It’s time for our next 14-day moving average determinations for SARS-CoV-2 for the United States and my thoughts on vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic agents and mutant viruses. We use the WORLDOMETERS aggregators data set to make any projections since it includes data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Military, federal prisons and the Navajo Nation.
SARS-CoV-2 infections per day in the United States have decreased for the first time in two weeks; however, there is still widespread underreporting by states, a failure to capture positive home tests, and a decreased PCR screening program in most states. Deaths per day had been decelerating at a rapid rate in the United States but are now increased by 57 more deaths per day. The number of infections have increased as the Omicron BA.2.12.1, BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 variants of SARS CoV-2 have spread across the nation. The CDC estimates that BA.2.12.1 accounted for 0.8% of isolates, BA.2 accounted for 0%, BA.5 accounted for 88.8%, BA.4 accounted for 5.3%, BA.4.6 accounted for 5.1%, and B.1.1.529 accounted for 0% in the week ending August 13.
We frequently hear messaging from health officials and politicians that Omicron is “mild,” especially compared to the Delta variant, and as a result, many of our patients believe that they no longer need to wear their masks. This is a dangerous misconception. SARS-CoV-2 still remains a highly transmissible, airborne virus. The following graph, based on CDC data from April 2, 2022, shows that Omicron deaths in people over 65 are much higher than Delta deaths in the same age group. In fact, the peak of Omicron deaths in people over 65 years of age is 163% higher than the Delta peak. The death rate from Omicron is only lower than Delta in the populations between 12 and 64 years of age. Until we have more data on these newer mutants of SARS-CoV-2, we will not know the lethality of each variant. It may take months to measure objective differences in the death rates of new circulating variants. We recommend that all of our patients and family members continue to wear N95 masks in all enclosed spaces.
In patients treated with Paxlovid for five days who have persistent symptoms and continued positivity, we feel that clinicians should consider giving a second course of Paxlovid for five days. Boucau et al have demonstrated that in a study of seven patients with recurrent symptoms, “High viral loads (median 6.1 log10 copies/mL) were detected after rebound for a median of 17 days after initial diagnosis. Three had culturable virus for up to 16 days after initial diagnosis.” This was not due to resistance-associated mutations of the virus, suggesting that the course of therapy may be inadequate in this group of persistently infected patients.
The Omicron variant has continued to mutate just like Delta. There are now 230 Omicron sub-variants (an unexplained decrease of 9 in the last two weeks) that have been assigned Pango lineages, including 116 sub-lineages of BA.2 (no increase in two weeks), one sub-lineage of BA.3, 14 sub-lineages of BA.4 (no increase in two weeks), and 24 sub-lineages of BA.5 (no increase in two weeks). The BF lineage (new eight weeks ago) now has 11 sublineages, no increase in two weeks. The BE lineage (also new eight weeks ago), with BE.1 first detected in South Africa, Austria and England, still has 4 sublineages. There are also new lineages from eight weeks ago: BC.1 (Japan), BC.2 (Peru),BD.1 (UK), BG.1 (Peru), BG.2 (US, Denmark, Canada), BG.3 (Peru), BG.4 (Israel).
Omicron variants have mutations which decrease the effectiveness of current vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. The effectiveness of the new Pfizer drug, PAXLOVIDTM, should not be compromised by any of the current mutations in Omicron or Delta variants. Pfizer completed their filing with the FDA on 11/15/21. The FDA approved PAXLOVIDTM on December 22 , 2021.The FDA approved Merck’s drug Molnupiravir on December 23, 2021. On 12/23/21 CVS announced by fax it was selected by the Government to distribute oral PAXLOVIDTM and Molnupiravir. On 12/27/21, another fax from CVS listed which CVS pharmacies in California would have these drugs. Monterey County covers 3,771 square miles with a population of 434,061. Three CVS pharmacies in Monterey, Salinas, and Soledad are the only listed pharmacies in our county. I have now been able to obtain PAXLOVIDTM for infected patients from the CVS in Salinas (phone 831-424-0026), the CVS on Fremont Street in Monterey (phone 831-375-5135) and the CVS in Soledad in south Monterey County (phone 831-678-5110). All require electronic prescriptions written as Paxlovid three tablets twice daily orally for five days (thirty total tablets). Physicians or their staff probably should call to check on drug availability that day.
