Abstract

The world community has been changed irrevocably by the highly infectious and mutating SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. The necessary research output on COVID-19 has been revolutionary, especially in the medical and biomedical sciences, where the search for a vaccine is essential for the world to have a semblance of normality in the era of COVID-19. Much of the advanced research has been distributed in the leading medical journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), where the latest medical research is distributed on a daily basis, and where comments can also be published. The purpose of this paper is to provide a critique of interesting and highly topical research papers that have been published in JAMA, mostly within the past two months. The diverse topics include treating influenza and COVID-19 simultaneously, dealing with a second wave of COVID-19 in Beijing, honesty is best for known and unknown GAWI and WIST, unreliability of asymptomatic COVID-19 testing outcomes for children, the effectiveness of flu vaccines, acute anxiety during COVID-19, MAID as an end of life option, longer-term effects of corticosteroids on the mortality of critically ill COVID-19 patients, isolation, loneliness and psychological distress during COVID-19, the selection of volunteers for COVID-19 vaccine trials, the mental health of children and adolescents during COVID-19, fertility preservation through hormonal intervention for transgender adolescents, safe, effective and affordable COVID-19 vaccines, essential requirements for acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine, ischemic stroke rates from COVID-19 and influenza, mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of children, COVID-19 asymptomatic children and adults, and Who Dares Wins (Qui Audet Adipiscitur), even against COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Influenza vaccines; Dealing with a second wave of COVID-19 in Beijing; Honesty is best for known and unknown GAWI and WIST; Unreliability of asymptomatic COVID-19 testing outcomes for children; Acute anxiety during COVID-19; MAID as an end of life option; Longer-term effects of corticosteroids on the mortality of critically ill COVID-19 patients; Isolation; Loneliness; Psychological distress during COVID-19; Selection of volunteers for COVID-19 vaccine trials; Mental health of children and adolescents during COVID-19; Fertility preservation through hormonal intervention for transgender adolescents; Safe; Effective and affordable COVID-19 vaccines; Essential requirements for acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine; Ischemic stroke rates from COVID-19; Influenza; Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of children; COVID-19 asymptomatic children and adults; Who dares wins (Qui Audet Adipiscitur); Even against COVID-19