By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

The idiom “pearls of wisdom” means something sounds wise or helpful.  Amazingly, there is a website with a list of 86 songs giving life advice. The site recommends using this list to create a playlist for someone special especially for life events such as birthdays. The number one song on the list by The Rolling Stones is “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” The author feels the lyrics touch on tempering optimism with a dose of reality.  

We are still fighting the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the impact the pandemic has had on our lives.  A report indicates about 70% of Americans have had a COVID-19 infection at least once. Ohio COVID-19 cases are trending up with an average of 23,304 cases over the last 3 weeks. Ohio is only reporting weekly numbers since March 14, 2022.  So, the 1969 song by The Rolling Stones is still relevant for life advice today.  

As recently as May 16, 2022, some websites continue to promote medical misinformation related to COVID-19 infections.  A common misconception is a previous COVID-19 infection will protect you from getting infected again and if you do, the symptoms are likely to be less severe.  The Omicron variant–especially the BA.5–has made these expectations false. The BA.5 variant is very evasive to antibodies either from infections or vaccinations.  

Both President Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci have recently been infected with an Omicron variant. President Biden’s case was confirmed to be the BA.5 variant. Pfizer’s drug combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (Paxlovid) was prescribed in both cases. Dr. Fauci responded to the 5-day course of therapy but suffered a rebound effect, which has been reported in the literature.  

A June 17, 2022 study in Research Square evaluated data from the Veterans Administration COVID-19 Shared Data Resource, asking the research question about multiple COVID-19 infections. The data bank contains information on 5.6 million lives. The observational study compared about 250,000 patients who had a COVID-19 infection once with 38,000 who had COVID-19 two times or more. Of the approximate 38,000 with two or more infections, 2200 had a COVID-19 infection three times and 246 had the infection four times. The control group in the study were patients who had never been diagnosed with COVID-19.  

The study results have an important message about repeated COVID-19 infections and a warning that a previous infection does not provide full protection against the Omicron variant.  The researchers determined a second COVID-19 infection increases your risk of hospitalization or death by a factor of two. In the study, this risk of a second infection was not altered by vaccination status. These data confirms the ability of the Omicron variant to evade the antibodies created by either infection and/or vaccination.  

In addition, researchers are curious as to why some individuals have never been infected with COVID-19 even though they had significant exposures. Take the case of a nurse treating COVID-19 patients who frequently treated patients and removed her mask while caring for them. She never got COVID-19.  Interestingly, her parents never got COVID-19 either nor did her twin sister. Stories like this have sparked investigations as to why some individuals seem to be resistant to COVID-19.

A study has enrolled participants to evaluate if there is a genetic explanation to why they are resistant to SARS-CoV-2. This research could provide insight into therapies and future vaccines.  A New York University study has found 2 genetic variants in the OAS1 gene that increase the severity of COVID-19 in some patients. The scientists wonder if others may have protection because of the same OAS1 gene but in a reverse direction.

Besides the potential for a genetic explanation, The Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology published a study on May 31, 2022 evaluating the impact of asthma and allergies on COVID-19 risk. Contrary to previous information released indicating asthma as a risk factor, the researchers found that asthma actually had a protective effect and was not a risk factor.  Likewise, the study found individuals with allergies had a lower risk of severe disease with COVID-19. In the study, those with food allergies had half the risk of severe COVID-19 compared to those who did not have food allergies. The inflammation caused by allergies including food may help the body fight off the virus. Additionally, these data were reported by the National Institutes of Health as part of the HEROS study. This study confirmed how young children are efficient transmitters of the SARS-CoV-2 virus because of their high rate of infections with no symptoms plus their close household contacts with the rest of the family.  

As much as we would like the pandemic to end, the BA.5 Omicron variant is writing a different story.  We can’t always get what we want.

ONU HealthWise is offering COVID-19 including boosters Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Call the pharmacy for an appointment for other time slots. The ONU HealthWise pharmacy offers Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines. Call the pharmacy to get more information.  

ONU HealthWise Pharmacy
419-772-3784
www.onuhealthwisepharmacy.com