The new system is optional and available for people who are interested in obtaining a digital method to prove their COVID vaccination status.
It is your information downloaded onto your phone if you choose to do so, Governor Charlie Baker said during a press conference on Monday. I think its a far more customer-friendly and effective way to make this tool available to people who want to use it.
The new website verifies a persons name, phone number, and e-mail address against the vaccination records in the states public health database and generates a QR code that residents can use when needed.
Here are answers to some questions you may have about how the new system works.
How can I get my QR code?
What does the record include?
The vaccine record documents your COVID-19 vaccine regimen, including your initial series as well as a booster dose, if you have received one. It also includes records of other immunizations youve received in the state.
Much of the information will look familiar, since it should also appear on your CDC-issued paper vaccine card. That includes which vaccine you received whether it was Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson the date you received it, the location you received it, and the lot number of the vaccine.
How can I store my QR code?
People can take a screenshot of their QR code to store it on their phone and they can download it and save it as a photo. Once they have downloaded it from the states website, people can also print it and carry it with them.
iPhone users are also able to save it as a code in their Apple Wallet, for which the state has provided instructions.
Apple or Android users can also download an app called Common Health, which was made by the Commons Project, a nonprofit group that helped design the Massachusetts system. A copy of a persons vaccine record can be stored in the Common Health app.
Those who were vaccinated at major retailers like CVS, Walgreens, or Walmart and have already used apps to digitally display their vaccination status will also be able to use the states new system.
I got vaccinated against COVID-19 in another state. Will the website display my records?
Since the states records only include what is reported to the Massachusetts Immunization Information System, it wont include vaccinations received in other states or countries.
The state notes that you can request that your Massachusetts-based health care provider add the vaccines you received out of state to the MIIS as a historical vaccine.
If I get an additional COVID-19 dose, will my record automatically update?
If you have downloaded your vaccine record and later get another COVID-19 dose, like a booster shot, the record will not automatically update, according to the state.
Users will be asked to go through the process again to get a new QR code that will display a persons full regimen.
What if theres an error with my vaccine record?
The states website notes that the date on your vaccine records page shows what your provider has reported to [Massachusetts Immunization Information System].
If it looks like theres an error on their vaccine card or something is missing, the state encourages people to contact their vaccine provider and request that they correct their vaccine record.
They can also contact the MIIS, which has created a form for people to request an official update to their records. The state will notify people who use the form of what they found within two to three weeks.
If you have more questions about the vaccine record, you can reach out to the state by dialing 211 or emailing MyVaxRecords@mass.gov.
Hiawatha Bray of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.
Amanda Kaufman can be reached at amanda.kaufman@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandakauf1.
The Wayne County Health Department will be administeringInitial, Second, and Third dose booster COVID-19 vaccine
WAYNE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT203 S. WALNUT STREET WOOSTER,OH 44691
January 13, 2022 Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson ONLY 9:00am - 1:00pmJanuary 20, 2022 Moderna, Pfizer, & Johnson & Johnson 9:00am - 1:00pm
Appointments MUST be scheduled for ALLclinics andare available by clicking this link.Please bring verification of your vaccine status with you,otherwise vaccine cannot be administered.
For booster dosesyou musthave received2 doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine,with the second dose at least 5months ago.Those18 years of age or older areeligible for any booster doses. Those 12-17 are eligible for Pfizer booster only.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine must have been received at least 2 months ago.
If you are receiving an Initial dose of vaccine,you must be 12 years of age to receive Pfizer vaccine, and 18 years of age to receive Moderna vaccine.
**Please note: Once all appointments are full, you will be unable to schedule. **
Chains such as Starbucks Corp. and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. said they are temporarily limiting operations at individual stores or regions as they face labor shortages and a rise in Covid-19 cases.
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After a year of strong retail sales, consumers are starting to feel the impact of inflation and real income as it materializes across the economy.
