Partisan Divide, Misinformation and Risk of COVID-19 Death

Posted on May 21, 2022 by gutsandgrowth

NPR: Pro-Trump counties continue to suffer far higher COVID death tolls

Since May 2021, “those living in counties that voted 60% or higher for Trump in November 2020 had 2.26 times the death rate of those that went by the same margin for Biden. Counties with a higher share of Trump votes had even higher mortality rates…. previous polling has shown that belief in misinformation is highly correlated with being unvaccinated. Kaiser examined several common pieces of misinformation such as the idea that the government is exaggerating the severity of the pandemic, or that the vaccines contain a microchip. Kaiser’s poll found that 94% of Republicans believed one or more false statements about the vaccines.”

Delusional Thinking That COVID-19 Is Over

Posted on May 17, 2022 by gutsandgrowth

A couple recent articles indicate a lot of reasons for concern.

First of all, it is important to recognize that even among persons less than 55 years of age, COVID-19 was the leading cause of death in 2021. Inside Medicine: Open Access: The million US Covid dead are younger than you think.

Sadly, more than 300,000 deaths in the U.S. could have been averted (NPR: This is how many lives could have been saved with COVID vaccinations in each state)

There has been a culture shift to learn to live with the virus. This is evident almost everywhere from packed restaurants, crowded venues, etc. However, there is currently high transmission and variants that are evading vaccine protection as detailed by Eric Topol, Open Access: The Covid Capitulation

Key points:

The United States is now in the midst of a new wave related to Omicron variants BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 with over 90,000 confirmed new cases a day and a 20% increase in hospitalizations in the past 2 weeks…The real number of cases is likely at least 500,000 per day, far greater than any of the US prior waves except Omicron.
“Infections…beget more cases, …Long Covid, … sickness, hospitalizations and deaths. They are also the underpinning of new variants.”
CDC currently is vastly underestimating the number of cases leading many towards false confidence, “feeding the myth that the pandemic is over.”
“As of last week, 43% of new cases were attributable to BA.2.12.1 …. BA.2.12.1 is out-competing BA.2 with its 25% higher transmission rate, which foretells its further rise to dominance across the US in the days and weeks ahead.”
“This family of Omicron variants with functional impact indicates more rapid evolution of the virus than what we have seen previously.”
There has been a “reduction in vaccine effectiveness that we are now encountering…[Protection from severe disease] has declined to approximately 80%, particularly taking account the more rapid waning than previously seen.”
“It’s overly optimistic to think we’ll be done when Omicron variants run their course. Not only are they providing further seeding grounds for more variants of concern, but that path is further facilitated by tens of millions of immunocompromised people around the world, multiple and massive animal reservoirs, and increased frequency of recombinants.”
“Vaccinated individuals accounted for … 42 per cent [of the deaths] during the Omicron wave. This is attributable to waning of protection, lack of boosters, and the diminished protection against Omicron (BA.1).”
What needs to be done: More boosters/vaccines (“we rank 60th in the world’s countries for boosters”) along with more medicines, and nasal vaccines which could induce mucosal immunity

My take: Unfortunately, these articles indicate that we have a long way to go. High quality masks are going to be needed at health care settings for a while. For those trying to avoid COVID-19, it will remain important to avoid large indoor gatherings. For public policy/economic policy, we need to continue to fund COVID-19 resources.

Related blog posts:

Understanding Rapid COVID-19 Testing Compared to PCR Testing

Posted on May 8, 2022 by gutsandgrowth

VT Chu et al. JAMA Intern Med. Published online April 29, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.1827. Open Access: Comparison of Home Antigen Testing With RT-PCR and Viral Culture During the Course of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Background: This was a prospective cohort study of 225 adults and children comparing reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)–confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection with antigen testing (QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test) and viral culture (January to May 2021)

Key findings:

Rapid testing (antigen) sensitivity was 64% and viral culture sensitivity was 84% when compared with same-day RT-PCR and viral culture
Rapid testing (antigen) sensitivity peaked 4 days after illness onset (77%); a second test 1 to 2 days later showed improved sensitivity (81%-85%)

My take: This study shows that a single rapid test is NOT adequate to exclude SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially if they are symptomatic (need to recheck 1-2 days later if negative rapid test). The reliability/accuracy/sensitivity is likely to vary greatly between different rapid tests and may change significantly with different viral variants.

