Top in ID: COVID-19 mortality in DRC, Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial

The mortality rate among patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with severe or critical COVID-19 is nearly 50%, according to recent study results. This was the top story in infectious disease last week.

Another top story was about Johnson & Johnson’s announcement that it has temporarily paused its COVID-19 vaccine trials due to an “unexplained illness” in one study participant.

Read these and more in infectious disease below:

Mortality rate among DRC patients with severe or critical COVID-19 close to 50%

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. Read more.

Johnson & Johnson halts COVID-19 vaccine trials due to ‘unexplained illness’

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. Read more.

NIH trial will test existing drugs against COVID-19

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. Read more.

FDA approves Ebola treatment for the first time

The FDA approved Regeneron’s Inmazeb, formerly called REGN-EB3, to treat Zaire ebolavirus infection in adult and pediatric patients — the first-ever FDA-approved treatment for Ebola. Read more.

High MRSA prevalence associated with high rate of antibiotic use

An evaluation of more than 100 Veterans Affairs hospitals showed that hospitals with a higher prevalence of MRSA prescribed more anti-MRSA antibiotics, even after adjusting for stewardship strategies, researchers reported. Read more.