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Doctors say it's important to get the updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine, which offers protection against the XBB.1.5 subvariant driving a current rise in cases. A pharmacist prepares to administer a Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine at a CVS, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Cypress, Texas. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Melissa Phillip-Houston Chronicle via APMelissa Phillip/The Associated Press
The fall COVID-19 vaccine cut the risk of COVID-19 illness by about half overall, and by 67 per cent for those with a previous infection, according to new research from the Canadian network that has long tracked the performance of the annual flu shot.
This is the first time the Canadian Sentinel Practitioner Surveillance Network, which is comprised of hundreds of primary care providers in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, produced mid-season estimates of the effectiveness of immunization against COVID-19.
For people with hybrid immunity against COVID-19 meaning theyve had a jab and an infection the shot targeting the Omicron XBB.1.5 variant performed slightly better against COVID-19 than the flu shot did against influenza.
The network estimated the influenza vaccine was 63 per cent effective against influenza A(H1N1), the dominant strain this season, and 40 per cent effective against the A(H3N2) subtype. Thats a decent mark by historical standards, said Danuta Skowronski, a physician epidemiologist with the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and leader of the networks research.
By comparison, in 2019-20, the last winter before the pandemic, the flu shot was estimated by the end of the season to have been 43 per cent effective against A(H1N1), 50 per cent effective against A(H3N2) and 65 per cent effective against influenza B. H1N1 was the most common strain that winter.
Over all, the message is theres good protection for those who received the autumn 2023-2024 influenza vaccine, Dr. Skowronski said.
The Canadian Sentinel Practitioner Surveillance Networks decision to track the effectiveness of both shots in tandem is another sign that physicians and epidemiologists are treating SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, as a regular feature of winter virus season.
Both influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are highly changeable viruses. Theyre unique in that way, compared to other vaccine-preventable diseases, Dr. Skowronski said. The networks leaders felt a duty to gauge the effectiveness of both vaccines, given that public-health officials urged Canadians to receive them at the same time, she added.
The networks leaders measure flu shot effectiveness by having several hundred family doctors and nurse practitioners in Canadas four largest provinces test patients who come in with flu-like symptoms to determine if they have a lab-confirmed case of influenza. Researchers then look to see what share of each group positive or negative for flu was vaccinated, and compare the results to estimate vaccine effectiveness. The network used the same method to judge the COVID-19 shot.
The surveillance effort doesnt capture mild cases of either virus that dont require medical attention, nor does it measure how well the shots perform against severe illness that puts people to hospital.
The Canadian networks estimates of flu shot effectiveness jibe with those published earlier in the season in Alberta, where researchers were able to link data on immunizations, lab tests for influenza, and visits to clinics and hospitals to produce estimates of flu-shot effectiveness in near real time.
That group estimated the flu shot in Alberta to be 61 per cent effective against the widely circulating A(H1N1), 49 per cent effective against the less-common A(H3N2) and 75 per cent effective against influenza B, which typically peaks later in the season.
Real-time estimates are useful because theres a lot of people who are just not sold on flu shots, said Jeff Kwong, associate director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the University of Toronto. He is one of the authors of a study based on the Alberta data.
Dr. Kwong hopes more people will get the flu shot if they hear early in the season that it provides solid protection. In seasons like 2014-15, when the overall effectiveness of the shot was an abysmal 9 per cent, early data would allow hospitals and public health to prepare, he added.
The 2023-24 influenza season has unfolded more typically than any season since COVID-19 struck, said Allison McGeer, an infectious disease consultant at Torontos Mount Sinai Hospital. On balance, its doing what you would expect it to do, which is getting back to normal postpandemic.
Last season, pediatric hospitals were overwhelmed as several viruses rebounded after COVID-19-control measures were lifted. In the fall and winter of 2022-23, there were 2,444 hospital admissions linked to influenza for children younger than 4, up from 33 such admissions the season before, according to a report the Canadian Institute for Health Information released Thursday. That figure was a return to prepandemic levels.
The institute also found that, among children younger than 4, hospital admissions doubled for lower respiratory infections last season, while hospital stays for COVID-19 reached 3,310, a 43-per-cent increase over the season before.