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BILTHOVEN, Netherlands, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Intravacc, a global leader in translational research and development of therapeutic vaccines and vaccines against infectious diseases, today announced a partnership with Dutch Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) to develop and evaluate a new nasal spray corona vaccine in a clinical phase I/II study. This new vaccine, NANOVAC, is based on microscopic soluble nano-spheres,containing synthetic miniproteins that, when administered as a nasal spray, directly protects the upper respiratory tract including nasal passages and throat (mucosa) before the virus reaches the lungs. The design of this type of vaccine thereby makes the vaccine broadly protective, harnessing both arms of the immune system, against SARS-2 (COVID19) but also SARS-1, MERS, and other beta coronaviruses. Intravacc also develops AVACC-10, a nasal spray corona vaccine based on Outer Membrane Vesicles. Nasal spray vaccines are ideal to prevent and stop transmission to others andfor those with needle stick fears.
The planned clinical phase I/II study is made possible in part by the Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation (TKI) of Health~Holland, part of the Dutch top sector Life Sciences & Health. Health~Holland plays a connecting role between the business community, government, research institutes, patients and social organizations.
Dr. Luis Cruz's team, responsible for LUMC's Translational Nanobiomaterials and Imaging department, spent more than a year working on the new, sustainable and simple nasal spray vaccine. The preclinical studies in animals showed surprisingly positive results. The phase I/II clinical study is led by Dr Leo Visser of the Infectious Diseases Department of the LUMC. Intravacc will focus on a number of additional and preliminary preclinical exercises and the process development research of the vaccine through a scalable vaccine production process using its expertise in GMP vaccine production. The nasal spray vaccine will be tested on healthy volunteers to evaluate safety and tolerability. This phase I/II clinical trial is expected to start at the end of 2022 and the first study data is expected in the first half of 2023.
Dr. Luis J. Cruz, head of LUMC's Translational Nanobiomaterials and Imaging department, said:
"Intravacc and LUMC create major synergy by combining distinct complimentary expertises and competencies. A promising collaboration!"
Mode of action
NANOVAC is intended to protect humans against current and future COVID-19 variants. The nano vaccine candidate is not only based on spike protein but also other target proteins in the coronavirus. It consists of a nanoparticle formulation containing multi-epitopes polypeptides of the immunogenic spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID19), as well as other 100% conserved epitopes derived from distinct coronavirus proteins of which important targeting has already been identified for inducing a complete humoral systemic and mucosal immune response, and cellular immunity response, both neutralizing antibodies and T cells, both for immediate immunization, and for a longer-term defense.
To enhance the effectiveness, the adjuvant hepatitis B core antigen HBcAg is used, which already has a proven effect in a nasal spray vaccine against liver inflammation. The HBcAG particle has been safely administered intranasally, serving as a carrier for nasal route and an immunostimulant for the mucosal immune cells of the nasal passages and upper respiratory tract. The vaccine does not apply the more recently used mRNA technique or of inactivated cold viruses (vectors).
The other COVID nasal spray vaccine that Intravacc is working on, AVACC-10, uses OMVs, vesicles that bacteria communicate with and that serve as a platform to transport a protein that can (eventually) fight COVID.
Platform-technology for NANOVAC and AVACC-10
In addition to COVID-19, the platform technologies on which these vaccines are based can also be used for the development of vaccines against a variety of other diseases. Several clinical studies with vaccine candidates developed on these platforms and administered by nasal spray or injection, have demonstrated safety for use in humans. NANOVAC and AVACC 10 can be quickly adapted to new COVID virus variants and then produced rapidly in large quantities and cheaper than existing vaccines. In addition, they can be stored at room temperature, which simplifies transport over longer distances. This makes these vaccines an ideal solution for lower-income countries with a more limited medical infrastructure.
Jan Groen PhD, Intravacc's Chief Executive Officer comments:
"I am particularly pleased with Intravacc's input in the development of this new nasal spray vaccine. This concept and Intravacc's own AVACC-10 vaccine are potential game-changers in the fight against COVID. According to renowned immunologist Professor Ed Lavelle, of Trinity College Dublin, transmission of the virus is best blocked where it enters the body. It is therefore preferable to administer the vaccine via a spray in the nose for direct immunization of the throat and nasal mucosa (2022 nose spray interview)."
