COVID & CompanyDecember 06, 2022 | COVID & Other Viral/Infectious Disease Info All Specialties Medical Masks vs. N95 Respirators for Preventing COVID-19 Among Health Care Workers In this trial involving 29 healthcare facilities in 4 countries from May 2020 through April 2022, PCR-confirmed COVID infection occurred in approximately 10.5% of the mask group versus approximately 9.3% of the N95 group. Read full article All Specialties Outpatient Treatment of Confirmed COVID-19 Some of the key findings of this meta-analysis of antiviral therapy in the outpatient setting include: (treatment vs no-treatment) Probable reduction of hospitalization with Nirmatrelvir–ritonavir and casirivimab–imdevimab (1% vs 6%) Probable reduction in all-cause mortality with Nirmatrelvir–ritonavir (0% vs 1%) Probable improved recovery with regdanvimab (87% vs 72%) Four-day reduction in time to recovery with casirivimab-imdevimab Possible reduction in recovery rates with hydroxychloroquine Read full article All Specialties Experts Debunk Claims From New Anti-Vax Documentary The film focuses on embalmers and funeral directors who claim to be coming forward to share their concerns over “unusual blood clots” found during prepared for burial, and Ryan Cole, MD, a promoter of false claims about the COVID vaccines and cancer. In the end, it is a combination of lies, theatrics, and scare tactics that rehash already-debunked claims. Read full article All Specialties Why the Now-Dominant BQ COVID Strains Are Cause for Concern BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 together now comprise more than 50% of all COVID cases in the US. Their rapid rise – with prediction that these variants will account for more than 80% of infections by Jan. 1 – lead FDA to remove the emergency use authorization for bebtelovimab, and recommend bivalent boosters and the use of ritonavir-nirmatrelvir, remdesivir, and molnupiravir for treatment of infection. Read full article Allergy & Immunology Six-Month Follow-up After a Fourth BNT162b2 Vaccine Dose In a recently published prospective cohort study, a third dose of the BioNTech Pfizer vaccine yielded a sustained immunologic response. But response to a fourth was much smaller and was gone completely by 13 weeks, providing only a short-term benefit over the third dose. A fourth dose should therefore be timed based on disease waves or be provided seasonally, like the influenza vaccine. Read full article Neurology Case 34-2022: A 57-Year-Old Woman with COVID-19 and Delusions In this case report, two Massachusetts psychiatrists, together with a radiologist and gerontologist, walk through the diagnosis and management of new onset neuropsychiatric symptoms following COVID infection. Read full article