Nancy Lapid

(Reuters.) – Here is a list of recent COVID-19 studies. There is some research that needs to be further investigated to verify the results and has not been peer reviewed.

Omicron is neutralized in tubes by experimental Lilly drug

An experimental monoclonal antibody treatment from Eli Lilly & Co (NYSE:) is effective against all known variants of the coronavirus, including Omicron, researchers have found.

The drug, LY-CoV1404 (or bebtelovimab), “potently” neutralized many engineered variants of Omicron in tests tube experiments. This was reported by bioRxiv on Friday ahead of peer review. GlaxoSmithKline (NASDAQ:), and Vir Biotechnology(NASDAQ:) have an experimental drug called sotrovimab that also neutralizes Delta, Omicron. But they noted that bebtelovimab was “equally effective in viral neutralization of all variants tested and is many-fold more powerful.” This could allow for intravenous injections at lower doses, and a subcutaneous injection.

Eli Lilly spokeswoman said they are “urgently working alongside the FDA to make btelovimab under an Emergency Use Authorization and expect authorization” in the current quarter.

Children in the U.S. have a slightly increased risk of developing new diabetes after receiving COVID-19

Children who have recovered from COVID-19 in the United States may be at a higher risk of being diagnosed with diabetes than children without the disease. However, the chances of getting the disease are very low according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of two billing codes taken from large insurance databases.

According to a Friday report in the CDC’s Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, the rate of diabetes diagnosis among children under 18 years old with COVID-19 (a large database that included nearly 1.7 million people) was 0.08%. That compares with 0.03% for kids who are healthy. Nearly 879,000 people under 18 were included in the second database, roughly half of which had previously been infected. In this population, there was a six-hundredths-of-one-percent difference in rates of new diabetes diagnoses: 0.25% in recovered children vs. 0.19% in uninfected children.

It was not intended to show that SARS-CoV-2 infected children are more likely to develop diabetes. They also noted that the study did not include information regarding other factors, such as children’s rates of diabetes and obesity, their race and ethnicity, and their access to health insurance. The researchers conclude that more research is required to “define the possible association between COVID-19, increased diabetes risk”, among children.

The COVID-19 vaccines are linked to a slight shift in the menstrual cycle

New research has found that the COVID-19-vaccination was connected to a temporary but small change in the length of menstrual cycles, according to a study.

The timing of the next period changed by less than one day, on average, during the menstrual cycle when the shot was given, researchers reported on Friday in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Two vaccine doses received within one menstrual cycle were linked to a two-day difference. “This means that the time between a person’s first day of menses, or bleeding, until their next first day of menses may be slightly longer than what they consider ‘normal,'” said Dr. Alison Edelman of Oregon Health & Science University. For example, someone who was used to having a 28-day period may have a 29 day cycle once they get the vaccine. This means that their menses (period) could begin one or two days later.

Nearly 4,000 people have used a mobile app to track their periods. Edelman stated that the lengths of menstrual periods didn’t change and that any variations in when they occur “appear quickly” if no vaccination is given. Although the length of menstrual cycles may appear minimal at first glance, Edelman said that any significant change in a person’s period can feel substantial. The study results may be validating for individuals experiencing menstrual disruption after vaccination, although they are reassuring.

Click for a Reuters graphic https://tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl on vaccines in development.