Severe Covid More Than Doubles Patient’s Risk Of Dying Inside A Year

WUSF Public Media: A Severe Case Of COVID Significantly Raises Death Risk In Following Year, UF Study Shows 
New research shows that people who are hospitalized with severe illness due to COVID-19 are more than twice as likely to die in the following year compared to people who did not contract the virus. In this conversation, the study's lead author, Arch Mainous, a professor of medicine at the University of Florida, says the research points to the need for vaccination to prevent people from getting severe COVID-19 in the first place. (Sheridan, 12/16)

NPR: COVID Can Lead To Lasting Harm To The Brain, Scientists Find
Months after a bout with COVID-19, many people are still struggling with memory problems, mental fog and mood changes. One reason is that the disease can cause long-term harm to the brain. "A lot of people are suffering," says Jennifer Frontera, a neurology professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Frontera led a study that found that more than 13% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had developed a new neurological disorder soon after being infected. A follow-up study found that six months later, about half of the patients in that group who survived were still experiencing cognitive problems. (Hamilton, 12/16)

On  antibody research —

Reuters: AstraZeneca Antibody Cocktail Works Against Omicron In Study 
AstraZeneca said on Thursday a lab-study of its COVID-19 antibody cocktail, Evusheld, found that the treatment retained neutralising activity against the Omicron coronavirus variant, showing promise for wider use of the therapy. The study was conducted by independent investigators of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the company said, adding that more analyses of Evusheld against Omicron are being conducted by AstraZeneca and third-parties, with data expected "very soon." (12/16)

The Washington Post: Regeneron, AstraZeneca Give Mixed Results On Their Covid Antibody Cocktails Against Omicron 
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca, makers of monoclonal antibody cocktails used as treatment for many coronavirus patients who have not been vaccinated, announced contrasting data Thursday about the potency of their covid-19 therapies against the omicron variant. Regeneron, which warned earlier this month that its antibody treatment may not be as effective against the new variant, said data confirms it has “diminished potency” against omicron but remains useful against delta. ... AstraZeneca, however, said that a lab study of Evusheld, the company’s coronavirus antibody cocktail, found that the treatment “retained neutralizing activity” against omicron. (Bella, 12/16)

CNBC: Regeneron Developing Antibodies To Target Omicron As Current Cocktail Loses Potency Against Variant
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is developing new antibodies that work against the omicron variant of Covid-19, after the company confirmed that its current cocktail has diminished potency against the heavily mutated strain. CEO Leonard Schleifer told CNBC on Thursday that Regeneron plans to conduct trials on the new antibodies in the first quarter of 2022. Schleifer said Regeneron is working with the Food and Drug Administration to get the next generation of antibodies approved as efficiently as possible. (Kimball, 12/16)

The Washington Post: As The Omicron Variant Threatens To Wipe Out Monoclonal Antibodies, The U.S. Is Saving Up One That Will Still Work
With the omicron variant of the coronavirus poised to thwart most covid-19 treatments, U.S. public health officials are stockpiling the one monoclonal antibody that remains effective so that it can be deployed when the variant becomes more prevalent. Omicron represents an estimated 3 percent of coronavirus cases in the United States, but in some states it is estimated to make up 13 percent of all cases, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday. Some hospitals are reporting even more concerning figures: At Houston Methodist, omicron grew from 13 percent of cases to more than 30 percent in four days. In New York, the percent of positive tests doubled in three days — a key sign of accelerating spread. (Johnson, 12/16)

Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel: Shark Antibodies May Prove Effective Against COVID-19
Nurse sharks gliding around a tank at the University of Wisconsin-Madison may hold the secret to an unusual, previously unexamined treatment for COVID-19, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Nature Communications. Antibodies derived from the immune systems of sharks proved effective against the new coronavirus, including the Delta variant, in lab experiments using human lung and embryonic kidney cells. (Johnson, 12/16)

Also —

Axios: How The Little-Known B And T Cells Can Protect Against COVID Variants 
The body's long-term immune responses help to defend against emerging coronavirus variants even as antibody immunity is waning in people who are vaccinated or who've had prior COVID-19 infections. Variants are testing the success of the COVID-19 vaccines, as antibody levels typically drop after peaking from infection or vaccination. (Drage O'Reilly, 12/16)