In the News

Oral Nirmatrelvir Prevents Progression to Severe COVID-19 in High-Risk, Unvaccinated Outpatients

By Denise Baez

Treatment of symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir resulted in a risk of progression to severe COVID-19 that was 89% lower than the risk with placebo, without evident safety concerns, according to a study published in The New...

Subcutaneous Monoclonal Antibodies Reduce Hospitalisation, Death in High-Risk Outpatients With Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Symptoms

By Denise Baez

Subcutaneously administered casirivimab and imdevimab was associated with reduced hospitalisation and death in high-risk outpatients with mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms when compared with no treatment, and showed similar outcomes compared with...

Myopericarditis Following COVID-19 Vaccination Is Rare, International Study Finds

The overall risk of myopericarditis following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is very low, affecting 18 people per million vaccine doses, according to a study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

Kollengode Ramanathan, MD, National University Hospital,...

Omicron Less Severe Than Delta for Children Aged Younger Than 5 Years

The incidence rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection with Omicron variant was 6 to 8 times that of Delta variant in children aged younger than 5 years, but severe clinical outcomes were less frequent than with Delta variant, according to a study published...

Convalescent Plasma Can Be Effective for COVID-19 if Given Early

Convalescent plasma is an effective and safe option as an early outpatient coronavirus disease 2019 (COVI-19) treatment, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The research showed that high-titre convalescent plasma, when administered to...

Vaccines Provide Extra Protection for Those With Immunity From a Previous COVID-19 Infection

Two new studies, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, confirm that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination provides significant additional protection among people who have already been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), especially...

FDA Authorises Second Booster Dose of 2 COVID-19 Vaccines for Older and Immunocompromised Individuals

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised a second booster dose of either the BNT162b2 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine or the mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine for older people and certain immunocompromised individuals.

This action will now make a second booster dose of...

First Human Study of Burst Wave Lithotripsy for Kidney Stones Shows Promising Results

Burst wave lithotripsy (BWL) may provide an effective, more accessible alternative for non-invasive treatment of kidney stones, according to a study published in The Journal of Urology.

The new BWL technology successfully fragmented stones of a variety of sizes, locations and...

Electronic Pneumonia Decision Support Helps Reduce Mortality by 38% in Community Hospitals

A real-time electronic decision support system helped clinicians at community hospitals provide best practice care for emergency department patients with pneumonia, resulting in decreased intensive care unit (ICU) admission, more appropriate antibiotic use, and 38% lower overall mortality...

Large US Study Confirms Most mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects Are Mild, Temporary

A review of adverse events following vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with mRNA vaccines in the United States confirms that most side effects were mild and decreased substantially after 1 day.

The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, suggests...