Publications by authors named "P Shirk"
Background: The 2022-23 US influenza season peaked early in fall 2022.
Methods: Late-season influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) against outpatient, laboratory-confirmed influenza was calculated among participants of the US Influenza VE Network using a test-negative design.
Results: Of 2561 participants enrolled from December 12, 2022 to April 30, 2023, 91 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases primarily had A(H1N1)pdm09 (6B.
Silk fibers are produced by a wide variety of insects. The silkworm () was domesticated because the physical properties of its silk fibers were amenable to the production of fine textiles. Subsequently, engineers have regenerated silk fibroin to form biomaterials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEarly Estimates of Updated 2023-2024 (Monovalent XBB.1.5) COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection Attributable to Co-Circulating Omicron Variants Among Immunocompetent Adults - Increasing Community Access to Testing Program, United States, September 2023-January 2024.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
February 2024
Article Synopsis
- - The CDC recommended an updated COVID-19 vaccine derived from the XBB.1.5 variant for everyone aged 6 months and older to protect against COVID-19, as new variants like JN.1 emerged and spread in fall 2023.
- - Research analyzed over 9,000 tests, finding that the vaccine effectiveness was about 54% for adults 18 and older, with variations depending on testing methods and timing post-vaccination.
- - The updated vaccines are effective in protecting against symptomatic infections, and the CDC will keep monitoring their effectiveness, urging all eligible individuals to get vaccinated.
Article Synopsis
- The CDC has been tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly the Omicron variant, through national genomic surveillance since December 2020, with a report summarizing trends from January 2022 to May 2023.
- Throughout this period, various Omicron descendant lineages, such as BA.1.1, BA.2, and BA.5, rose and fell in prevalence, often correlating with spikes in COVID-19 cases.
- By May 2023, the variant XBB.1.5 dominated, underscoring the ongoing evolution of variants and the necessity for genomic surveillance to aid in vaccine and therapeutic strategies.
Article Synopsis
- * The Alpha variant, which emerged in late 2020, featured a S-gene deletion leading to a testing anomaly called S-gene target failure (SGTF).
- * Recently, the XBB.1.5 sublineage with S-gene target presence (SGTP) has emerged, showing rapid growth in the northeastern U.S. during the dominance of the Omicron BA.5 variants exhibiting SGTF.