GRAd-COV2 vaccine provides potent and durable humoral and cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in randomized placebo-controlled phase 2 trial.

The ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic and heterologous immunization approaches implemented worldwide for booster doses call for diversified vaccine portfolios. GRAd-COV2 is a gorilla adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate encoding prefusion-stabilized spike. The safety and immunogenicity of GRAd-COV2 is evaluated in a dose- and regimen-finding phase 2 trial (COVITAR study, ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04791423) whereby 917 eligible participants are randomized to receive a single intramuscular GRAd-COV2 administration followed by placebo, or two vaccine injections, or two doses of placebo, spaced over 3 weeks. Here, we report that GRAd-COV2 is well tolerated and induces robust immune responses after a single immunization; a second administration increases binding and neutralizing antibody titers. Potent, variant of concern (VOC) cross-reactive spike-specific T cell response peaks after the first dose and is characterized by high frequencies of CD8s. T cells maintain immediate effector functions and high proliferative potential over time. Thus, GRAd vector is a valuable platform for genetic vaccine development, especially when robust CD8 response is needed.

A Descriptive Study on Causes of Death in Hospitalized Patients in an Acute General Hospital of Southern Italy during the Lockdown due to Covid-19 Outbreak.

(1) Background: All deaths that occurred in a hospital of Southern Italy ("San Giuseppe Moscati" Hospital of Avellino) with medium jurisdiction (up to 425,000 citizens approximately) in the period from 9 March to 4 May 2020 were analyzed. The primary endpoint of the study was to analyze the causes of death in the period study. Secondary endpoints included: (1) the assessment of overall mortality in the emergency period compared with the same period of the past years (2018-2019) in the jurisdiction area; (2) the assessment of the amounts of deaths with positive and negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs; (3) the frequency of clinical and radiological features consistent with Covid-19 infection in negative RT-PCR cases. (2) Methods: Patients' information and laboratory data were collected through the computerized medical record system (My Hospital, Italy) used for the clinical management of all referring patients. Epidemiological, clinical, and radiological data were reviewed along with the results of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs. (3) Results: From 9 March to 4 May 2020, 140 deaths (87 males, 53 females) from all causes occurred in total at "San Giuseppe Moscati" Hospital, of which 32 deaths were Covid-19 related. (4) Conclusions: The excess of mortality could be higher than the one reported in the official epidemiological surveys. False negative cases can have a distorting effect on the assessment of the real mortality rate and the excess mortality. Furthermore, many who died from Covid-19 were likely never tested or they had false negative RT-PCR results. Other victims probably died from causes indirectly related to Covid-19.

Current status of COVID-19 treatment: An opinion review.

The pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has garnered the attention of scientists worldwide in the search for an effective treatment while also focusing on vaccine development. Several drugs have been used for the management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has affected many hospitals and health centers worldwide. Statistically significant results are lacking on the effectiveness of the experimented drugs in reducing COVID-19 morbidity or mortality, as there are very few published randomized clinical trials. Despite this, the literature offers some material for study and reflection. This opinion review attempts to address three burning questions on COVID-19 treatment options. (1) What kind of studies are currently published or ongoing in the treatment of patients with COVID-19? (2) What drugs are currently described in the literature as options of treatment for patients affected by the infection? And (3) Are there specific clinical manifestations related to COVID-19 that can be treated with a customized and targeted therapy? By answering these questions, we wish to create a summary of current COVID-19 treatments and the anti-COVID-19 treatments proposed in the recent clinical trials developed in the last 3 mo, and to describe examples of clinical manifestations of the SARS-CoV-2 infection with a cause-related treatment.