geoffrey modest medical blogs

  In the current surge of omicron BA.2 in Hong Kong, unvaccinated children did worse when compared to prior SARS-CoV-2 variants, or to influenza or parainfluenza (see  covid omicron BA2 worse in kids hongkong lancetpreprint2022   in dropbox, or  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4063036  ) Details: -- data from the HK territory-wide CDARS database of hospitalizations in all public hospitals, comparing BA.2 outcomes in those 0-11 years old to  737 children with  prior SARS-CoV-2 variants (Jan to Nov 2021), as well as  32,212 children with  influenza, and  16,423 with  parainfluenza, (both from Jan 2015 to Jan 2020)     -- from 5February to 28February2022, 1147 children 0-11yo were hospitalized during the Omicron wave: 920 were aged 0-5 -- none with known prior Covid infections or vaccination --outcomes measured: comparative fatalities, ICU admissions, and neurologic and respiratory complications Results: -...

  A new Technical Briefing was released from the UK on vaccine effectiveness for omicron, finding that omicron had about ½ the rate of severe covid vs delta (see   https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1044481/Technical-Briefing-31-Dec-2021-Omicron_severity_update.pdf   )   Details: -- this report covered omicron cases, hospitalizations, and deaths until 29 December 2021 -- 198,348 confirmed omicron cases in the UK, identified through sequencing or genotyping in England; and 451,194 probable cases, identified through S-gene target failure (SGTF) [for more info on SGTF, see  http://gmodestmedblogs.blogspot.com/2021/04/covid-uk-variant-likely-responds-to.html  ] -- two studies were reported, as noted below   Results:      -- Study 1: approximately half a million omicron cases (including all cases diagnosed in the community and in the first day of hospital admission, and for all...