Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

8 INFECTION CONTROL 1 vaccine dose may be sufficient for COVID-19 survivors, early research suggests By Gabrielle Masson S ome people who have experienced symp- tomatic COVID-19 infections have reported intense side effects aer one vaccine dose, leading researchers to believe two doses may not be necessary, reported e New York Times. In a study published Feb. 1 in the preprint server medRxiv, researchers found that people who had previously been infected with COVID-19 reported fatigue, headache, chills, fever, and muscle and joint pain aer the first vaccine dose more frequently than those who had never had COVID-19. COVID-19 survivors also had significantly higher antibody levels aer both the first and second doses of the vaccine. e researchers concluded that people who have had COVID-19 may need only one shot. At the time of publication, the study had yet to be peer reviewed. "I think one vaccination should be sufficient," said Florian Krammer, PhD, a virologist at New York City-based Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and an author of the study. "is would also spare individuals from unnecessary pain when getting the second dose and it would free up additional vaccine doses." Another study also published Feb. 1 in medRx- iv supports the single dose idea, with authors concluding that those who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 should be moved down the priority list and get only one vaccine while supplies are limited. e study did not explore vaccine side effects and has yet to be peer re- viewed as of Feb. 1. Changing the number of doses could create "a really tricky precedent," said E. John Wherry, PhD, director of Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Immunology. "We don't take FDA approvals of, say, a chemothera- peutic drug and then just throw out the dosage schedule," he told the NYT. e CDC is currently investigating the severe vaccine reactions in those who have already had COVID-19, Tom Shimabukuro, MD, deputy di- rector of the CDC's Immunization Safety Office, said Jan. 27. n Massachusetts allows 'companion' vaccinations, prompts outpouring of volunteers By Mackenzie Bean M assachusetts updated its COVID-19 vaccine eligibility rules Feb. 10, allowing companions of people age 75 or older visiting mass vaccination sites to also receive the vaccine. As a result, some residents are turning to Craigslist to try to take advantage of the program, Gov. Charlie Baker told CBS Boston. The policy is intended to encourage vaccinations among the state's old- er residents by allowing them to set up dual appointments with a family member or friend, reported Boston.com. After the state announced the new eligibility rule Feb. 10, several dozen ads appeared on Craigslist in which residents offered to drive older patients to their vaccination site or even pay them to book vaccine ap- pointments together, according to Boston.com. "We have heard some pretty disturbing reports of some people trying to take advantage of this program already. Some people posting online, trying to get a senior to bring them to a vaccination site," Mr. Baker said during a Feb. 11 media briefing. "If you're 75 years or older and you need assistance going through the vaccination process, you should only reach out to somebody that you know or trust to bring you." n What the NFL learned about containing COVID-19's spread By Mackenzie Bean T he National Football League found that COVID-19 transmission occurred after less than 15 minutes of cumulative contact among players and staff, according to a joint report from NFL's medical leaders and the CDC published Jan. 25. The NFL implemented strict protocols for contact-tracing and testing, allowing the league to complete its 256-game regular season over the standard 17-week period, reported The Washington Post. The league identified 189 NFL players and staff members as high-risk contacts of 215 people who tested positive for the virus between Oct. 15 and Nov. 21. Of these individuals, 20 tested positive, and no addi- tional spread occured. While the NFL's COVID-19 protocols are costly and resource-intensive, the NFL's system offers public health lessons that are applicable to other settings, including the benefits of defining specific characteristics of close contact, the CDC said. "I think we learned and reported … that all close contacts are not creat- ed equal," Allen Sills, MD, the NFL's CMO, told the Post. "There are some contacts that convey a much higher risk, and circumstances really matter. And so we've been able to evolve our understanding away from simple basics of 6 feet and 15 minutes, which is maybe where we all started back in the early days of the pandemic. I think another important take- away is that we learned that high-risk close contacts are avoidable." n

• Cover