By Nancy Lapid
(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the new coronavirus and attempts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Antiviral remdesivir appears to be safe for children
The antiviral drug remdesivir appears to be just as safe and effective for use in children with COVID-19 as it is in adults, according to the largest study to date of children with severe COVID-19 who received the drug. Remdesivir, sold by Gilead Sciences Inc under the brand name Veklury, shortens recovery time in adults with COVID-19. It has not yet been approved for children under the age of 12. In March 2020, Gilead began accepting physician requests for the compassionate use of remdesivir in critically ill children with COVID-19. In the new study of 77 children in the United States, UK, Italy and Spain, “remdesivir was well-tolerated, with a low incidence of serious side effects,” related to the drug, researchers reported Wednesday in Pediatrics. Within four weeks of starting treatment, 88% of the children had a reduced need for oxygen support, 83% had recovered and 73% were discharged. Of those who needed mechanical ventilation, 90% of the fans could be obtained. A randomized controlled trial is underway to confirm that the high level of recovery was due to the effects of remdesivir, the researchers said. An editorial published with the study said, “While morbidity and mortality rates differ, children hospitalized with acute COVID-19 often have a similar disease course to adults. Children are also likely to have a similar response to remdesivir. as adults. ” (https://bit.ly/3eeoGRy, https://bit.ly/3enAnoW)
Patients may not pose the highest COVID-19 risk to hospital personnel
According to new research, U.S. health workers on the front lines of the pandemic who become ill from COVID-19 are more likely to contract the infection in the community than from patient care. At a large medical center in Wisconsin, researchers examined likely sources of infections by analyzing the virus gene sequences obtained from swab samples from 95 health professionals and their patients. Only 11% of the participants’ infections could be traced to a colleague and only 4% to a patient, the researchers reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases. They said their observations are consistent with recent studies of healthcare associated infections in the Netherlands and the UK, and with another recent study that found that the main risk factor for COVID-19 was the rate of disease in surrounding communities, not workplace factors . . “It appears that medical personnel most often become infected with SARS-CoV-2 through exposure to the community,” the researchers conclude. “This emphasizes the continuing importance of mask wear, physical distance, robust testing programs and rapid vaccine distribution.” (https://bit.ly/3xausMz)
Open https://tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl in an external browser for an image from Reuters on vaccines in development.
(Reporting by Nancy Lapid; edited by Bill Berkrot)