News & Updates

Nirmatrelvir reduces the risk of long COVID

Post-COVID condition, also known as long COVID, is a serious public health problem affecting millions of people around the world.¹

Death, adverse health outcomes higher for COVID-19 than influenza after hospital admission

The future of COVID-19 management: A spotlight on respirology

At the 27th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR) 2023, a Pfizer-sponsored symposium addressed the evolving challenges of COVID-19, particularly for patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions. Chaired by Dr Chan Kwok Wai Adrian, a renowned respiratory physician and intensivist from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Singapore, and featuring insights from Professor Yang Kuang-Yao of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, the symposium focused on the disease’s impact, treatment guidelines, regional management strategies, and the role of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, a new oral combination pill, in the treatment of COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 Variants: Everything you need to know

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve with the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. The variants of concern have the potential to impact the transmissibility, virulence, and clinical presentation of the disease, affecting the epidemiology, public health measures, and diagnostic and therapeutic options. Mutations in the spike protein of the virus have increased its ability to infect humans and evade neutralization by natural or immunisation-induced antibodies. The highly mutated Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has multiple sublineages with varying transmissibility and immune evasion potential. Pre-exposure prophylaxis plays a crucial role in protecting the immunocompromised populations against severe disease; however, the rapidly changing landscape of the variants poses a major challenge to the current and future effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylactic monoclonal antibodies.

The role of oral antivirals in COVID-19 treatment: Who, when, and how?

Though most countries have eased pandemic restrictions, there is no room for complacency in managing COVID-19, which continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality.

At a recent symposium, esteemed experts Dr Roger Paredes, Head of Department of Infectious Diseases at the Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, and Dr Nicola Petrosillo, Head of the Infection Prevention and Control and Infectious Disease Service at University Hospital Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy, gave global perspectives on the continuing unmet needs in the COVID-19 outpatient landscape and discussed the role of antiviral treatment options in patients at risk of progressing to severe COVID-19. Dr Petrick Periyasamy, Head of Infectious Diseases Unit, Medical Department, UKM Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, chaired the session.

Turning the TIDES with Dengue Vaccination

Aedes aegypti mosquito is the epitome of ‘small bite, big threat’. A bite from a female Aedes aegypti mosquito is enough to spread dengue. There are four different serotypes of dengue virus, Dengue Virus 1–4 (DENV1–4), thus, individuals can be infected with dengue up to four times. Repeated infections increase the risk of severe dengue, a risk factor for mortality. These serotypes are endemic to a certain countries and cocirculate in the natural environment. Dengue poses a major global health concern, with approximately 40% of the world’s population at risk of infection and more severe cases linked to a 20% mortality rate.

Timely treatment of patients at risk for severe COVID-19 prevents severe outcomes

Despite widespread uptake of vaccinations, COVID-19 remains a serious health issue for high-risk patients, owing to the emergence of new variants of concern (VOCs), waning immunity, and breakthrough infections.

At a recent symposium in Singapore, esteemed experts Dr Asok Kurup, Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, Singapore, and Dr Alex Soriano, Head of Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona and Assistant Professor, University of Barcelona, Spain, gave insights on the evolution of global trends since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed key challenges in managing high-risk patients with COVID-19 in the ICU. They also highlighted early treatment strategies to minimize the burden of COVID-19 on healthcare systems.

Burden of Dengue amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dengue fever (DF) is endemic in many tropical countries, including Singapore, and is spread by Aedes mosquitoes. All four serotypes of the dengue virus (DENV 1–4) are found in Singapore, with serotype distribution fluctuating from year to year. DENV-1 and DENV-2 were previously the dominant serotypes in outbreaks, but DENV-3 has now replaced DENV-2 as the most common serotype in 2022. Along with a larger proportion of people staying home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this has resulted in an increase in dengue incidence in Singapore. In the week of 12th to 18th June 2022, 1,258 new dengue cases were reported. According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), this number is expected to rise and exceed the highest weekly figure of 1,787 cases recorded in 2020.

Rapid antigen test: Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good

While rapid antigen test is less sensitive than conventional nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) such as RT-PCR* in detecting SARS-CoV-2 virus, “a test does not have to be perfect to be clinically useful,” said Professor Angela Caliendo during a session in IDWeek 2021 — echoing the maxim that perfect should not be the enemy of good in the pandemic era.