Omicron More Severe for Unvaccinated Children

Posted on April 23, 2022 by gutsandgrowth

NY Times: Omicron Was More Severe for Unvaccinated Children in 5-to-11 Age Group, Study Shows

“The C.D.C. study covered the period from mid-December to late February, during which about 400 children were hospitalized with Covid at the select hospitals participating in the study.”
“Among the children who tested positive for the virus before or during their hospitalization, three-quarters of them were admitted primarily for Covid, rather than other illnesses, the C.D.C. said.”

CDC MMWR (4/19/22): Hospitalizations of Children Aged 5–11 Years with Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 — COVID-NET, 14 States, March 2020–February 2022

COVID-19 Hospitalization Data from CDC on UnVax, Vax, and Vax + Boosted

Posted on March 27, 2022 by gutsandgrowth

CA Taylor et al. MMWR 3/18/22, Open Access: COVID-19–Associated Hospitalizations Among Adults During SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron Variant Predominance, by Race/Ethnicity and Vaccination Status — COVID-NET, 14 States, July 2021–January 2022

During the omicron wave, hospitalization among unvaccinated adults remained 12 times the rates among vaccinated adults who received booster or additional doses and four times the rates among adults who received a primary series, but no booster or additional dose.
The rate among adults who received a primary series, but no booster or additional dose, was three times the rate among adults who received a booster or additional dose

A previous study conducted before the Omicron-predominant period that showed increased risk for COVID-19–associated hospitalization among certain racial and ethnic groups, including Black adults, and suggested the increased hospitalization rates were likely multifactorial and could include increased prevalence of underlying medical conditions, increased community-level exposure to and incidence of COVID-19, and poor access to health care in these groups
The increase in transmissibility of the Omicron variant might have amplified these risks for hospitalization…the increased risk for hospitalization among Black adults during the Omicron-predominant period might also be due, in part, to lower proportions of Black adults receiving both the primary vaccination series and booster doses

My take: This study shows the value of getting vaccinated and booster shot. I would speculate that many of the unvaccinated have had previous infections and this further indicates that vaccination may provide greater protection than immunity following infection.

Masks Work -Here’s the Data

Posted on February 6, 2022 by gutsandgrowth

Open Access: MMWR: Effectiveness of Face Mask or Respirator Use in Indoor Public Settings for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infection — California, February–December 2021

Methods: This interview-questionnaire study used a test-negative case-control design, enrolling persons who received a positive (case-participants) or negative (control-participants) SARS-CoV-2 test result, from among all California residents, without age restriction, who received a molecular test result for SARS-CoV-2 during February 18–December 1, 2021. A total of 652 case- and 1,176 control-participants were enrolled in the study equally across nine multi-county regions in California.

Limitations included the following:

This study did not account for other preventive behaviors that could influence risk (eg distancing)
This analysis relied on an aggregate estimate of self-reported face mask or respirator use across, for some participants, multiple indoor public locations
Estimates do not account for face mask or respirator fit
Data collection occurred before the expansion of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant
Face mask or respirator use was self-reported
Variability of exposures

COVID-19 Outcomes in U.S -Why It Has Been So Bad

Posted on February 2, 2022 by gutsandgrowth

NY Times (2/1/22): U.S. Has Far Higher Covid Death Rate Than Other Wealthy Countries

An excerpt:

Some of the reasons for America’s difficulties are well known. Despite having one of the world’s most powerful arsenals of vaccines, the country has failed to vaccinate as many people as other large, wealthy nations. Crucially, vaccination rates in older people also lag behind certain European nations.

