The Delta variant has dominated SARS-CoV-2 infections in Tokyo, Japan from June 2021 to date. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess BNT162b2 vaccine effectiveness during the surge in Delta among 3,911 healthcare workers (HCWs) at a medical center of Tokyo with a high vaccination rate of 84.1%. With strict infection control protocols including universal masking, only a small number of cases among vaccinated and unvaccinated HCWs were identified before June. As Delta spread in Tokyo, 16 cases among 3,289 fully vaccinated HCWs and 11 cases among 574 unvaccinated HCWs were reported in July and August (case rate in August: 4.0 vs. 19.2 per 1,000). All breakthrough cases were confirmed as Delta. While our study confirms a robust vaccine effectiveness of BNT162b2 vaccine against Delta, rising breakthrough cases suggest that continued infection control measures are warranted in higher risk environments, even when high rates of vaccination coverage are achieved.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.04.029 | DOI Listing |
PLoS Pathog
January 2025
Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
SARS-CoV-2 continues to transmit and evolve in humans and animals. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been previously identified as a zoonotic reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 with high rates of infection and probable spillback into humans. Here we report sampling 1,127 white-tailed deer (WTD) in Pennsylvania, and a genomic analysis of viral dynamics spanning 1,017 days between April 2021 and January 2024.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
NIE-Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, India.
Background: Judicious utilisation of tertiary care facilities through appropriate risk stratification assumes priority, in a raging pandemic, of the nature of delta variant-predominated second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India. Prioritisation of tertiary care, through a scientifically validated risk score, would maximise recovery without compromising individual safety, but importantly without straining the health system.
Methods: De-identified data of COVID-19 confirmed patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in South India, between April 1, 2021 and July 31, 2021, corresponding to the peak of COVID-19 second wave, were analysed after segregating into 'survivors' or 'non-survivors' to evaluate the risk factors for COVID-19 mortality at admission and formulate a risk score with easily obtainable but clinically relevant parameters for accurate patient triaging.
Vaccines (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Background/objectives: COVID-19 vaccines effectively prevent severe disease, but unequal distribution, especially in low- and middle-income countries, has led to vaccine-resistant strains. This highlights the urgent need for alternative vaccine platforms that are safe, thermostable, and easy to distribute. This study evaluates the immunogenicity, stability, and scalability of a dissolved microneedle array patch (MAP) delivering the rS1RS09 subunit vaccine, comprising the SARS-CoV-2 S1 monomer and RS09, a TLR-4 agonist peptide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Tradit Complement Med
November 2024
Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Samutprakarn, 10540, Thailand.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has triggered extensive research, mainly focused on identifying effective therapeutic agents, specifically those targeting highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 variants. This study aimed to investigate the antiviral efficacy and anti-inflammatory activity of herbal extracts derived from and , using a Golden Syrian hamster model infected with Delta, a representative variant associated with severe COVID-19. Hamsters were intranasally inoculated with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant and orally administered either vehicle control, , or extract at a dosage of 1000 mg/kg/day.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunohorizons
January 2025
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
The global dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 led to a worldwide pandemic in March 2020. Even after the official downgrading of the COVID-19 pandemic, infection with SARS-CoV-2 variants continues. The rapid development and deployment of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines helped to mitigate the pandemic to a great extent.
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