Coronavirus Updates April 2025

missy · Apr 16, 2025

This is for my friend Nikki @Daisys and Diamonds
Not much to update but here’s what I have

Retrospective Study Links COVID in Kids With Post-Acute Kidney Outcomes

Findings underscore importance of long-term monitoring for some children and adolescents

www.medpagetoday.com

Army Enlists 3 Soldiers Ousted for Refusing COVID Vaccine, Corrects Other Numbers

Soldiers also expect to be given back pay

www.medpagetoday.com

Experts: New Bat Coronavirus Being Watched

Expert advocates continued vigilance related to recent announcement of newly discovered coronavirus.

www.medscape.com

RFK Jr.’s Purge of FOIA Staff at FDA Spares People Working on Covid Vaccine Lawsuits - KFF Health News

A purge of FDA staff spared some people tasked with responding to a judge’s orders to disclose government records on covid vaccines, according to agency employees. The FOIA litigation was brought by Aaron Siri, an ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s who represents...

kffhealthnews.org

Let me know if you can’t open these. I’m on my phone and it’s too hard to copy and paste all of it but when I get home I can if there’s anything you need me to copy and paste

Feel better Nicky

NonieMarie · Apr 16, 2025

My Pilates instructor, who's in her late 50's, contracted Covid before the vaccine. She's been having all sorts of health issues ever since. She's back to wearing a mask because her immune system has been compromised. It's so sad.

Daisys and Diamonds · Apr 17, 2025

im running out of energy but yesterday when i had to go to the emergency dept the taxi driver went on and on and on about all these covid conspiricy theeeeories, i was too sick to be mad

missy · Apr 17, 2025

Daisys and Diamonds said:
im running out of energy but yesterday when i had to go to the emergency dept the taxi driver went on and on and on about all these covid conspiricy theeeeories, i was too sick to be mad

Ugh, I am sorry Nicky.How are you feeling this morning? I hope you start feeling better very soon.

NonieMarie said:
My Pilates instructor, who's in her late 50's, contracted Covid before the vaccine. She's been having all sorts of health issues ever since. She's back to wearing a mask because her immune system has been compromised. It's so sad.

Long Covid is no joke. I am very sorry about your Pilates instructor

missy · Apr 17, 2025

CDC Advisors Weigh Switch to Risk-Based COVID Vaccination

Three-fourths of U.S. adults have conditions placing them at higher risk for severe illness

www.medpagetoday.com

"

CDC Advisors Weigh Switch to Risk-Based COVID Vaccination

— Three-fourths of U.S. adults have conditions placing them at higher risk for severe illness

by Doug Brunk, Contributing Writer, MedPage TodayApril 16, 2025 •

The CDC's vaccine advisors are considering options that would narrow the recommendations for the fall COVID vaccine to only include groups at higher risk for severe illness.

The news came at a Tuesday meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the first of a 2-day session that was originally scheduled for February but abruptly postponedopens in a new tab or window by HHS.

Seasonal COVID shots are currently recommended for everyone 6 months and older, but CDC's Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, MD, MPH, presented findings from a recent poll of the ACIP COVID-19 Work Groupopens in a new tab or window showing that 76% of its members supported a non-universal (risk-based) recommendation for the 2025-2026 respiratory virus season.

"I guess I am surprised we're considering a risk-based recommendation," said ACIP member Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, of the University of Iowa's medical school.

She worried it will be harder to implement, and may cause more headaches for patients who want to get shots and have them covered by insurance.

According to estimates, 74% of U.S. adults have at least one condition placing them at higher risk for severe illness, whether that be age, a chronic illness, or an immune-compromising condition.

In the April 3 poll on non-universal policy options, 84% of the work group members supported COVID vaccine recommendations for specific conditions and exposures, 84% supported a universal recommendation for certain age groups (e.g., those 65 and up), and 89% said they supported having the vaccines available for anyone wanting protection.

Jamie Loehr, MD, of Cayuga Family Medicine in Itasca, New York, said he is happy the committee is considering a risk-based recommendation but also worried about feasibility and the message it would send.

"COVID is still a fairly dangerous disease and very, very common," he said. "We are not talking about 10 cases of mpox. We are talking about thousands of hospitalizations and deaths."

Data presented by CDC officials at the meeting showed the waning severity of the coronavirus pandemic. For example, COVID-19 dropped from the third leading cause of death among U.S. adults in 2021 to the 12th spot in 2023. And hospitalization rates fell from a peak of about 500 per 100,000 population in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 down to about 60 per 100,000 in the 2024-2025 season.

From October 2024 to March 2025, children and adolescents comprised about 4% of COVID-related hospitalizations, with the highest rates among those younger than 6 months of age. More than half (59%) of those hospitalized had at least one underlying medical condition.