About Intravacc
Intravacc, located Dutch Utrecht Science Park in Bilthoven, is a leading global contract developer and producer of innovative vaccines for infectious diseases and immunotherapy. As an established independent CDMO organization with over 100 years of experience in developing and optimizing vaccines and vaccine technologies, Intravacc has transferred its technology related to polio vaccines, measles vaccines, DPT vaccines, Hib vaccines and influenza vaccines around the world. Around 40% of vaccines targeting childhood diseases are based on Intravacc technology. Intravacc provides a broad range of expertise for independent vaccine development from concept to Phase I/II clinical trials for partners worldwide, including universities, public health organizations (WHO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
For more information, visit: www.intravacc.nl.
Contact info
IntravaccDr. Jan Groen, CEO T: +31 30 7920 454
Mirjam Hartman, Media relations T: +31 6 115 969 94 E: [emailprotected]
Leiden University Medical Center Paul Jonas MD. MSc., Public Health and Primary CareTel. +31 6 123 65 876E: [emailprotected]
LifeSpring Life Sciences Communication, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Leon Melens T: +31 6 538 16427 E: [emailprotected]
Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1334670/Intravacc_Logo.jpg
SOURCE Intravacc
There's a new kind of vaccine on the horizon and it could help target all coronaviruses, not just Covid-19.
On Tuesday, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci testified to Congress about the country's efforts to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine, meant to combat both Covid and other similar viruses that could emerge in the coming years. The short-term applications of a vaccine that effectively tackles all forms of Covid could be significant, Fauci said: "We won't be chasing after the next variant."
Longer term, Fauci said, the development of a universal coronavirus vaccine could help prevent the world's next pandemic. Non-Covid coronaviruses have been responsible for diseases like SARS and MERS over the past two decades, alongside many common cold infections.
"The importance of developing a pan-coronavirus vaccine, namely one that would be effective against all SARS-CoV-2 variants, and ultimately against all coronaviruses, becomes even more apparent," Fauci told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee.
There's no set timeline for such a vaccine to become publicly available, but multiple research efforts are underway with promising early results.
In April 2021, Duke University researchers announced that their pan-coronavirus vaccine was "100% effective in non-human tests including testing on primates." The study noted "success in primates is very relevant to humans."
Five months later, Duke and two other academic institutions the University of Wisconsin and Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital received a total of roughly $36.3 million to fund the continued development of pan-coronavirus vaccines.
And in December, the U.S. Department of Defense's Walter Reed Army Institute of Research announced its own development of a vaccine that, in pre-clinical trials, "not only elicits a potent immune response but may also provide broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern as well as other coronaviruses."
The Walter Reed vaccine, termed SpFN, completed its first phase of human trials last month, according to Defense One. It would still need to undergo phase 2 and phase 3 trials before advancing further.
"There's a lot of investment, not only in improving the vaccines that we have for SARS-CoV-2, but a lot of work to develop the next generation of vaccines, particularly universal coronavirus vaccines," Fauci said at the hearing.
According to Fauci, the technology behind these vaccine efforts isn't new. Rather, it relies on "clinical research investments" made decades before the Covid pandemic.
The same observation applies to the mRNA vaccine technology behind Pfizer and Moderna's Covid vaccines: The first mRNA vaccines were tested on mice in the 1990s, and were simply too expensive and difficult to scale until recently.
"That same thing is going on right now [with universal coronavirus vaccines]," Fauci said.
Just don't expect pan-coronavirus vaccines to be available during the current surge of Covid's highly transmissible omicron variant. Even omicron-specific vaccines, which could be ready by March, will likely be "too late" to combat the highly contagious strain, experts told CNBC Make It on Monday.
"Given how quickly [omicron] is happening, [the targeted vaccine] may not matter because everybody's going to be infected," Dr. Shaun Truelove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told CNBC Make It.
At the hearing, Fauci maintained that the country's current inoculation strategy an initial vaccine regimen followed by a booster shot is still successful at preventing Covid hospitalizations and deaths. Boosters, he said, are particularly important against omicron.
"Data ... have indicated that vaccine-induced antibodies lose a considerable amount of potency in neutralizing the omicron variant," Fauci said. "[But] a third shot boost of an mRNA vaccine significantly reconstitutes and enhances the ability of antibodies from boosted individuals to neutralize the omicron variant, strongly suggesting that boosters will play a major role in protecting our population."
