CRAIG T. KOJIMA / JAN. 17
A COVID-19 testing swab during testing at the Neal Blaisdell Center.
The Hawaii Department of Health today reported 4,075 new COVID-19 infections over the past week, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 325,944.
The states seven-day average of new cases was reported at 573, one fewer than 574 reported on July 20. DOHs daily average reflects new cases per day from July 16 to 22, which is an earlier set of days than the new infections count.
DOH also reported 23 more deaths, bringing the states coronavirus-related death toll to 1,571.
By island, there were 2,719 new infections reported on Oahu, 542 on Hawaii island, 527 on Maui, 176 on Kauai, 11 on Molokai, and five on Lanai. Another 95 infections were reported for out-of-state Hawaii residents.
Actual numbers are estimated to be at least five to six times higher since these figures do not include home test kit results, DOH Director Dr. Elizabeth Char has said previously.
The states average positivity rate, meanwhile, ticked up to 15.7% compared to 15.1% reported the previous week, representing tests performed between July 19 to 25.
The average positivity rates for Kauai County increased this week to 19.9% compared to 18.5% reported the previous week. The average positivity rate for Maui County jumped to 17.8%, up from 14.7% reported the previous week.
There were 163 patients with COVID in Hawaii hospitals today, according to the state dashboard, slightly higher than 159 reported the previous week. Of the 163, 11 are in intensive care and seven on ventilators.
In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers estimated the impact of different coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) booster vaccinations in the United States (US) during fall 2022.
The continual emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) variants of concern (VOCs) warrants the development of adapted SARS-CoV-2 vaccines as health authorities and policy-makers plan for COVID-19 vaccinations in fall 2022. Studies have reported that COVID-19 patients elicit lower neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 VOC than against Omicron BA.1 VOC.
In the present study, researchers estimated the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infections and associated hospitalizations by administering three different mRNA vaccine boosters against SARS-CoV-2 over six months (between September 2022 and February 2023) among adults residing in the US.
The participants were boosted with the mRNA-1273 monovalent vaccine (ancestral strain) from September 2022, the mRNA-1273.214 bivalent vaccine (ancestral strain + Omicron BA.1) from September 2022 onwards, or the mRNA-1273.222 bivalent vaccine (ancestral strain + Omicron BA.4/5) from November 2022. In addition, sensitivity analyses were performed based on SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility, mRNA vaccination coverage, masking, Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) treatment, and antibody waning against SARS-CoV-2 over time.
Susceptible-exposed-infection-recovered (SEIR) compartmental modeling was used for the analysis stratified by age and SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics. The SIER model was calibrated between 31 January 31, 2020, and 31 May 2022 for matching all SARS-CoV-2 infections to IHME (institute for health metrics evaluation) estimates.
Sensitivity analyses around transmissibility, vaccine coverage, masking, and waning of natural and vaccine-induced immunity changed the magnitude of cases prevented but boosting with mRNA-1273.214 in September consistently prevented more cases of infection and hospitalization than the other two strategies.
It was assumed that the prime vaccinations for the study participants were combinations of the BNT162b2 and AD26.COV2.S and mRNA-1273 vaccines and that all participants received prime vaccinations and initial booster vaccinations before 31 May 2022, and the second booster vaccinations before 15 June 2022.
The model simulation period was divided into three timeframes: pre-Omicron (between 31 January 2020 and 30 November 2021); Omicron BA.1/2 (between 1 December 2021 and 14 August 2022); and Omicron BA.4/5 (between 15 August 2022 and 28 February 2023). Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was estimated for prime vaccinations, the first booster, and the second booster based on relative nAb titers [geometric mean titers (GMT)] for estimating the impact of vaccinations and newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Compared to no boosters, the estimated decreases in SARS-CoV-2 infections by mRNA-1273, mRNA-1273.214, and mRNA-1273.222 vaccines were 34%, 40%, and 18%, respectively, over six months. Likewise, initiating booster vaccinations in September viz. mRNA-1273 and mRNA-1273.214, significantly prevented hospitalizations by 42% and 48%, respectively, than booster vaccination initiation in November by mRNA-1273.222 (25%) over six months in comparison to no boosters.
The model predicted that by September 2022, individuals who received only prime vaccinations or the first booster would elicit no vaccine-induced immunity, while VE for the second booster was <30%, and VE against COVID-19 severity was <50% for recipients of only prime vaccinations. The mRNA-1273.214 booster increased protection against SARS-CoV-2 by 70% and against infection severity by 90%.
