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Air flow and Testing Can Assist Maintain U.S. Faculties Open in Fall, Research Counsel

Ventilation and Testing Can Help Keep U.S. Schools Open in Fall, Studies Suggest

Several measures to mitigate Covid-19 – including improving ventilation, requiring adults to wear face masks, and taking frequent surveillance tests – can help keep schools open and students safe, according to two new studies.

The studies, released on Friday, come as many school districts work out their plans for the fall. They also follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that all schools teaching students from kindergarten through 12th grade will continue until the end of the 2020-2021 school year following the agency’s latest move to admit vaccinated people Implement guidelines for wearing masks should not use masks indoors. The agency also upheld its proposals to monitor physical distancing and test for coronavirus infections.

In one of the new studies, researchers from the CDC and the Georgia Department of Public Health surveyed 169 elementary schools in Georgia that offered face-to-face learning last fall. The group asked schools about their pandemic responses and collected data on the coronavirus cases discovered between November 16 and December 11 before vaccines were used in the United States.

The researchers found that the incidence of the virus in schools that had improved their ventilation – by opening windows or doors or using fans – was 35 percent lower than in schools that did not use these practices. In schools that combined better ventilation with air filtration – for example through the use of HEPA filters – the fall rates were 48 percent lower.

The researchers found that all teachers and staff had to wear masks to reduce the incidence of the virus by 37 percent. Schools that required students to wear masks had a 21 percent lower incidence of the virus, but that reduction was not statistically significant, the scientists found. This may be due to the fact that adults are more likely to transmit the virus than children, or simply to a small sample size.

“Since the universal and correct use of masks can reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission and is a relatively inexpensive and easy to implement strategy, the results of this report suggest that the universal and correct use of masks is an important Covid-19 -Prevention strategy in schools is a multi-component approach, ”write the researchers.

A second study, conducted by researchers from the Utah Department of Health and the University of Utah, tracked the implementation of two coronavirus screening programs in state schools. A program that ran in January 2021 allowed schools with outbreaks to conduct school-wide testing instead of switching to distance learning.

“The schools could either do what they did the fall, switching to remote control for two weeks to break the chains of transmission, or they could test all of them,” said Dr. Adam Hersh, one of the study’s authors and a pediatric infectious disease expert at the University of Utah. “And those who tested negative could return to face-to-face learning, and those who tested positive would obviously be isolated.”

In a second testing program, students had to be tested for the coronavirus every 14 days in order to participate in sports or other extracurricular activities. Both initiatives relied on rapid antigen tests, which are less sensitive but cheaper and faster than standard PCR tests.

That year, between January 4 and March 20, 28 high schools in the state reported sizeable outbreaks. Fifteen schools decided to switch to distance learning for two weeks, while the other 13 decided to run surveillance tests instead. Of the 13,809 students who were tested as part of this screening, only 0.7 percent were positive, the scientists reported. All 13 schools remained open.

“This is a huge achievement from a public health perspective,” said Kendra Babitz, coronavirus testing coordinator for the Utah Department of Health and one of the study’s authors. “Testing is and should be a mitigation strategy that schools use to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in schools,” she added, referring to the virus that causes Covid-19.

Over the winter, 95 percent of school sports events took place on schedule, the researchers found, although they didn’t compare that number to a control group of schools without screening programs. “This is similar to what happens in the normal season,” said Dr. Hersh. “The show could go on.”

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Israeli information counsel mass vaccinations led to drop in extreme Covid instances, CDC examine finds

Israeli data suggest mass vaccinations led to drop in severe Covid cases, CDC study finds

An Israeli health worker from Maccabi Healthcare Services prepares to administer a dose of the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine in Tel Aviv on February 24, 2021.

Jack Guez | AFP | Getty Images

Data from Israel, which vaccinated the vast majority of its elderly population with the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, suggests that mass vaccination has prevented people from getting seriously ill, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While clinical studies have shown the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to be 95% effective at preventing Covid-19, the Israeli data provide early insight into the vaccine’s effectiveness in an uncontrolled, real-world setting.

