With input from Dr Monica Vasudev

1331: A September 2020 review of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) secondary to COVID-19 included 23 papers and 45 patients. The authors stated that over 70% of cases were noted in patients aged above 50 years and 75% had had moderate-to-severe COVID infections. The sample size of 45 is too small to provide a definite picture of whats happening in the overall population. (Medscape)

1332: China has started using a new method for the detection of coronavirus. The country is using anal swabs for select groups, particularly high-risk cases and those in quarantine. Some of the individuals who have undergone anal testing include passengers arriving in Beijing and a group of over 1,000 schoolchildren and teachers believed to have been exposed to the virus. The use of anal swabs is limited as it is an invasive and inconvenient method. If it is not possible to obtain a stool sample, a saline-soaked cotton swab, 1-2 inches long, is inserted into the anus, and the sample is tested for active traces of the virus. Li Tongzeng, deputy director of the respiratory and infectious diseases department at Beijing Youan Hospital, stated that anal swabs seem to be more accurate to detect the coronavirus compared to nasal or throat swabs. (WebMD)

1333: ONS Infection Survey: People infected with the UK strain have more coughing, sore throat or fatigue, but have lesser odds of losing their sense of taste or smell. The variant is more transmissible and could also be linked with increased mortality.

The ONS stated that loss of taste and loss of smell appeared to be significantly less common in new variant compatible positives compared to triple positives [analysis done from November 15, 2020 to January 16, 2021. https://bit.ly/39nkRZ1]. A triple positive PCR test result suggests that an individual has COVID-19 but not the UK variant.

Other symptoms were found to be more common in new variant compatible positives, with the greatest differences seen for cough, sore throat, fatigue, myalgia and fever. No evidence of difference in gastrointestinal symptoms, shortness of breath or headaches was evident. (Hindustan Times)

1334: A new variant of the coronavirus first detected in South Africa has now been found in the United States for the first time. Two cases have been diagnosed in South Carolina. The two cases are in adults in different regions of the state and are not connected. Neither of the two individuals infected has traveled recently, stated the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. (The Guardian)

1335: The Biden administration is evaluating if factories can be retrofitted to manufacture more Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines to accelerate vaccination of the vast majority of Americans. (Medscape)

1336: Short-term mortality appears to show a steep rise among hospitalized COVID-19 patients found to have atrial fibrillation (AF), particularly new-onset AF. This, as a predictor of poor early outcomes, emphasizes more aggressive treatment approach. (Medscape)

1337: Plitidepsin, an antiviral agent, has the potential to inhibit the proliferation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in different cell lines and in the lungs of mice. The antiviral activity of this drug has been shown to be around 28-times stronger than that of remdesivir against SARS-CoV-2, suggests in vitro research.

The researchers suggest that the two agents act on different targets. Plitidepsin inhibits the eEF1A protein in the host which could be beneficial as it avoids issues associated with future viral resistance. The findings were published online January 25 in Science. (Medscape)

Dr KK Aggarwal

President CMAAO, HCFI and Past National President IMA