If it is assumed that Omicron BA.4/5 would persist for >1 year, the mRNA-1273, mRNA-1273.214, and mRNA-1273.222 boosters were estimated to decrease SARS-CoV-2 infections by 36%, 47%, and 45%, respectively, in comparison to booster vaccinations in the fall period. The projected COVID-19 case counts were estimated to decrease with stronger natural immunity; however, the mRNA-1273.214 booster remained effective even after assuming that natural immunity waned at a rate of 50% with a 36% decrease in COVID-19 case counts in comparison to no boosters in the fall period.
The percent reduction in six months of COVID-19 cases when boosting with mRNA-1273.214 was 33%, and no fall booster was 36%. On delaying the enhancement in SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility from 15 August to 15 September 2022 and administering boosters from September onwards, the reduction in infection severity with mRNA-1273.214 in comparison to no fall booster was 42%.
If fall booster uptake was 25% of the estimated base case scenario, the estimated reductions in COVID-case counts were 27%, 14%, and 32% for the mRNA-1273, mRNA-1273.222, and mRNA-1273.214 boosters, respectively. Reducing the rate of antibody waning of the mRNA-1273.214 booster by 25% prevented 41% of infections, 50% prevented 42% of infections, and 75% prevented 43% of SARS-CoV-2 infections, respectively, in comparison to no fall booster.
Overall, the study findings showed that vaccinating with the bivalent mRNA-1273.214 booster was more effective over six months in preventing Omicron BA.4/5 infections and associated hospitalizations compared to the next-generation mRNA-1273.222 vaccine only because mRNA-1273.214 booster could be administered two months earlier than the mRNA-1273.222 booster. Booster vaccinations must not be delayed until an Omicron BA.4/5-specific vaccine is available.
medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Pediatrician on COVID-19 vaccines and back-to-school
Updated: 5:29 PM EDT Jul 28, 2022
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>> BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE HERE BEFORE WE KNOW IT. AND A NEW ANALYSIS SHOWS MANY KIDS ARE STILL NOT PROTECTED AGAINST COVID 19. >> HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. KRISTIN MOFFITT, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASES EXPERT AT BOSTON CHILDRENS HOSPITAL. DR. MOFFITT, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. CNN LOOKED AT THE DATA AND FOUND THAT LESS THAN HALF OF CHILDREN AND TEENS ARE FULLY VACCINATED NATIONWIDE AND ONLY A TENTH HAVE BEEN BOOSTED. EVEN WHERE STATES LIKE MASSACHUSETTS 80% GENERALLY HAVE IT BUT NOT AND THAT AGE BRACKET. DOES THIS SURPRISE YOU? >> ITS NOT SURPRISING THAT THE VACCINE UPTAKE RATES ARE HIGHER THAN HIGH SCHOOL -- HIGHER IN HIGH SCHOOL THEN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. MUCH OF THIS IS DUE TO THE PERCEPTION THAT IF YOU HAVE BEEN INFECTED BY COVID AND YOU HAVE HAD THE PRIMARY VACCINES, THAT YOU DONT NEED A BOOSTER. WE KNOW THAT BOOSTERS ARE SAFE AND THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED AND THEY ENHANCE OUR PROTECTION. THEY WILL DO EVEN MORE TO PROTECT US AGAINST SEVERE INFECTION, SO KIDS SHOULD GET BOOSTED IF THEY ARE ELIGIBLE. >> MASSACHUSETTS HAS CONSISTENTLY HAD A HIGHER VACCINATION RATE OVERALL. BUT, ANECDOTALLY, WE UNDERSTAND THERE HASNT BEEN HUGE DEMAND FOR VACCINATIONS FOR THE YOUNGEST KIDS. IS THAT WHAT YOURE SEEING? >> UNFORTUNATELY, YES. MASSACHUSETTS IS ONLY VACCINATED 10% OF CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE. THAT PUTS MASSACHUSETTS IN THE THIRD HIGHEST RANK FOR VACCINATION RATES IN THIS AGE ONLY BEHIND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND VERMONT BUT THAT IS A LOW PERCENTAGE ESPECIALLY FOR THESE VACCINES HAVING BEEN AVAILABLE FOR 90 DAYS NOW. >> IF PARENTS ARE STILL ON THE FENCE ABOUT GETTING YOUNG KIDS THAT FIRST DOSE, WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO KNOW? >> I WOULD WANT PARENTS TO KNOW THAT WE KNOW THAT THESE VACCINES WILL HELP ATTACKED YOUNG CHILDREN AGAINST SEVERE INFECTION AND HOSPITALIZATION FROM COVID-19. WHILE ITS TRUE THAT PEDIATRIC HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE LESS LIKELY THAN FOR ADULTS, BUT THEY DO HAPPEN. THE RATES HAVE BEEN RISING BECAUSE OF SO MUCH TRANSMISSION RIGHT NOW. PEDIATRIC RATES FOR HOSPITALIZATION ARE HIGHER FOR KIDS UNDER FIVE AND KIDS OF OTHER AGES AND WE KNOW THIS CAN BE PREVENTED BY VACCINATION. >> FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, WHATS THE BEST PLAN OF ATTACK RIGHT NOW FOR GIVING KIDS THE BEST PROTECTION ONCE SCHOOL STARTS? >> FOR KIDS WHO HAVE NOT STARTED OR COMPLETED THE PRIMARY SERIES, GET IT STARTED, GET IT COMPLETED . IF YOUR CHILD IS OLD ENOUGH TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A BOOSTER, GET THE BOOSTER. BEING IS IMMUNIZED AS POSSIBLE IS STILL VERY EFFECTIVE AT PREVENTING SEVERE INFECTION REGARDLESS OF THE VARIANT CIRCULATING. WE DONT KNOW WHERE WERE GOING TO BE IN ONE MONTH WHEN THE SCHOOL DOORS OPEN. >> DR. MOFFITT, THANK YOU. AND TO OUR VIEWERS IF YOU HAVE YOUD LIKE OUR EXPERTS TO ANSWER EMAIL THEM TO ASK AT WCVB.CO
Pediatrician on COVID-19 vaccines and back-to-school
Updated: 5:29 PM EDT Jul 28, 2022
Kristin Moffitt, an infectious disease specialist with Boston Children's Hospital, talks about COVID-19 vaccines as kids prepare to go back to school.
Kristin Moffitt, an infectious disease specialist with Boston Children's Hospital, talks about COVID-19 vaccines as kids prepare to go back to school.
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Black toddlers and infants in Texas are being vaccinated against COVID-19 much more slowly than their white, Hispanic and Asian counterparts, according to state health data.
On the other end of the spectrum, 43% of the doses that have been administered to babies and kids who became eligible last month have gone to Hispanic children, state numbers show. And young Asian kids have received a share of the total doses that is nearly triple their share of Texans in that age group.
In the first five weeks that COVID-19 vaccines have been available to Texans ages 6 months to 4 years, more than 64,000 of the states 1.8 million newly eligible children have had at least one shot in the Pfizer or Moderna regimen. While this represents only 3.5% of the states youngest eligible age group, thats roughly the same as the national rate for babies and children in that age group.
Disparities are surfacing along racial lines that are similar to those seen in previous age groups, particularly in the early stages of the vaccine rollout highlighting an ongoing and multilayered challenge to health officials as they try to vaccinate a significant portion of young Texans, more than half of whom are children of color.
In all age groups now eligible for the vaccine, some 77% of Asian Texans have been vaccinated, compared with 68% of Hispanics, 55% of whites and 49% of Blacks.
In whiter, more rural areas, where the rate of fully vaccinated people has consistently lagged behind the statewide rate, vaccine hesitancy is often connected to mistrust in the government and health care access is limited for the 1 in 10 Texans who live in those regions.
Hispanic and Black Texans report more issues with access than do white families, particularly when it comes to taking time off work to get a vaccine. Those communities also experience hesitancy commonly stemming from a mistrust in the health care system.
Sharon Cohan, founder and executive director of VaxTogetherAustin, said an additional challenge comes from the federal guidelines that anyone under the age of 3 receive the vaccine only after getting a doctors prescription. Also, only doctors and public health officials are allowed to give the shot to children ages 2 or younger.
Thats a barrier for people who have limited access to doctors or who feel uncomfortable in traditional health care settings, she said.
And it ties the hands of organizations like hers, which usually partners with Walgreens to run clinics and vaccination events at places like schools that most easily can reach lower-income communities and children of color.
We cant just come in with our usual team and vaccinate the kids who are 6 months and up, she said. In an ideal world, every parent and every child has a primary care pediatrician. But thats just not the reality.
