Infection News

One-third of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus demonstrate low response to the COVID-19 vaccine, a “blunted effect” linked to use of any immunosuppressive agent except antimalarials, according to a presenter at ACR Convergence 2021.

Seema Yasmin, MD, doesn’t want to “go back to normal.”

In a recent survey of rheumatologists, 83% reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed mental health support as a “key unmet need” among their patients, according to a report published by Cardinal Health.

Tocilizumab plus glucocorticoids is beneficial for patients with COVID-19 who require oxygen therapy, according to updated EULAR “points to consider” on the use of immunomodulatory therapies in SARS-CoV-2.

Nothing is easy in the management of COVID-19. Similarly, nothing is easy in managing immunocompromised patients. Marry the two and the challenges more than double.

The fight against COVID-19 has shifted drastically since the beginning of 2021. The front lines are no longer nursing homes or retirement communities, but school cafeterias and daycare centers.

Healio announced the launch of Rheum and Boards, a quiz-based, online learning resource for rheumatologists, according to a Healio press release.

Plasma osteopontin levels are significantly higher in children hospitalized with moderate to severe COVID-19 and MIS-C than in those with mild or asymptomatic cases, suggesting a potential biomarker for disease severity, researchers said.

Among U.S. veterans at five Veterans Affairs medical centers, mRNA vaccines were about 87% effective at preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations amid the ongoing delta variant surge, according to data published by the CDC.

Weeks ago, American rapper Nicki Minaj sparked an international incident when she tweeted out to her 22.6 million followers that her cousin in Trinidad had refused the COVID-19 vaccine because his friend became impotent after receiving it.