Editors note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the fall COVID-19 vaccine cut the risk of COVID-19 illness by half for people who had not caught the virus before. The fall vaccine cut the risk of COVID-19 illness by half overall. This version has been updated.
As Canada's flu season collides with record strep A cases and ongoing COVID-19 concerns, a new study is shedding light on our understanding of respiratory immune responses. Scholars from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) have discovered a surprising facet about a century-old vaccine for tuberculosis, Bacillus Calmette Gurin (BCG). The study, published in the journal Nature Immunology, uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that extends the vaccine's shield to combat influenza A virus-the most prevalent flu strain.
"The immune interactions involved here can 'train' the lungs, which are frequently exposed to infectious agents in the environment. If we can map out the protective immune pathways involved in the lungs, this will revolutionize our conceptual and clinical approaches in developing vaccines against infections, including emergent respiratory viruses," explains lead author Maziar Divangahi, a pulmonary immunologist, a senior scientist at the RI-MUHC, and a Professor of Medicine at McGill University. The discovery paves the way for future studies to assess whether BCG could be used to prevent other emergent viruses. Notably, research on the vaccine's protection against COVID-19 has had promising results.
About the study
"BCG immunization induces CX3CR1hieffector memory T cells to provide cross-protection via IFN--mediated trained immunity" by Kim Tran et al. was published in Nature Immunology.
About McGill University
Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill University is Canada's top ranked medical doctoral university. McGill is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. Itis a world-renownedinstitution of higher learning with research activities spanning three campuses, 12 faculties, 14 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 39,000 students, including more than 10,400 graduate students. McGill attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,000 international students making up 30% of the student body. Over half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 20% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.
Over 48 mammal species infected with virus since 2020;threat of mutation that sustains human-to-human transmission
A bird flu outbreak in poultry in Andhra Pradeshs Nellore district was reported on February 7, 2024. Laboratory tests by the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal confirmed that it was caused by the type A strain of the H5N1 variant of the avian influenza virus.
The bird flu cases were discovered in the villages of Chatagutla in Podalakur and Gummaladibba in Kovur district sub-divisions after several chicken deaths were reported on poultry farms. The disease did not emerge in commercial operations but was found in backyard poultry farms.
Hundreds of birds and eggs were culled on February 17, 2024 as per policy. A three-day ban was imposed on shops selling chicken within a 10-kilometre radius of the epicentre and a three-month ban on shops within a 1-km radius.
Read more:Bird flu decimates seabird populations in UK over two years
The poultry likely caught the virus from migratory birds in Pulicat lake in nearby Tirupati district, according to officials. Migratory wild aquatic birds, particularly waterfowl, are the primary natural reservoirs for most subtypes of influenza A viruses, infecting poultry and other bird or animal species, according to the World Health Organization for Animal Health.
The virus is endemic in poultry populations in Asia, Europe and Africa. Rare cases of avian influenza with type A (H5N1) viruses have been identified in humans across Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe. In 1997, an outbreak of human infections with the same strain was found in Hong Kong, China. Since 2003, 868 human cases and 457 deaths have occurred globally, indicating a 52 per cent death rate, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The emergence of influenza A viruses with the ability to infect people could potentially lead to a pandemic when the virus mutates to sustain human-to-human transmission that evades immunity, according to the global health body. How and when it will spread will be difficult to predict, WHO added.
Read more:First penguin deaths in sub-Antarctic region attributed to bird flu strain
A recent study published in the latest edition of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases said the avian influenza A virus subtype H5N1 has already been in a significant panzootic phase between 2020 and 2023, the equivalent of a pandemic in the animal kingdom. The researchers reviewed information on infected mammals from 59 scientific articles published between 20202023 and between 2003-2019, across two periods of infections
The paper underscored the risk that mammalian adaptation could pose for human health, emphasising that information is scarce on the current panzootic (2020-2023) event.
The virus that originally infected birds crossed over to several mammal species in 2003, affecting tigers, leopards, lions, pigs, minks, donkeys, foxes, domestic dogs and cats, bears and seals. Since 2020, the number of infected species has increased and has affected more than 48 mammal species, substantially larger than previous waves.
It is therefore of some conservation concern, however, large populations of animals have so far not been identified. The paper highlighted the incident of 20,000 South American sea lions who suddenly died, with several testing positive for H5N1, underlining the potential effect of this virus on some threatened mammal populations.
