CLEVELAND, Ohio – The delta variant of COVID-19 is more resistant to vaccines, a new study suggests; and U.S. pharmacies are struggling to keep up with demand for COVID-19 testing and vaccines, as well as flu shots.
Cleveland.com is rounding up some of the most notable coronavirus news making headlines online. Here’s what you need to know for Tuesday, Dec. 7.
Delta variant more resistant to vaccines, study suggests
Mutations found in the delta variant of COVID-19 make the virus more resistant to existing vaccines, a new British study suggests. This could be a potentially ominous development as the Omicron variant emerges around the world.
Full vaccination with the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines still produces enough antibodies to neutralize delta, researchers said. But the delta variant put up a stronger fight against antibody protection than earlier variants of COVID-19.
Researchers analyzed blood samples collected from healthy people who had received either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine. The AstraZeneca shot is used in the United Kingdom but is not approved for use in the United States.
The blood samples came from 156 people who had received either the full two-dose course of either vaccine, or just got one dose.
Pandemic pressure hits U.S. pharmacies
Customers seeking COVID-19 vaccines, flu shots and testing, along with staff shortages, are placing pressure on pharmacies across the country, according to news reports. The rush has led to some temporary pharmacy closings, news reports said.
Demand for COVID-19 vaccines started picking up over the summer as the delta variant spread, pharmacists have said. Booster shots and the expansion of vaccine eligibility to include children increased the pressure.
More than two in three COVID-19 vaccinations are happening at local pharmacies, according to the federal government.
The push for shots is expected to grow as President Joe Biden urges vaccinated Americans to get booster shots to deal with the emerging omicron variant, news reports said.
If the Food and Drug Administration approves antiviral pills from drug makers Merck and Pfizer to treat COVID-19, drugstores may be able to diagnose infections and then prescribe pills to customers, adding to their workload.
People hospitalized for COVID-19 at risk of dying within the next year
Survivors of severe COVID-19 — especially those under age 65 —may be at more than twice the risk of dying within the next year than those who had mild or moderate illness, or were never infected, a new study suggests.
Researchers looked at the electronic health records of 13,638 patients who tested positive or negative for COVID-19. They found that only 20% of those who were hospitalized with severe COVID-19 and died did so because of complications of their infection, such as abnormal blood clotting, respiratory failure, or cardiovascular problems.
Rather, 80% of deaths were due to reasons typically considered unrelated to COVID-19.
“Since these deaths were not for a direct COVID-19 cause of death among these patients who have recovered from the initial episode of COVID-19, this data suggests that the biological insult from COVID-19 and physiological stress from COVID-19 is significant,” wrote the University of Florida at Gainesville researchers.
Of all patients, 178 had severe COVID-19, while 246 were mildly or moderately ill, and the rest tested negative for the virus. Among all patients, 2,686 died within 12 months of being diagnosed with COVID-19.
The study was recently published in Frontiers in Medicine.
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