Christian writes:

HI Daniel,

Attached you find a publication on the recent thrombotic events after AZ vaccinations in women.

There were just two new ones recently here near Bonn, Germany and and in the meantime about 30 cases :

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-362354/v1

Regards,

Christian

Emma writes:

Hello Dr. Griffin,

I have always enjoyed TWIV (even pre-pandemic), but now I tune in for the helpful COVID-19 related information delivered in each clinical update. I apologize in advance if you have already addressed this question on TWIV, but any information or studies you can suggest would be a great help.

My mom is on multiple rheumatoid arthritis medications, Abatacept/Orencia and Leflunomide/Arava , that suppress her T cells, and she received her first Moderna vaccine shot a few weeks ago. She did talk to her rheumatologist before her vaccination, but they did not suggest any changes to her medication. Now, she found out that the American College of Rheumatology recommends stopping Abatacept both one week prior to and one week after the first vaccine dose, but continuing the medication for the second dose.  Do you think she will have a strong immune response to the second dose even if her first response may have been dampened by the RA medication? Or would stopping Abatacept one week before and after the second dose be the best option?

Thank you,

Emma

Kim writes:

Good morning, Dr Griffin!

I have two little ones (ages 2 1/2 and 12 months) in daycare three days a week. There have been cases at their daycare, though thankfully not in either of their classrooms. It’s scary as heck nonetheless. 

I’m wondering if clinicians will recommend routine antibody testing for youth at some point? 

There was a toddler in their center who had MIS-C. He is out of the hospital and home. There was an exposure in his classroom, but he never tested positive. No one can be sure that daycare is where his exposure happened, but the timing of MIS-C was 5 weeks after that classroom was quarantined. 

It’s a nerve-racking time to be a parent. I am hopeful that the Moderna youth trials will go well. I don’t know how I am going to mentally take another year of this anxiety. 

All best,

Kim

Ellen writes:

Hi Daniel,

I have a friend in Paris, just short of 65 years old, who had covid-19 last March, and on March 3 this year was diagnosed with it again, this time with the UK variant. On March 21, three weeks after diagnosis (rt-PCR), symptomatic still, her antibodies were tested and were almost non-existent. She will be getting the vaccine shortly (Astra-Zeneca) and I advised her to have them tested again three weeks after the second dose. If she still has few or no antibodies, would she be a good candidate for monoclonal antibodies? She’ s concerned, long term, that without antibodies she will be liable to re-infection forever. Should she try to get tested for T-cells, although from what I understand (from Sette on TWIV), they will not protect her from infection.

Thanks for all you do,

Ellen