The following is a abstract of some latest research on COVID-19. They embody analysis that warrants additional research to corroborate the findings and that has but to be licensed by peer evaluate.
Omicron infections no much less extreme primarily based on early UK knowledge
Infections attributable to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus don’t seem like much less extreme than infections from Delta, in keeping with early knowledge from the UK.
Researchers at Imperial College London in contrast 11,329 individuals with confirmed or probably Omicron infections with almost 200,000 individuals contaminated with different variants. So far, in keeping with a report issued forward of peer evaluate and up to date on Monday, they see “no evidence of Omicron having lower severity than Delta, judged by either the proportion of people testing positive who report symptoms, or by the proportion of cases seeking hospital care after infection.”
For vaccines out there within the UK, effectiveness towards symptomatic Omicron an infection ranged from 0% to twenty% after two doses, and from 55% to 80% following a booster dose. The report additionally estimated that after taking particular person danger components under consideration, the percentages of reinfection with Omicron are 5.4 occasions higher than for reinfection with Delta. A research of healthcare staff within the pre-Omicron period estimated {that a} prior SARS-CoV-2 an infection afforded 85% safety towards a second an infection over 6 months, the researchers mentioned, whereas “the protection against reinfection by Omicron afforded by past infection may be as low as 19%.”
Sperm depend, motility could also be low for months after COVID-19
Sperm high quality is impaired for months for some individuals after restoration from COVID-19, researchers have discovered.
The semen itself was not infectious, the researchers discovered. But amongst 35 males who supplied samples inside a month after restoration from symptomatic an infection, reductions in sperm motility have been evident in 60% and sperm counts have been diminished in 37%. As reported on Monday in Fertility and Sterility, semen samples have been obtained from 120 Belgian males with a mean age of 35 years, at a mean of 52 days after their COVID-19 signs had resolved. Among 51 males examined between one and two months after restoration, 37% had diminished sperm motility and 29% had low sperm counts. Among 34 males who supplied semen samples at the least two months after restoration, sperm motility was impaired in 28% and sperm counts have been low in 6%. The severity of COVID-19 an infection was not correlated with sperm traits.
“Couples with a desire for pregnancy should be warned that sperm quality after COVID-19 infection can be suboptimal,” the researchers concluded. “The estimated recovery time is 3 months, but further follow-up studies are under way to confirm this and to determine if permanent damage occurred in a minority of men.”
Neutralizing molecule could possibly be cheaper than antibodies
An experimental molecule that neutralizes the coronavirus in the identical approach antibodies do can be cheaper and simpler to fabricate, researchers mentioned.
The molecule belongs to a category of compounds often known as aptamers. Because they’re made out of RNA or DNA, aptamers are simpler to synthesize than protein-based antibodies that may solely be produced in residing cells, mentioned Julian Valero of Aarhus University in Denmark. Like antibodies, the aptamers connect themselves to protein targets – on this case, the spike protein on the virus floor – by folding right into a three-dimensional conformation. A research printed in PNAS exhibits that in take a look at tube experiments, the aptamer binds tightly to the coronavirus spike, stopping it from breaking into human cells. It inhibits earlier variants of the virus, together with Delta, the researchers mentioned. They are planning exams to see whether or not it additionally acknowledges and binds to Omicron.
Use of the aptamer in sufferers remains to be far off, with exams in mice solely not too long ago begun. In phrases of use in people, “we’re much closer” to having the ability to use the aptamer to assist diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infections, mentioned Jorgen Kjemsa, additionally of Aarhus University. Experiments evaluating the usage of the aptamer to antibodies in extensively used fast COVID-19 exams for an infection are underway, he mentioned.
