COVID-19 Roundup: Antibodies, Aspirin
Antibodies
In a recent Portuguese study, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detectible from 40 days to up to 7 months after disease onset in 90% of patients.
“In this early response phase, on average, men produce more antibodies than women, but levels equilibrate during the resolution phase and are similar between the sexes in the months after SARS-CoV-2 infection,” said Marc Veldhoen, PhD, principal investigator at Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, in a press release.
Higher levels of antibodies were found in patients with more severe disease, but no significant differences were observed between various age groups.
"Although we observed a reduction in the levels of antibodies over time, the results of our neutralizing assays have shown a robust neutralization activity for up to the seventh month post-infection in a large proportion of previously virus-positive screened subjects", he concluded.
Aspirin
Individuals who had been taking daily low-dose aspirin as a preventative measure against cardiovascular disease had significantly lower risk of complications and death when hospitalized for COVID-19 compared with patients who were not taking aspirin, according to a recent study.
"This is a critical finding that needs to be confirmed through a randomized clinical trial," said Jonathan Chow, MD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in a press release. "If our finding is confirmed, it would make aspirin the first widely available, over-the-counter medication to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients."
Aspirin use was associated with a 43% reduction in the risk of needing to be treated in the intensive care unit, a 44% reduction in the risk of requiring mechanical ventilators, and a 47% reduction in overall mortality.
COVID-19 Updates from CDC
As of October 23, 2020, the CDC has received reports of a total of 64,364,628 specimens tested for SARS-CoV-2, and the percent of specimens testing positive rose from 5.6% during week 41 to 6.3% during week 42.
In 8 of the 10 HHS regions, at least one indicator of COVID-19 activity has increased since the previous week. For the week ending in October 17, 2020, the overall cumulative COVID-19-associated hospitalization rate was 193.7 per 100,000 population. Since September 26 (week 39), the weekly overall rates of hospitalization have increased, especially among adults aged 50 years and older, and the percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia, influenza, or COVID-19 has declined, but remains above the epidemic threshold.
—Michael Potts
References:
- SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detectable up to seven months post COVID-19 onset, shows new Portuguese study. News release. Instituto de Medicina Molecular. October 23, 2020. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-10/idmm-sad102320.php
- Figueiredo-Campos P, Blankenhaus B, Mota C, et al. Seroprevalence of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies in COVID‐19 patients and healthy volunteers up to six months post disease onset. Published online October 21, 2020. EJI. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.202048970
- Chow JH, Khanna AK, Kethireddy S, et al. Aspirin Use is Associated with Decreased Mechanical Ventilation, ICU Admission, and In-Hospital Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19. Anesth Analg. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000005292
- New study: aspirin use reduces risk of death in hospitalized patients. News release. October 22, 2020. University of Maryland School of Medicine. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-10/uoms-nsa102220.php
- COVIDView: a weekly surveillance summary of US COVID-19 Activity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html.