In the absence of obtaining intravenous Sotrovimab or Bebtelovimab, only oral PAXLOVIDTM and Molnupiravir are available to treat SARS-CoV-2 as an outpatient. Our first Paxlovid failure in an immunocompromised patient was treated the week of 4/5/22 at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (Montage) ER as an outpatient with a single one-minute intravenous injection of Bebtelovimab.
In Monterey County, as of 8/14/22, 0.3% of 0-4 year-olds and 38.9% of 5-11 year-olds have received the first two doses of vaccine, while 72.8% of 12-17 year-olds have received two doses. Only 53.3% of Monterey County residents have received a third dose of the vaccine. On June 17, The FDA authorized both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for use in children ages 6 months to four years. We believe children under 5 should be vaccinated as soon as possible. We would anticipate, with the start of school on August 5 and the low vaccination rates in our county, that we’ll have a marked increase in the number of infected patients. All Monterey County residents should get up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations as soon as possible.
FDA Approved Intramuscular Prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 Immunocompromised Patients
Evusheld (from AstraZeneca) contains two human monoclonal antibodies, Tixagevimab (150 mg in 1.5 mL) and Cilgavimab (150 mg in 1.5 mL), in separate vials. According to the manufacturer, “Tixagevimab and Cilgavimab are two recombinant human IgG1κ monoclonal antibodies with amino acid substitutions to extend antibody half-life (YTE), reduce antibody effector function, and minimize the potential risk of antibody-dependent enhancement of disease (TM). Tixagevimab and Cilgavimab can simultaneously bind to non-overlapping regions of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Tixagevimab, Cilgavimab, and their combination bind to spike protein with equilibrium dissociation constants of KD = 2.76 pM, 13.0 pM and 13.7 pM, respectively, blocking its interaction with human ACE2, the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, which is required for virus attachment. Tixagevimab, Cilgavimab, and their combination blocked RBD binding to human ACE2 with IC50 values of 0.32 nM (48 ng/mL), 0.53 nM (80 ng/mL), and 0.43 nM (65 ng/mL), respectively.” Each monoclonal antibody is administered intramuscularly to immunocompromised patients in two separate injections every six months. Evusheld availability in California is limited and has been rationed/distributed by our local Public Health Department only to hospitals. Physicians in Monterey County who want to receive a distribution (or redistribution) of Evusheld need to be added to the list of eligible facilities by the State Therapeutics group. The first step is for the Monterey County EMS Agency (phone: 831-755-5713) to make a request to the State Therapeutics group to have the facility added to the system for further verification. Due to extremely limited availability, evidently the State Therapeutics group is currently only considering additions on a case by case basis. Physicians who wish to submit their facility for consideration will need to provide the following information to the Monterey County EMS Agency:
- Facility/Provider Name for Registration
- Provider Type (Hospital, Pharmacy, Etc)
- Shipping Address
- Contact Name(s)
- Contact Email(s)
- Contact Phone Number(s)
As for my immunocompromised patients: We provided this information by email to the Monterey County EMS Agency on 1/26/22 and will update you when or if we become an eligible provider and receive our first doses of Evusheld.
