October 22, 2020
U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Enrolls 30,000
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The first company to start a phase 3 trial of a COVID-19 vaccine reached its target of enrolling 30,000 participants, CNN reported Thursday. The company, Moderna, said that all 30,000 have received the first shot, and most have received the second. Half of the participants were given the...
CDC Broadens Definition of 'Close Contact' in Tracing COVID-19 Infections
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In a move that widens the pool of people considered at risk for COVID-19 infection, U.S. health officials released new guidance on Wednesday that redefines who is considered a “close contact” of an infected individual. The change, issued by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, will...
FDA Approves Remdesivir for Treatment of COVID-19
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first treatment for COVID-19. Remdesivir, sold under the brand name Veklury, is approved for use in adults and children 12 years and older hospitalized with COVID-19. The drug is indicated for use only in a hospital or health care...
Green Tea, Coffee Intake Linked to Reduced Mortality in T2DM
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with type 2 diabetes, consumption of green tea and coffee is associated with reduced all-cause mortality, according to a study published online Oct. 20 in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. Yuji Komorita, M.D., Ph.D., from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, and colleagues conducted a prospective...
Cytokines Not at 'Storm' Levels in Those With Severe COVID-19
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 may not cause a cytokine storm, according to a review published online Oct. 16 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Daniel E. Leisman, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of COVID-19 studies published or posted as preprints between Nov....
Flavan-3-ol Intake Appears to Lower Systolic Blood Pressure
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Flavan-3-ol intake is associated with lower systolic blood pressure, according to a study published online Oct. 21 in Scientific Reports. Javier I. Ottaviani, Ph.D., from Mars Inc. in McLean, Virginia, and colleagues examined cross-sectional associations between biomarker-estimated flavan-3-ol intake and blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease risk markers...
Algorithm Predicts Death, Hospital Admission From COVID-19
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A population-based risk algorithm performs well for predicting death and hospital admission due to COVID-19 in adults, according to a study published online Oct. 20 in The BMJ. Ash K. Clift, M.B.B.S., from Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in Oxford, England, and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study to derive...
Tocilizumab Does Not Prevent Intubation, Death in COVID-19
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For moderately ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19, tocilizumab is not effective for preventing intubation or death, according to a study published online Oct. 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine. John H. Stone, M.D., M.P.H., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial...
CDC: Number of COVID-19 Deaths May Be Underreported
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The number of COVID-19-related deaths may be underestimated, according to research published in the Oct. 20 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Lauren M. Rossen, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues assessed trends and demographic patterns...