COVID-19 Update #97 for 9/1/2021

​COVID-19 Vaccines
 
The CDC reported that overall vaccine effectiveness was 91% before the Delta variant became prominent and dropped to 66% since the Delta variant became prominent.
 
Johnson & Johnson announced interim data from two Phase I/IIa trials (1,085 patient, NCT04436276 trial and 1,210 patient, NCT04535453 trial) that suggested a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, Ad26.COV2.S, would boost antibodies titers nine-fold higher.
 
British researchers analyzed the national British health database and found a higher incidence and prolonged duration for thrombocytopenia, venous thromboembolism and arterial thromboembolism leading to hospital admission or death in more people infected with COVID-19 than who received at least one vaccination with either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.
 
In its COVID-19 vaccination recommendations, the CDC includes patients that have received the complete vaccination series with the AstraZeneca vaccine or the Novavax vaccine as being fully vaccinated and they do not also need immunization with a vaccine that is approved or available under an EUA. 
 
COVID-19 Antibodies
 
Brii Biosciences announced interim results from 576 patients enrolled in the 28-day, 837 patient Phase III ACTIV-2 trial (NCT04518410), where treatment with the monoclonal antibody combination BRII-196 and BRII-198 reduced mortality and hospitalizations in non-hospitalized Chinese COVID-19 patients at high risk of progression.
 
The FDA has modified the EUA for bamlanivimab and etesevimab, to be used in states where recent data shows the combined frequency of variants resistant to bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together is less than or equal to 5%. Bamlanivimab and etesevimab are effective against the Delta variant, but not the Beta, Gamma, Delta Plus or B.1.621 variant. States where bamlanivimab and etesevimab can be used include Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Etesevimab is also available alone to be paired with existing supply of bamlanivimab.