Publications by authors named "Deepika Konatham"
Background: The epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to develop with emerging variants, expanding population-level immunity, and advances in clinical care. We describe changes in the clinical epidemiology of COVID-19 hospitalizations and risk factors for critical outcomes over time.
Methods: We included adults aged ≥18 years from 10 states hospitalized with COVID-19 June 2021-March 2023.
Article Synopsis
- Immunocompromised (IC) individuals face a higher risk of severe COVID-19 and have reduced vaccine effectiveness compared to non-immunocompromised (non-IC) individuals.
- A study analyzed emergency department visits and hospitalizations among IC and non-IC adults, finding that vaccine effectiveness was significantly lower in IC patients, particularly for those who received 3 doses of mRNA vaccines or 1-2 doses of viral-vector vaccines.
- Despite some protection from vaccines, the results indicate a pressing need for additional safeguards for IC adults, especially transplant recipients who showed the lowest vaccine effectiveness.
Article Synopsis
- A study evaluated the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine on children and adolescents during the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 period, focusing on its ability to protect against mild to moderate and severe cases of COVID-19.
- The research compared data from nearly 10,000 emergency department cases and over 70,000 controls, finding that vaccine effectiveness decreased over time, especially during the Omicron variant's spread.
- It concluded that while the vaccine offered significant protection initially, especially against hospitalizations, booster doses enhanced effectiveness, highlighting the importance of completing the vaccination schedule for children and adolescents.
Early Estimates of Bivalent mRNA Vaccine Effectiveness in Preventing COVID-19-Associated Emergency Department or Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Immunocompetent Adults - VISION Network, Nine States, September-November 2022.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
March 2023
Article Synopsis
- - During mid-2022, the Omicron BA.5 variant was the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S., and bivalent mRNA vaccines were introduced containing both the original virus strain and components targeting Omicron BA.4/BA.5.
- - A single bivalent booster was recommended for adults who had completed their primary vaccination and had not received a dose in the past two months, with effectiveness being evaluated from September to November 2022.
- - Results showed that the bivalent booster significantly reduced the risk of COVID-19-related emergency visits (56% effectiveness) and hospitalizations (59% effectiveness) compared to those unvaccinated or with only monovalent vaccines, highlighting the importance
Early Estimates of Bivalent mRNA Vaccine Effectiveness in Preventing COVID-19-Associated Emergency Department or Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Immunocompetent Adults - VISION Network, Nine States, September-November 2022.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
December 2022
Article Synopsis
- - During June-October 2022, the Omicron BA.5 sublineage dominated COVID-19 cases in the U.S., leading to the introduction of bivalent mRNA vaccines that target both the original virus and the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 variants.
- - A single bivalent booster dose was recommended for adults who had their last vaccination at least two months prior, and its effectiveness was evaluated from September to November 2022 compared to no vaccination or previous monovalent vaccinations.
- - Results showed that the bivalent booster significantly reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations for COVID-19, with effectiveness increasing depending on how long it had been since the last monovalent dose was received.
Estimation of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Effectiveness Against Medically Attended COVID-19 in Pregnancy During Periods of Delta and Omicron Variant Predominance in the United States.
JAMA Netw Open
September 2022
Importance: Pregnant people are at high risk for severe COVID-19 but were excluded from mRNA vaccine trials; data on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) are needed.
Objective: To evaluate the estimated effectiveness of mRNA vaccination against medically attended COVID-19 among pregnant people during Delta and Omicron predominance.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This test-negative, case-control study was conducted from June 2021 to June 2022 in a network of 306 hospitals and 164 emergency department and urgent care (ED/UC) facilities across 10 US states, including 4517 ED/UC encounters and 975 hospitalizations among pregnant people with COVID-19-like illness (CLI) who underwent SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing.
Effectiveness of 2, 3, and 4 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Doses Among Immunocompetent Adults During Periods when SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2/BA.2.12.1 Sublineages Predominated - VISION Network, 10 States, December 2021-June 2022.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
July 2022
The Omicron variant (B.1.1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffectiveness of COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19-Associated Emergency Department and Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Nonimmunocompromised Children and Adolescents Aged 5-17 Years - VISION Network, 10 States, April 2021-January 2022.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
March 2022
Article Synopsis
- - The BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine showed over 90% efficacy in clinical trials for children and adolescents aged 5-17, but real-world effectiveness, especially against the Omicron variant, is still being evaluated.
- - In a study analyzing data from over 39,000 encounters, vaccine effectiveness (VE) for children aged 5-11 was 46% shortly after the second dose, while adolescents aged 12-15 had a VE of 83% and those aged 16-17 had a VE of 76% during similar timeframes.
- - VE significantly decreased after 150 days post-second dose during the Omicron variant's dominance, but improved to
Waning 2-Dose and 3-Dose Effectiveness of mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19-Associated Emergency Department and Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Adults During Periods of Delta and Omicron Variant Predominance - VISION Network, 10 States, August 2021-January 2022.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
February 2022
CDC recommends that all persons aged ≥12 years receive a booster dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine ≥5 months after completion of a primary mRNA vaccination series and that immunocompromised persons receive a third primary dose.* Waning of vaccine protection after 2 doses of mRNA vaccine has been observed during the period of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffectiveness of a Third Dose of mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19-Associated Emergency Department and Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Adults During Periods of Delta and Omicron Variant Predominance - VISION Network, 10 States, August 2021-January 2022.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
January 2022
Article Synopsis
- Estimates of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine effectiveness (VE) are declining due to factors such as waning immunity and increased immune evasion by variants like Delta and Omicron.
- The CDC recommends a booster for everyone aged 12 and over, highlighting that the third dose can significantly enhance antibody levels and overall vaccine efficacy.
- A study analyzing data from multiple states found that while VE against COVID-19 was high during the Delta variant phase, effectiveness dropped significantly during the Omicron phase, especially after two doses.