Coronavirus Breaking News

A non-peer-reviewed study published on Feb. 28, 2022, presented a non-pre-specified analysis to determine if the sensitivity of rapid antigen tests (Ag-RDT) differed in participants with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus Delta compared to the Omicron variant.

This study found the performance of Ag-RDT is not inferior among the Omicron variant compared to the Delta variant.

And the improvement in sensitivity of Ag-RDT with serial testing is consistent between Delta and Omicron variants.

The current analysis used data from 5,726 participants in a prospective cohort study part of NIH's RADx initiative, Test Us At Home.

"I think it gives us some peace of mind," said Nathaniel Hafer, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular medicine and lead investigator of the RADx Tech Clinical Studies Core Logistics Team, in a media statement published on Mar. 11, 2022.

"With omicron, there was a lot of stress about the number of new mutations, which led to scare over increased spread because omicron multiplies very quickly in the body."

"Even despite these things, there are tools at our disposal that are still useful in detecting infections, which is reassuring."

This study was authored by UMass Chan Medical School and associated researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

No industry conflicts of interest were disclosed.

The U.S. NIH's updated COVID-19 Clinical Guidelines clarify the spectrum of disease management includes asymptomatic or presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and mild, moderate, severe, and critical illness.

Published on Feb. 24, 2022, the NIH says the 'management of nonhospitalized patients with acute COVID-19 should include considering the use of COVID-19-specific therapy for patients who have a high risk for disease progression.'

'And taking steps to reduce the risk of future SARS-CoV-2 transmission.'

To support these NIH recommendations, the U.S. FDA has authorized various monoclonal antibody therapies and oral antivirals.

These therapeutic options are now available for the treatment of nonhospitalized adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of disease progression.

Several factors may affect the selection of the best treatment option for a specific patient.

These factors include the clinical efficacy and availability of the treatment option, the feasibility of administering parenteral medications (i.e., sotrovimab or remdesivir), the potential for significant drug-drug interactions (e.g., those associated with the use of ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir [Paxlovid]), and the regional prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

'The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel is committed to updating this document to ensure that health care providers, patients, and policy experts have the most recent information regarding the optimal management of COVID-19,' stated the NIH.

During the C)VID-19 pandemic, the launch of innovative vaccines against COVID-19 proved financially rewarding. The pharma companies - Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen - recently announced combined revenues of about $31 billion in 2021.

During early 2022, these company's Wall Street reports also indicate solid orders for the rest of the year.

• Pfizer
• Moderna
• J&J

In the U.S., about 65% of the population is 'fully-vaccinated,' which indicates plenty of future COVID-19 vaccinations is possible in 2022.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Feb. 25, 2022, it had modified face mask guidance for communities where hospitals are not under high strain from COVID-19 cases.

Under the CDC's "COVID-19 Community Levels," an area is deemed "high" risk if it has concerning levels of COVID-19 hospital admissions and under-capacity for servicing new patients.

Under the new CDC guidance, over 50% of the U.S. population currently lives in an area considered low or medium risk. This coding indicates those residents are advised they can be indoors without wearing masks.

However, the CDC recommends continued mask use in communities where serious cases of COVID-19 are straining the health system.

The CDC released updated county-by-county risk levels weekly on its website.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. agency has changed course on face-masking several times.

For example, in May 2021, the CDC announced guidance that fully vaccinated people could safely stop wearing masks indoors, only to reverse that advice two months later as breakthrough cases increased, reported NPR.

According to data from the U.S. CDC's NowCast system, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variant knowns as Omicron continues to dominate in the U.S.

As of February 19, 2022, NowCast reported the Delta variant was not identified last week.

And the Omicron BA.1.1 sub-variant was found about 75% in samples.

The CDC says 'New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are expected to continue to emerge. Some variants will emerge and disappear, while others will emerge and continue to spread and may replace previous variants.'

Furthermore, 'rapid virus genomic sequencing data combined with phenotypic data are further used to determine whether COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines authorized or approved for use in the U.S. will work against emerging variants.'

California-based Roche today announced the expansion of the COVID-19 PCR portfolio to the cobasⓇ 5800 System, a recently launched molecular laboratory instrument, in countries accepting the CE mark.

These tests include cobas SARS-CoV-2 Qualitative and cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B tests.

The test supports nasal, nasopharyngeal, and oropharyngeal swabs and saliva specimens.

SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, influenza B: cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B is intended for the simultaneous qualitative detection and differentiation of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A virus, and/or influenza B virus RNA in nasal and nasopharyngeal swabs.

The new launches expand the Roche Diagnostics molecular portfolio offering by providing standardized performance and efficiencies across low, medium, and high volume molecular laboratory testing needs.

In addition, the new compact cobas 5800 System broadens access for healthcare systems with limited resources or space.

This means better access to testing in countries or environments with insufficient space or resources to accommodate larger instruments.

Since launching in 1896, Roche has been a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people's lives.

The U.S. CDC confirmed on Feb. 18, 2022, the percentage of COVID-19 nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) that are positive is decreasing in the U.S.

The 7-day average of percent positivity from NAATs is now 8.4%.

And the 7-day average number of tests reported was 1,234,960, down 14.8% from the prior 7 days.

As of February 18, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed it had authorized 420 tests and sample collection devices under emergency use authorizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.