SARS-CoV-2 Vaccinated Breakthrough Infections With Fatal and Critical Outcomes in the Department of Antioquia, Colombia (preprint)

The introduction of variants of concern and interest in the Departamento of Antioquia, Colombia, was concomitant with the beginning of the COVID-19 immunization program. Genomic surveillance indicates that none of the emerging variants –alpha, gamma, lambda, mu or delta– were dominant between January and August 2021. The immunization includes CoronaVac, BNT162b2, Ad26.COV2.S and ChAdOx1-S vaccines. By September 10 th , 34.43% inhabitants were fully vaccinated. We characterized, SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in 96 patients, 30 with fatal outcomes, 13 with ICU hospitalization and 53 with mild or asymptomatic disease. Even though gamma and mu variants co-circulated at similar levels, the latter was found to be predominant in patients with fatal outcomes and in those with ICU hospitalizations. We found a significant occurrence of the B.1.625 variant in these patients. Genetic substitutions of therapeutic and immunological concern, E484K and N501Y, are consistently observed in 90.1% and 79.5% of these variants, respectively. Evidence suggests that it is less probable to become infected after 60 days post-treatment with BNT162b2 than with CoronaVac. Importantly, we found that advanced age and comorbidities foster conditions for fatal and ICU outcomes in vaccinated patients. Our observations demonstrate the effectiveness of vaccination and identify patients with higher risks of subsequent breakthrough infections.

Self-Compassion and Social Connectedness as Predictors of “Peace and Meaning” during Spain’s Initial COVID-19 Lockdown

The COVID-19 lockdown has had a massive psychological impact on mental health in the general population, with increases in anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Spiritual well-being, specifically peace and meaning, has already been identified as one of the main protective factors for these disorders in the COVID-19 context. The aim of the present study is to identify facilitating elements for peace and meaning during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain. Online surveys were used to obtain data from a sample of 3480 Spanish people. Self-compassion and social support were positively related with peace and meaning, while loneliness and perceived discrimination were negatively related. The model for peace and meaning was statistically significant, explaining 47% of the variance. The significant variables were self-kindness, family support, mindfulness, and sense of belonging having a positive association and loneliness a negative one.