Read more:We should only worry about bird flu making us sick when we see human-to-human transmission
In the current period of infection (2020-2023), excluding humans, mammals in 26 countries have been infected by this virus: Europe (17 countries), South America (5 countries), North America (2 countries), and Asia (2 countries). The new geographic areas identified were Peru, Chile, and Argentina, where 13 marine mammal species, up to thousands, reported deaths.
There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission, however, mutations of the H5N1 virus could increase the risk of a pandemic, the paper warns. A case in point is the Spanish influenza (1918-1919) pandemic that developed from an avian influenza virus.
For instance, the T271A mutation reported in minks in Spain is also present in the H1N1 that produced a pandemic in 2009. Similarly, the PB2-E627K mutation found in this virus in diverse geographic areas could indicate an adaptation for replication in mammals, the report said.
Mutations and infections with H5N1 in potential mixing-vessel species (for example, minks and wild and domestic pigs) should be followed closely because of the potential risk to human health, the report added.
Read more:French bird flu vaccine for ducks may be launched soon
Since 2018, the WHO has been bracing itself for a pandemic from an unknown illness termed Disease X. The unknown set of pathogens from which Disease X can emerge is large and beyond the influenza virus, but the origin is likely going to be zoonotic, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
It could be arising right now, from any part of the world, according to scientists.
There could be the first jumps of a virus into a human population somewhere and maybe 90 per cent of the people who get it have a common cold like illness, or what appears to be garden variety pneumonia, and nobody tests for that. Amesh Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said in an interview.
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Local avian influenza outbreak in two villages in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh has come to the fore. "Police personnel closed chicken shops in a three-km radius of the 10-km surveillance area for three days in these two epicentres. We are taking all measures to control the disease," Nellore district Animal Husbandry joint director B Maheshwarudu told news agency PTI. He noted that there is a temporary ban on rearing poultry in these two epicentres for three months and subsequently they will be allowed in smaller numbers of 10 or 20 birds. What is avian influenza or bird flu? Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is a viral infection that primarily affects birds but can occasionally spread to humans and other animals. It is caused by influenza viruses that naturally occur in wild birds. Transmission to humans typically occurs through direct contact with infected birds or their droppings, though rare instances of human-to-human transmission have occurred. Symptoms in humans can range from mild respiratory illness to severe pneumonia and, in some cases, death. Prevention efforts include strict biosecurity measures in poultry farms, surveillance of wild bird populations, and vaccination of poultry workers in high-risk areas to minimize the spread of the virus. Avian influenza virus H5N1 H5N1 virus was identified in Chatagutla and Gummaladibba on February 7. H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza virus that poses a significant threat to both animal and human health. It primarily affects birds, causing severe illness and high mortality rates in poultry populations. In humans, H5N1 infection is rare but can lead to severe respiratory illness, with a high risk of complications and death. Transmission typically occurs through direct contact with infected birds or their environments. Key symptoms to pay attention to Avian influenza symptoms in humans may include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and multi-organ failure can occur, leading to hospitalization or death. Direct contact with infected birds or their environments, such as handling sick or dead birds, is the primary mode of transmission. Early recognition of symptoms and prompt medical care are crucial for managing avian influenza infections and preventing complications. Preventive measures Preventive measures for bird flu include strict biosecurity protocols in poultry farms, such as controlling access to facilities, disinfecting equipment, and limiting contact with wild birds. Regular surveillance of poultry populations is essential to detect and contain outbreaks promptly. Vaccination of poultry against avian influenza viruses can help reduce transmission and minimize the risk of infection. Additionally, educating poultry workers and the public about the importance of proper hygiene, including handwashing and avoiding contact with sick birds, is crucial for preventing the spread of bird flu to humans.