Watching World Data
Over the next few months, we’ll be paying close attention to correlations between the SARS-CoV-2 data, the number of isolates identified in various countries and states, and the non-pharmaceutical interventions (like mask mandates and lockdowns) put in place by state and national governments. Data on infections, deaths, and percent of population infected was compiled from Worldometers. Data for this table for SARS-CoV-2 Isolates Currently Known in Location was compiled from GISAID and the CDC. It’s worth noting that GISAID provided more data than the CDC.
| Location | Total Infections as of 8/12/22 | New Infections on 8/12/22 | Total Deaths | New Deaths on 8/12/22 | % of Pop.Infected | SARS-CoV-2 Isolates Currently Known in Location | National/ State Mask Mandate | Currently in Lockdown |
| World | 593,948,648(13,178,472 new infections in 14 days). | 792,572 | 6,451,858(34,360 new deaths in last 14 days) | 2,241 | 7.61% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Eta/B.1.525 (Nigeria/UK)Iota/B.1.526 (USA-NYC)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Epsilon/B.1.427 + B.1.429 (USA)*Gamma/P.1 (Brazil)Zeta/P.2 (Brazil)A lineage isolateV01.V2 (Tanzania)APTK India VOC 32421Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)BV-1 (Texas, USA)Kappa/B.1.617.1 (India)Lambda/C.37 (Peru)Theta/P.3 (Philippines) Mu/B.1.621 (Colombia)C.1.2 (South Africa 2% of isolates in July 2021)R1 (Japan)Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 + BA.2 + BA.3 (South Africa November 2021)B.1.640.1 (Congo/France)B.1.640.2 (Cameroon/France)Four new recombinants 12/31 to 3/22)BA.2.12.1 (USA)BA.4 (South Africa)BA.5 (South Africa)BA.2.75 (India 7/22)BA.4.6 (USA 7/22) | No | No |
| USA | 94,643,632(ranked #1) 1,589,448 new infections in the last 14 days. | 85,116(ranked #3) 22 states failed to report infections on 8/12/22. | 1,062,151(ranked #1) 7,131 new deaths reported in the last 14 days. | 335 28 states failed to report deaths on 8/12/22.. | 26.72%* *Not updated for 6 weeks by Worldometer. | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Eta/B.1.525 (Nigeria/UK)Iota/B.1.526 (USA-NYC)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Epsilon/B.1.427 + B.1.429 (USA)*Gamma/P.1 (Brazil)Zeta/P.2 (Brazil)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)BV-1 (Texas, USA)Theta/P.3 (Philippines) Theta/P.3 (Philippines) Kappa/B.1.617.1 (India)Lambda/C.37 (Peru)Mu/B.1.621 (Colombia)R1(Japan) Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 + BA.2 (South Africa November 2021)B.1.640.1 (Congo/France)Recombinant Delta AY.119.2- Omicron BA.1.1 (Tennessee, USA 12/31/21)\BA.2BA.2.12.1 (United States)BA.4 (South Africa 11/21)BA.5 (South Africa 11/21)BA.2.75 (India 7/22)BA.4.6 (USA 7/22) | No | No |
| Brazil | 34,148,131(ranked #3) 352,939 new infections in the last 14 days. | 23,552 (ranked #7) | 681,317(ranked #2; 2,942 new deaths in 14 days) | 292 | 15.82% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Gamma/P.1 (Brazil)Zeta/P.2 (Brazil)Lambda/C.37 (Peru)Mu/B.1.621 (Colombia) Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021)BA.2BA.2.12.1 (United States)BA.4 (South Africa 11/21)BA.5 (South Africa 11/21) | No | No |
| India | 44,239.372(ranked #2); 239,234 new infections in 2 weeks. | 15,815 (ranked#11) | 526,966(ranked #3) 654 new deaths in 2 weeks. | 68 | 3.14% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Gamma/P.1 (Brazil)Epsilon/B.1.427 + B.1.429 (USA)*Eta/B.1.525 (Nigeria/UK)APTK India VOI 32421Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)Kappa/B.1.617.1 (India)Iota/B.1.526 (USA-NYC) Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021)B.1.640.1 (Congo/France)BA.4 (South Africa 11/21)BA.5 (South Africa 11/21)BA.2.75 (India) | No | No |
| United Kingdom* *No reported data for 8/12/22 | 23,420,826(ranked #6) 116,347 new infections in 2 weeks. | – | 186,087 (ranked #7) 2,134 new deaths in 2 weeks | – | 34.12% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Eta/B.1.525 (Nigeria/UK)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Epsilon/B.1.427 + B.1.429 (USA)*Gamma/P.1 (Brazil)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)Theta/P.3 (Philippines) Kappa/B.1.617.1 (India)Lambda/C.37 (Peru)Mu/B.1.621 (Colombia)C.1.2 (South Africa)Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021)B.1.640.1 (Congo/France)XD (AY.4/BA.1) recombinantXF (Delta/BA.1) recombinantXE (BA.1/BA.2) recombinantBA.2BA.2.12.1 (United States)BA.4 (South Africa 11/21)BA.5 (South Africa 11/21)BA.2.75 (India 7/22) | No | No |
