Coronavirus Watch: Latest in vaccine research

There's lots of vaccine news this week.

First, a federal advisory committee plans to hold three days of meetings to discuss a wide range of vaccines, including flu, pneumonia, chikungunya, dengue, RSV and mpox (formerly known as monkeypox).

On Friday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will discuss COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, though they are not scheduled to hold a formal vote.

Here are a few vaccine studies we're also reading: 

Heart health

Vaccination was associated with a lower risk of heart complications from a COVID-19 infection, a new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai shows, particularly for people already vulnerable to a wide range of heart issues. The study found a lower risk of complications among people who had previous cardiac issues, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, liver disease or obesity, who were vaccinated when they caught COVID-19, even if they were not up to date on their shots.

Risk of diabetes 

A COVID infection increases a person's risk of Type 2 diabetes and that risk is higher for people who are unvaccinated, according to a study from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai published in JAMA last week. 

COVID and cancer

We know that cancer patients are more vulnerable to severe disease when they get COVID, and a new study suggests that while two doses of the COVID vaccine is good, three is better to help prevent hospitalization and death. The study, published in The Lancet, is the largest to examine outcomes for vaccinated cancer patients in North America. 

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Thanks for subscribing! This week's newsletter was compiled by health reporter Karen Weintraub and editor Rachel Aretakis. For more health news, follow our work here.