Highlights Omicron has shown immune escape from neutralizing antibodies generated through previous infection or vaccination. It could evade the protection provided by mAbs being used in clinics for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients. Booster dose is recommended to elevate the protective levels of antibodies in COVID‐19 vaccinated individuals. The development of powerful oral antiviral drugs such as Molnupiravir and Paxlovid have shown promising clinical results and raised new hopes of COVID‐19 treatment. High efforts are being made to develop highly efficacious vaccines, and by implementing appropriate prevention and control strategies to counter Omicron.

The coronavirus is naturally mutating over time and producing new variants. Some of them are more contagious and destructive than previous strains. Also, some variants are capable of therapeutic escaping. Earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants proved that some are supercritical, and newly mutated strains are creating new challenges to the global healthcare systems. Here we aimed to evaluate different coronavirus variants and associated challenges for healthcare systems. We searched for information online and on the PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases. We found the wild-type virus is more sensitive for neutralization and more controllable than newer variants. The Delta and Omicron variants are more highly transmissible than Alpha, Beta, and Gamma variants. Also, few strains are resistant to neutralization. Therefore, there is a chance of reinfection among the vaccinated population. The transmissibility and resistance of the recently identified Omicron variant is still unclear. The Delta variant is the most dangerous among all variants due to its high transmissibility, disease severity, and mortality rate. For poor and developing countries, oxygen supply, medication, vaccination, and device supply are challenging during epidemic waves. Slowing down the transmission, mass vaccination, vaccine redesign, re-compiling action plans, and following safety guidelines can be effective solutions to the new challenges.

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The world is going through a massive wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic due to the omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Globally, there were 3.23 million new infections on January 21, 2022, which is four times higher than the peak infection rate of the delta wave. 1 The omicron wave is tremendously spreading in every corner of the world except some countries in Southeast Asia, North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Oceania, where the omicron wave has not started yet. 1 In January 2022, the global prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infections has increased by at least 30 folds than November last year according to the assumption of Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation models. 2 However, the reported COVID-19 cases have increased by only sixfolds in the same period. 1 This high rate of asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infections by omicron compared to the previous variants might be the possible reason behind these under-reported COVID-19 cases. 3 Also, the current detection rate of COVID-19 is 5% which was 20% in earlier waves. 2 According to the prediction of the World Health Organization,

Background and aims: There is a sought for vaccines and antiviral agents as countermeasures for the recent monkeypox outbreak. Here, we aimed to review and discuss the repurposing potentials of smallpox vaccines and drugs in monkeypox outbreaks based on their comparative benefits and risks. Therefore, we conducted this rapid review and discussed the repurposing potentials of smallpox vaccines and drugs in monkeypox infection.Methods: Here, we searched Google Scholar and PubMed for relevant information and data. We found many articles that have suggested the use of smallpox vaccines and antiviral drugs in monkeypox outbreaks according to the study findings. We read the relevant articles to extract information.Results: According to the available documents, we found two replication-competent and one replication-deficient vaccinia vaccines were effective against Orthopoxvirus.However, the healthcare authorities have authorized second-generation live vaccina virus vaccines against Orthopoxvirus in many countries. Smallpox vaccine is almost 85% effective in preventing monkeypox infection as monkeypox virus, variola virus, and vaccinia virus are similar. The United States and Canada have approved a replication-deficient third-generation smallpox vaccine for the prevention of monkeypox infection. However, the widely used second-generation smallpox vaccines contain a live virus and replicate it into the human cell. Therefore, there is a chance to cause virus-induced complications among the vaccinated subjects. In those circumstances, the available Orthopoxvirus inhibitors might be a good choice for treating monkeypox infections as they showed similar efficacy in monkeypox infection in different animal model clinical trials. Also, the combined use of antiviral drugs and vaccinia immune globulin can enhance significant effectiveness in immunocompromised subjects.

doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice.Higher levels of serum IL-1β and TNF-α are associated with an increased probability of major depressive disorder ABSTRACT Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious psychiatric disorder but there are no reliable risk assessment tools for this condition. The actual reason for affecting depression is still controversial. It is assumed that the dysregulated cytokines are produced due to the hyperactivation of the immune system in depression. We aimed to evaluate the possible alteration and the role of serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in MDD patients. The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5 th edition was used to diagnose patients and evaluation of healthy controls (HCs). The severity of depression was measured by the Hamilton depression rating scale (Ham-D). Serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Increased levels of serum IL-1β and TNF-α were observed in MDD patients compared to HCs. These higher levels of peripheral markers were positively correlated with the severity of depression.Moreover, females with higher Ham-D scores showed greater serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels compared to males. Good predictive values were detected for both serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Therefore, the elevated levels of serum IL-1β and TNF-α might be used as risk assessment indicators for MDD.

Severe session jam phobia (SJP), the extent of underprivileged online education, and subsequent mental health disorders among students have emerged as distinguished global problems due to the overwhelming effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of extended COVID-19 lockdown and its mediating factors on current e-Learning activities, the prevalence of severe SJP and psychological distress among university students in Bangladesh. A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assemble responses through Google Form by applying a simple snowball sampling technique among university students aged 18 years or above in Bangladesh. All ethical considerations were maintained, and univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were employed to analyze the acquired data set. Among the total analyzed data (n = 1,122), the male and female ratio was almost 1:1, and a remarkable segment (63.7%) was aged between 21–24 years. Alarmingly, around 50–60% of the students were suffering from severe SJP, prevailing underprivileged education in the e-Learning platform, and severe mental distress. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that the students from public universities, lower- and mid-income families, lower-aged, and junior years education groups were significantly (p < 0.05) more underprivileged than their counter groups. Besides, the monthly family income and university type significantly influenced the extent of severe SJP. Finally, the students who were female, rustic, come from low-income families (below 25,000 BDT), who had academic uncertainty, job insecurity, online exam phobia, and dissatisfaction with e-Learning education, were significantly suffering from moderate to severe mental distress. The current evidence demonstrates that a substantial number of Bangladeshi university students are struggling with extreme session jam phobia, underprivileged e-Learning education, and subsequent psychological distress, which need to be immediately addressed through concerted efforts by the government, parents, and university authorities.