With input from Dr Monica Vasudev

1472:   The United States is having millions of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses in manufacturing units as scientists await clinical trial data to suggest the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, states The New York Times. The vaccine has been authorized in over 70 countries but the U.S. clinical trial data is yet to be reported. (WebMD)

1473: A new survey looked at the mental health impact of COVID-19 globally. The findings revealed high rates of trauma and clinical mood disorders related to the pandemic. The survey was conducted by Sapien Labs in eight English-speaking countries and included 49,000 adults. About 57% of respondents reported having experienced some COVID-19-related adversity or trauma. About a quarter had clinical signs of or had a risk for a mood disorder. Just 40% of the respondents described themselves as succeeding or thriving. (Medscape)

1474: Europe is witnessing a third wave of COVID-19 infections. Italy is imposing strict new restrictions, with France moving along the same lines. Hungary’s Prime Minister has stated that hospitals this week would be highly overwhelmed, the most that they have ever been since the start of the pandemic. The spread of variants and slow vaccination rates appear to be the probable factors. (NY Times)

1475: Individuals who have had COVID-19 may need only one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine to get the effect of two doses. The disease seems to prime the body to produce antibodies seen with the two-dose vaccine regimen, reported an exploratory study presented at the virtual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. The study looked into the titer levels of antibodies among patients who had COVID-19 and those who did not… (Medpage Today)

Dr KK Aggarwal

President CMAAO, HCFI and Past National President IMA