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vaccination

COVID-19 Roundup: Long-Term Damage, Saliva Testing, Booster Doses

Lung Damage Following COVID-19 Infection1

Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 infection and become asymptomatic may not have permanent pulmonary parenchymal damage, according to the results of a recent multicenter observational study.

Included in this study were 11 adults who recovered from a COVID-19 infection. All participants later underwent an elective lung resection for indeterminate lung nodules or cancer that was unrelated to their COVID-19 infection. Lobectomy was the most common operation and accounted for 75% of operations for this group.

The lung damage of this group was matched to 2 control groups, one of which included 5 individuals who had never contracted COVID-19 and the other included 3 individuals with end-stage COVID-19. The lung parenchyma, with a focus on the airways, alveoli, interstitium, and vasculature, was the primary outcome.

“On histopathological examination, no differences were identified between the lung parenchyma of COVID-19 survivors and controls across all compartments examined,” the researchers said of the results. “Conversely, patients in the end-stage COVID-19 group showed fibrotic diffuse alveolar damage with intra-alveolar macrophages, organizing pneumonia, and focal interstitial emphysema.”

 

Saliva Testing vs Nasopharyngeal Swabs2

Saliva testing for COVID-19 infection may be as accurate as nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs, according to the results of a recent study.

To compare the 2 methods of testing, the researchers examined 385 pairs of saliva and NP samples from individuals presenting to a real-world, outpatient setting without restrictions on eating, drinking, smoking, or tooth-brushing.

The samples were tested using Abbott m2000 and Abbott Alinity m, 2 high-sensitivity reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction platforms. Both platforms revealed high concordance between both the samples in initial and follow-up testing, as well as the specimens that were treated with guanidinium transport medium to preserve the untreated saliva.

NP specimens had a viral load that was an average of 16 times higher than saliva specimens, indicating that individuals with low viral loads may be missed by saliva testing.

“The advantages of self-collection of saliva, without behavioral restrictions, will likely outweigh a minor potential decrease in clinical sensitivity in individuals less likely to pose an infectious risk to others for many real-world scenarios, especially for initial testing,” the researchers concluded.

 

Expert Opinion on COVID-19 Booster Doses3

Scientists emphasize a focus on increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates among unvaccinated individuals instead of booster doses for previously vaccinated individuals, according to the Associated Press.

The Department of Health and Human Services has recently announced that booster doses will be widely available beginning on September 20, 2021, for any individual who had been fully vaccinated at least 8 months prior.4 This announcement comes amid concerns over an increase in hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated individuals aged older than 65 years.

“You could end up in a situation where you are chasing your tail, giving more and more boosters in the US and Western Europe, while more dangerous variants are coming from other places,” concluded Isaac Weisfuse, MD, MPH, who is an epidemiologist and adjunct professor at Cornell University Public Health.3 “In reality you should be vaccinating the rest of the world to avoid new variants.”

 

Booster Doses May Lower Infection Risk5

A third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may lower the risk of infection and serious illness in adults aged 60 years or older when compared with those who only receive 2 doses.

These findings, as reported by Reuters, come from a study in Israel that was recently presented at Israel’s Health Ministry meeting of vaccination experts.

The results of this study indicated that after 10 days of administering a third dose, protection against COVID-19 infection was 4 times higher in adults aged 60 years or older than that of 2 doses. Further, the booster dose also offered 5 to 6 times greater protection against serious illness and hospitalization.

 

—Leigh Precopio

 

References

  1. Diaz A, Bujnowski D, McMullen P, et al. Pulmonary parenchymal changes in COVID-19 survivors. Ann Thorac Surg. Published online July 31, 2021. https://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/article/S0003-4975(21)01307-2/pdf
  2. Callahan C, Ditelberg S, Dutta S, et al. Saliva is comparable to nasopharyngeal swabs for molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2. Microbiol Spectr. Published online August 18, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1128/Spectrum.00162-21
  3. Beasley D, Aboulenein A. Scientists question evidence behind US COIVD-19 booster shot drive. Associated Press. Published online August 19, 2021. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/scientists-question-evidence-behind-us-covid-19-booster-shot-drive-2021-08-19/
  4. Joint statement from HHS public health and medical experts on COVID-19 booster shots. News release. US Department of Health and Human Services; August 18, 2021. Accessed August 25, 2021. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/08/18/joint-statement-hhs-public-health-and-medical-experts-covid-19-booster-shots.html
  5. Israel finds COVID-19 vaccine booster significantly lowers infection risk. Reuters. Published online August 23, 2021. Accessed August 25, 2021. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-finds-covid-19-vaccine-booster-significantly-lowers-infection-risk-2021-08-22/