| California, USA | 10,896,796(ranked #14 in the world; 198618 new infections in the last 14 days). | 13,306 | 94,319 (ranked #20 in world) 615 new deaths in the last 14 days | 50 | 27.57% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Eta/B.1.525 (Nigeria/UK)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Gamma/P.1 (Brazil)Epsilon/B.1.427 + B.1.429 (USA)*Zeta/P.2 (Brazil)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)Theta/P.3 (Philippines) Kappa/B.1.617.1 (India)Lambda/C.37 (Peru) Mu/B.1.621 (Colombia) Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021)BA.2BA.2.12.1 (United States)BA.4 (South Africa 11/21)BA.5 (South Africa 11/21)BA.2.75 (India 7/22) | No | No |
| Mexico | 6,903,862(ranked #18) 192,015 new infections in 14 days). | 13,313(ranked #12) | 328,596(ranked #5)1,071 new deaths in 214 days) | 71 | 5.23% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Epsilon/B.1.427 + B.1.429 (USA)*Gamma/P.1 (Brazil)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)Kappa/B.1.617.1 (India)Lambda/C.37 (Peru)Mu/B.1.621 (Colombia)Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021) | No | No |
| South Africa | 4,007,925(ranked #33; 3,370 new infections in 14 days). | 313 | 101,982 (ranked #18) Not updated in last 2 weeks. | – | 6.58% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)Kappa/B.1.617.1 (India) C.1.2 (South Africa, July 2021)Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021)B.1.640.1 (Congo/France)BA.2BA.4 (South Africa 11/21)BA.5 (South Africa 11/21) | No | No |
| Canada | 4,109,931(ranked #33) 87,572 new infections in 14 days). | 3,603 | 43,583(ranked #24) | 37 | 10.69% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Eta/B.1.525 (Nigeria/UK)Epsilon/B.1.427 + B.1.429 (USA)*Gamma/P.1 (Brazil)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)Kappa/B.1.617.1 (India)Lambda/C.37 (Peru)Mu/B.1.621 (Colombia)Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021)B.1.640.1 (Congo/France) | No | No |
| Poland | 6,113,840 (ranked #21; 48,508 new infections in 14 days). | 4,223 | 116,751 (ranked #15) | 14 | 16.19% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Eta/B.1.525 (Nigeria/UK)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)Mu/B.1.621 (Colombia)Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 + (South Africa November 2021),Omicron/B.1.1.529 +BA.3 | No | No |
| Russia | 18,824,282(ranked #9), 247,309 new infections in 14 days). | 27,810 | 383,011(ranked #4 in world) | 57 | 12.88% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)R1 (Japan) B.1.640.1 (Congo/France)Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021) | No | No |
| Peru | 4,013,831(ranked #34, 118,345 new infections in 14 days). | 10,882 | 214,890(ranked #6) | 72 | 11.82% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)Gamma/P.1 (Brazil)Iota/B.1.526 (USA-NYC)Lambda/C.37 (Peru)Mu/B.1.621 (Colombia)Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021) | No | No |
| Iran | 7,465,579(ranked #17; 88,785 new infections in last 14 days) | 6,404 | 142,806(ranked #12) | 54 | 8.65% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021) | No | No |
| Spain | 13,294,139(ranked #12; 67,560 new infections in 14 days). | 4,528(ranked #22) | 111,667 (ranked #16) | 110 | 28.41% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India)Beta/B.1.351 (SA)Gamma/P.1 (Brazil)Epsilon/B.1.427 + B.1.429 (USA)*Eta/B.1.525 (Nigeria/UK)Iota/B.1.526 (USA-NYC)Kappa/B.1.617.1 (India)Mu/B.1.621 (Colombia)Omicron/B.1.1.529 + BA.1 (South Africa November 2021)B.1.640.1 (Congo/France) | No | No |
| France | 34,191,919 (ranked #3; 405,153 new infections in the last 14 days). | 22,638 (ranked #9) | 153,064 (ranked #10) 1,101 new deaths in 14 days | 74 | 52.13% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Omicron/B.1.1.529 South Africa November 2021)B.1.640.1 (Congo/France)B.1.640.2 (Cameroon/France)GKA (AY.4/BA.1) recombinant | No | No |
| Germany | 31,535,343(ranked #5; 682,031 new infections in 14 days.). | 45,859 (ranked #4) | 145,698 (ranked #11) 1,726 new deaths in 14 days | 137 | 37.38% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Omicron/B.1.1.529 South Africa November 2021)GKA (AY.4/BA.1) recombinant | No | No |
| South Korea | 21,111,840 (ranked #8 1,491,323 new infections in 14 days). | 128,671(ranked #2) | 25,499 (ranked #37) | 58 | 41.10% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Omicron/B.1.1.529 South Africa November 2021) | No | No |