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Since 2022, member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) have been negotiating a new treaty provisionally termed the Pandemic Agreement. If adopted, it would transform how the world handles pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Opinions differ on what negotiators should prioritize. But no issue has captivated public attention as much as vaccine equity or done more to bring countries to the negotiating table.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists began to design vaccine candidates only a few hours after the first SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence was shared. By the end of 2020, mass vaccination had begun in the United States and Europe. High-income countries promised to share vaccines through the voluntary WHO COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) programme, but failed to meet their commitments. When South Africa and India appealed to the World Trade Organization for an emergency waiver of intellectual-property rights related to COVID-19 vaccines, so that every country could start their own manufacturing, high-income countries blocked the proposal for months. The refusal of wealthier nations to cooperate had cost between 200,000 and 1.3 million lives by the end of 2021 in low- and middle-income countries1,2. Today, nearly one-third of the worlds population has still not received a single dose, and the death toll resulting from vaccine nationalism continues to grow.
Global vaccination must be swifter
The Pandemic Agreement could be the last chance to fix this problem before the next COVID-19 arrives. Yet the proposed solution the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which was outlined in Article 12 of the latest treaty draft still hangs in the balance. The second-to-last session of the treatys Intergovernmental Negotiating Body is now under way. So far, countries have been unable to agree on this part of the text. As time runs out, we urge WHO member states to agree on a science-for-science mechanism that ensures vaccine equity in the next pandemic.
Across all fields, scientists from the global north have frequently extracted data and samples from the global south without the permission of the people there, without collaborating meaningfully if at all with local scientists, and without providing any benefit to the countries where they conduct their work. In 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity recognized parties sovereign rights to their genetic resources. Since 2014, under the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, countries have developed their own legislation to ensure that they receive benefits (such as financial compensation or scientific collaboration) when scientists and others from outside the country access their genetic resources.
Discussions on access and benefit-sharing in global health began in earnest in 2007, when the Indonesian government refused to share avian influenza samples with the rest of the world, on the grounds that such samples were often used to make vaccines that were never made available in most places3. Sparked by this conflict and the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic WHO member states developed the 2011 Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework to streamline the sharing of influenza viruses with pandemic potential, as well as vaccines and other benefits.
After the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the World Health Organization designed a plan for global sharing of flu viruses and vaccines. The same must be done for all viruses with pandemic potential.Credit: James Hill/Redux/eyevine
Under the PIP Framework, 14 manufacturers have promised that when the next influenza pandemic starts, they will share up to 10% of the vaccines that they make (around 420 million doses) with the WHO. In exchange, these companies have access to a global network of laboratories and their flu samples. The PIP model shows significant promise, but is so far untested and applies only to influenza.
The proposed PABS System in the Pandemic Agreement would take lessons from the PIP Framework and apply an access and benefit-sharing scheme to any pathogen with pandemic potential, such as SARS-CoV-2. Under the PABS System, scientists would share pathogen samples and data through a global network of laboratories and sequence data repositories. In exchange for access to samples and data, manufacturers of vaccines or therapeutics would give at least 20% of their products to the WHO (half for free, and half at affordable prices). The WHO would then distribute these on the basis of public-health risk and needs. Users of the PABS System would also contribute to a capacity-development fund, and be encouraged to explore other kinds of benefit-sharing, such as scientific collaborations and technology transfer.
With regard to physical samples, the Nagoya Protocol and its national implementing legislation can be cumbersome to navigate4. Some scientists are apprehensive about the idea of introducing similar barriers into work with genetic sequence data, especially during outbreaks.
Global pandemic treaty: nations wrestle with how to fairly share virus data
In relation to the Nagoya Protocol, several professional societies, including the American Society for Microbiology, have endorsed a group of US scientists that opposes any restriction or control of access and/or use of any genetic sequences (see go.nature.com/3i5ds). Comments from sessions indicate that such concerns are increasingly being echoed by representatives of global north countries in the current Pandemic Agreement negotiations. Some critics have even argued that the proposals for PABS would block progress towards open science, in favour of a transactional approach5.
As a collective of 290 scientists from 36 countries, we argue that a pandemic treaty cannot succeed unless it ensures that everyone will benefit from pandemic science.
Under the new treaty, should it be adopted with the current vision of the PABS System, countries will still be expected to ensure that their scientists share lifesaving data openly and rapidly. Scientists will still be able to share their data freely outside of PABS platforms, and widely used databases could enter into the PABS System meaning that most researchers would never experience any disruptions to their workflow. The WHO could also establish its own repository or clearinghouse for genetic sequence data and samples, which would potentially provide scientists with more transparent management of these resources and the guarantee of continued access.