ACIP member Charlotte Moser, MD, of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said she favors the idea of a risk-based approach to COVID-19 vaccination. "I'm glad we're exploring that, [but] we need to keep the youngest of children on our radar because they represent a large group that's susceptible to the virus every year," she said. "If we can vaccinate those kids, we may be able to decrease the under 1-year-old hospitalization rate, and we may also protect them against long COVID."

Only 23% of adults and 13% of children received the 2024-2025 COVID shot, according to CDC dataopens in a new tab or window.

Among adults, vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates for 2024-2025opens in a new tab or windowranged from 30% to 33% against COVID-associated emergency department visits or urgent care encounters. VE against associated hospitalizations among immunocompetent adults age 65 and older ranged from 42% to 48%, while the rate for their immunocompromised counterparts was 40%.

"VE should be interpreted as the added benefit of 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccination in a population with high levels of infection-induced immunity, vaccine-induced immunity, or both," said Ruth Link-Gelles, PhD, MPH, of the CDC.

A vote on risk-based recommendations could come at the next committee meeting, scheduled for June.

ACIP members on Tuesday also heard details about the recently approvedopens in a new tab or window FluMist for self- or caregiver administration, expected to be available for the 2025-2026 influenza season. A vote on the vaccine was originally scheduled for the February meeting but removed from the April agenda.

Following a recent controversial studyopens in a new tab or window suggesting the latest flu shot was associated with a higher rate of infections among healthcare workers, CDC officials presented dataopens in a new tab or window showing that the 2024-2025 vaccine had a VE in children ranging from 32% to 60% in outpatient settings and 63% to 78% in inpatient settings.

In comparison, VE among adults was slightly lower, at 36% to 54% in outpatient settings and 41% to 55% in inpatient settings.

"These estimates show that influenza vaccine reduced the risk for medically attended influenza outpatient visits and hospitalizations among children and adolescents and adults across 23 U.S. states," said CDC's Aaron Frutos, PhD, MPH.

"

missy · Apr 17, 2025

Daisys and Diamonds · Apr 17, 2025

missy said:
Ugh, I am sorry Nicky.How are you feeling this morning? I hope you start feeling better very soon.

some what better or not as bad Missy
thank you
i may go out to the laundry and have a russle through the frezzer for the hot cross buns i brought home last week

missy · Apr 18, 2025

Daisys and Diamonds said:
some what better or not as bad Missy
thank you
i may go out to the laundry and have a russle through the frezzer for the hot cross buns i brought home last week

Ugh I am sorry you are not feeling much better yet. Continued well wishes being sent your way sweet Nicky

missy · Apr 22, 2025

From Medscape April 21. 2025

"

5 Long COVID Predictions for 2025 and Beyond

Sara Novak
April 21, 2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed its first US case of COVID-19 in early 2020, and 8 months later the World Health Organization described a post-viral condition called long COVID. Since then, millions of Americans, around 8% of those with acute COVID, have also been identified as having long COVID. And to make matters worse, on March 24, the Office of Long Covid Research and Practice within the Department of Health and Human Services was shuttered, leaving scientists concerned for the future of research.

As scientists have gained a broader understanding of the nature of long COVID, they and other health experts hope to make strides in treating this debilitating condition.

Despite the progress that has been made in helping doctors recognize symptoms tied to long COVID, no standard diagnostic tests or treatments have been identified. With a broader understanding of monoclonal antibodies, combination antiviral therapies, viral reservoirs, and disease phenotypes, experts predict 2025 could be the year better ways to diagnose and treat this vexing condition will emerge.

“We need to be laser focused on clinical trials so that we arrive at more precise treatments sooner rather than later,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, senior clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.

Here are some of the most exciting predictions for the coming year.

#1 More Focused, Improved Treatments

In 2024, scientists gained a deeper understanding of the mechanism of long COVID and how it causes serious disease in patients. Several mechanisms can cause the condition, and some of them may overlap. The cause of long COVID are viral reservoirs — leftover viral fragments which remain in the blood or in the tissue of the body after the acute phase of the infection. Symptoms persist because patients are never able to fully eradicate the infection.

Other research has shown that the virus changes the makeup of the microbiome in the gut, which, in turn, causes symptoms. Another mechanismfor disease is the virus’ impact on the mitochondria, the energy powerhouse of the cell.

With a better understanding of long COVID’s causes, researchers are looking at potential treatments that target those underlying mechanisms. For example, over the next year, researchers will be looking at targeting viral reservoirs in the body using a combination of antivirals and monoclonal antibodies.

