Skip directly to search Skip directly to A to Z list Skip directly to navigation Skip directly to page options Skip directly to site content


Hot Topics of the Day|PHGKB
Search PHGKB:

12/02/2021

Hot Topics of the Day are picked by experts to capture the latest information and publications on public health genomics and precision health for various diseases and health topics. Sources include published scientific literature, reviews, blogs and popular press articles.

Sign up MyPHGKB to receive the daily hot topic email alert.

Search Archive:
Archived Hot Topics of the Day By Date

Public Health Authorities Investigating Additional Confirmed Case of COVID-19 Caused by the Omicron Variant
CDC, December 2, 2021 Brand

CDC is working with the Minnesota Department of Health and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to investigate a confirmed case of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variantexternal icon. The individual, a resident of Minnesota, developed mild symptoms on November 22 and sought COVID-19 testing on November 24. The person has since recovered. The individual traveled to New York City and attended the Anime NYC 2021 convention at the Javits Center from November 19-21, 2021.

Omicron-variant border bans ignore the evidence, say scientists
S Mallapaty, Nature, December 2, 2021

More than 50 countries have stepped up border controls to slow the spread of Omicron, a highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern that is sweeping through South Africa. But researchers say many of the restrictions — especially those targeting only travellers from a handful of countries — are unlikely to keep Omicron out, and come at significant cost to the countries concerned.

How bad is Omicron? What scientists know so far
E Callaway et al, Nature, December 2, 2021

Barely a week has elapsed since scientists in Botswana and South Africa alerted the world to a fast-spreading new SARS-CoV-2 variant now known as Omicron. Researchers worldwide are racing to understand the threat that the variant — now confirmed in more than 20 countries — poses to the world. Yet it might take scientists weeks to paint a more complete picture of Omicron, and to gain an understanding of its transmissibility and severity, as well as its potential to evade vaccines and cause reinfections.

Where did ‘weird’ Omicron come from? Mutations could have accumulated in a chronically infected patient, an overlooked human population, or an animal reservoir
K Kupferschmidt, Science, December 1, 2021

Viral Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Persons
SM Kissler et al, NEJM, December 1,2021

We compared SARS-CoV-2 viral dynamics among 36 participants who were infected with the B.1.1.7 (alpha) variant, 36 participants with the B.1.617.2 (delta) variant, and 41 participants with a variant that was not of current interest or concern, along with 37 vaccinated and 136 unvaccinated participants. We found no meaningful difference in the mean peak viral load (with a lower peak cycle threshold [Ct] indicating a higher viral load), proliferation duration, clearance duration, or duration of acute infection of either the alpha or the delta variant as compared with variants not of interest or concern.

Myocarditis after Covid-19 Vaccination in a Large Health Care Organization
G Witberg et al, NEJM, December 2, 2021

Among more than 2.5 million vaccinated HCO members who were 16 years of age or older, 54 cases met the criteria for myocarditis. The estimated incidence per 100,000 persons who had received at least one dose of vaccine was 2.13 cases (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56 to 2.70). The highest incidence of myocarditis (10.69 cases per 100,000 persons; 95% CI, 6.93 to 14.46) was reported in male patients between the ages of 16 and 29 years.

Covid-19 Vaccine Effectiveness in New York State
ES Rosenberg et al, NEJM, December 1,2021

There were 150,865 cases of Covid-19 and 14,477 hospitalizations with Covid-19. During the week of May 1, 2021, when the delta variant made up 1.8% of the circulating variants, the median vaccine effectiveness against Covid-19 was 91.3% (range, 84.1 to 97.0) for BNT162b2, 96.9% (range, 93.7 to 98.0) for mRNA-1273, and 86.6% (range, 77.8 to 89.7) for Ad26.COV2.S. Subsequently, effectiveness declined contemporaneously in all cohorts, from a median of 93.4% (range, 77.8 to 98.0) during the week of May 1 to a nadir of 73.5% (range, 13.8 to 90.0) around July 10, when the prevalence of the delta variant was 85.3%.

Covid-19 mRNA Vaccines — Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other
EJ Rubin et al, NEJM, December 1, 2021

Comparative Effectiveness of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 Vaccines in U.S. Veterans
BA Dickerman et al, NEJM, December 1, 2021

Each vaccine group included 219,842 persons. Over 24 weeks of follow-up in a period marked by alpha-variant predominance, the estimated risk of documented infection was 5.75 events per 1000 persons (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.39 to 6.23) in the BNT162b2 group and 4.52 events per 1000 persons (95% CI, 4.17 to 4.84) in the mRNA-1273 group. The excess number of events per 1000 persons for BNT162b2 as compared with mRNA-1273 was 1.23 (95% CI, 0.72 to 1.81) for documented infection, 0.44 (95% CI, 0.25 to 0.70) for symptomatic Covid-19, 0.55 (95% CI, 0.36 to 0.83) for hospitalization for Covid-19, 0.10 (95% CI, 0.00 to 0.26).

21-Gene Assay to Inform Chemotherapy Benefit in Node-Positive Breast Cancer
K Kalinsky et al, NEJM, December 1, 2021

Among premenopausal women with one to three positive lymph nodes and a recurrence score of 25 or lower, those who received chemoendocrine therapy had longer invasive disease–free survival and distant relapse–free survival than those who received endocrine-only therapy, whereas postmenopausal women with similar characteristics did not benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

Up-Front Multigene Panel Testing for Cancer Susceptibility in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Endometrial Cancer: A Multicenter Prospective Study
MD Levine et al, JCO Precision Oncology, October 2021

Likely pathogenic variants or PVs were identified in 97 of 961 women (10.1%). Lynch syndrome was diagnosed in 29 of 961 patients (3%; 95% CI, 2.1 to 4.3), with PVs in PMS2 most frequent. MGPT revealed nine patients with LS in addition to the 20 identified through routine tumor-based screening. BRCA1 and BRCA2 PVs were found in 1% (10 of 961; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.9) of patients and that group was significantly enriched for type II ECs.


Disclaimer: Articles listed in Hot Topics of the Day are selected by Public Health Genomics Branch to provide current awareness of the scientific literature and news. Inclusion in the update does not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor does it imply endorsement of the article's methods or findings. CDC and DHHS assume no responsibility for the factual accuracy of the items presented. The selection, omission, or content of items does not imply any endorsement or other position taken by CDC or DHHS. Opinion, findings and conclusions expressed by the original authors of items included in the Clips, or persons quoted therein, are strictly their own and are in no way meant to represent the opinion or views of CDC or DHHS. References to publications, news sources, and non-CDC Websites are provided solely for informational purposes and do not imply endorsement by CDC or DHHS.
TOP