With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev

LZTFL1 gene predisposes South Asians to high risk of severe Covid-19 

Researchers from Oxford University have identified a gene “leucine zipper transcription factor-like 1 (LZTFL1)” leads to a two-folds increase in the risk of respiratory failure and death from COVID-19. The high-risk form of this gene is present in 60% of South Asians, 15% of Europeans and just 2% of persons with African-Caribbean ancestry and 1.8% of people of East Asian descent. This gene does not affect the immune system, but affects the lungs. The study published in the journal Nature Genetics attempts to explain why some ethnic groups are at higher risk from Covid… (Source: Medscape, November 5, 2021) 

More than 28 million excess years of life lost in 2020 during pandemic

A BMJ study has reported that more than 28 million excess years of life were lost in 2020 in 31 countries, with a higher rate in men than women (except New Zealand, Taiwan, and Norway, where there was a gain in life expectancy in 2020). Excess years of life lost associated with the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 were more than five times higher than those associated with the seasonal influenza epidemic in 2015. The study evaluated the changes in life expectancy and years of life lost in 2020 associated with the Covid-19 pandemic in 37 upper-middle and high-income countries. The highest reduction in life expectancy was observed in Russia, the United States, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Chile and Spain…(Source: BMJ, November 3, 2021)

Single dose J&J Covid-19 is 74% effective in preventing Covid-19

A retrospective analysis of electronic health records of nearly 9000 adults from the multistate Mayo Clinic Health System who received the single dose J&J shot during the first five months of its authorization reported in JAMA Network Open showed an actual effectiveness of 74%, which is in accordance with the 66.9% effectiveness reported in the phase 3 clinical trial of the vaccine. Covid-19 cases declined by 3.73 folds after the vaccination. The vaccinated group had 60 cases of Covid-19 compared to 2236 cases in the unvaccinated group … (Source: Medscape, November 2, 2021)

“When to Test”: A free online tool from NIH to decide if you need a Covid test 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative has launched the “When To Test Calculator for Individuals”, a companion to the version for organizations introduced last winter. It is available at https://whentotest.org/. The new individual impact calculator helps to decide when should a person get tested for Covid-19—now or soon. It was developed and tested by computer modelers to help people determine if they are at risk of getting or transmitting Covid-19 based on just a few variables, such as vaccination status, transmission rates in the geographic area, and mitigation behaviors … (Source: NIH, November 3, 2021)