms, calling into question guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how long to isolate, according to a small study late last week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. (8/29)
CIDRAP: 37% Of A Group Of Maryland Preschoolers With COVID-19 Had No Symptoms
An 8-month COVID-19 screening study of 175 Maryland households with at least one child aged 0 to 4 years finds that 37% of preschoolers had no symptoms, suggesting that screening only symptomatic children may not be enough to prevent outbreaks in this age-group. (9/1)
CIDRAP: Preschoolers' Parent Confidence In COVID Vaccines Wanes As Safety Shown
Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), survey results show that parental confidence in COVID-19 vaccines dipped after authorization for preschoolers, and surveillance reveals that most adverse events after mRNA vaccination in this age-group were mild or moderate. (9/2)
CIDRAP: COVID's Hidden Victims: New Orphans And Essential Workers
A pair of new studies describe COVID-19–related parental loss and occupational death rates, with a global analysis finding that children were more likely to be orphaned if they live in the poorest countries with high rates of noncommunicable diseases, and the other showing that essential workers in California had higher rates of coronavirus deaths and excess deaths than those with less workplace exposure. (Van Beusekom, 9/1)
In covid vaccine research —
CIDRAP: MRNA COVID Vaccines Protect Against Severe Omicron For At Least Half A Year
COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccines offered protection against severe COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant for at least 6 months, and three doses of China's inactivated vaccines were more protective than two doses but not as protective as three doses of mRNA vaccines, finds a study from Singapore published today in JAMA Network Open. (Van Beusekom, 8/26)
CIDRAP: Study: COVID-19 Vaccine Incentives Do Not Improve Uptake
Small incentives to get a COVID-19 vaccine, including amounts of $10 to $50, do not meaningfully increase COVID-19 vaccination rates amongst the vaccine hesitant according to a California study. The study is published in Vaccine. (8/31)
In other pandemic research on C. diff and domestic abuse —
CIDRAP: Study: US C Difficile Prevalence Fell During COVID-19 Pandemic
The prevalence of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in the United States declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, but inpatient mortality and treatment costs were higher, according to a paper published yesterday in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. (8/26)
CIDRAP: Infant Abuse, Domestic Violence Spiked Amid COVID
JAMA Network Open published two studies yesterday on child abuse in France and domestic violence in Japan early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the former finding that the rate of abusive head trauma (AHT) in infants nearly doubled and the latter showing that calls to domestic-violence help centers rose significantly. (Van Beusekom, 8/31)
