#Moderna says its vaccine shows durable 93% efficacy through 6 months.
Final analysis (median follow-up 5.3 mo):
-Against COVID19: 93.2%
-Against severe COVID19: 98.2%
-Against death: 100%
(Note: All data prior delta) 1/
Further break down of #Moderna efficacy by 2-month segments post 2nd dose; at month 4+, efficacy is 92.4%
#Pfizer vax (by months 4-6) efficacy is 84% - though against severe disease maintains 97%. 2/
Yet it expects antibody levels will start to wane, and with #delta there will be an increase in #breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated; it sees need for #boosters 3/
#Moderna says lab studies show a booster with half the dose of its #covid19 vaccine increases antibody levels against #delta by 42-fold. 4
#Moderna reports top-line findings from phase 2 study of #booster shot, noting neutralizing antibody titers had waned significantly by 6 months; Safety profile of dose 3 was similar to that of dose 2. 5/
The @WHO yesterday called for a moratorium on #boosters until September to enable countries that haven't had vaccine access to be able to administer first shots. 6/
New research finds that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can persist in the gut of people with #LongCOVID, even months after infection.
➡️ This persistent viral antigen may drive ongoing immune changes in intestinal tissue.
➡️ Scientists detected viral spike RNA and protein in colon and ileum biopsies from Long COVID patients.
➡️ In these regions, genes linked to inflammation, immune dysfunction, and tissue stress were altered. 1/
Persistent spike-positive areas in the colon showed increased immune cell activity, including:
• Macrophages
• Plasma cells
• Regulatory T cells
Suggesting an active local immune response in the gut.
➡️ Researchers also found disrupted expression of key immune-signaling genes, indicating impaired immune coordination and chronic inflammation in gut tissues. 2/
SARS-CoV-2 persistence is a proposed driver of Long COVID (LC), but the in-situ relationship between residual viral antigen and immune dysregulation remains poorly defined.
➡️ This NEW study provides robust evidence that persistent SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein detection in the gut is not immunologically inert.
➡️ Instead, it is actively associated with distinct, immune cell composition shifts and a dysfunctional pro-inflammatory transcriptional profile, supporting the hypothesis that retained viral antigen drives chronic immune dysregulation in tissue of LongCOVID subjects. 3/
A small brain-imaging study found that people with #LongCOVID showed slower thinking and reaction times during a cognitive task.
➡️ Advanced MRI scans revealed changes in how important brain networks communicate with each other, especially those involved in attention, language, and decision-making. 1/
Researchers found altered connectivity in key brain networks:
• Salience network
• Language network
• Central executive network
• Sensorimotor and visual networks
➡️ These systems are essential for attention, decision-making, and task control. 2/
The most prominent deficits were seen in the salience network, which helps the brain detect and respond to important stimuli.
➡️ Connectivity problems in this network were more severe with longer illness duration. 3/