Covid is a group of related RNA Viruses that cause diseases in birds and mammals. It causes respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to severe.
The gap between two doses of Covid vaccine –
Delaying the second dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer Covid vaccine beyond the originally recommended three-week gap in clinical trials produced more robust antibodies in the elderly, UK researchers found. Shortly after the vaccine was available, UK health officials advised that the 2nd dose be given 12 weeks after the first, allowing more people to get protected by a first dose early on.
In a new research paper seen by Reuters and which will appear on medRxiv on Friday, researchers have found that among 175 people ages 80 to 99, those who got their 2nd dose at 12 weeks had antibody responses 3.5 times higher than those who got it after three weeks. Antibodies are only one part of the immune system, and vaccines also generate T cells that fight infections. In the group with a three-week interval between doses, the peak T cell responses were higher. How protected the individual depends upon which dosing schedule they received.
Men with obesity have a higher risk of Covid –
According to new data, the known increased risk of severe Covid and death linked to obesity may be more severe for men than women. Researchers studied 3,530 people affected with Covid and are hospitalized with an average age of 65, including 1,469 who were obese. In men, moderate obesity was associated with a significantly higher risk of developing severe disease, needing mechanical breathing assistance, and dying from Covid. According to researchers, in a report published in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, obesity is known to be linked with body-wide inflammation. The patient’s level of inflammatory proteins did not appear to explain the association between obesity and severe illness. According to the researchers, people with obesity should be protected from Covid, and vaccination should be given to them on high priority.