According to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, of the 64,314 doses administered to the youngest age group:
Texas health officials said the state will continue to focus on populations with lower vaccine uptake, including communities of color and rural communities in its outreach efforts, said Douglas Loveday, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Texas is slightly ahead of the U.S. in terms of percentage of its youngest children vaccinated, although state and local health officials say the number of children vaccinated is lower than they had hoped.
But vaccine uptake, no matter what age and for most races, has always been a battle in parts of Texas for reasons ranging from politics to poverty, geography to governmental mistrust.
Weve been dealing with that this entire pandemic, Cohan said.
Statewide, some 61% of Texans have been fully vaccinated since the shot was first available in December 2020, compared with 79% nationally.
In the Rio Grande Valley, early interest in and access to the vaccine by adult recipients was higher than expected in fact, the entire border region consistently led the state in its vaccination rates. In Hidalgo County, for example, 83% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Thats why Dr. Ivan Melendez, Hidalgo County health authority, is surprised and saddened by a significant drop-off in vaccine uptake by those same residents when it comes to their young children.
Of the 1,000 doses his agency has received that are earmarked for those children, only about 200 have been administered because interest has been so low, he said.
Melendez doesnt find the proportionately higher rates among Hispanic children to be particularly encouraging, given the low overall number of takers for a vaccine thats in plenty of supply.
Our community partners are kind of reporting something similar, that were just disappointed in the amount of people that are taking it up in this age group, he said. The physicians and the health department are trying to be really proactive in educating people, but I dont think its a resource issue. I dont think its because we dont have enough air time. Its not that we dont have enough vaccines, because we certainly do.
Melendez, who is also a family practitioner, said hes not seeing the same level of vaccine uptake for the kids as he did for the adults in the early days mainly due to misinformation about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, and apathy about the pandemic.
Probably the underlying thing is, Ill risk it, but Im not going to let my kids risk it, Melendez said.
Eric Lau contributed to this story.
Texas Childrens Hospital has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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Cardiologist and author Peter A. McCullough, MD, has once again caught the attention of AFP, a fact-checking organization with offices all over the world, for speaking out about COVID-19 vaccines.
Video footage of McCullough is being used on social media to promote a fake COVID-19 recall, according to a new analysis from AFP. The footage comes from a June 2022 testimony McCullough gave to the Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. In the clip, he testifies that a global recall of all vaccines is now in place, adding that 40,000 vaccine-related deaths have already been reported around the world.
The post was liked by thousands of users on Instagram, but AFPs fact-checking team has said that these claims are inaccurate. They reached out to numerous government agencies, including some from outside of the United States, to reach this conclusion.
As of July 26, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration had not listed any recalls for the four COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the U.S., according to AFP. Abby Capobianco, an FDA spokesperson, is even quoted in the article confirming this to be the case.
Representatives from the CDC, European Medicines Agency and World Health Organization also communicated to AFP that they did not know of any global efforts to recall vaccines.
Small batches of some vaccines have been recalled in the last two years, AFPs team added, due to specific issues. But no vaccines have been recalled altogether, and vaccination is still being encouraged all over the world.
In a recent article posted to thebioRxiv* preprint server, investigators studied a linear deoxyribonucleic acid (linDNA) severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine option in felines.
SARS-CoV-2, the Coronavirusdisease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic's etiologic agent, has afflicted a broad range of animal species, particularly mammals, globally from its initial discovery in late 2019 in China. The American Veterinary Medical Association noted that in addition to human-to-human transmission, some pets and wild animals, particularly cats, have shown evidence of human-to-animal SARS-CoV-2 spread.
According to several priorstudies, cats are receptive to COVID-19 and are vulnerable to airborne infections, which hasshown the value of using animal models in the study of infectious illnesses and emphasized that SARS-CoV-2's intermediate animal source is still unidentified. Finding ways to break the chain of transmission and lessen the threat of spillover to vulnerable species is essential considering the high transmissibility capability of SARS-CoV-2 to many host species, and the close interaction between animals and humans.
In the current research, the scientists presented findings from a randomized Phase 1/2 clinical trial in domestic cats using a nucleic acid-based COVID-19 vaccine made of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based linDNA. They evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of the linDNA vaccine that contained the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD). Moreover, the vaccine was delivered utilizing electro-gene transfer (EGT).