The study, published Friday in the CDC’s weekly report on morbidity and mortality, found that among the most vaccinated portion of the Israeli population, the percentage of patients requiring ventilation has dropped dramatically, suggesting a reduction in the serious illness.

“Taken together, these results suggest a reduced rate of severe COVID-19 after vaccination,” wrote researchers from Ben Gurion University in the Negev, Tel Aviv University and Maccabi Healthcare Services.

Israel launched its national vaccination campaign in December, prioritizing people aged 60 and over, healthcare workers and people with comorbid illnesses. By February, according to the researchers, 84% of the population aged 70 and over had been fully immunized with the Pfizer-BioNTech two-shot vaccine. Only 10% of the population under the age of 50 had been vaccinated at any one time, the researchers said.

The researchers compared the number of Covid-19 patients aged 70 and over who needed a mechanical ventilator with those under 50 who needed a ventilator. The researchers said they needed a ventilator, a medical tool that helps patients breathe, to measure severe Covid-19.

Between October and February, the number of patients aged 70 and over who needed a ventilator decreased. At the same time, the number of people under the age of 50, a generally unvaccinated population, who needed a ventilator, the study found. The country began using gunshots on mostly elderly people on December 20. A second round of shooting followed three weeks later.

The researchers noted some limitations to the study. Israel put in place a strict national stay-at-home order on Jan. 8, weeks after the vaccination campaign began, which could have resulted in a decline in seriously ill patients who would have needed ventilators. The introduction of new variants of the coronavirus could also have affected the data.

The researchers said their results are preliminary, “important evidence of the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing severe cases of COVID-19 at the national level in Israel”.

“Getting COVID-19 vaccines to eligible individuals can help limit the spread of disease and potentially reduce the incidence of serious diseases,” they write.

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Research Counsel Folks Who Had Covid-19 Ought to Get Single Vaccine Dose

People Who Have Had Covid Should Get Single Vaccine Dose, Studies Suggest

Almost 30 million people in the United States – and likely many others whose diseases have never been diagnosed – have been infected with the coronavirus to date. Should these people still be vaccinated?

Two new studies answer this question with an emphatic yes.

In fact, research suggests that for these people, just one dose of the vaccine is enough to charge their antibodies and destroy the coronavirus – and even some other infectious variants.

The results of these new studies are consistent with the results of two others published in the past few weeks. Taken together, the research suggests that people who have had Covid-19 should be immunized – but a single dose of the vaccine may be enough.

“I think it’s a really strong rationale for why people who were previously infected with Covid should get the vaccine,” said Jennifer Gommerman, an immunologist at the University of Toronto who was not involved in the new research.

A person’s immune response to a natural infection varies widely. Most people make plenty of antibodies that last for many months. However, some people who have had mild or no symptoms of Covid-19 produce few antibodies that quickly drop to undetectable levels.

The vaccines “even hit the pitch,” said Dr. Gommerman, so that anyone who has recovered from Covid-19 will make enough antibodies to protect against the virus.

The latest study, which has not yet been published in a scientific journal, analyzed blood samples from people with Covid-19. The results suggest that her immune system would have problems fighting off B.1.351, the coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa.

But a shot of the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccine changed the picture dramatically: It increased the amount of antibodies in her blood by a thousand times – “a massive, massive surge,” said Andrew T. McGuire, immunologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, who led the study.

Rinsed with antibodies, samples from all participants were able to neutralize not only B.1.351, but also the coronavirus that caused the SARS epidemic in 2003.

In fact, the antibodies appeared to work better than those in people who did not have Covid and had received two doses of a vaccine. Several studies have shown that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are about five times less effective against the variant.

The researchers received blood samples from 10 volunteers in the Seattle Covid Cohort Study who were vaccinated months after contracting the coronavirus. Seven of the participants received the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and three received the Moderna vaccine.

