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Vaccinating the elderly first for COVID-19 saves most lives

A short paper authored by Goldstein, Cassidy, and Wachter, recently published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), demonstrates mathematically that vaccinating the oldest first, in fact, ultimately saves both the most lives and the most life-years.

17 Mar 2021

Can vaccination and infection rates add up to reach Covid herd immunity?

It's been a long, dark winter of Covid concerns, stoked by high post-holiday case counts and the American death tally exceeding 530,000 lives lost.

17 Mar 2021

Compromised immunity can allow SARS-CoV-2 to evade the immune system

The vast majority of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 clear the virus, but those with compromised immunity--such as individuals receiving immune-suppressive drugs for autoimmune diseases--can become chronically infected.

17 Mar 2021

Evaluation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine among residents of two skilled nursing facilities

The severity of COVID-19 among the residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) has been reported to be disproportionately high. Specifically, individuals residing in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are found to be the most severely affected, both in terms of morbidity and mortality, and are, thereby, listed for early COVID-19 vaccination. In comparison to the general population, SNF residents are more vulnerable, with a weak immune system.

17 Mar 2021

New study examines the effectiveness of shielding policy for people vulnerable to COVID-19

Shielding vulnerable people has been central to the response to COVID-19, but how well does it work? A Swansea University research project has received funding to examine the evidence, to see what lessons can be learned for the future.

17 Mar 2021

Living with a COVID-19 case brings worse symptoms and stronger antibody response

This study suggests that high virus exposure levels contribute to greater disease severity and stronger antibody responses. The observations from this study are published on the medRxiv preprint server.

17 Mar 2021

Salivary IgG to SARS-CoV-2 after mild COVID-19

A team of researchers based in Stockholm, Sweden, has demonstrated that individuals exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have antibodies for the disease up to nine months after acquiring the disease, even if they displayed only mild symptoms.

16 Mar 2021

New Colombian SARS-CoV-2 lineage shares antibody-resistant mutations with other variants

Scientists in Colombia have identified a new highly divergent SARS-CoV-2 lineage with Spike substitutions L249S and E484K. These same mutations have convergently appeared in other mutant strains of the virus, most notably in variants of concern.

16 Mar 2021

Saliva-based testing as a method for monitoring population immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers in the United States have shown that saliva-based sampling could serve as an accurate and non-invasive alternative to blood sampling for monitoring people’s antibody responses following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or vaccination against the virus.

16 Mar 2021

Combination therapy may reduce influenza-associated morbidity and mortality

A significant proportion of hospitalized patients with influenza develop complications of acute respiratory distress syndrome, driven by virus-induced cytopathic effects as well as exaggerated host immune response.

16 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater may pose risks to marine mammals

Endangered marine mammals — seals, dolphins, whales, and otters — are almost as vulnerable as humans in becoming infected from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Researchers from the Dalhousie University in Canada published a study in Science of The Total Environment that found human wastewater as a potential mode of coronavirus transmission to animals.

16 Mar 2021

Study explores how SARS-CoV-2 mutations produce antibody resistance and enhanced transmissibility

An interesting new study deals with the effects of the natural mutations in the spike antigen of the SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that is responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic.

16 Mar 2021

The role of RNA capping of SARS-CoV-2 in immunity evasion

The SARS-CoV-2 pathogen successfully uses multiple immune evasion mechanisms to achieve infection within its host. An intriguing new study describes one such process, which may help develop drugs to counteract the virus more effectively.

16 Mar 2021

New study tests how mutations in SARS-CoV-2 affect antibody neutralization

Using pseudoviruses with single amino acid substitutions, researchers found that mutations in SARS-CoV-2 reduce monoclonal antibody neutralization differently. However, convalescent sera samples did not lose neutralization potency many and were also effective against the B.1.1.7 (UK-derived) strain.

16 Mar 2021

Engineered mouse Intestine Chip platform can help study host-microbiome interactions

Trillions of commensal microbes live on the mucosal and epidermal surfaces of the body and it is firmly established that this microbiome affects its host's tolerance and sensitivity of the host to a variety of pathogens.

16 Mar 2021

Chimeric vaccines may provide universal protection against viruses like SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States have developed “chimeric” vaccines that provided cross-protection against different strains of sarbecovirus in mice, including the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Mar 2021

New Phase 1 study evaluates prime/boost HIV-1 vaccine formulated with combinations of adjuvants

A new Phase 1 vaccine study began today that will evaluate experimental prime/boost HIV-1 vaccine regimens formulated with combinations of different adjuvants, including one from the Army Liposome Formulation (ALF) family of adjuvants developed by scientists with the U.S. Military HIV Research Program at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

15 Mar 2021

HPSE protein found to be a key regulator of cells’ innate defense mechanisms

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered that heparanase, HPSE, a poorly understood protein, is a key regulator of cells' innate defense mechanisms.

15 Mar 2021

What is a protective neutralizing antibody titer against SARS-CoV-2 infection?

A new study describes a predictive model of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection that could help evolve optimal vaccination strategies to maintain protection and reduce the death rate.

15 Mar 2021

Why does convalescent plasma therapy for severe COVID-19 show mixed success?

A surprising new preprint, released on the medRxiv* server, suggests that the beneficial effects of convalescent plasma (CP) in this disease stem not only from the presence of neutralizing antibodies, but also the immunomodulatory effects of this plasma that shapes the host immune response.

15 Mar 2021

immunity News and Research

Vaccinating the elderly first for COVID-19 saves most lives

Can vaccination and infection rates add up to reach Covid herd immunity?

Compromised immunity can allow SARS-CoV-2 to evade the immune system

Evaluation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine among residents of two skilled nursing facilities

New study examines the effectiveness of shielding policy for people vulnerable to COVID-19

Living with a COVID-19 case brings worse symptoms and stronger antibody response

Salivary IgG to SARS-CoV-2 after mild COVID-19

New Colombian SARS-CoV-2 lineage shares antibody-resistant mutations with other variants

Saliva-based testing as a method for monitoring population immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Combination therapy may reduce influenza-associated morbidity and mortality

SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater may pose risks to marine mammals

Study explores how SARS-CoV-2 mutations produce antibody resistance and enhanced transmissibility

The role of RNA capping of SARS-CoV-2 in immunity evasion

New study tests how mutations in SARS-CoV-2 affect antibody neutralization

Engineered mouse Intestine Chip platform can help study host-microbiome interactions

Chimeric vaccines may provide universal protection against viruses like SARS-CoV-2

New Phase 1 study evaluates prime/boost HIV-1 vaccine formulated with combinations of adjuvants

HPSE protein found to be a key regulator of cells’ innate defense mechanisms

What is a protective neutralizing antibody titer against SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Why does convalescent plasma therapy for severe COVID-19 show mixed success?

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