The expression sequence harboring the RBD region of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein found in the pTK1A-TPA-RBD plasmid was amplified using PCR primers. The template for the PCR-centered linDNA amplicon expression vector production was pTK1A-TPARBD, a plasmid DNA that encodes the RBD area of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. The authors included a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) leader sequence for stimulating protein production.
By electroporating either linDNA or a plasmid expressing the RBD region of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein across the skeletal muscle of BALB/c mice, the researchers evaluated thein vivoimmunogenicity of the linDNA COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccination protocol involved injecting 6-week-old BALB/c mice with 20 g of plasmid DNA, i.e., 10 g per quadriceps, or an equimolar linDNA dose, i.e., 4,3 g per quadriceps at day 0 as prime and day 28 as boost with a sacrifice at day 38.
Further, the investigators conducted a randomized phase 1/2 clinical investigation comprising 11 domestic cats to evaluate the effectiveness of the linDNA vaccine in an animal species predisposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The vaccination protocol involved administering 1 mg of linDNA intramuscularly twice, on days 0 and 28, and then immediately electroporating the co-localized intramuscular region of each rear leg's tibialis cranialis.
The team used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure anti-RBD immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers after the prime and the boost. Thereby analyzed the immunogenicity of the linDNA vaccine towards the RBD region of SARS-CoV-2 S protein among domestic cats. They investigated the cellular immune reaction generated by the linDNA vaccine in 10 of11 felines immunized with the prime-boost regimen by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISpot) analysis on PBMCs procured on days 28 and 56.
The authors noted that the preclinical findings have demonstrated that a linDNA vaccine expressing the SARS-CoV-2 RBD region was immunogenic in mice when given in a prime-boost vaccination regimen because it consistently elicits cellular and humoral immune reactions. The linDNA vaccine was safe and lacked any detrimental side effects when given to cats as part of a prime-boost vaccination program.
Notably, the linDNA COVID-19 vaccine option demonstrated immunogenicity by inducing binding and neutralizing antibodies, the latter of which is necessary to safeguard against live viral infection shortly after priming against the S RBD of the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain and three SARS-CoV-2 variants (P.1, B.1.1.7, and B.1526). In addition, compared to those found against the B.1.526 and P.1 variants, neutralizing titers evaluated against the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and B.1.1.7 strains were drastically elevated. Furthermore, an RBD-specific T cell reaction comparable to humoral immunity was found shortly after the prime.
Collectively, the study data illustrated that immunizing cats with the current linDNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate induces an RBD-selective T cell reaction and produces neutralizing antibodies towards SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. Additionally, there were no notable adverse events. These findings promote the establishment of vaccines for avoiding viral transmission in SARS-CoV-2-vulnerable animals, specifically those in close contact with people, and show the immunogenicity and safety of a genetic vaccination delivered to cats towards COVID-19.
The team mentioned that even though the present cat data support further research, more experiments are required to show that the linDNA vaccination effectively shields larger animals against SARS-CoV-2 challenges.
In conclusion, the current study indicated that the SARS-CoV-2 linDNA vaccine provides an excellent vaccination platform triggering substantial protective T cell reactions and neutralizing antibodies among felines and possibly other vulnerable animal species.
bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Journal reference:
SINGAPORE and BASEL, Switzerland and SYDNEY, July 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --ACM Biolabs, a biotechnology company with operations in Singapore, Switzerland and Australia, focusing on the development of next generation vaccines for infectious diseases, personalized immunotherapy for cancer patients using its proprietary delivery platform (non-lipid, non-viral), today announced that the first subject has been dosed in the firstinhuman Phase 1 trial of its clinical candidate vaccine, ACM-001, a 2ndgeneration adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (beta variant) vaccine with broad protection against variants of concerns, including delta and omicron demonstrated in a variety of preclinical studies (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT05385991).
About the study: The vaccine is evaluated as a booster in a phase 1, dose escalation study comparing intramuscular versus intranasal administration of various doses of antigen and adjuvant in healthy adult volunteers who have previously received 3 doses of approved Covid vaccines.
"The start of this First-in-human trial is an important milestone for ACM Biolabs. Our next generation COVID-19 vaccine ACM-001, a nasal vaccine, can make a significant contribution to block infections and transmission. The current situation of high infection and reinfection rates despite repeated booster vaccinations reinforces the emerging consensus of the scientific community that there is a high need for an intranasal COVID vaccine," said Dr. Madhavan Nallani, Chief Executive Officer of ACM Biolabs. "We are now very much looking forward to see our promising preclinical results translate in this important Phase 1 study within the next months."
