With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev

Risk factors for MIS-C in children with SARS-CoV-2  

A study reported in JAMA Network Open involving children with SARS-CoV-2 has identified factors that predispose children to develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). These included male sex (OR 1.59), age younger than 12 years (OR 1.81), Black/African American race (OR 1.44), obesity (OR 1.76) and not having a pediatric complex chronic condition (PCCC) (OR, 0.72). More children with MIS-C required vasoactive-inotropic support and invasive ventilation compared to children with acute Covid-19… (Source: JAMA Network Open, Feb. 8, 2022)

Persistent antibodies in infants born to vaccinated mothers  

More than half of infants (57%) born to mothers who had received their Covid-19 mRNA vaccine doses continued to show presence of anti-S antibodies at 6 months compared to 8% of those born to Covid-positive mothers. The JAMA study examined 77 mothers who had been vaccinated and 12 who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 at 20 to 32 weeks’ gestation. Infants too can get infected and since currently there is no vaccine for infants younger than 6 months, the detection of maternal antibodies in infants assumes importance … (Source: JAMA, Feb. 7, 2022)

Study shows high SARS-CoV-2 tropism to testes

In a preprint study of deceased nonvaccinated men who died of Covid-19 complications, researchers found that SARS-CoV-2 does not lose its replicative and infective abilities long after the patient’s infection, suggesting that the testes may “serve as a viral sanctuary”. The deleterious effects seen in the testes of these patients include the fibrosis, vascular  alteration, inflammation, tunica propria thickening, Sertoli cell barrier loss, germ cell  apoptosis and inhibition of Leydig cells. These may be due to high ATII levels and activated mast cells and macrophages… (Source: medRxiv, Feb. 8, 2022).

WHO approves tocilizumab as the first monoclonal antibody treatment for Covid-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) has added tocilizumab to its list of prequalified treatments for COVID-19. Tocilizumab is an IL-6 inhibitor and it is the first monoclonal antibody treatment to be approved by the WHO and is indicated for use in hospitalized patients with severe or critical Covid-19 along with the standard treatment… (Source: WHO, Feb. 11 2022)

Novavax Covid-19 vaccine 80% effective in adolescents

In the pediatric arm of the PREVENT-19 phase III trial, the two-dose Novavax vaccine achieved a protective efficacy of 79.5%. It also showed an overall 82% clinical efficacy against Delta variant. Immune responses were about two-to-three-fold higher in adolescents than in adults against all variants studied. No safety concerns were identified. The vaccine is not yet approved for use in adolescents…(Source: Medscape, Feb. 11, 2022)

Booster dose prevented over one lakh hospitalizations, says UKHSA 

A UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) analysis of both healthy and at-risk persons has estimated that booster doses prevented 105,600 hospitalizations from 13^th December, 2021 to 6^th February, 2022. Age-wise analysis showed that boosters directly prevented 87,300 hospitalizations in ≥65 years age, 14,300 hospitalizations in 45-64-year age group and 4000 hospitalizations in those aged 25 to 44 years. Omicron became the dominant strain from the middle of December onwards… (Source: UKHSA, Feb. 10, 2022)