| Vietnam | 11,362,540 (ranked #13; 586,056 new infections in 14 days). | 2,192 | 43,096 (ranked #25) | 1 | 11.45% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Omicron/B.1.1.529 South Africa November 2021) | No | No |
| Netherlands | 8,362,564 (ranked #16; 31,241 new infections in 14 days). | 1,882 | 22,542 (ranked #41) | 4 | 48.57% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Omicron/B.1.1.529 South Africa November 2021)GKA (AY.4/BA.1) recombinant | No | No |
| Denmark | 3,076,642 (ranked #40) 16,658 new infections in 14 days | 1,323 | 6,792 (ranked #80) | 12 | 52.72% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Omicron/B.1.1.529 South Africa November 2021)GKA (AY.4/BA.1) recombinant | No | No |
| Taiwan | 4,846,477(ranked #24) 300,841 new infections in 14 days | 21,965 (ranked #10) | 9,373 (ranked #67) | 31 | 20.27% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Omicron/B.1.1.529 South Africa November 2021) | No | No |
| Japan | 15,086,304(ranked #11) 2,908,192 new infections in the last 14 days | 224,929(ranked #1) | 34,537(ranked #30) 2,251 new deaths in the last 14 days | 214 | 12.00% | B2 lineageAlpha/B.1.1.7 (UK)Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Delta/B.1.617.2 (India) Omicron/B.1.1.529 South Africa November 2021)BA.2*BA.5* | No | No |
What Our Team Is Reading This Week
- Distinguishing features of Long COVID identified through immune profiling (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.09.22278592
- Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.07.503115
- Multiple pathways for SARS-CoV-2 resistance to nirmatrelvir (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.07.499047
- Transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants with resistance to clinical protease inhibitors (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.07.503099
- Comparative pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants including BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5 (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.05.502758
- Neuropathology and virus in brain of SARS-CoV-2 infected non-human primates (Nature Communications) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29440-z
- SARS-CoV-2 Brain Regional Detection, Histopathology, Gene Expression, and Immunomodulatory Changes in Decedents with COVID-19 (Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology) https://doi.org/10.1093/jnen/nlac056
- Examination of SARS-CoV-2 In-Class Transmission at a Large Urban University With Public Health Mandates Using Epidemiological and Genomic Methodology (JAMA) http://jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.25430
- Antiviral treatment is more effective than smallpox vaccination upon lethal monkeypox virus infection (Nature) https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04295
- Impact of Pre-Existing Chronic Viral Infection and Reactivation on the Development of Long COVID (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.21.22276660
- Notes from the Field: Increase in Pediatric Intracranial Infections During the COVID-19 Pandemic — Eight Pediatric Hospitals, United States, March 2020–March 2022 (MMWR) http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7131a4
- Broadly neutralizing antibodies target the coronavirus fusion peptide (Science) https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abq3773
- Efficacy and Safety of a Recombinant Plant-Based Adjuvanted Covid-19 Vaccine (NEJM) https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2201300
- Efficacy and Safety of the RBD-Dimer–Based Covid-19 Vaccine ZF2001 in Adults (NEJM) https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2202261
- Risk of Reinfection, Vaccine Protection, and Severity of Infection with the BA.5 Omicron Subvariant: A Danish Nation-Wide Population-Based Study (Preprint) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4165630
- SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5: Evolving tropism and evasion of potent humoral responses and resistance to clinical immunotherapeutics relative to viral variants of concern. (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.07.22277128
- Brain imaging and neuropsychological assessment of individuals recovered from mild to moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.08.22277420
- Increased Risk of Herpes Zoster in Adults ≥50 Years Old Diagnosed With COVID-19 in the United States (Open Forum Infectious Diseases) https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac118
