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vaccination

COVID-19 Roundup: J&J Vaccine, New Treatments, Obesity and Severity

Facial Paralysis and mRNA Vaccines1

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines do not pose a higher risk of facial paralysis than other viral vaccines, according to the results of a recent study.

Using the World Health Organization’s pharmacovigilance database, 133,883 reported cases of adverse reactions to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were examined. Of these adverse reactions, 0.6% (n = 844) were facial paralysis-related events, including paralysis, paresis, spasms, and nerve disorders. A majority of cases were associated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (n = 749), compared to Moderna (n = 95).

Further, 0.5% (n = 5734) of the 1,265,182 cases of adverse reactions reported for other viral vaccines, and 0.7% (n = 2087) of the adverse reactions for influenza vaccines were cases of facial paralysis.

 

Johnson & Johnson Vaccine2

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended to resume the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

Use of the vaccine was paused earlier this month following 6 reported cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with thrombocytopenia. The ACIP has determined that the benefits of the J&J vaccine outweigh the harms but have added a warning about thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome. These rare clotting events occur primarily among women aged 18 to 49 years.

 

Hepatitis C Drugs3

According to the results of a recent study, the use of hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease-inhibitor drugs with remdesivir may be an effective treatment for COVID-19.

Remdesivir was up to 10 times more effective when used in combination with 4 of the 10 HCV drugs researchers examined, simeprevir, vaniprevir, partiaprevir, and grazoprevir.

“Combined use of remdesivir with PLpro inhibitors for the treatment of COVID-19 could be a game changer for patients with COVID-19 who are not vaccinated,” the researchers said in an accompanying press release.4 “It could also reduce the possibility of selecting SARS-CoV-2-resistant viruses.”

 

Vaccines and Hospitalizations5

Vaccination in adults aged 65 years or older is associated with a reduced rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to the results of a recent study.

A multistate analysis of 24 hospitals revealed that there was an approximate 94% vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 associated hospitalizations among this patient population who were fully vaccinated, and 65% vaccine effectiveness for those partially vaccinated.

Of the 417 hospitalized adults included in this study between January to March 2021, 187 patients tested positive for COVID-19. Of the positive cases, 10% (n = 19) had received 1 dose of a vaccine, and 0.5% (1) of cases were fully vaccinated.

 

Obesity and COVID-19 Severity6

A prospective, community-based, cohort study was conducted to examine how body mass index (BMI) influences COVID-19 severity. Individuals with a BMI of more than 23 kg/m2 were more likely to be severely impacted by COVID-19.

The researchers utilized the QResearch database to include 6,910,695 adults aged 20 years or older within the United Kingdom. Of the total individuals included, 13,503 were admitted to the hospital, 1601 were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 5479 died following a positive COVID-19 test between January to April 2020.

“At a BMI of more than 23 kg/m2, we found a linear increase in risk of severe COVID-19 leading to admission to hospital and death, and a linear increase in admission to an ICU across the whole BMI range, which is not attributable to excess risks of related diseases,” the researchers concluded. “The relative risk due to increasing BMI is particularly notable people younger than 40 years and of Black ethnicity.”

 

—Leigh Precopio

 

References:

  1. Renoud L, Khouri C, Revol B, et al. Association of facial paralysis with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. JAMA Intern Med. Published online April 27, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.2219
  2. Updated recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine after reports of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome among vaccine recipients – United States, April 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70:651-656. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7017e4
  3. Bafna K, White K, Harish B, et al. Hepatitis c virus drugs that inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease synergize with remdesivir to suppress viral replication in cell culture. Cell Reports. Published online April 23, 2021. Accessed April 30, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109133
  4. Hepatitis c drugs combined with remdesivir show strong effectiveness against COVID-19. News release. Mount Sinai; April 27, 2021. Accessed April 30, 2021. https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2021/hepatitis-c-drugs-combined-with-remdesivir-show-strong-effectiveness-against-covid19
  5. Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines against COVID-19 among hospitalized adults aged ≥ 65 years – United States, January – March 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 28 April 2021. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7018e1
  6. Gao M, Piernas C, Astbury NM, et al. Associations between body-mass index and COVID-19 severity in 6.9 million people in England: a prospective, community-based, cohort study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. Published online: April 28, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00089-9