#2 A Major Step Forward for Monoclonal Antibodies

For researchers and patient advocates alike, the promise of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of long COVID holds a lot of hope in the coming year. The treatment involves cloning white blood cells and then using them to target the viral reservoirs that activate the immune system and cause long COVID symptoms.

“This is one of the most exciting potential treatments for patients,” said Charlie McCone, 35, a patient advocate from San Francisco who has had long COVID for the past 4 years.

A small study published in the January 2024 issue of The American Journal of Emergency Medicine found full remission of long COVID symptoms within a week of receiving an infusion of monoclonal antibodies.

Researchers and clinicians are anxiously awaiting the results of a large-scale clinical trial at the University of California San Francisco, where participants are receiving a SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody or a placebo to see whether long COVID symptoms are alleviated postinfusion. The hope is that for some patients, monoclonal antibodies could spell relief of their symptoms in the coming year.

#3 More Antiviral Combo Therapies

Initially, researchers found that Paxlovid was ineffective for the treatment of long COVID. Then another study came out which found that when it was taken for longer periods of time, for some patients, it did alleviate symptoms, especially brain fog and fatigue. As a result, a number of researchers think there may still be promise in Paxlovid. But it’s more likely that it will require a combination of antivirals taken for longer periods of time to finally get at the virus that’s hidden deep in the body’s blood and tissue.

With viruses like HIV, for example, it takes a much longer duration on antivirals before the medications are able to clear the virus from the body. And the thought is that it might be similar to SARS-CoV-2.

“I think it will take high doses and combinations of antivirals to get at these viral reservoirs,” said David Putrino, the Nash Family Director of the Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illness, New York City, and a national leader in the treatment of long COVID.

The combination may be different for each patient, based on how much and where the virus is hiding in the body. For example, if the viral reservoir is hiding in a certain type of tissue, it might be harder to reach than if it’s in the blood, said Putrino.

#4 Precision Medicine Based on Phenotype

It’s been well established by researchers and clinicians that long COVID is more accurately an umbrella term for a condition that has various phenotypes or subtypes of disease.

A June 2024 study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases identified various groups based on a cluster of symptoms. For example, sensory symptoms like a loss of taste and smell, fatigue symptoms related to extreme physical fatigue and brain fog, and cardiovascular or respiratory symptoms.

In 2025, the hope is that researchers will design studies that include patients grouped with a similar cluster of symptoms, resulting in treatments that work on a specific disease phenotype. “We desperately need to see a shift away from the mindset of thinking this is just one disease,” said Putrino.

#5 Understanding Why New Strains Are Milder Than Earlier Ones

It’s amazing to think that long COVID has been going on for nearly half a decade and some patients that got it in the beginning are still very much struggling with serious symptoms. McCone, who has had the condition for 4 years, still struggles day to day. He can only work a few hours a day and depends financially on his partner to stay afloat.

But the good news is that some research is showing that the first strains of COVID-19 and earlier variants like Delta seemed to produce more severe forms of long COVID than the later strains.

“We know for sure that the new cases are milder than the earlier strains,” said Grace McComsey, MD, who leads a long COVID center funded by the federal RECOVER (Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery) Initiative in Cleveland. “However, we’re still seeing some new cases of long COVID that are serious.” She added that we have a lot of leads, but in many ways, we still have more questions than answers.

McComsey, Al-Aly, McCone, and Putrino all separately addressed the elephant in the room: Huge potential cuts to funding at the National Institutes of Health and how they might impact long COVID research.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say that I was extremely concerned,” said Al-Aly.

"

Daisys and Diamonds · Apr 23, 2025

Groundbreaking project at Auckland Uni stopped in its tracks by US funding cut

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

Daisys and Diamonds · Apr 23, 2025

the chesmist next door to work has a new part owner pharmasist and he is doing covid and flu jabs
covid is still freem flue is $29 becuase i am now where near 65
im thinking i probably dont need the covid jab ???

i am back to work on Saturday, tomorrow friday is Anzac day so we are closed so i will work saturday and then not have to work till tuesday and monday is my weekend
my head is feeling about 70% better but it still hurts lying down in bed
i have been able to cut back the painkillers to a couple of panadol and one codene a day

missy · Thursday at 5:46 AM

Daisys and Diamonds said:
the chesmist next door to work has a new part owner pharmasist and he is doing covid and flu jabs
covid is still freem flue is $29 becuase i am now where near 65
im thinking i probably dont need the covid jab ???

i am back to work on Saturday, tomorrow friday is Anzac day so we are closed so i will work saturday and then not have to work till tuesday and monday is my weekend
my head is feeling about 70% better but it still hurts lying down in bed
i have been able to cut back the painkillers to a couple of panadol and one codene a day

@Daisys and Diamonds, Since you just had Covid (how are you feeling Nicky?) no you don't want to get the vaccine right now.
I didn't get another covid vaccine this year or last because my physicians advised against it for me.
We are all different however so I cannot make a blanket statement as to what everyone else should do. But to consult with their physicians. See what your doctors say in another few months or so because you should be protected for a while since you just had Covid.

