State COVID-19 weekly statistics still rising
UPMC studies vaccine’s effect on cancer patients
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Pennsylvania continued to rise this week amid the latest surge of infections, the state reported Friday.
Also on Friday, UPMC released details from a limited study that gives new details about the effects of the vaccine in some cancer patients, including that about half of people tested did not develop antibodies following the shots.
Between April 2 and 8, the state saw 23,043 new cases of COVID-19, an increase of 528 from the week prior, the state Department of Health reported. Hospitalizations also went up, with average daily COVID-19 hospitalizations rising to nearly 2,334 from 1,989.
The positivity rate has also seen a bump, going up to 9.5% from 9.3%. The metric, a measure of what percentage of people tested for the virus come back positive, may be affected by decreased demand for testing statewide.
Cases continued to go up on Friday, with the state Department of Health reporting 5,048 new cases and 35 additional deaths.
In total, the state has had 1,064,092 cases of COVID-19 and 25,362 virus deaths.
Vaccinations are also being doled out at a substantial rate, with 6,055,844 total shots being given in the commonwealth — an increase of more than 150,000 shots from the previous day, according to the state Department of Health.
There have been more than 4 million Pennsylvanians who have received at least one shot against the virus. Some vaccines, like the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech brands, require two shots to be fully effective.
Allegheny County has seen 477,395 people at least partially vaccinated, while the county Health Department on Friday reported 593 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths from the virus.
The latest numbers bring the county’s total to 89,545 cases of COVID-19 and 1,807 deaths.
Most of the new deaths came from an import of data from the statewide Electronic Death Reporting System, and three were in longterm care facilities.
Among the decedents, the youngest was in their 30s. One person was in their 50s, two were in their 60s, two were in their 70s, three were in their 80s and the eldest was in their 90s.
The dates of death ranged from March 30 to April 7, the county said.
Of the new cases, 433 are confirmed and 160 are probable positives, the county said. Newly
infected people ranged in age from 7 months to 96 years, with a median age of 29.
Research on the vaccine from UPMC revealed some cancer patients do not develop antibodies after being vaccinated. In a preprint study of 67 patients with cancers affecting the blood, bone marrow or lymph nodes, 46% did not produce antibodies. The study has not yet been peer reviewed.
This finding does not mean that the vaccine is ineffective in these subgroups of patients, saidDr. Ghady Haidar, UPMC transplant infectious disease physician. He pointed out that the immune system response goes beyond just antibodies.
“But this does mean that we need to continue to be vigilant and we need to continue to be cautious,” Dr. Haidar said at a virtual press conference. “Meaning that everyone should continue to wear masks and to social distance after they get the vaccine, especially people who have blood cancers.”
He said the study showed that the odds of getting an antibody response in people with these cancers “are the equivalent of a coin flip.”
The findings also showed that only three of 13 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, produced “measurable antibodies,” even as 70% of that group wasn’t going through any form of cancer therapy. Researchers did not find a link between cancer therapy and antibody levels.
Doctors still emphasized that people should get the vaccine, and said they were still learning why people in the study did not produce antibodies. They also said people with these conditions should get COVID-19 tests if they develop symptoms of the disease and should seek medical attention even after they have been vaccinated.
UPMC and the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection do not recommend repeat or booster vaccinations for previously vaccinated people, even if they test negative for antibodies.
UPMC also announced that elderly residents of long-term care facilities mount a detectable antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination, following a survey of UPMC Senior Community residents. Because it’s not yet known how long the antibodies persist, the authors “urged continual monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms.”