Financing committed largely by pharmaceutical firms using these platforms (which sometimes directly derive profits from publicly funded science) would, in turn, go towards expanding sequencing capacity and scientific research in low-resource settings. It would also help to support other priorities, such as pandemic prevention6. Whats more, scientists everywhere, but especially in the global south, would benefit from a system that creates opportunities for international collaboration and that ensures that people receive credit for sharing their data.
Access and benefit-sharing could just as easily be called science for science: the PABS System will support more pandemic science, and ensure that scientists contributions result in their communities having access to lifesaving advancements.
Earlier this week, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body for the Pandemic Agreement reconvened for its penultimate session. If Article 12 is weakened or dismantled, it will be a monumental setback for global health justice and for the global scientific community.
Although todays scientific community has embraced the ideals of open data sharing, the world is no closer to a fair system for sharing vaccines and therapeutics. Intellectual property, not benefit-sharing, is the antithesis of open science. We dream of a world in which such barriers are dismantled for lifesaving medicines. Until that day, the Pandemic Agreement offers the last best chance to avoid repeating the mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
C.C. has previously received funding support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and has been a consultant for the US Department of State on Global Health issues. D.B. is a member of the Lancet-PPATS Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover. A.P. has advised multiple countries pro bono on the treaty negotiations and has consulted for the WHO on international law. C.C. and A.P. receive funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the US National Science Foundation for research related to the Pandemic Agreement. We declare no other competing interests.
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ABC is dealing with legal troubles and "religious discrimination claims" from two former employees who worked for the long-running soap opera "General Hospital," according to a report from Wednesday.
The two former crew members "sued the network after they were fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccination, marking one of the first rulings to clear the way for trial over terminations caused by blanket vaccine mandates widely imposed by studios amid the pandemic," The Hollywood Reporter revealed.
Per an order shared by the outlet, the two former ABC members, James Wahl and his son, Timothy Wahl, ran the construction shop and special effects department for "General Hospital."
LARGEST-EVER COVID VACCINE STUDY LINKS SHOT TO SMALL INCREASE IN HEART AND BRAIN CONDITIONS
ABC is dealing with legal troubles and "religious discrimination claims" from two former employees who worked for the long-running TV show "General Hospital," according to a report from Wednesday. (Getty Images)
Judge Stephen Goorvitch in an order on Tuesday found they "may have had sincerely held religious beliefs that ABC should have accommodated by affording them exemptions and allowing them to follow safety protocols implemented before mandatory vaccination policies were rolled out."
"After ABC instituted a requirement that its employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, Plaintiffs requested religious exemptions, which were denied," the document, filed Tuesday, reveals.
The lawsuit also claims that ABC violated Article 1, Section 1 of the California Constitution, religious discrimination under FEHA [Fair Employment and Housing Act], disability discrimination under FEHA, retaliation under FEHA and "wrongful termination in violation of public policy."
"ABC argued that the Wahls did not have genuine religious beliefs and that, even if they did, it could not have accommodated them without undue hardship," the Hollywood Reporter wrote, adding the entertainment labor union IATSE "waived any rights members had to object to mandatory vaccination policies."
FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL CALLS FOR HALT TO COVID-19 VACCINE USAGE AFTER FDA SAID HE SPREAD MISINFORMATION
ABC beat another, similar lawsuit from Ingo Rademacher for "his dismissal from General Hospital for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine." (Nick Argo/ABC via Getty Images)
"Ruling against ABC on summary judgment, the court concluded that the studio may have discriminated against the Wahls on the basis of their religion by failing to find a workaround for their refusal to get vaccinated," the outlet reported.
ABC beat another similar lawsuit from Ingo Rademacher after he was fired from "General Hospital" for declining the COVID vaccine.
The star exited the daytime drama in 2021 after refusing to comply with ABC's mandate requiring show employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Documents were filed by attorney John W. Howard on behalf of the actor at the time, stating that Rademacher applied for a religious exemption to the mandate but was denied. He was also represented by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now running for president as an independent.
"I am entitled to a religious exemption against mandatory vaccination for COVID-19 on the basis of my deeply and sincerely held moral belief that my body is endowed by my creator with natural processes to protect me and that its natural integrity cannot ethically be violated by the administration of artificially created copies of genetic material, foreign to nature and experimental," the actor wrote in an email to Disney's human resources team in 2021, per the suit.