We did get the flu shot last fall. Personally I never recommend getting two vaccines at once. It can overwhelm your system. No reason not to separate it. The only reason some recommend getting them together is they are worried people won't come back to get the other vaccine...As for measles (mumps and rubella)...we checked our MMR titers to see if we needed another vaccine. I cannot take a live vaccine so I just did the titers to satisfy my curiosity

I hope you are feeling much better Nicky!

missy · Thursday at 5:48 AM

Novavax Says Its COVID Shot Is on Track for Full FDA Approval After Delay

The company's COVID-19 vaccine is the country's only traditional protein vaccine

www.medpagetoday.com

"

Novavax Says Its COVID Shot Is on Track for Full FDA Approval After Delay

— The company's COVID-19 vaccine is the country's only traditional protein vaccine

by Associated PressApril 23, 2025

A photo of a vial of the Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine at St. George’s University hospital in London, Oct. 7, 2020.

(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
Novavax's closely watched COVID-19 vaccineopens in a new tab or window is on track for full approval after additional discussions with the FDA, the company said Wednesday.

The news sent company shares soaring more than 21% in morning trading and appeared to resolve concerns that Trump administration officials might be holding up a decision on the shot.

Novavaxopens in a new tab or window makes the nation's only traditional protein-based COVID-19 vaccine. It is still being sold under emergency use authorization -- unlike mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna that have earned full FDA approval for certain age groups.

The FDA recently asked Novavax to develop a plan for collecting additional clinical data from those who have gotten the shot, the company said in a statement. It said it is "engaging with the FDA expeditiously" in hopes of receiving approval "as soon as possible."

At FDA, full vaccine approval is the gold standard. The agency was on track to sign off on Novavax's license by its April 1 target date, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential agency matters.

But FDA's acting commissioner, Sara Brenner, MD, MPH, directed the agency's lead official overseeing the vaccine to pause the decision, according to one of the people. The delay, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, sparked concerns of political interference under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who spent decades leading anti-vaccine groups before joining the federal government as health secretary.

Last month, FDA's longtime vaccine chief, Peter Marks, MD, PhDopens in a new tab or window, was forced out over disagreements with Kennedy about vaccine safety.

With full FDA approval, Novavax would have permission to keep its shot on the market indefinitely. Products that receive emergency authorization can be removed by FDA after there is no longer a health emergency.

All the COVID-19 vaccines used in the U.S. train the body to fight the coronavirus by recognizing its outer coating, the spike protein.

The Pfizer and Moderna options deliver genetic instructions for the body to temporarily make copies of the protein. In contrast, the Novavax vaccine uses lab-grown copies of the spike protein packaged into nanoparticles and combined with an immune-revving ingredient. Protein-based vaccines have been used for years to prevent other diseases including hepatitis B and shingles.

Each year, the three manufacturers update their vaccine recipes to better match the latest COVID-19 variants that are circulating, just like flu shots are updated yearly.
"

missy · Friday at 6:23 AM

5 Long COVID Predictions for 2025 and Beyond

Better diagnostics, more focused treatment, and deeper understanding of individualized symptoms could all take major steps forward this year.

www.medscape.com

"

5 Long COVID Predictions for 2025 and Beyond

Sara Novak
April 21, 2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed its first US case of COVID-19 in early 2020, and 8 months later the World Health Organization described a post-viral condition called long COVID. Since then, millions of Americans, around 8% of those with acute COVID, have also been identified as having long COVID. And to make matters worse, on March 24, the Office of Long Covid Research and Practice within the Department of Health and Human Services was shuttered, leaving scientists concerned for the future of research.

As scientists have gained a broader understanding of the nature of long COVID, they and other health experts hope to make strides in treating this debilitating condition.

Despite the progress that has been made in helping doctors recognize symptoms tied to long COVID, no standard diagnostic tests or treatments have been identified. With a broader understanding of monoclonal antibodies, combination antiviral therapies, viral reservoirs, and disease phenotypes, experts predict 2025 could be the year better ways to diagnose and treat this vexing condition will emerge.

“We need to be laser focused on clinical trials so that we arrive at more precise treatments sooner rather than later,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, senior clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.

Here are some of the most exciting predictions for the coming year.