Respiratory Infections News

The AAP updated its interim guidance on when and how to test children for SARS-CoV-2 infection and added a new type of mask — the elastomeric mask — to its guidance on personal protective equipment.

The mortality rate among patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with severe or critical cases of COVID-19 is nearly 50%, according to a study in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Latent tuberculosis infection was an uncommon adverse event after treatment with secukinumab for chronic systemic inflammatory conditions, according to a study published in JAMA Dermatology.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will repurpose approved or late-stage investigational therapies and test them against COVID-19 to determine if they warrant larger trials, the NIH said.

Johnson & Johnson said it has temporarily paused dosing for all of its COVID-19 vaccine trials — including a phase 3 trial that began last month — because of an “unexplained illness” in a study participant.

Antibodies in adults with diabetes hospitalized with COVID-19 in Italy had a similar positive response to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as those without diabetes, according to findings published in Diabetologia.

Relaxing social distancing measures in the United States led to “an immediate and significant reversal” in gains made against COVID-19, researchers reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Final results from a randomized clinical trial continued to show that remdesivir shortens recovery time in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, although researchers said antiviral treatment alone is probably not sufficient for all patients.

Personal protective equipment can cause feelings of isolation and fear. However, PPE portraits — postcard-sized self-portraits of doctors affixed to their protective clothing — can help physicians connect with patients, researchers wrote.

Influenza vaccination did not increase the incidence of COVID-19 or worsen outcomes related to the disease, researchers reported.