With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev

Daily new cases increasing but deaths decreasing, says WHO

As per the latest WHO Epidemiological Update #92, global deaths saw a decline of 21% in the last week, but the daily new cases continued to increase in many parts of the world. The Eastern Mediterranean Region saw a rise of 63% in new weekly infections, while in the Americas new weekly cases increased by 26%. Cases are declining in South East Asia and Europe. The weekly cases also increased in Africa and the Western Pacific region. Africa registered a 48% increase in new weekly deaths… (Source: WHO, May 18, 2022)

Children aged 5-11 now eligible for Pfizer booster dose

Children aged 5-11 years are now eligible for a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine after a gap of 5 months from the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Earlier this year in January, a single booster dose of vaccine was authorized by the FDA for use in children aged 12-15 years of age following the primary vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine … (Source: US FDA, May 17, 2022).

Fluvoxamine fails to pass muster as Covid-19 treatment

Fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor used as an antidepressant has failed to get the FDA’s nod as outpatient treatment for patients with Covid-19 aged ≥24 years to prevent progression of the disease to severe stage, necessitating hospital admission. The FDA said that the data regarding the effectiveness of the drug was inadequate… (Source: Medscape, May 18, 2022).

Covid test for domestic travel in the US

The CDC advises all domestic travelers in the United States, including those who are fully vaccinated and boosted, to get tested as close to the day of travel. Travelers who have been in crowded places, without masks, should get themselves tested at the end of the trip. The CDC further recommends all domestic travelers to be aware of the rules and regulations of the destination they are traveling to…(Source: CDC, May 16, 2022).

Vaccination reduces probability of long Covid

A BMJ study involving more than 28,000 participants from the UK has found that Covid-19 vaccination reduced the chances of long Covid. The first vaccine dose reduced the probability of long Covid by 12.8%, while the second vaccine dose reduced the odds of post-Covid syndrome by nearly 9%. The risk reduced by 0.8% every week after the second dose… (Source: BMJ, May 18, 2022).

Formation of viral aggregates may have caused high transmissibility of delta variant

New research published in Viruses has shed some light on why infection with the delta variant was highly transmissible and had high viral load. Uniquely, the pseudotyped Delta particles formed large aggregates of viral particles enabling further spread of the virus. Also, this leads to larger number of viral particles coming in contact with the host cell. No such aggregation was observed with other SARS-CoV-2 variants… (Source: NIH, May 11, 2022)