Blood taken about two to three weeks after vaccination showed a significant increase in antibody levels compared to the samples taken before vaccination. The researchers don’t yet know how long the increased levels of antibodies will last, but “hopefully they will last,” said Dr. McGuire.

The researchers also saw a surge in immune cells remembering and fighting the virus, said Dr. McGuire. “It looks pretty clear that we are boosting their pre-existing immunity,” he said.

In another new study, New York University researchers found that a second dose of the vaccine was of no great benefit at all for people with Covid-19 – a phenomenon that has also been seen with vaccines against other viruses.

In this study, most people had been infected with the coronavirus eight or nine months previously, but their antibodies increased hundreds to a thousand times with the first dose of a vaccine. However, after the second dose, the antibody levels did not rise any further.

“It is real evidence of the strength of immunological memory that they are given a single dose and have a huge increase,” said Dr. Mark J. Mulligan, director of the NYU Langone Vaccine Center and lead author of the study.

In some parts of the world, including the United States, a significant minority of the population is already infected, noted Dr. Mulligan firmly. “You should definitely be vaccinated,” he said.

It is unclear whether the thousand-fold increase in antibody levels recorded in the laboratory will occur in real-world environments. However, research shows that a single shot is enough to significantly raise antibody levels, said Florian Krammer, an immunologist at the Icahn School of Medicine on Mount Sinai in New York.

Dr. Krammer led another of the new studies that showed that people who had Covid-19 and received a dose of vaccine had more serious side effects from the vaccination and had more antibodies than those who had not been infected before.

“When you put all four papers together, you get pretty good information about people who have had an infection and only need one vaccination,” said Dr. Krammer.

He and other researchers are trying to convince scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend only one dose for those who have recovered from Covid-19.

Ideally, these people should be monitored after the first shot in case their antibody levels drop after a few weeks or months, said Dennis R. Burton, an immunologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.

The fact that the charged antibodies seen in the new study can fight the 2003 SARS virus suggests that a single dose of the vaccine may have induced the volunteer’s bodies to produce “largely neutralizing antibodies” – immune molecules that are able to target a wide range of related antibodies to viruses, said Dr. Burton.

He and other scientists have spent decades investigating whether largely neutralizing antibodies can fight multiple versions of HIV at the same time. HIV mutates faster than any other virus and evades most antibodies quickly.

The new coronavirus is mutating much more slowly, but there are now several variants of the virus that appear to have become more contagious or which are thwarting the immune system. The new study could provide clues on how to make a single vaccine that stimulates the production of largely neutralizing antibodies that can destroy all variants of the coronavirus, said Dr. Burton.

Without such a vaccine, scientists would have to adjust the vaccines every time the virus changes significantly. “You’re kind of a whac-a-mole approach,” he said. It will likely take many months, if not more, to develop and test this type of vaccine against the coronavirus, but “this is the longer term way to approach this virus.”

Categories
Health

Folks Who Have Had Covid Ought to Get Single Vaccine Dose, Research Recommend

People Who Have Had Covid Should Get Single Vaccine Dose, Studies Suggest

Almost 30 million people in the United States – and likely many others whose diseases have never been diagnosed – have been infected with the coronavirus to date. Should these people still be vaccinated?

Two new studies answer this question with an emphatic yes.

In fact, research suggests that for these people, just one dose of the vaccine is enough to charge their antibodies and destroy the coronavirus – and even some other infectious variants.

The results of these new studies are consistent with the results of two others published in the past few weeks. Taken together, the research suggests that people who have had Covid-19 should be immunized – but a single dose of the vaccine may be enough.

“I think it’s a really strong rationale for why people who were previously infected with Covid should get the vaccine,” said Jennifer Gommerman, an immunologist at the University of Toronto who was not involved in the new research.

A person’s immune response to a natural infection varies widely. Most people make plenty of antibodies that last for many months. However, some people who have had mild or no symptoms of Covid-19 produce few antibodies that quickly drop to undetectable levels.

