Respiratory Infections News

COVID-19 placed a strain on infection prevention and control programs, highlighting vulnerabilities that existed before the pandemic, according to experts.

The manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use as additional booster shots in the United States all released positive clinical trial data on their retooled shots ahead of the start of the holiday season.

The risk for severe disease or death among U.S. adults with COVID-19 was highest for unvaccinated inpatients and those infected with the delta variant, according to a recent study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Experts argued for the development of COVID-19 vaccines that can be delivered at the site of infection, but questioned whether it is possible to make a mucosal vaccine that prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection — and not just severe disease.

At the end of this month, Anthony S. Fauci, MD, will officially step down as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which he has led for nearly 4 decades.

Findings from two real-world studies published Friday in MMWR indicate that bivalent COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccines reduce the risk for severe outcomes from the disease, including hospitalization.

The CDC and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists published a revised case definition of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, a potentially serious complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The Biden administration is offering free at-home COVID-19 tests again as part of a winter preparedness plan announced by the White House amid an increase in cases that officials linked to indoor gatherings.

Biotechnology startup company Camellix has announced the discovery of a green tea-derived polyphenol molecule that may be effective in treating neurological symptoms associated with long COVID, including loss of smell and brain fog.

The FDA on Thursday expanded its emergency use authorization of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech’s omicron-targeting bivalent COVID-19 boosters to include children aged as young as 6 months in the United States.