Medical Case Reports

In a recent case report, Swedish scientists documented the first known transmission of a novel recombinant SARS-CoV-2 variant. The case highlights how a patient co-infected with two different strains—sublineages of XBB (HV.1) and BA.2.86.1—generated and transmitted a hybrid variant to another patient within a hospital setting. In October 2023, routine genomic surveillance in Stockholm identified a recombinant variant in a patient (Patient B). This hybrid virus combined genetic material from two distinct lineages: the 5′ part of the genome from HV.1 and the 3′ part from BA.2.86.1. The recombination occurred at the orf1b and S gene junction, producing a novel variant not observed in other Swedish patients. Meanwhile, another patient (Patient A), co-hospitalized in the same ward, was found to be co-infected with both HV.1 and BA.2.86.1. Sequencing revealed that about 30% of the virus in Patient A came from the BA.2.86.1 lineage. The two patients shared six rare mutations, confirming that ...

Nobody is counting vaccine doses anymore. But COVID-19 is still here, remaining among the top five leading cause of death for older and immunocompromised individuals.  The national public health emergency in the US is set to end on May 11, 2023, with the last states to end statewide emergency orders being New Mexico on March 31 and Rhode Island on April 10, followed by Texas and Connecticut. However, recent events such as the CDC's April 24-27 Epidemic Intelligence Service conference in Atlanta have shown that the virus is still spreading. At least 35 people who attended the conference tested positive for COVID-19, as confirmed by spokesperson  Kristen Nordlund .  According to CDC, Atlanta has a low COVID-19 community level, along with nearly the rest of the U.S. In February,  Dr Deepti Gurdasani   reported her breakthrough case, despite six COVID-19 vaccine doses. Are these repeated doses even helping? There is some evidence they might be helping solid tra...