Vaccine skepticism among young adults may stall efforts to achieve herd immunity – a threshold in which approximately 80 percent of a population is vaccinated against the coronavirus. A study by UC San Francisco researchers found that about one in four unvaccinated people aged 18 to 25 said that they…
WHO, COVAX partners work with South African consortium to build COVID-19 vaccine technology transfer hub
The World Health Organization (WHO) and its COVAX partners are working with a South African consortium comprising Biovac, Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, a network of universities and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish its first COVID mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub. The move follows WHO's…
One vaccine dose enough for COVID-19 survivors
Two mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 have proven safe and effective in clinical trials, as well as in the millions of people who have been vaccinated so far. But how prior SARS-CoV-2 infection affects vaccine response, and how long that response lasts, are still uncertain. Now, a new study in ACS…
FDA grants Pfizer vaccine green light for use in kids aged 12 to 15
True COVID-19 origins kept quiet, ‘wall of silence’ from virologists: Science writer Science writer Nicholas Wade provides insight into the true origins of COVID-19. Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday for use in children aged 12 to 15. “Today’s action…
Which COVID-19 Vaccine Is The Most Popular?
On December 14, 2020, Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse, became the first person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, outside of clinical trials. As reported by The Washington Post, the vaccine was developed in record time and was first given to frontline healthcare workers, in hopes…
In Africa, vaccine hesitancy adds to slow rollout of doses
Some Africans are hesitating to get COVID-19 vaccines amid concerns about their safety, alarming public health officials as some countries start to destroy thousands of doses that expired before use. Malawi and South Sudan in recent days have said they will destroy some of their doses, a concerning development on…
Few SARS-CoV-2 vaccine breakthrough infections reported at SNFs
(HealthDay)—Few cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections have been reported at skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) among those with at least 14 days since receipt of the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series, according to research published in the April 21 early-release issue of the…
Only One Vaccine Is OK for Older Teens. It’s Also the Hardest to Manage in Rural America.
As states expand covid-19 vaccine eligibility to allow shots for 16- and 17-year-olds, teens in rural America may have trouble getting them. Of the three vaccines authorized in the U.S., currently only one can go to that age group: the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. That vaccine comes in 1,170-dose packages at minimum…
J&J ‘very confident’ in vaccine, eyes quick resolution
Johnson & Johnson remains “very confident” in its COVID-19 vaccine and hopeful for a quick resolution from regulators over its status, a top executive said Tuesday. “We remain very confident and very hopeful that the benefit-risk profile will play out,” J&J Chief Financial Officer Joseph Wolk told CNBC. The comments…
Study shows clamp technology promising for future vaccine development
University of Queensland scientists have published the clinical trial data confirming their molecular clamp-stabilized vaccine technology was safe and potentially effective. The vaccine candidate developed by the team last year did not progress through to Phase 2/3 clinical trials, due to cross reactivity caused by the protein fragment used to…
Science and need—not wealth or nationality—should guide vaccine allocation and prioritization
Ensuring COVID-19 vaccine access for refugee and displaced populations, and addressing health inequities, is vital for an effective pandemic response. Yet, vaccine allocation and distribution has been neither equitable nor inclusive, despite that global leaders have stressed this as a critical aspect to globally overcoming the pandemic, according to a…