The vaccines “even hit the pitch,” said Dr. Gommerman, so that anyone who has recovered from Covid-19 will make enough antibodies to protect against the virus.

The latest study, which has not yet been published in a scientific journal, analyzed blood samples from people with Covid-19. The results suggest that her immune system would have problems fighting off B.1.351, the coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa.

But a shot of the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccine changed the picture dramatically: It increased the amount of antibodies in her blood by a thousand times – “a massive, massive surge,” said Andrew T. McGuire, immunologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, who led the study.

Rinsed with antibodies, samples from all participants were able to neutralize not only B.1.351, but also the coronavirus that caused the SARS epidemic in 2003.

In fact, the antibodies appeared to work better than those in people who did not have Covid and had received two doses of a vaccine. Several studies have shown that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are about five times less effective against the variant.

The researchers received blood samples from 10 volunteers in the Seattle Covid Cohort Study who were vaccinated months after contracting the coronavirus. Seven of the participants received the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and three received the Moderna vaccine.

Blood taken about two to three weeks after vaccination showed a significant increase in antibody levels compared to the samples taken before vaccination. The researchers don’t yet know how long the increased levels of antibodies will last, but “hopefully they will last,” said Dr. McGuire.

Updated

Apr. 19, 2021 at 12:01 am ET

The researchers also saw a surge in immune cells remembering and fighting the virus, said Dr. McGuire. “It looks pretty clear that we are boosting their pre-existing immunity,” he said.

In another new study, New York University researchers found that a second dose of the vaccine was of no great benefit at all for people with Covid-19 – a phenomenon that has also been seen with vaccines against other viruses.

In this study, most people had been infected with the coronavirus eight or nine months previously, but their antibodies increased hundreds to a thousand times with the first dose of a vaccine. However, after the second dose, the antibody levels did not rise any further.

“It is real evidence of the strength of immunological memory that they are given a single dose and have a huge increase,” said Dr. Mark J. Mulligan, director of the NYU Langone Vaccine Center and lead author of the study.

In some parts of the world, including the United States, a significant minority of the population is already infected, noted Dr. Mulligan firmly. “You should definitely be vaccinated,” he said.

It is unclear whether the thousand-fold increase in antibody levels recorded in the laboratory will occur in real-world environments. However, research shows that a single shot is enough to significantly raise antibody levels, said Florian Krammer, an immunologist at the Icahn School of Medicine on Mount Sinai in New York.

Dr. Krammer led another of the new studies that showed that people who had Covid-19 and received a dose of vaccine had more serious side effects from the vaccination and had more antibodies than those who had not been infected before.

“When you put all four papers together, you get pretty good information about people who have had an infection and only need one vaccination,” said Dr. Krammer.

He and other researchers are trying to convince scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend only one dose for those who have recovered from Covid-19.

Ideally, these people should be monitored after the first shot in case their antibody levels drop after a few weeks or months, said Dennis R. Burton, an immunologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.

The fact that the charged antibodies seen in the new study can fight the 2003 SARS virus suggests that a single dose of the vaccine may have induced the volunteer’s bodies to produce “largely neutralizing antibodies” – immune molecules that are able to target a wide range of related antibodies to viruses, said Dr. Burton.

He and other scientists have spent decades investigating whether largely neutralizing antibodies can fight multiple versions of HIV at the same time. HIV mutates faster than any other virus and evades most antibodies quickly.

The new coronavirus is mutating much more slowly, but there are now several variants of the virus that appear to have become more contagious or which are thwarting the immune system. The new study could provide clues on how to make a single vaccine that stimulates the production of largely neutralizing antibodies that can destroy all variants of the coronavirus, said Dr. Burton.

Without such a vaccine, scientists would have to adjust the vaccines every time the virus changes significantly. “You’re kind of a whac-a-mole approach,” he said. It will likely take many months, if not more, to develop and test this type of vaccine against the coronavirus, but “this is the longer term way to approach this virus.”