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COVID-19 variant B117 strain has 67% higher risk of death, study finds
For every 3 people who would have died from the previous dominant strains of SARS-CoV-2, 5 will die if infected with the worrying variant B117 (VOC), according to a UK study yesterday in Eurosurveillance.
The researchers determined that B117 has a 67% increased risk of 28-day mortality and an absolute risk of death that increases with age and comorbidities, which is in line with recent studies in Nature Y BMJ.
The researchers analyzed 184,786 COVID-19 test results from November 16, 2020 to January 11, 2021, which evaluated spike gene target failure (SGTF), an indicator of B117. Of these, 91,775 (49.7%) were B117 cases, which caused 419 (48.3%) of the deaths. Participants were followed until death, 7 days before vaccination or on February 5, whichever came first.
Throughout the study, B117 became the dominant strain, rising from 1.2% of the UK cumulative total at week 1 to 31.5% at week 8. The researchers found that while the infected groups were demographically similar, people with B117 tended to be younger (0.9%). % older than 80 years vs 1.6%) and healthier (2.9% with more than two comorbidities vs 3.8%).
The hazard risk of B117 was 67% higher than the previous strain (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.34 to 2.09), depending on the data. This translates into a mortality rate of 24.3% and 14.7% for men and women aged 85 years or older with two or more comorbidities, respectively, compared to 16.7% and 9.7% for women. previous strains. However, absolute death is much lower in those under 65 years of age without comorbidities for both men (0.14% versus 0.09%) and women (0.07% versus 0.05%).
The results suggest that the effects of age and comorbidity on B117 results are collinear and similar to its effects on earlier strains. Because of this, the researchers write that vaccine priorities don’t have to change.
March 18th Euro Surveill study
CDC survey shows remote learning in pandemic strains affects children, parents
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released a survey showing that American families have been affected by school closings during the COVID-19 pandemic and experience high levels of stress when children receive instruction. online.
The survey, conducted from October 8 to November 13, 2020, included 1,290 respondents who have children ages 5 to 12 enrolled in public or private schools: 45.7% reported that their child received virtual instruction, on 30, 9% in-person instruction and 23.4% combined instruction.
“For 11 of the 17 indicators of stress and well-being related to children’s mental health and physical activity and parental emotional distress, the results were worse for parents of children who received virtual or combined instruction than for parents of children they received in-person instruction, “the CDC said.
Among parents with children in online school, 24.7% reported a worsening of children’s mental or emotional health, compared to 15.9% of children learning in person. Children who attended online school also had a significant decrease in physical activity (62.9% vs. 52.1%) and time spent outdoors (58% vs. 42.4%), in compared to children who received in-person instruction.
Parents of children who received virtual instruction were also more likely than parents of children who received blended instruction to report experiencing emotional distress (54.0% vs. 42.9%), reporting job loss (42.7% vs. 30.6%), and having a conflict between working and providing child care (14.6% vs 8.3%).
“These findings suggest that virtual instruction may present more risks than in-person instruction related to the mental and emotional health of children and parents and some health support behaviors, such as participation in physical activity, and instruction combined is in the middle, “the authors concluded. .
March, 19 MMWR study
COVID-19 Linked to Preeclampsia, Stillbirth, and More in Pregnant Women
Maternal COVID-19 infection is associated with pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia, preterm birth and stillbirth, and the disease is particularly associated with conditions that put maternal and neonatal death at risk, according to a review of 42 studies.
The study, published today in CMAJ, used unadjusted data covering 438,548 pregnant women from studies published through January 29.
COVID-19 was associated with preeclampsia (odds ratio [OR]1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.73; Itwo= 31%; based on 23 studies), preterm birth (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.38 to 2.39; Itwo= 64%; 18 studies) and fetal death (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.14 to 3.90; Itwo= 24%; 6 studies). COVID-19 was not associated with gestational diabetes, cesarean delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, or neonatal death, but some associations were found when severity was compared.
Compared to mild COVID, severe infection was associated with an increased risk for most outcomes, particularly with an OR of 4.16 for pre-eclampsia and 4.29 for preterm delivery. It also showed an association with gestational diabetes (OR, 1.99, 95% CI, 1.09 to 3.64; Itwo= 14%; 5 studies), cesarean deliveries (OR, 2.58, 95% CI, 1.64 to 4.06; Itwo= 43%; 8 studies) and low birth weight (OR, 1.89, 95% CI, 1.14 to 3.12; Itwo= 0%; 2 studies). Similarly, symptomatic COVID was associated with a greater effect on preterm birth (OR, 2.29; Itwo= 57%) and cesarean section (OR, 1.57; Itwo= 1%) than asymptomatic COVID-19.
The findings differ from previous case report and case series findings, according to a CMAJ news release. “Our meta-analysis of recent good quality cohort studies with comparative data does not align with these previous reviews and provides clear evidence that symptomatic or severe COVID-19 is associated with a significant risk of pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery and low birth weight , “write the study authors.
“Clinicians should be aware of these adverse outcomes when managing pregnancies in COVID-19 patients and adopt effective strategies to prevent or reduce risks to patients and fetuses,” the researchers add.
March, 19 CMAJ study
March, 19 CMAJ Press release
