Pfizer's experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for pregnant people protects infants from severe disease, a new CDC study found that people of color were less likely to receive certain Covid-19 treatments, and more in this week's roundup of RSV and Covid-19 news.

RSV:

• Pfizer on Tuesday announced that its experimental RSV vaccine was nearly 82% effective in preventing severe illness during the first 90 days of life for infants born to vaccinated individuals. In the first six months of life, the vaccine was around 70% effective against severe illness. In addition, the vaccine was roughly 57% effective in preventing any RSV infection during the first 90 days of life and about 51% effective in the first six months. While Pfizer's study found that the vaccine did not reduce the risk of nonsevere cases by a statistically significant amount, the company noted that the study's results were sufficient to request approval from health regulators by the end of 2022. "This is a major breakthrough after decades of lack of success," said William Gruber, SVP of vaccine clinical research and development at Pfizer. Pfizer detailed the study data in a news release—but it has not been published or peer reviewed. However, the company believes the vaccine could become available as early as next winter. "We're very hopeful everything can be done in time to vaccinate mothers before the next RSV season," said Annaliesa Anderson, chief scientific officer of vaccine research and development at Pfizer. "We're about to come into a very heavy RSV season. We're seeing hospitals filling up. Everyone appreciates the urgency that can really help to prevent this." (Johnson, Washington Post, 11/1; Walker, Wall Street Journal, 11/1; Lovelace, NBC News, 11/1)

Covid-19:

• White House Covid-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha said he is optimistic that bivalent boosters will provide protection from omicron "escape variants" BQ.1 and BQ 1.1, which currently make up almost 30% of Covid-19 cases in the United States. According to Jha, the bivalent boosters should provide some protection against the strains because they are BA.5 relatives, and the updated boosters were designed to target BA.4 and BA.5. Currently, CDC estimates show that BQ.1 accounts for 14% of cases, while BQ.1.1 accounts for 13.1%. Last week, Eric Topol, founder and director of Scripps Research Translational Institute, said the strains are "on a path to be dominant" in the coming weeks. "The one I am paying most close attention to in the United States is BQ.1.1, which is a BA.5 derivative, and based on all of the things that we understand about immunology, your protection against BQ.1.1 is going to be significantly better after a BA.5 bivalent [booster]," Jha said. While small early studies suggest that the updated vaccine does not provide better protection from BA.5 than the original vaccine, Jha said "well-controlled trials" with "larger samples" may eventually show more promising results. Other experts have noted that the updated booster still provides protection, even if it is not significantly better than the original formula. Still, "A booster is a booster until proven otherwise and we are in great need of getting more of them in the U.S.," Topol said. (Twenter/Carbajal, Becker's Hospital Review, 10/28)

• While Covid-19 hospitalizations increased slightly last week, forecasting models are unclear whether admissions will continue to rise as omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 continue their nationwide spread. According to CDC's forecast from 15 modeling groups, daily hospital admissions are expected to stabilize or have an uncertain trend over the next four weeks, with a projected 1,400 to 7,400 new hospitalizations by Nov. 18. As of Oct. 28, the seven-day average of new hospital admissions for Covid-19 was 3,245—an increase from 3,233 the previous week, according to CDC data. (Bean, Becker's Hospital Review, 10/31)

• A new study published last week by CDC found that people of color were less likely to receive Covid-19 treatments, including Paxlovid. For the study, researchers analyzed the health records of hundreds of thousands of patients being treated for Covid-19 between January 2022 and July 2022. According to the study, Black and Hispanic patients were 36% and 30% less likely, respectively, than white patients to receive Paxlovid. The study found that almost one in three white patients received the antiviral treatment, compared with roughly one in five Black and Hispanic patients and roughly one in four Asian and American Indian patients. Racial and ethnic disparities existed across all age groups and the group of immunocompromised patients included in the study. The biggest disparity was found between Black and white patients aged 65 to 79, with white patients being 44% more likely to receive the treatment. Disparities were also found in other treatments, including molnupiravir, remdesivir, and bebtelovimab. While the study did not evaluate what is driving these disparities, the researchers suggested that several factors, including access to treatment facilities, may contribute. "The only way we're going to make improvements and actually monitor progression to any interventions we make would be to measure it," said Steve Grapentine, a pediatric infectious disease pharmacist with the University of California, San Francisco, and a member of the NIH's Covid-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel. (McPhillips, CNN, 10/27)

• From 2019 to 2020, the mortality rate among women ages 20 to 44 increased from 97.2 to 117.3 deaths per 100,000—an increase partially driven by Covid-19 deaths, according to the United Health Foundation's 2022 Health of Women and Children Report. The higher mortality rate disproportionately impacted minority populations, with a 41% increase among American Indian and Alaska Native women, a 31% increase among Black women, a 28% increase among Hispanic women, a 17% increase among multicultural women, and a 15% increase among white women. The report also discovered an increase in mental and behavioral health challenges among children and a high frequency of mental distress and depression among women. (Tucker, Becker's Hospital Review, 10/14)