SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac was 67% effective in preventing symptomatic infection in the first real-world study of the Chinese shot, the Chilean government said on Friday. The vaccine was 85% effective in preventing hospitalizations and 80% effective in preventing deaths, the government said in a report prepared…
Risk of rare blood clotting much higher in COVID-19 than for vaccines
Researchers at the University of Oxford have today reported that the risk of the rare blood clotting known as cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) following COVID-19 infection is around 100 times greater than normal, several times higher than it is post-vaccination or following influenza. The study authors, led by Professor Paul…
UK: Lockdown, Not Vaccines, Behind Drop in COVID Deaths
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Tuesday that the rapid drop in COVID-19 deaths was largely down to a three-month lockdown, not the vaccination programme, and that cases would rise once again as restrictions ease. The United Kingdom launched its inoculation drive in December and has…
Mexican-Made COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Ready This Year
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico aims to have developed a vaccine against COVID-19 that could be granted approval for emergency use this year, a senior official said on Tuesday, an outcome that could wean it off unreliable foreign supplies for its slow vaccination program. The head of the National Council…
China Considers Mixing COVID-19 Vaccines to Boost Protection Rate
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s top disease control official has said the country is formally considering mixing COVID-19 vaccines as a way of further boosting vaccine efficacy. Available data shows Chinese vaccines lag behind others including Pfizer and Moderna in terms of efficacy, but require less stringent temperature controls during storage….
WHO Does Not Back Vaccination Passports for Now: Spokeswoman
GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization does not back requiring vaccination passports for travel due to uncertainty over whether inoculation prevents transmission of the virus, as well as equity concerns, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. “We as WHO are saying at this stage we would not like to see…
Australia urgently needs mass COVID vaccination hubs—but must have more vaccines first
Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been much maligned recently, as it’s become clear we’re way behind schedule. So far Australia’s average daily rate since the rollout began in late February is around 22,000 doses a day according to my calculations. To achieve herd immunity, I calculate we’ll need to vaccinate…
COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies Suggested for Patients on Antirheumatic Immunosuppressive Therapy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – UK experts propose evidence-based management strategies for rheumatology patients on immunosuppressive therapy, including delaying/postponing rituximab, as appropriate. “The aim of this viewpoint article is to outline the existing data on the effect of antirheumatic therapy on vaccine responses in patients with inflammatory arthritis, and to…
Delivering vaccines directly to the lungs can boost immune responses to respiratory infections or lung cancer: study
Many viruses infect their hosts through mucosal surfaces such as the lining of the respiratory tract. MIT researchers have now developed a vaccination strategy that can create an army of T cells that are ready and waiting at those surfaces, offering a quicker response to viral invaders. The researchers showed…
Special Report: The ex-Pfizer scientist who became an anti-vax hero
LONDON (Reuters) – Late last year, a semi-retired British scientist co-authored a petition to Europe’s medicines regulator. The petitioners made a bold demand: Halt COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.FILE PHOTO: A medical worker fills a syringe with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the COVID-19 vaccination centre of ‘Healthcare Centre’ in Nis, Serbia, March…
Alaska first state to open vaccines to all adults
Fauci: Young children won’t have access to vaccine until 2022 Stanford professor of medicine Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Yale School of Public Health professor Dr. Harvey Risch discuss Alaska has become the first state to drop eligibility requirements for COVID-19 vaccines and allow anyone 16 or older who lives or…