A new study has found that over two million people in England may have had long COVID – characterised as having one or more COVID-19 symptoms for at least 12 weeks.

The REACT-2 study is based on self-reported data from over half a million adults aged 18 years and above who took part in rounds three to five, carried out between September 2020 and February 2021.

It found that around a fifth of those surveyed reported having had a COVID-19 symptom previously and over a third reported persistent symptoms lasting for at least 12 weeks, while around a tenth of those with symptoms said they lasted at least 12 weeks and were severe.

The study also suggests that the prevalence of long COVID increases with age, with a 3.5% increase in likelihood in each decade of life, and that the incidence of long COVID is higher among women, people who are overweight or obese, who smoke, live in a deprived area or had been admitted to hospital. Meanwhile, persistent COVID-19 symptoms were found to be lower in people of Asian ethnicity.

Those who reported persistent COVID-19 symptoms at 12 weeks fell into two broad groups. In the first group, the most common symptoms were tiredness and muscle aches, while in the second, individuals mainly reported shortness of breath, tightness in the chest and chest pain.

AstraZeneca (AZ) has announced that the first participants have been vaccinated as part of a Phase II/III trial testing a new COVID-19 variant vaccine – AZD2816.
The trial, which is set to recruit approximately 2,250 participants, will administer AZD2816 to individuals who have been previously vaccinated with AZ’s authorised COVID-19 vaccine Vaxzevria or an mRNA vaccine, at least three months after their last dose.

It will also involve non-vaccinated participants – AZD2816 will be administered in a two-dose regimen to these individuals, given four or twelve weeks apart, or given as a second dose following a first dose of Vaxzevria four weeks apart.
AZ is expecting initial data from the trial later this year.

Pfizer’s JAK inhibitor Xeljanz (tofacitinib) reduced the risk of severe outcomes in hospitalised adult patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who were not on ventilation, according to new study data.

In the STOP-COVID trial, patients were randomised to receive either Xeljanz 10mg twice daily plus standard of care (SoC) or placebo twice daily plus SoC for up to 14 days or until hospital discharge.

The trial demonstrated a reduced cumulative incidence of death or respiratory failure through day 28 with Xeljanz (18.1%) compared to placebo (29.9%). In addition, death from any cause occurred in 2.8% of Xeljanz-treated patients compared to 5.5% in the placebo group.

On the safety side, serious adverse groups occurred in 14.1% of patients in the Xeljanz group and 12% in the placebo group.