The spike-protein component of ACM-001 is modeled after the immune-evasive beta variant. In animal studies the clinical vaccine candidate was safe and generated a protective immune response against the beta-variant and ancestral form of SARS-2. Additionally, it also elicited broadly neutralizing antibodies against other variants, including delta and omicron. Furthermore, the plug-and-play platform would allow for quick adaption for current and future mutations of the SARS-2 virus.
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ACM-001 is utilizing ACM Biolabs' innovative delivery technology, allowing administration not only via the conventional intramuscular route but also the intranasal route. The nose is the entry point for SARS-CoV-2 and the site where the virus initiates replication. Vaccine application to the mucosal surface lining the nasal cavity is deemed highly relevant and disrupts infection and potentially transmission of COVID-19. This effect could also be applicable to other respiratory infectious diseases. ACM Biolabs has published its comprehensive investigation of the significant benefits of intranasal ACM-001 (Lam JH et al., Biorxiv 2022.02.12.480188). Animals that were immunized with ACM-001 and were infected with live virus, had significantly less viral burden in their noses than their unvaccinated counterparts. Moreover, animals that had received ACM-001 through the nose, needed significantly lesser time to clear infection.
ACM Biolabs' researchers described the exact way of how the vaccine component is delivered inside the body. The formulation facilitates uptake of the vaccine by specialized cells of the body's own immune system (Lam JH et al., ACS Nano 2021, 15, 10, 1575415770). These cells are highly efficient activators of T-cells, antibody-producing B-cells as well as the immune system's memory.
"With our preclinical data we achieved not only mucosal immunity but also the same kind of systemic immunogenicity as the currently licensed vaccines", said Pierre Vandepapeliere, M.D., PhD, Chief Medical Officer of ACM Biolabs. "Knowing that the infection and transmission of covid virus pass through the upper respiratory tract, this study will allow confirmation in human that intranasal administration induces stronger and better immune responses at the portal of virus entry than classical intramuscular administration. Utilizing this disruptive vaccine platform, ACM Biolabs has the potential to become a real game-changer in the field of vaccines, thanks to its capacity to be administered intranasally, to carry various types of vaccine antigens like proteins or mRNA, and its thermostability."
ACM-001 vaccine is developed based on the company's proprietary ACM (artificial cell membrane) polymer-based technology. This next generation delivery platform offers flexibility with multiple payloads (proteins to RNA) and can be stored in a refrigerator in contrast to the current LNP-based delivery. ACM is working on a wide range of products beyond infectious disease vaccines including personalized immunotherapy for cancer patients.
For further information please contact:
For Investors:
Dr. Alexander Breidenbach
Chief Development Officer
ACM Biosciences
+41 61 975 85 88
office@acmbiosciences.com
About ACM Biolabs
ACM Biolabs is developing next generation vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-modulator therapies, and personalized cancer vaccines using its proprietary ACM (Artificial Cell Membranes) polymer-based delivery platform (non-lipid, non-viral). The company's lead program, ACM-001, is an adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (beta variant) vaccine currently in Phase 1.
Founded in Singapore in 2013, ACM Biolabs has established laboratories for research and early manufacturing activities. In 2020 ACM Biosciences, a subsidiary of ACM Biolabs, was established in Basel, Switzerland, to internationalize its development activities. In 2022 ACM Biolabs Pty Ltd was established in Australia to operationalize clinical development. ACM Biosciences leads all clinical and regulatory activities of its pipeline programs. It also coordinates business development discussions with potential partners
For further information, please visit: www.acmbiolabs.com
Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the ACM Biolabs and ACM Biosciences management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only of the date of this communication. ACM Biolabs and ACM Biosciences disclaim any intention or obligation to update and revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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With the Omicron wave of COVID-19 sweeping the country, we previously calculated the number of people who were not up to date with vaccination in vulnerable areas as of June 2, 2022. Specifically, we looked at counties classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has having medium or high COVID-19 community levels, signifying not only that new COVID cases were on the rise but also strains on hospital capacity. Since then, the BA.5 Omicron variant, which appears to be even more contagious and is able to evade prior immunity, has become dominant, driving up cases and hospitalizations even further.
Now, less than two months later, the share of the population living in medium or high community level counties and the number of people in those counties who are not up to date on vaccination have grown significantly; in addition, most who are not up to date are now living in counties with high community levels. We provide an update here, as of July 21, 2022.
