Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

A medical assistant rests while waiting for patients at an abandoned Dave & Busters thats been converted to a large-scale covid-19 testing facility on January 8, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Photo: Brandon Bell (AP)

The U.S. covid-19 vaccination rate has slipped to 59th in the world, right behind Iran and Sri Lanka, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. was ranked 55th in November of 2021, 40th in September, and 18th back in July, but has struggled with an onslaught of medical disinformation delivered to large swaths of the American people through outlets like Fox News.

During the earliest vaccination efforts of 2021, both smaller countries and more wealthy nations dominated the international rankings. But population size doesnt matter so much anymore and many low-income countries are doing very well compared with the U.S., which has vaccinated just 63% of its population.

For example, China, which boasts the largest population in the world, has vaccinated 87% of its population of 1.4 billion people, giving it the fifth highest vaccination rate globally. Cuba, one of the poorer countries in the world, is ranked seventh on the list, having vaccinated 85% of its population. Fiji, which is also a low-income country, has achieved a vaccination rate of 68%, well above wealthier countries like Switzerland, Israel, and the United States.

Japan stands out as a wealthy country that was lagging in 2021 but has really stepped up its vaccination efforts in recent months. Roughly 78% of Japan is now vaccinated against covid-19, up from just 49% back in September.

Germany is also notable in its recent efforts. The country has a large anti-vaccine population but has managed to do relatively well in the past few months. Germanys covid-19 vaccination rate was roughly 48% back in July of 2021, roughly the same as the U.S.s vaccination rate of 49% at the time. But Germany has been able to get more than 71% of its population vaccinated, while the U.S. is currently stuck at 63%.

Below, we have the current list of top 65 most vaccinated countries in the world, all based on data from Johns Hopkins University.

While most of the world is suffering though the current wave of the omicron variant right now, the U.S. has been particularly hard hit, thanks in large part to having such a large percentage of unvaccinated people.

The U.S. reported 1,459,005 new cases on Monday, an exceptionally high number thanks to the weekend backlog, but the seven-day average for cases is still historically high. The country is averaging 771,516 new cases each day and currently has 140,268 people in hospital with covid-19, up 4,158 from just a day before. The U.S. also reported 2,235 new deaths.

Get vaccinated. Get boosted. Thats the way to make sure youre protected against serious illness and death from a disease thats rocked the world for over two years now. And one day this will all be over. It has to be.

Read more here:

U.S. Ranks 59th Globally for Covid-19 Vaccinations, Just Behind Iran - Gizmodo

Albertsons Cos. Inc. and CVS Health Corp. projected higher profits as Covid-19 worries drove more consumers to the chains pharmacies for vaccinations and over-the-counter tests, executives said.

Supermarket operator Albertsons said its stores benefited from strong vaccine demand and higher pricing for groceries, lifting profits and sales for the companys latest quarter. Albertsons results for the period, which ran through the first week of December, were stronger than analysts had forecast, and the chain raised its full-year guidance.

See the rest here:

Covid-19 Vaccines and Tests Boost Albertsons and CVS Sales - The Wall Street Journal

A health worker prepares an injection with a dose of the AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

MEXICO CITY, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Mexico is expecting delivery of nearly 27 million additional COVID-19 vaccine doses in the coming weeks, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday, as the Omicron variant fuels a sharp increase in cases.

"We're going to receive 11.7 million more doses soon ... and before March, a further 15 million, with which we estimate that the numbers needed by the health ministry will be met," Ebrard said during a regular news conference.

He did not say what kind of vaccines they would be.

Mexico is under pressure to speed up its vaccine campaign as cases surge. The country logged over 30,000 new daily cases on Saturday, a record, and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday he had contracted COVID-19 for the second time.

Mexico has enough vaccine doses to roll out booster shots, Lopez Obrador said last week.

Register

Reporting by Cassandra Garrison and Raul CortesEditing by Dave Graham

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

See the original post:

Mexico expecting nearly 27 mln COVID-19 vaccines in coming weeks - Reuters

COVID-19 booster doses are now available for ages 12 and older in Yakima County, and the Yakima Health District is urging people who are eligible to get one.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded booster dose eligibility to everyone 12 and older last week, and the YHD adopted the change for mobile vaccine clinics Monday, the health district said in a news release.

As we continue to see an increase of omicron cases throughout our state, we urge community members to utilize preventative measures to remain safe, local emergency response coordinator Nathan Johnson said in the release. Now that we are able to administer Pfizer booster doses to anyone 12 and older, we encourage parents to get their children their booster dose and adults to get theirs as well.

