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Showing posts from February, 2021

COVID: single dose vaccine post-infection; vit d article retraction

  the NY Times had an article arguing for a single dose of vaccine after an actual Covid-19 infection (see   https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/health/covid-vaccine-single-dose.html?referringSource=articleShare   ).  This article follows a study a few weeks ago, with the associated blog:   http://gmodestmedblogs.blogspot.com/2021/02/covid-high-immune-response-to-single.html  , a study from Mt Sinai hospital in New York where 41 SARS-CoV-2 seropositive patients had huge increases in spike protein antibody titers after a single vaccine dose (thereby considering this single dose a “booster” vaccine that boosted the antibody response after a prior infection), along with more adverse effects from this single-dose booster (reflecting stimulation/augmentation of their prior immunologic response to the infection)   A new study from Seattle found increased efficacy of a single-dose booster injection for those with Covid-19, with benefit extending to the “South African” variant B.1.351 (see  cov

COVID addendum: some student-teacher transmission

  after having just sent out the blog on daycare and alluding to a prior one on schools, the MMWR just released another study finding some (see   https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7008e4.htm?s_cid=mm7008e4_x ) in very brief: -- 9 covid transmission clusters in Ge ​ orgia elementary schools involving 13 educators and 32 students, from Dec1 to Jan 20 --in 1 cluster, the index person was a student, in 4 it was the teacher (these were clusters where there was a known index person) -- but:      --plastic dividers were in place between students, but the students were <3 ft apart; the room set-ups did not allow the 6-foot distancing     --in some cases, there were small group sessions with increased proximity between educators and students     --though mask-wearing was apparently pretty consistent, interviews suggested that there were specific instances of lack of or inadequate student mask use     --when eating, masks were not required, and students ate lunches in the classrooms (w

COVID: low viral transmission in daycare

  A French study found that the incidence and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 was quite low in children in daycare centers ( see  covid daycare low transmission lancetchildadol2021  in dropbox, or  https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2352-4642%2821%2900024-9 )   Details: -- 327 children and 197 staff working in  daycare  centers that remained open for essential workers’ children during a nationwide lockdown in France, as well as a comparator group of 164 adults, between June 4 and July 3, 2020      -- 22 daycare centers were assessed, 20 in Paris area, one in Annecy and one in Rouen      -- at that time, SARS-CoV-2 infection rate   in the general population   in Paris  was 10% -- children: mean age 1.9, range 5 months to 4.4 years      -- there were special precautions in these daycare centers open during the lockdown, including: smaller, defined groups of children and staff; systematic measurement of body temperature; exclusion of children who became feverish or ill; and rein