Impact of Gamma COVID-19 variant on the prognosis of hospitalized pregnant and postpartum women with cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the Gamma coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) variant on pregnant and postpartum women with Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). METHODS: The Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance System database (SIVEP-Gripe), a compulsory notification system for cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), was investigated for notified cases of pregnant and postpartum women with reported CVD and SARS due to COVID-19 between February 16, 2020 and May 1, 2021 (when vaccination began), was investigated. In this retrospective cohort, two groups were formed based on symptom onset date, according to the predominance of the variants: original (group 2020) and Gamma (group 2021). Cases with missing information on the presence or absence of CVD were excluded. The comparative analysis was controlled for confounding variables. RESULTS: Among 703 COVID-19 cases notified with CVD (406 patients in 2020 and 297 patients in 2021), compared to 2020, cases in 2021 had more respiratory symptoms (90.6 % vs. 80.1 %, p < 0.001), greater ventilatory support need (75.3 % vs. 53.9 %, p < 0.001), more ICU admission (46.6 % vs. 34.3 %, p = 0.002), longer duration (20.59 ± 14.47 vs. 16.52 ± 12.98 days, p < 0.001), higher mortality (25.6 % vs. 15.5 %, p < 0.001), with more than two-times mortality likelihood in the third trimester (adjusted OR = 2.41, 95 % CI 1.50-3.88, p < 0.001) or puerperium periods (adjusted_OR = 2.15, 95 % CI 1.34-3.44, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In Brazil, pregnant and postpartum women with CVDs in the Gamma variant phase have higher morbidity and mortality than those affected by the original variant of Coronavirus-19.

Mortality Trend of Severe COVID-19 in Under-Vaccinated Population Admitted to ICU in French Amazonia.

(1) Background: Until December 2021, French Guiana (FG), located in South America, faced four consecutive COVID-19 epidemic waves. This study sought to analyze the mortality trend of severe COVID-19 patients admitted to the referral ICU of FG. (2) Methods: We conducted a prospective, observational, and non-interventional study in ICU at Cayenne Hospital. We included 383 patients older than 18 admitted with SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia hospitalized from May 2020 to December 2021. The study covers three periods. Period 1 (Waves 1 and 2, original variant), period 2 (Wave 3, Gamma variant), and period 3 (Wave 4, Delta variant). (3) Results: The median age was 63 years (52-70). Frailty was diagnosed in 36 patients over 70 (32.4%). Only 4.8% of patients were vaccinated. The median ICU LOS was 10 days (6-19). Hospital mortality was 37.3%. It was 30.9% in period 1, 36.6% in period 2 (p = 0.329 vs. period 1), and 47.1% in period 3 (0.015 vs. period 1). In multivariate analysis, independent factors associated with hospital mortality included age greater than 40 years (]40-60 years] OR = 5.2, 95%CI: 1.4-19.5; (]60-70 years] OR = 8.5, 95%CI: 2.2-32; (]70+ years] OR = 17.9, 95%CI: 4.5-70.9), frailty (OR = 5.6, 95%CI: 2.2-17.2), immunosuppression (OR = 2.6, 95%CI: 1.05-6.7), and MV use (OR = 11, 95%CI: 6.1-19.9). This model had an overall sensitivity of 72%, a specificity of 80.4%, a positive predictive value of 68.7%, and a negative predictive value of 82.8%. (4) Conclusions: The mortality of severe COVID-19 patients in French Amazonia was higher during the Delta variant wave. This over-death could be explained by the virulence of the responsible SARS-CoV-2 variant and the under-vaccination coverage of the studied population.

An Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in Captive Armadillos Associated with Gamma Variant in Argentina.

The current pandemic produced by SARS-CoV-2 and its variants represent an example of the one health concept in which humans and animals are components of the same epidemiologic chain. Animal reservoirs of these viruses are thus the focus of surveillance programs, to monitor their circulation and evolution in potentially new hosts and reservoirs. In this work, we report the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 Gamma variant infection in four specimens of Chaetophractus villosus (big hairy armadillo/armadillo peludo) in Argentina. In addition to the finding of a new wildlife species susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, the identification of the Gamma variant three months after its last detection in humans in Argentina is a noteworthy result, which can be due to alternative non-exclusive scenarios, such as unidentified viral reservoirs, unrecognized circulation in humans or species-specific variation in incubation periods.

Trends in the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy during the Summers of 2020 (before Mass Vaccination), 2021 (after Primary Mass Vaccination) and 2022 (after Booster Mass Vaccination): A Real-World Nationwide Study Based on a Population of 58.85 Million People.