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The complications
Saliva also has trade-offs. While the virus appears to build up in saliva early, the nose may be a better place to detect it later in the course of infection.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology found that while the virus often spiked first in saliva, it ultimately rose to higher levels in the nose. Their results suggest that highly sensitive tests, like P.C.R. tests, may be able to pick up infections in saliva days earlier than they do in nasal swabs, but that less-sensitive tests, like antigen tests, might not.
The data on saliva are still mixed, some experts noted.
There are these few studies that I have found really very interesting, said Dr. Mary K. Hayden, an infectious disease doctor and clinical microbiologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
But Dr. Hayden said she was interpreting the new studies cautiously because for years and years and years, research has suggested that nasopharyngeal specimens are best for detecting respiratory viruses.
Some scientists also have practical concerns. The mouth is a little more of an uncontrolled environment compared to the nasal passages, said Joseph DeRisi, a biochemist at the University of California, San Francisco, who is a president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub and an author of the cheek swab paper. Did you drink a Coke right before you took the test? The pH will be different. And those things matter.
Saliva can be viscous and difficult to work with, especially when patients are sick and dehydrated, Dr. Marie-Louise Landry, director of the clinical virology laboratory at Yale New Haven Hospital, said in an email.
Ultimately, different approaches may be required in different circumstances. For people who have had symptoms for several days, nasal swabs might be a good choice, while saliva might be best suited for the large-scale surveillance screening of asymptomatic people, Dr. Hansen suggested. We need to get the right test into the right places, he said.
AMSTERDAM, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters packed Amsterdam's streets on Sunday in opposition to the government-imposed COVID-19 measures and vaccination campaign as virus infections hit a new record.
Authorities were granted stop and search powers at several locations across the city and scores of riot police vans patrolled neighbourhoods where the demonstrators marched with banners and yellow umbrellas.
Regular anti-coronavirus protests are held across the country and Sunday's large gathering was joined by farmers who drove to the capital and parked tractors along the central Museum Square.
Register
The crowd played music, chanted anti-government slogans and then marched along thoroughfares, blocking traffic.
The Netherlands had one of Europe's toughest lockdowns for a month through the end-of-year holidays.
Amid growing public opposition, Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday announced the reopening of stores, hairdressers and gyms, partially lifting a lockdown despite record numbers of new COVIC-19 cases. read more
Infections reached another record high above 36,000 on Sunday, data published by the Netherlands Institute for Health (RIVM) showed. The Netherlands has recorded more than 3.5 million infections and 21,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Rutte's government ordered the lockdown in mid-December as a wave of the Delta variant forced the health system to cancel all but the most urgent care and it appeared rising Omicron cases would overwhelm it. read more
Non-essential stores, hairdressers, beauty salons and other service providers were allowed to reopen on Saturday under strict conditions.
Bars, restaurants and cultural venues have been instructed to remain closed until at least Jan. 25 due to uncertainty about how the Omicron wave will impact hospital capacity.
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Reporting by Piroschka van de Wouw, Writing by Anthony Deutsch, Editing by Angus MacSwan
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) Several questionable methods have been suggested as treatments for COVID-19, from a medication that fights malaria to the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin.
But milk and Benadryl?
A North Carolina state lawmaker recently posted a study on social media that suggests compounds in those two commonplace products might be effective against the virus that causes COVID-19. Experts, however, say more research is needed, and warn against attempting to self-medicate with the compounds.
Rep. Jeff McNeely, R-Iredell, said on Facebook that milk may be the answer to Covid-19, before linking to the study published in November by an immunologist at the University of Florida.
One of his replies in the chain of comments read: Drink up People.
Were those posts meant to be taken seriously, or were they made in jest?
A little bit of both, said McNeely, one of the chairs of the Houses agriculture committee who represents the states top dairy-producing county.
The study found the combination of diphenhydramine the active ingredient in Benadryl and lactoferrin a protein found in milk from cows and humans were found to slow the SARS-CoV-2 virus from replicating itself in tests in monkey cells and human long cells.