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A Los Angeles judge ruled in ABC's favor in 2023, saying the actor's objections to the vaccine were based on health reasons, not religious beliefs.
ABC did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News' Nate Day contributed to this report.
One of the great perplexities of our time is how do we get this country back on the rails if there's so much money to be made peddling ignorance and dangerous nonsense. The Washington Post reports that Covid misinformation
According to the WP, there are connections between these organizations and some of the more energetic Bible-banging enterprises, as well as the libertarian Right. And the people in charge are living the sweet life as well.
They also have connections that reached into the Capitol on January 6, 2021. It's all one big universe of crazy, and now it pays very well.
It's a living, I guess. For these people, anyway.
Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston and has three children.
A new study has found two Covid vaccine side-effects which can attack the heart, brain and spinal cord.
Researchers at the Global Vaccine Data Network discovered links between mRNA(Pfizer and Moderna) vaccines and myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscle - and pericarditis - swelling of the thin sac covering the heart.
Experts stress that the new side-effects are "exceptionally rare" and the benefits of Covid vaccines still "vastly outweigh the risks".
The study of more than 99 million people also confirmedGuillain-Barr syndrome, when the immune system attacks the nerves and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, a type of blood clot in the brain as rare side effects associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The international journal Vaccine, where the new data is published, also established that acute disseminated encephalomyelitis - an inflammation and swelling in the brain and spinal cord - was also linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
A new study has found two very rare Covid vaccine side-effects which can attack the heart, brain and spinal cord
Getty
The study involved people from Australia, Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand and Scotland.
Researchers say the results were based on electronic healthcare data, which compared the rates of 13 brain, blood and heart conditions in people after they received the Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine with the rate that would be expected of those conditions in the population before the pandemic.
The new discovery of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis triggered researchers to independently confirm the side-effect by carrying out a second study.
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Prof Jim Buttery, co-director of the Global Vaccine Data Network said the second study included a separate dataset of 6.8 million Australians who were injected with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Australian study of AstraZeneca-specific data confirmed acute disseminated encephalomyelitis as a side-effect but also helped detect a second new rare side-effect, known as transverse myelitis - spinal cord inflammation.
According to Vaccine, the risk of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is found in 0.78 cases for every million doses, while transverse myelitis appears in 1.82 cases per million doses.
The risk of myocarditis is even higher with natural Covid infection than it is following a vaccination, Buttery said.
The new discovery of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis triggered researchers to independently confirm the side-effect by carrying out a second study
Getty
The senior research analyst at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Australia added that despite the conditions being serious, patients usually recover from them.
Prof Julie Leask, a vaccine expert at the University of Sydney said it is important to note that a Covid infection increases the risk of some of the rare conditions "much more than a vaccine" does.
She said the studies show that: Our vaccine experts are paying attention to when vaccines lead to serious side-effects, and theyre acting on it.
"Being confident in a system that will detect problems and address them, is a very important part of a robust vaccination program."
Moderna (MRNA) posted a surprise beat in its full-year 2023 earnings, with its COVID-19 vaccine sales topping $6.8 billion, just above the company's guidance of $6 billion.
The full-year results were still significantly less than the $18 billion posted the prior year, when the pandemic revenues were still rolling in. For 2024, Moderna has estimated revenues of $4 billion.
CEO Stphane Bancel credits the year's results with ongoing demand for the company's COVID vaccine, despite a waning market in the post-pandemic world.
"Last year was a transition year. We right-sized manufacturing, took a big write-off, mostly non-cash, in the fall, and now I think we're off to the races. The objective this year ... is to increase vaccination rates," Bancel told Yahoo Finance.
The company took a few hits last year from unused COVID-19 doses it had to take back from the US government, as well as right-sizing its manufacturing and physical footprints.
But despite a slowing market, Bancel said he still sees a future for COVID vaccines. He says the elderly are particularly vulnerable every year and may be forgoing COVID shots, but are still getting their flu vaccines.
"We don't have enough people getting their shot. They have to understand, [they have] five times more chance of getting hospitalized" compared to those who get vaccinated, Bancel said, adding that is particularly true for individuals with multiple complicating diseases that make them more vulnerable.