- Neutralization sensitivity of Omicron BA.2.75 to therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.14.500041
- Neutralizing antibody activity against 21 SARS-CoV-2 variants in older adults vaccinated with BNT162b2 (Nature Microbiology) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01163-3
- How COVID-19 affects microvessels in the brain (Brain) https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awac211
- Fine Analysis of Lymphocyte Subpopulations in SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients: Differential Profiling of Patients With Severe Outcome (Frontiers in Immunology) https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.889813
- SARS-CoV-2 accelerated clearance using a novel nitric oxide nasal spray (NONS) treatment: A randomized trial (The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2022.100036
- Effectiveness of 2, 3, and 4 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Doses Among Immunocompetent Adults During Periods when SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2/BA.2.12.1 Sublineages Predominated — VISION Network, 10 States, December 2021–June 2022 (MMWR) http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7129e1
- Characterization of virologic rebound following nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment for COVID-19 (Clinical Infectious Diseases) https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciac512
- Potential Autoimmunity Resulting from Molecular Mimicry between SARS-CoV-2 Spike and Human Proteins (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.10.455737
- COVID-19 positive patients at higher risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders, new study shows (Medical Express) https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-06-covid-positive-patients-higher-neurodegenerative.html
- Evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in seronegative patients with long COVID (eBioMedicine) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104129
- SARS-CoV-2 infection induces inflammatory bone loss in golden Syrian hamsters (Nature Communications) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30195-w
- Persistent 129Xe MRI Pulmonary and CT Vascular Abnormalities in Symptomatic Individuals with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (Radiology) https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.220492
- ACE2-independent infection of T lymphocytes by SARS-CoV-2 (Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-022-00919-x
- Persistent circulating SARS-CoV-2 spike is associated with post-acute COVID-19 sequelae (Preprint) https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.14.22276401
- SARS-CoV-2 is detected in the gastrointestinal tract of asymptomatic endoscopy patients but is unlikely to pose a significant risk to healthcare personnel (Gastro Hep Adv) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gastha.2022.06.002
- Long COVID symptoms in SARS-CoV-2-positive children aged 0–14 years and matched controls in Denmark (LongCOVIDKidsDK): a national, cross-sectional study (Child & Adolescent Health) https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00154-7
- Age and sex-specific risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following Covid-19 messenger RNA vaccines (Nature Communications) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31401-5
- COVID-19 positive patients at higher risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders, new study shows https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-06-covid-positive-patients-higher-neurodegenerative.html
- Posttranslational modifications optimize the ability of SARS-CoV-2 spike for effective interaction with host cell receptors (Biophysics and Computational Biology) https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2119761119
- Risk of long COVID associated with delta versus omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 (The Lancet) https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00941-2
- Antibody escape of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 from vaccine and BA.1 serum (Cell) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.06.005
- Immunomodulatory treatment in postural tachycardia syndrome: A case series (European Journal of Neurology) https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.14711
David C. Wright, M.D. 
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