Like all RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 shows a high mutation rate, which has led to the emergence of new variants. Among them, Gamma and Delta developed at the turn of 2020-2021 in Amazonas and India, two ecoregions characterized by hot-humid weather, very similar to that of the summer season in Italy due to climate change, the first Western country to be hit hard by COVID-19 and to experience lockdown restrictions in a democratic framework of 58.85 million people. The aim of our research has been to evaluate the impact of climate on the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy during the summers of 2020 (before mass vaccination), 2021 (after primary mass vaccination) and 2022 (after booster mass vaccination), also taking into account the emergence of these two variants. METHODS: During the state of national health emergency and the Draghi government, the Civil Defense Department released the aggregate data coming from the Ministry of Health, the Higher Institute of Health, the Independent Provinces and the Italian Regions daily, in order to inform about the pandemic situation in Italy. Among these data there were the number of deaths, hospitalizations in intensive care units (ICU), non-ICU patients, contagions and performed swabs. By means of a team effort, we have collected and elaborated all these data, comparing the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy during the summers of 2020 (following the nationwide lockdown), 2021 and 2022. RESULTS: from the summer of 2020 to the summers of 2021 and 2022 all pandemic trend indicators have shown a sharp worsening in Italy. COVID-19 deaths increased by ≈298% and ≈834%, ICU hospitalizations by ≈386% and ≈310%, non-ICU hospitalizations by ≈224% and ≈600%, contagions by ≈627% and ≈6850% (i.e., ≈68.50 times), swabs by ≈354% and ≈370%, and the mean positivity rate passed from ≈1% to ≈2% and ≈20%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted in any climate, including areas with hot and humid weather, and the emergence of variants adapted to hot-humid climates may result in summer COVID-19 outbreaks, even in neither tropical nor subtropical countries. Although COVID-19 vaccines can confer cross-protection against newly emerging variants, this cross-immunity is naturally not absolute but limited, considering that vaccine protection wanes significantly after 6 months. It follows that a subject vaccinated at the beginning of the winter will not be completely covered in the height of the summer, and we should not forget the unvaccinated. As a final remark, the long and strict nationwide lockdown made it possible to flatten SARS-CoV-2 circulation and, therefore, its negative impact on Italy during the summer of 2020.

Generation of neutralizing antibodies against Omicron, Gamma and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants following CoronaVac vaccination

ABSTRACT Vaccination is a fundamental tool to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and to limit the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with multiple mutations has raised serious concerns about the ability of neutralizing antibody responses elicited by prior vaccination to effectively combat these variants. The neutralizing capacity against the Gamma, Delta and Omicron variants of sera from individuals immunized with the CoronaVac vaccine remains incompletely determined. The present study evaluated 41 health care workers at the Faculdade de Medicina of the Universidade de Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, naive to previous SARS- CoV-2 infection, who were vaccinated with two doses of the CoronaVac SARS-CoV-2 vaccine 28 days apart. Neutralizing antibody levels against the Gamma, Delta, and Omicron variants were measured at 32 and 186 days after the second vaccination. We also measured neutralizing antibodies against Omicron in 34 of these individuals following a subsequent booster immunization with the Pfizer vaccine. Quantification of neutralizing antibodies was performed using the Cytopathic Effect-based Virus Neutralization test. Neutralization antibody activity against the Gamma, Delta and Omicron variants was observed in 78.0%, 65.9% and 58.5% of serum samples, respectively, obtained at a mean of 32 days after the second immunization. This decreased to 17.1%, 24.4% and 2.4% of sera having activity against Delta, Gamma and Omicron, respectively, at 186 days post-vaccination. The median neutralizing antibody titers at 32 days were 1:40, 1:20 and 1:20 against Gamma, Delta and Omicron, respectively, and decreased to an undetectable median level against all variants at the later time. A booster immunization with the Pfizer vaccine elicited neutralizing antibodies against Omicron in 85% of subjects tested 60 days after vaccination. We conclude that two doses of the CoronaVac vaccine results in limited protection of short duration against the Gamma, Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants. A booster dose with the Pfizer vaccine induced antibody neutralizing activity against Omicron in most patients which was measurable 60 days after the booster.

Absence of neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant in convalescent sera from individuals infected with the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus or its Gamma variant

Abstract Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate if neutralizing antibody responses induced by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 strain that was dominant at the beginning of the pandemic or by the Gamma variant was effective against the Omicron variant. Methods: Convalescent sera from 109 individuals, never exposed to a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, who had mild or moderate symptoms not requiring hospitalization following either a documented SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain infection or a Gamma variant infection, were assayed for in vitro neutralizing antibody activity against their original strains and the Omicron variant. Results: Following an infection with the ancestral strain, 56 (93.3%), 45 (77.6%) and 1 (1.7%) serum sample were positive for neutralizing antibodies against the ancestral, Gamma variant, and Omicron variant, respectively. After infection with the Gamma variant, 43 (87.8%) and 2 (4.1%) sera were positive for neutralizing antibodies against the Gamma and Omicron variants, respectively. Conclusions: Neutralizing antibodies generated following mild or moderate infection with the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain or the Gamma variant are not protective against the Omicron variant. HIGHLIGHTS Individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain do not develop neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant. Omicron variant escapes immune response after SARS CoV-2 previous infection with the SARS CoV-2 Gamma variant. Individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain or with SARS-CoV-2 Gamma variant will likely have little protection if subsequently exposed to the Omicron variant.

Analytical evaluation of thirty-two severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 lateral flow antigen tests demonstrates sensitivity remains with the SARS-CoV-2 Gamma lineage

ABSTRACT Background: The emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) requires an ongoing assessment of the performance of antigen lateral flow tests (Ag-RDTs). The limit of detection (LOD) of 32 Ag-RDTs was evaluated using the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Gamma variant. Methods: Ag-RDTs were performed according to the manufacturer's instructions with a clinical isolate of the Gamma variant. Results: Twenty-eight of the 32 Ag-RDTs exceeded the World Health Organization criteria. Conclusions: This comprehensive analytical evaluation of Ag-RDTs demonstrated that the test performance was maintained with Gamma VOC.