Respiratory Infections News

A national survey conducted by Orlando Health, a not-for-profit health care organization, found that two-thirds of U.S. parents are nervous to take their children the pediatrician’s office during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the United States, primary care visits declined 21.4% during the second quarter of 2020 compared with average visit volumes in 2018 and 2019, according to study results recently published in JAMA Network Open.

Although influenza vaccination rates have increased in the United States, new data showed that less than 60% of U.S. adults plan to get vaccinated against influenza this season, despite fears of a COVID-19 “twindemic,” experts said.

According to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, there are more than 200 COVID-19 vaccines under development. In the United States, two candidates have reached phase 3 trials and one phase 3 trial was put on hold.

An expanded phase 1 trial assessing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine co-developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Moderna Inc. provided promising news for older adults, researchers said.

Self-administered isoniazid-rifapentine taken once weekly — a regimen called 3HP — was associated with higher treatment completion rates for latent tuberculosis infection compared with daily rifampin, according to a study.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea could have an increased risk for adverse COVID-19 outcomes, according to a systematic review published in Sleep Medicine Reviews.

With more than 200,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. and the 2020-2021 influenza season about to start, survey data show many primary care clinicians continue to experience financial hardship and fatigue.

From May to September, the average weekly incidence of COVID-19 was around twice as high among children aged between 12 and 17 years compared with children aged 5 to 11 years, according to data published in MMWR.

The FDA has approved Fetroja for patients aged 18 years or older with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia, Shionogi announced.