A double case report from the ASST Sette Laghi by microbiology researchers found, when analyzing one 56-year old patient in December 2020 with confirmed B.1.1.7. strain infection and interstitial pneumonia, the amino acid substitutions N501Y and A570D were confirmed. In another case of a 58-year old male in January 2021, with the same strain and detectable mutation, diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia necessitated treatment in the subacute medical unit. These reports provide a possible clinical profile for reinfection with the B.1.1.7 strain, and authors suggest that more cases of reinfection with B.1.1.7 are likely undetected.

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A team from the IVY Network and HAIVEN Investigators evaluated the effectiveness of vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines against hospitalization in adults 65 and older in 24 hospitals across 14 US states (187 case-patients and 230 controls). The adjusted effectiveness of full vaccination was 94% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 49%-99%) and partial vaccination 64% (95% CI = 28%-82%) (Figure). Though limited by the small sample size and wide confidence intervals, authors suggest administration of these mRNA vaccines may reduce severe prognostic outcomes in the elderly population.

Researchers on the CDC COVID-19 Response Team discuss the adverse effects of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine reported to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) and v-safe system. VAERS received 13,725 adverse event reports, including 17 reports of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), 3 of which were due to non-cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (non-CVST) etiology (Table 2). V-safe data reviewed 338,765 people who received the Janssen vaccine, 76% of whom reported at least 1 systemic reaction and 61% had at least 1 injection site reaction (Table 3). These findings describe the safety profile of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, with a rare adverse effect of TTS.