But the risk goes beyond the elderly, as the effects of long COVID that is, symptoms of the disease that persist beyond recovery of the infection have been resulting in an increase of long-term unemployment. Bancel says he wants to help avoid that in the future by ensuring companies are more aware of the benefits of vaccination.
Meanwhile, Moderna is looking to launch its RSV vaccine for older adults this year, and is expecting an FDA decision on the product by May 12. It would join competitors GSK (GSK) and Pfizer (PFE), which launched their own RSV vaccines last year in the same population.
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In addition, the company is looking for clinical trial results on its combination flu and COVID vaccine and continuing its study of a cancer vaccine in partnership with Merck (MRK).
Moderna shares were up nearly 9% Thursday following the results, but are down nearly 40% in the past year.
Anjalee Khemlani is the senior health reporter at Yahoo Finance, covering all things pharma, insurance, care services, digital health, PBMs, and health policy and politics. Follow Anjalee on all social media platforms @AnjKhem.
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Moderna (MRNA) posted a fourth-quarter profit after beating revenue and earnings estimates. COVID-19 vaccine sales fell by nearly 43% year-over-year. Yahoo Finance Health Reporter Anjalee Khemlani breaks down her interview with Moderna CEO Stphane Bancel, including the pharmaceutical company's plans for its RSV vaccine and where it is integrating AI.
"Last year was a transition year. We right-sized manufacturing, took a big write-off mostly non-cash in the fourth, and now I think we're off to the races we've been gaining share in the US and the objective this year in 2024 is to increase the vaccination rate," Bancel says.
For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live.
Editor's note: This article was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.
SEANA SMITH: All right. Well, let's take a look at one of the big movers of the morning. And that is Moderna shares climbing to the upside, up just about 6% after posting a surprise profit in the fourth quarter despite seeing a 43% slump in COVID 19 vaccine sales. Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani spoke with Moderna's CEO about those results minutes ago. Anjalee, what did you hear?
ANJALEE KHEMLANI: That's right Seana, Moderna surprisingly coming out with the beat this time, despite the fact that we've seen the waning COVID vaccine story play out for it and other companies. But the company is saying that they do see the market for this, they in fact did increase their market share for COVID vaccines in the last quarter. So really a strong story there.
And it has been a year of transition. That's really the takeaway that CEO Stphane Bancel told me earlier today. Listen to what he had to say.
STEPHANE BANCEL: Last year was a transition year. As we said all along last year, we right size manufacturing took a big write off mostly non-cash in the fall. And now I think we're off to the races is, we have been gaining share in the US and the objective this year in 2024 is to increase vaccination rate.
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ANJALEE KHEMLANI: So as you can see that right off of course with 2.2 billion right sizing manufacturing. And then focusing on the RSV vaccine launch, what they expect to happen this year could add to the revenues for the company. In addition, they're working on their combo flu and COVID vaccine. And they also have that partnership, of course, with Marc for the cancer vaccine and all told looking for a strong future.
But it is interesting also to see where Moderna is playing in the market with a focus on vaccines and infectious diseases. Also, at a time where oncology is big. As well as AI, Moderna being one of the first companies to really use AWS to be able to identify the current COVID 19 vaccine.
I asked Stephane whether or not that is an example of how far along the technology is or whether or not it still has a little bit of a drawback. And here's what he had to say.
STEPHANE BANCEL: If you look at large sets of data, to look at patterns on very large sets of data, this is where machine learning today is actually very adapted. And that's the type of use we are doing. We're not using to report financials. This is still done by standard systems like SAP and standard technology.
But when you're dealing with very large sets of data, the ability of machine learning system to look at patterns and to see things that a human cannot see because they're just so much data. That part of the technology, we believe is ready.
ANJALEE KHEMLANI: So as you can hear, definitely some future in there and whether or not the company continues to grow beyond that. What it has in its pipeline is what investors are waiting to see. But still a strong result and still bullish on the potential COVID market is where Moderna currently stands.
SEANA SMITH: All right. Anjalee, thanks so much. We'll be talking with an analyst from Oppenheimer with an outperform rating on the stock here later this hour get his thoughts on this report. All right. Anjalee. Thanks
