About The Study: The findings in this study of 2.6 million Chicago residents suggest that zip codes with low vaccination rates were associated with more deaths during the Alpha and Delta waves of COVID-19 and that inequitable vaccination coverage exacerbated existing racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 deaths.

New data provide evidence that children who previously had COVID-19 (or the inflammatory condition MIS-C) are not protected against the newer Omicron variant, similar to findings in adults.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a prolonged increase in workload and stress among specialists in many healthcare sectors, but this has been particularly noticeable in emergency medicine (EM). A survey carried out by the European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) among EM professionals in 89 countries showed that 62% of the responders had at least one symptom of burnout syndrome, and 31.2% had two.

This special edition features upcoming oral presentations by MD Anderson researchers at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting focused on quality improvement, health services research, new treatments for skin cancers, and symptoms and survivorship advances. More information on ASCO content from MD Anderson can be found at MDAnderson.org/ASCO.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccination strengthened one type of immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients even though they were taking immunosuppressant medication, according to investigators at Cedars-Sinai.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in public health infrastructure, related to chronic underfunding. Yet the pandemic has also opened opportunities for strengthening the Foundational Capabilities of public health agencies across the United States, according to a report in a special supplement to the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

About The Study: In this study conducted within an existing community-based COVID-19 testing program, integrating rapid testing for diabetes was feasible, reached low-income Latinx individuals and identified many people with prediabetes and diabetes, most of whom lacked access to services in formal health care settings.

When the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 hit the United States in summer 2021, it led to a larger-than-expected surge in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. New Penn State research suggests this lack of preparedness may have been partially due to overestimating the number of US citizens who were immune or partially immune to the virus.

Self-reported maternal psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with changes in the brain of developing fetuses, according to a study published in Communications Medicine. The study involved 65 women who were pregnant during the pandemic (June 2020 to April 2021) and 137 who were pregnant prior to the pandemic (March 2014 to February 2020).

Women who received mRNA vaccines against the COVID-19 virus did not produce more of an antibody that had been theorized to reduce fertility, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study. In addition, the research team found pregnant mice injected with mRNA vaccines suffered no side effects and produced normal offspring, according to the research, published May 24 in the journal PLOS Biology. “The findings provide further evidence that existing mRNA vaccines are safe for pregnant women and those planning to become pregnant,” said Akiko Iwasaki, Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology and senior author of the paper.

The loss of smell and taste with a COVID-19 infection during the delta surge was a prevalent symptom and wasn’t prevented by vaccination, new research suggests. The small study also found that some people with the earliest COVID-19 infections were continuing to experience loss of these senses months later and didn’t even realize it.