But theres a big difference between the results in a lab and those from the real world.
To push this as a potential therapy based on this work only is significantly premature, said Dr. Timothy Sheahan, a virologist at the University of North Carolinas Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Lots of things have shown antiviral activity in cells in a (Petri) dish, he added. Many of those things when further studied dont go on to actually have efficacy and activity in a person.
Dr. David Ostrov, an immunologist and associate professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine, led the study, which found that in human and monkey cells, the two drugs individually reduced virus replication by about 30 percent each but together, that reduction was 99 percent.
But its way too early for people to raid the supermarket shelves for milk and Benadryl, Ostrov said. While he is encouraged, he said more work still needs to be done, including clinical trials.
I would caution people from going out and taking it themselves, Ostrov said. The study also used a type of lactoferrin that differs slightly from the kind that is commonly available to the public, UF Health noted.
Compared to some other substances that have been pushed as treatments, Benadryl and milk come with relatively low risk. But theres still a concern that people may try to self-medicate and chug Benadryl and gallons of milk instead of consulting with their doctor, Sheahan said.
Thats the thing that worries me, is that people will take this information and be making decisions about their health when they should be talking to more knowledgeable people about it, Sheahan said.
When asked if he was worried that his post would be flagged as potential misinformation, McNeely quipped that it wont be the first time.
Youre in politics, Facebook loves to say youre giving false information, whether you are or not, he said.
But the bigger issue might be this: Why do people keep hanging onto so-called miracle treatments in the first place?
I truly believe theres a cure out there, McNeely said. And were not seeing it.
Sheahan says people need something to put hope in. And they want some kind of magical therapy that will prevent them from getting coronavirus.
Ministers are seeing encouraging signs that plan B coronavirus restrictions in England could be lifted in 10 days time, the co-chair of the Conservative party Oliver Dowden has said.
Current measures in England, including guidance to work from home and the widespread use of face coverings, were imposed in early December to help tackle the spread of Omicron. They are set to be reviewed on 26 January.
In the clearest hint yet that some or all of the measures will be removed on that date, Dowden, who also serves as minister without portfolio, said that while the government would review further data this week before making a decision, the signs are encouraging.
His comments came after health and scientific experts expressed cautious optimism this weekend that the Covid situation was improving.
Dr Susan Hopkins, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) chief medical adviser, said cases appeared to be plateauing in parts of the UK, and added that while cases were still relatively high, there had also been a slowdown in hospital admissions.
Prof Linda Bauld, a professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh and chief social policy adviser to the Scottish government, said Omicron cases in the UK appeared to be stabilising. Dr Chris Smith, a consultant virologist and lecturer at Cambridge University, said the latest data gave him great cause for optimism.
Dowden told Sky News Trevor Phillips on Sunday programme: It has always been my hope that we would have the plan B restrictions for the shortest period possible. Im under no doubt the kind of burdens this puts hospitality, wider business, schools and so on under, and I want us to get rid of those if we possibly can. The signs are encouraging but, clearly, we will wait to see the data ahead of that final decision.
Sir Keir Starmer said he hoped plan B restrictions could be lifted as soon as possible. Speaking on the BBCs Sunday Morning programme, the Labour leader said: I think the sooner we can lift the final restrictions, the better. I think thats what the whole country want. Its important that were led by the science on this. We had access to the government scientific and medical advisers, and thats helped us form our views.
I hope those restrictions can be lifted as soon as possible, but I want them to be lifted because the medical science says they should be lifted, not simply because the prime minister is in a real mess and hes desperately trying to get out of it.
So, if its the right thing to lift those restrictions, we will vote to lift those restrictions. But well be led by the science as we always have been, not by the politics of propping up a broken prime minister.
The shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, said he could not be confident the government was not looking to lift plan B measures in an attempt to shore up Boris Johnsons leadership.
He told Trevor Phillips on Sunday: If the prime minister or the health secretary from the Conservative party is coming forward saying, Were going to remove Plan B measures, I want to be absolutely confident they are making that decision in the national interest and not in the party interest, for party management reasons. I dont have total confidence about that.
