Global

The evolution of vaccine developments, from small pox to COVID-19

Thu, 2021-04-01 21:00 — mike kraft

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2034334

On the Shoulders of Giants — From Jenner’s Cowpox to mRNA Covid Vaccines

In September 2008, Katalin Karikó, Drew Weissman, and their colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania modified messenger RNA (mRNA) using nucleoside analogues. These modifications stabilized the molecule and eliminated its capacity for inducing innate immunity, thereby making mRNA a promising tool for both gene replacement and vaccination.¹ In December 2020, on the basis of safety and efficacy data generated in two large, placebo-controlled studies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued emergency use authorizations for two mRNA vaccines for the prevention of Covid-19. Clearance of this hurdle by the first mRNA vaccines represents the most recent in a series of breakthroughs in the realm of viral vaccines, each building on the last and each with a compelling record of disease prevention.

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Other

Read more about The evolution of vaccine developments, from small pox to COVID-19
Log in or register to post comments

ANALYSIS: How richer countries got their vaccine supplies first

Thu, 2021-04-01 12:16 — mike kraft

See How Rich Countries Got to the Front of the Vaccine Line Many low-income nations lacked the means to preorder doses, and their residents have received just 0.1 percent of vaccine shots given worldwide. The New York Times

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Situation Report

Read more about ANALYSIS: How richer countries got their vaccine supplies first
Log in or register to post comments

AstraZeneca vaccine: Status report on which countries are using and which ones are suspending

Thu, 2021-04-01 10:42 — mike kraft

Factbox: Some countries limit AstraZeneca vaccine use amid concern over rare blood clots Some countries are restricting use of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 while others have resumed inoculations, as investigations into reports of rare, and sometimes severe, blood clots continue. Reuters Staff U.S.

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Situation Report

Read more about AstraZeneca vaccine: Status report on which countries are using and which ones are suspending
Log in or register to post comments

Indications that Vaccines Help Some COVID Long-Haulers

Thu, 2021-04-01 10:33 — mike kraft

An estimated 10% to 30% of people who get COVID-19 suffer from lingering symptoms of the disease, or what's known as "long COVID."

Judy Dodd, who lives in New York City, is one of them. She spent nearly a year plagued by headaches, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue and problems with smell, among other symptoms.

She says she worried that this "slog through life" was going to be her new normal.

Everything changed after she got her COVID-19 vaccine.

"I was like a new person, it was the craziest thing ever," says Dodd, referring to how many of her health problems subsided significantly after her second shot.

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Situation Report

Read more about Indications that Vaccines Help Some COVID Long-Haulers
Log in or register to post comments

Early trials begin of Moderna vaccine against South African variant

Thu, 2021-04-01 10:06 — mike kraft

NIH begins early trials of Moderna vaccine against South African The National Institutes of Health has begun early-stage clinical trials of an investigational coronavirus vaccine from Moderna intended to protect against a strain of the virus first discovered in Nathaniel Weixel TheHill

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Situation Report

Read more about Early trials begin of Moderna vaccine against South African variant
Log in or register to post comments

Pfizer says tests show its vaccine is effective against the South African variant

Thu, 2021-04-01 09:37 — mike kraft

Pfizer says vaccine protection lasts at least 6 months after 2nd shot "It is an important step to further confirm the strong efficacy and good safety data we have seen so far," BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said. NBC News

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Analysis

Situation Report

Read more about Pfizer says tests show its vaccine is effective against the South African variant
Log in or register to post comments

Moderna’s has begun trial of variant-specific Covid-19 vaccine

Wed, 2021-03-31 18:32 — mike kraft

Trial of Moderna’s variant-specific Covid-19 vaccine has begun, US health institute says The clinical trial for Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine designed to protect against the B.1.351 variant, first identified in South Africa, has begun, the US National Institutes of Health said Wednesday. By <a href="/profiles/joshua-berlinger">Joshua Berlinger</a>, Christopher Johnson and <a href="/profiles/angela-dewan">Angela Dewan</a>, CNN CNN

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Situation Report

Read more about Moderna’s has begun trial of variant-specific Covid-19 vaccine
Log in or register to post comments

The UK variant has become dominant in the US as predicted by the CDC--new study

Wed, 2021-03-31 17:43 — mike kraft

CDC warned the UK variant would become dominant by March, and there's evidence it has Mounting evidence suggests the more contagious coronavirus variant first identified in the UK, which experts believe is partly driving an uptick of cases in places like Michigan, may already be dominant across the US. By <a href="/profiles/joshua-berlinger">Joshua Berlinger</a>, Christopher Johnson and <a href="/profiles/angela-dewan">Angela Dewan</a>, CNN CNN

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Situation Report

Read more about The UK variant has become dominant in the US as predicted by the CDC--new study
Log in or register to post comments

Presymptomatic individuals accounted for 75 percent of confirmed COVID-19 transmission events --New study ,

Wed, 2021-03-31 12:24 — mike kraft

Analysis of Asymptomatic and Presymptomatic Transmission in SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak, Germany, 2020

Catching the coronavirus from people who are asymptomatic, individuals who are infected but never have symptoms, may be exceptionally rare, according to a small but thorough study of 59 people who had the virus and 254 people they interacted with. However, presymptomatic individuals, those who are infected but haven’t yet begun to show symptoms, accounted for 75 percent of confirmed transmission events, researchers report in an April dispatch of Emerging Infectious Disease.

The seven asymptomatic cases did not transmit the virus to any of their contacts. Twenty-two of the 29 transmission events occurred when an infected person who was not yet showing symptoms interacted with people outside of their household. The study underlines the importance of isolation after testing positive, to reduce the chance of transmission even before symptoms start. ...

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags: