The J&J vaccine is effective in preventing serious diseases; a mother’s COVID-19 antibodies can protect newborns

(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the new coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Johnson & Johnson vaccine 66% effective in global trial

Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine was 66% effective in preventing moderate and severe COVID-19 in a global final-stage test with about 44,000 volunteers that includes regions with worrying variants of the virus, the company said on Friday . Protection levels 28 days after vaccination ranged from 72% in the United States to 66% in Latin America and only 57% in South Africa, where a new potent variant has become prevalent. The two-dose vaccines from Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna were about 95% effective in the main trials. But these were conducted before the emergence of new highly transmissible variants. “At the moment, any additional protection and vaccine is excellent,” said Walid Gellad, an associate professor of health policy at the University of Pittsburgh who was not involved in the study. “The key is not just the overall effectiveness, but specifically the effectiveness against serious illness, hospitalization and death.” In a press release, J&J said its vaccine was 85% effective in stopping serious illnesses and preventing hospitalization in all geographies and against multiple variants. The vaccine uses a common cold virus to introduce coronavirus proteins into cells and trigger an immune response. The company plans to seek authorization for emergency use from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration next week. (bit.ly/3cmnnk1; reut.rs/3opLsJe)

High levels of antibodies observed in newborns of COVID-19 survivors

The mother’s COVID-19 antibodies can cross the placenta, potentially protecting her fetus from infections, the researchers reported on Friday in JAMA Pediatrics. Several weeks after the mother’s infection started, the levels of antibodies in the umbilical cord blood “can be as high – or even higher – than the levels in the maternal blood,” said study leaders, Dr. Karen Puopolo and Dr. Scott Hensley, University of Pennsylvania. . In their study, of 83 women who had COVID-19 antibodies when they gave birth, 72 of their newborns also had antibodies, but no evidence of direct infection. “It is comforting that maternal infection, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, results in sufficient antibody production for efficient transplacental antibody transfer to newborns of infected mothers,” said Dr. Flor Munoz of Baylor College of Medicine in a published editorial with the study. It is possible that antibodies created using a vaccine may have the same effect, noted Munoz. The transfer of substances in the mother’s blood to the fetus begins around 17 weeks of gestation, she said, suggesting that “maternal vaccination starting in the beginning of the second trimester … may be ideal for reaching the highest levels of antibodies in the newborn. ” (bit.ly/3cn3kSM)

Skin problems may persist after COVID-19

Add annoying skin problems to the list of symptoms that can follow infection with the new coronavirus, warns a new report. Between April and October, an international registry established by dermatologists received reports from about 1,000 COVID-19 patients with itchy welts, skin rashes, scaly plaques or pernium, an inflammation of the fingers and toes after exposure to cold. In half of the cases, the skin problems lasted more than two weeks. This happened more frequently in patients with scaly plaques and pernium. Given that some of the patients had only mild COVID-19, the data suggest that inflammation of the disease may persist even among those who were not seriously ill, the researchers said in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, appreciation for persistent morbidity beyond the acute phase of the disease has increased,” they said. “As far as we know, our data represents the largest data set to date on persistent signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in the skin.” (bit.ly/2McCwta)

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