The United States has fallen even further behind in administering booster shots, leaving large numbers of vulnerable people with fading protection as Omicron sweeps across the country...

Washington Post (2/1/22): Researchers are asking why some countries were better prepared for covid. One surprising answer: Trust.

An excerpt:

A new study [Lancet] of pandemic preparedness across 177 countries and territories appears to have found a key element in Vietnam’s success: trust...

These factors were key for pre-coronavirus rankings such as the Global Health Security Index, which in 2019 listed the United States and Britain as most prepared for a catastrophic biological event, like a pandemic — and Vietnam 74th out of 117 countries.

Instead, better outcomes appear to have gone hand in hand with high levels of trust in government and other citizens. Perception of government corruption was correlated with worse outcomes. Researchers measured trust with polling data from the World Values Survey and Gallup...

The pandemic has “eroded trust in the government,” Bang Petersen said. “It actually seems as if the pandemic has worsened the problem that this study identified.”

Quantifying the Risk of Serious Infections in Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Posted on January 24, 2022 by gutsandgrowth

JF Ludvigsson et al. J Pediatr 2021; 238: 66-73. Open Access PDF Serious Infections in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease 2002-2017—A Nationwide Cohort Study

This study utilized the Swedish nationwide health registry (2002-2017; n = 5767 with IBD) and controls from the general population (n= 58,418). One reason for this study is the increased frequency and changing patterns of immunosuppressive medications that are being used in pediatric IBD. Key findings:

672 serious infections (38.6/1000 person-years) occurred among the children with IBD compared with 778 serious infections in the control group (4.0/1000 person years; adjusted HR 9.46 ). HRs were increased for children with ulcerative colitis 8.48, Crohn’s disease 9.30, and IBD unclassified 12.1
Particularly high HRs were also seen in the first year of diagnosis with HR of 12.1 and n children with IBD undergoing surgery, HR 17.1. This 17-fold risk translates to an average of 6 per 100 children having a serious infection among those with operations.
340 of the 672 serious infections were gastrointestinal, including 34 due to Clostridium difficile
20 opportunistic infections were identified during 19,000 person-years

Potential risk factors for infection, besides medications, include malnutrition, chronic inflammation, impaired response to vaccination, and dysregulation of immune responses. A limitation of this study is ascertainment bias as families/patients with underlying disease may be more likely to seek medical attention for otherwise self-limited infections.

My take: This report confirms and quantitates daily clinical practice: children with IBD are more frequently hospitalized due to infections.

Related blog post: Infection or Flareup in IBD: GI PCR Panel Helps

**Stillbirths associated with COVID-19:** Stillbirths increased from 5.6 per 1,000 baseline to 8 per 1,000 if COVID-19 anytime during pregnancy and to 22.6 per 1,000 if COVID-19 infection began within 28 days of birth in a study of more than 130,000 Scottish births (12/1/20-10/21/21).
**Reference**: Stock, S.J., Carruthers, J., Calvert, C. *et al.* SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination rates in pregnant women in Scotland. *Nat Med* (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01666-2

Omicron Data

Posted on January 10, 2022 by gutsandgrowth

This data from NY Times shows that deaths due to COVID-19 are following a familiar pattern and spiking about 3 weeks after a spike in cases; this time the spike is being driven by omicron cases. However, this wave may in fact have lower severity per case; with this current wave, the number of reported cases is probably undercounted by a greater degree than in previous spikes due to widespread availability of home testing and the likelihood of more asymptomatic cases. Thus, it could be that the death rate per case would/will be significantly lower if/when all cases are accounted for.

MMWR: COVID-19 Vaccine Safety 8.7 Million Doses in 5-11 year olds

Posted on January 1, 2022 by gutsandgrowth

MMWR: Open Access: COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Children Aged 5–11 Years — United States, November 3–December 19, 2021

From Discusssion:

My take: Cardiac complications related to COVID-19 appear to be much more likely than adverse cardiac events due to vaccination.

gutsandgrowth

Pediatric Gastroenterology

Tag Archives: COVID-19