Most Americans are not up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. As of July 21, 2022, 227.8 million Americans (70%) were unvaccinated, had not completed their primary series, or had not gotten a booster dose. In each state, at least half the population is not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines. In Alabama, North Carolina, and Virginia, over 80% of people are not yet up to date on COVID-19 vaccines.
In just a short time, with the spread of the latest COVID-19 Omicron variant, the number of people in the U.S. who are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19, because they are not up to date on vaccination and live in vulnerable counties, has grown considerably, rising from 120 million in early June to 198 million now. Moreover, an even greater share of people now live in counties with high community levels. The most vulnerable among them those who remain unvaccinated and live in counties with high community levels has grown from 14 million to 50.4 million.
CDC recommends that all people mask indoors in areas that have high COVID-19 community levels, and that people living in medium-level counties mask based on their personal risk, but most jurisdictions and facilities do not require masking. These updated data illustrate how quickly the current wave is spreading and increasing risk across the country. These data underscore the significant vulnerability to COVID-19 illness that still exists at this time, more than a year since vaccines became widely available in the U.S. to most people. As such, they point to the importance of other public health measures, such as masking and testing, in addition to vaccination, in many parts of the country.
COVID-19 Vaccinations: County-level data on COVID-19 vaccinations were sourced from the CDC COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States, County using data reported as July 20, 2022. Only data from the 50 states and District of Columbia were included (data from territories were excluded as territories are not included in the COVID-19 community level dataset). Counties lacking any vaccination data were also excluded from this analysis. In some cases, the residence county is unknown, and therefore these vaccination data cannot be attributed to a specific county. However, for states where only one COVID-19 community level was possible as of July 20, 2022, namely, the District of Columbia (Medium), Maine (Low), and Rhode Island (Low), vaccination data with unknown county information but attributed to these states were coded as the corresponding COVID-19 community level. Other vaccination data without county information and not attributed to these states were excluded from the analysis (accounting for about 13 million people). For this reason, we are potentially overestimating the number of people not up to date on vaccination. We define up to date on COVID-19 vaccination as people who have completed a primary series and received a booster (except for children under age 5 who are considered to be up to date with primary series COVID-19 vaccination). We calculate the number not up to date on COVID-19 vaccination as population in each county minus people who received primary series and booster. We calculate the number of unvaccinated people as the difference between the county population and the number of people who have received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In a few counties where the population estimate exceeds the number of people who have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the number of unvaccinated individuals is assumed to be 0. We calculate people who are partially vaccinated as the difference between the number of people who completed a primary series and those who received at least one dose. We calculate the number of people that have completed a primary series but not received a booster as the difference between the number of people who have completed a primary series and the number of people who have received a booster dose. Although the CDC now recommends that all immunocompromised individuals and people over the age of 50 receive a second booster dose, there are currently no county-level data available on the number of booster doses received. Therefore, we are unable to capture how many individuals are fully up to date on COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, children under 5 years of age have recently become eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccination. Children in this age group that have received a first dose are considered to be partially vaccinated.
THURSDAY 7/28/2022 1:54 p.m.
(WFRV) The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has reported 1,563,351 total positive coronavirus test results in the state and 13,220 total COVID-19 deaths.
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The DHS announced an attempt to verify and ensure statistics are accurate, some numbers may be subject to change. The DHS is combing through current and past data to ensure accuracy.
Wisconsins hospitals are reporting, that the 7-day moving average of COVID-19 patients hospitalized was 507 patients. Of those,52 are in an ICU. ICU patients made up 11.3%of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports that 10,003,005 vaccine doses and 2,581,543 booster doses have been administered in Wisconsin as of July 28.
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The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is using a new module to measure COVID-19 activity levels. They are now using the Center for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) COVID-19 Community Levels. The map is measured by the impact of COVID-19 illness on health and health care systems in the communities.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 16 counties in Wisconsin are experiencing high COVID-19 community levels. Of those 16, two are in northeast Wisconsin: Brown and Door counties.
Nine counties located in northeast Wisconsin are at medium community risk levels: Green Lake, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Winnebago, Kewaunee, Oconto, Marinette, Forest, and Langlade.
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Every other county in Wisconsin is experiencing low COVID-19 community levels.
For more information on how the data is collected, visit theCDCs COVID-19 Community Levels data page.
