Covid Vaccine Race

Recent booster shots of mRNA vaccines prevented severe infection, hospitalization and death during the Omicron wave of the pandemic, despite a higher rate of breakthrough infections than was seen during the Delta wave, a new study found.

Check out these important stories we covered this past week.

The submission is for a fourth dose of its Spikevax (mRNA-1273) vaccine in adults 18 years of age and older.

A recent JAMA article discussed the role of caregiver vaccination status in pediatric hospitals and ethics of exclusion.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill Paxlovid, which includes nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 89% among adults at high risk for severe disease, recently published phase 2/3 trial data show.

The application is based on 2 Israeli studies for the additional shot for people 65 years and older.

In children and adolescents, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was only mildly effective against symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infections. Broken down by variant, Omicron infections were more likely to occur and more likely to be asymptomatic.

In a nationally televised interview, Pfizer Albert Bourla said it is necessary to fend off waning protection.

Popular pain and fever-reducing drugs can have unintended consequences when it comes to infectious diseases.

A large surveillance study of 2 symptom-reporting databases found side effects after Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination were frequently nonserious and resolved within 1-2 days.

Final analysis of phase 3, placebo-controlled trial confirms efficacy and safety of single-dose adenoviral vector vaccine against COVID-19.

This week, one of the m-RNA COVID-19 vaccine’s effectiveness was shown to drop from 68% to 12% in children 5-11 years old within a month. This data raises concerns of what should be done to protect this pediatric population.

However, those that do have significant influence—and may have affected vaccination rates and treatment use, research suggests.

New research points to vaccine effectiveness against infection dropping from 68% to 12% in this pediatric population within a month.

Although it is possible, a small Danish study showed the majority of these cases were often mild and in unvaccinated individuals.

The waning of protection after full vaccination matters more than the advent of the more transmissible Delta variant in subjects who tested positive for COVID-19.

This is the first authorized COVID-19 vaccine that was developed by a Canadian-based company, and the first that used a plant-based protein technology.

CDC expands recommended timeline between second and third COVID-19 vaccine to 8 weeks for people 12 years and older, especially for young men, to reduce the risk of myocarditis.

Infection-acquired immunity to SARS-CoV-2 remains higher for longer when followed by vaccination.

The companies plan to seek regulatory authorization for the vaccine both in the US and Europe.

A clinician offers his perspective on how the virus is behaving and the role that vaccines and therapies will play.

Study highlights elevated levels of antibody response in those with history of COVID-19.

A preprint study shows the variant is resistant to some monoclonal antibodies and vaccines.

Investigators looked at full vaccination and booster dose observational data to offer some insights on protection and breakthrough infections.

The idea of a future with COVID-19 is settling in, and building strategies that improve quality of life as we live with this viral disease are paramount.

A research agenda focusing on breakthrough infections, reinfections, severity, and sequelae is needed to inform clinical practice when COVID-19 emphasis shifts from eradication to living with the disease.

Pfizer-BioNTech previously asked for FDA approval to administer its COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months-4 years of age, but has deferred the request after reviewing more data.

Their investigational vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, demonstrated 82% efficacy against the Delta variant in participants 12-17 years old.

A study looked at COVID-19 vaccination rates and new COVID-19 infections across US counties during the Delta surge last summer. Many of the highly infected counties were considered rural, highlighting some of the vaccination challenges surrounding these areas.

A process known as thin film freezing can convert existing therapies into powder that offers another delivery solution and may help alleviate storage challenges in developing countries.