Monica Gandhi MD, MPH Profile picture
May 7 3 tweets 2 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
T CELLS: Some want just want 1 paper to explain how T cells (from vax or infection) cover all variants (& offshoots). Not antibodies (subvariants antibody-evasive) but T cells which prevent severe disease. Here's 1: T cells protect from alpha to omicron
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
So many great T cell papers - will pin today. Combination of Omicron being less virulent & high levels of population immunity (which took longer in China, last spike Jan 2023 due to extreme lockdowns) to declare endemic. Will always work on COVID like we work on other pathogens Image
And how will we work on #COVID now? Better vaccines & treatments for #COVID than many other viruses; progress in #COVID will inform other viruses
May 2022 thread (need #globalequity) still mainly current except new monoclonal antibody vilobelimab

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More from @MonicaGandhi9

May 3
RSV VACCINE FOR OLDER ADULTS: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) respiratory virus (most common after flu pre-COVID). 2 subtypes, A&B (1 dominates/season). Droplet; Recurrent infections. Most severe in neonates & adults >65; FDA approves 1st RSV vax today
msn.com/en-us/news/us/…
RSV vaccine 3 trials of new RSV vaccine, all published in the @NEJM recently so just to keep them straight- here is the vaccine which just got approved May 3 by the FDA for older adults. Remember our T/B cells so protection against severe disease higher!
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
A single dose of the RSVPreF3 OA vaccine had an acceptable safety profile and prevented RSV-related severe respiratory illness by 94% in adults>=60 years (71% against RSV infection, likely to fall with time as antibodies fall but severe disease protection will remain)
Read 4 tweets
Mar 21
NASAL VACCINES: To explain nasal vaccines, we have to explain the immune system first.
IgA is an antibody that helps attack the pathogen and exists in mucosal surfaces (like nose/mouth)
IgG is an antibody that is in the bloodstream
bbc.com/news/world-asi…
Cellular immunity is fantastic, redundant (so even if one cell line down in immunocompromised, have other), generated by either vaccine or infection; Comprised of
T cells- so in breadth from vax - works even across spike protein with its mutations
And the 2nd type of cell produced by vaccines or infection -B cell- amazing thing about B cells is that - if see omicron or one of its subvariants in future- they make antibodies adapted to that variant or subvariant (aided by T cells); adaptive immunity
Read 15 tweets
Mar 15
PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY: Seem to be at reckoning phase of COVID response- what worked, what didn't. Which interventions will be used in future pandemic responses? Interventions asked of public need good medical evidence for them (e.g. RCTs preferably, systematic reviews) to impose
In our field, Cochrane reviews represent best way to sum up the medical evidence to date by performing meta-analyses or systemic reviews of currently-available data; here is Cochrane on masks & other interventions for respiratory viruses including COVID
cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.10…
Many asked past 3 years how CDC developed policies on masks (& age to mask), distancing (feet), ventilation, schools-> all non-pharmaceutical interventions. Originally theory-based. Now 3 years in, have data (RCTs highest level) to form policies from both US and other countries
Read 4 tweets
Mar 6
VACCINE DISCRIMINATION: We need to stop vaccine requirements for US entry like almost every other country. Am finishing COVID chapter for our ID "bible" & vaccines prevented transmission early on with alpha, but not enough now with current variants to justify such discrimination
Moreover, shame, stigma, blame (remember COVIDiots?), coercion, discrimination not good public health tools. When used for HIV, public health & ID physicians decried them but tactics used a lot in COVID. This book tries to explore & correct that for future
barnesandnoble.com/w/endemic-moni…
Concept of #harmreduction in pandemic responses means watching carefully if vulnerable people (like students, older people, low-income populations, migrants, sex workers, prisoners, those with disabilities, refugees, minorities) harmed more by response
nature.com/articles/s4146…
Read 4 tweets
Feb 8
FEAR: Some media & public health officials concerned Americans aren't fearful of COVID now. But the vaccines & therapeutics DO WORK. If we can't celebrate biomedical advances & imbibe their effectiveness (we have better tools for COVID than flu), what is point of developing?
In HIV medicine, when therapies came out, we didn't say to people- stay fearful; make this the controlling principle of your life. The book #Endemic I wrote (coming out July 11, 2023) hails these biomedical advances & the age we are in to fight pandemics to reassure the world
This is a rather brilliant summary of the issue from @benryanwriter
Read 4 tweets
Jan 30
POPULATION IMMUNITY: Nothing stresses a respiratory pathogen like winter months & this 3rd pandemic winter shows what high population immunity has done to decrease mortality rates from COVID:
ourworldindata.org/covid-deaths
Place with the lowest amount of population immunity is China as less natural infection from zero COVID policies and vaccination (and boosting rates in elderly) not as high as desired. World & @WHO very rightly worried about China- need vax & therapeutics
PANORAMIC trial (ongoing) in UK will define use of Paxlovid with high population immunity- latter not there in China; China vulnerable 65 & up vax'd or unvax'd high risk need wide availability of Paxlovid (Pfizer CEO ruling out generic in China troubling)
reuters.com/business/healt…)
Read 8 tweets

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