As of Monday, 54% of the total population of Yakima County residents are fully vaccinated, and 60.3% have initiated vaccination, according to the state Department of Health. Of those 16 and older, 70% are fully vaccinated, and 67.5% of those 12 and older are.

About 20% of those who are eligible have received a booster dose, the health district release said.

The health district said breakthrough cases in those who are vaccinated are expected to increase as the overall number of COVID-19 cases rises. The health district emphasizes that vaccines and boosters still offer important protection.

The vaccines remain safe, and coupled with the booster, are protective against both delta and the new omicron variant, YHD health officer Dr. Neil Barg said in the news release. After receiving the booster, you are much less likely to experience severe infection, hospitalization and death, even if you contract the omicron variant.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalization are more common among unvaccinated individuals, according to the release. In Yakima County, about 91% of COVID-19 cases and 86% of hospitalizations have been among people who are not vaccinated, the release said.

The CDC recommends everyone 12 and older get a booster dose at least five months after completing the Pfizer primary vaccination series, six months after completing the Moderna primary vaccination series, or two months after receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Boosters are safe to mix-and-match, according to the CDC.

Anyone age 5 and older is eligible to complete a primary vaccination series, according to the CDC. More information is available at http://www.YakimaVaccines.org.

Here is where you can get vaccinated this week in Yakima County:State Fair Park, 1301 S. Fair Ave. in Yakima, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

State Fair Park, 1301 S. Fair Ave. in Yakima, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

YMCA, 5 N. Naches Ave. in downtown Yakima, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Barge-Lincoln Elementary School, 219 E. I St. in Yakima, 4-6 p.m.

Bearded Monkey Cycling, 1802 W. Nob Hill Blvd. in Yakima, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Yakima Valley Museum, 2105 Tieton Drive in Yakima, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lewis & Clark Middle School, 1114 W. Pierce St. in Yakima, 5-7 p.m.

State Fair Park, 1301 S. Fair Ave. in Yakima, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

YMCA, 5 N. Naches Ave. in downtown Yakima, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Adams Elementary School, 723 S. Eighth St. in Yakima, 4-7 p.m.

Radio KDNA, 121 Sunnyside Ave. in Granger, 4-7 p.m.

State Fair Park, 1301 S. Fair Ave. in Yakima, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunnyside Community Center, 1521 S. First St. in Sunnyside, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to fix the location for the mobile clinic at Radio KDNA.

See the article here:

Heres where you can get a COVID-19 vaccine and booster in Yakima County - Yakima Herald-Republic

The Army's COVID vaccine has shown success in primates and is now being tested on humans.

There's a new COVID-19 vaccineand surprise, it's not from Pfizer, Moderna or any pharmaceutical company. The US Army has announced early results for a vaccine developed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research that includes defense against the now dominant omicron variant of COVID-19-- a strain causing breakthrough infections in people who have received two vaccine shots or more.

Vaccines have been proven highly effective at preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19. Recent Jan. 5 data from Washington state shows that people over 65 are 13 times more likely to be hospitalized and 15 times more likely to die from COVID-19 compared with those over 65 who received two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson.

As the omicron variant surges around the world and outbreaks among the "fully vaccinated" leave governments and medical experts scrambling, an effective Army vaccine for existing and future COVID-19 variants could become a pandemic-changing solution for stopping reinfection from coronavirus mutations.

The Army isn't only gunning for COVID-19. Scientists are designing the vaccine to be adaptable for all viruses in the coronavirus family, future and past, including SARS, a virus that infected more than 8,000 people during its last outbreak in 2003.

We'll share what we know about the Army's COVID-19 vaccine, including how it works and when it could become available. Here's the current status on federal vaccine mandates, what we know about omicron today and seven mask myths putting people at risk today.

The three vaccines authorized right now for use in the US take two approaches to protecting against COVID-19 infection. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA to build up immunity against the disease, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses a harmless virus (not the one that causes COVID-19) to train the body's immune system to respond to COVID.

The US Army vaccine -- officially named the Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle (or SpFN) COVID-19 vaccine -- takes a third approach, using a harmless portion of the COVID-19 virus to spur the body's protection against COVID.

The Army's vaccine also has less restrictive storage and handling requirements than the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, allowing it to be used in a wider variety of situations. The Army's vaccine can be stored in a refrigerator between 36 degrees Fahrenheit and 46 F for up to six months and at room temperature for up to one month, according to military scientists. Pfizer's vaccine requires an ultra-cold freezer (between 130 degrees F and -76 F) for shipment and storage and is stable for 31 days when stored in a refrigerator.

The vaccine has been tested with two shots, 28 days apart, and also with a third shot after 6 months.

The vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson all target the specific virus -- SARS-CoV-2 -- that causes COVID-19. Army scientists are going broader and designed their vaccine to be "pan-coronavirus," meaning they plan to use it against a variety of coronaviruses, including new strains of the virus as they emerge.

Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, founding director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, toldthe Army Times, "We have designed and positioned this platform as the next generation vaccine, one that paves the way for a universal vaccine to protect against not only the current virus, but also counter future variants, stopping them in their tracks before they can cause another pandemic."

Though the Army's vaccine hasn't been directly tested on the omicron variant, scientists working on the vaccine said its protection has shown promise against omicron in the lab using human trial samples.

Now playing: Watch this: What to do if you lose your vaccination card, and how...

3:00

No date has been set. The vaccine is now going through clinical trials to determine how safe and effective it is. Normally, completing all three phases of a clinical trial can take three to five years, but the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic could speed up the process. The existing COVID vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration were tested, reviewed and authorized in the course of one year.

Learn smart gadget and internet tips and tricks with our entertaining and ingenious how-tos.

After the data from the Phase 1 human trials is formally collected, analyzed and published, the Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials will begin. There is very little information so far on when or how those trials will proceed or if the phases will overlap.

To follow the progress of the Army vaccine trials, visit the SpFN COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker provided by the US Army Medical Research and Development Command.

For more on COVID-19, here's what we know about how the CDC defines being fully vaccinated, how to store your vaccine card on your phone, and what we still don't know about the virus after two years.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

See the original post:

One COVID vaccine to rule them all? What you need to know about the Army vaccine - CNET

Hundreds of millions of people have gotten the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. Covid-19 vaccine shots. But how many know that the Pfizer vaccine is called Comirnaty? And Modernas? Spikevax.

Despite a year of wall-to-wall media coverage and debate, the names of the worlds two biggest Covid-19 vaccines are nowhere close to the name recognition of such products as Tylenol, Kleenex or the iPhone.

The rest is here:

What Covid-19 Vaccine Did You Get? You Probably Dont Know Its Name. - The Wall Street Journal

Effect of Covid-19 Vaccination on Transmission of Alpha and Delta Variants | NEJM  nejm.org

View post:

Effect of Covid-19 Vaccination on Transmission of Alpha and Delta Variants | NEJM - nejm.org

Public officials across the country are reopening temporary mass-vaccination sites that they wound down months ago, in an effort to get more people vaccinated and boosted in the latest Covid-19 surge driven by the Omicron variant.

Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island are among states that have opened or are planning soon to open sites designed to administer hundreds or even thousands of shots a day. The locations include Bostons Fenway Park, malls, a casino and convention centers.

See the article here:

Mass Vaccination Sites for Covid-19 Are Back - The Wall Street Journal

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) supports the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) recommendation that 12- to 15-year-olds should receive a single booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. DHS also supports CDCs recommendations to shorten the booster interval from 6 months to 5 months for people who received the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and that moderately or severely immunocompromised 5- to 11-year-olds receive an additional primary dose of vaccine 28 days after their second shot.

The approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for 12- to 15-year-olds provides another opportunity for more Wisconsinites to get additional protection from COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, said DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. Being fully vaccinated and getting a booster dose is the best protection for preventing the worst outcomes from COVID-19. We encourage everyone ages 12 and older to join the more than 1.6 million Wisconsinites who have already gotten their booster or additional COVID-19 vaccine dose.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is the only one recommended for 12- to 17-year-olds at this time.

DHS is also recommending the Pfizer and Moderna boosters five months after completion of initial vaccination for everyone ages 12 and older. The booster interval recommendation for people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (2 months) has not changed. Additionally, DHS is recommending a third Pfizer primary series dose for certain immunocompromised children 5 through 11 years of age.

Receiving a booster vaccination at five months rather than six months after initial vaccination may offer better protection sooner for individuals against the highly transmissible Omicron variant, said Stephanie Schauer, Ph.D., Division of Public Health Immunization Program Manager. The latest research also indicates that children 5 through 11 years of age who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, receive maximum benefit when they receive a third primary series dose."

With the record high-level of disease transmission in Wisconsin, DHS strongly recommends that everyone who is eligible to get a booster should get one as soon as possible. The booster dose can strengthen and extend their protection against infection, serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.

To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider in your community, visit Vaccines.gov, or call 211 or 877-947-2211. For additional information about booster doses, additional doses, and help accessing your COVID-19 vaccine record to determine when you may be recommended for a booster, visit the DHS Additional Doses and Booster Doses webpage.

For up-to-date information about Wisconsins COVID-19 response, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage. You can also follow @DHSWI on Facebook, Twitter, or dhs.wi on Instagram for more information on COVID-19.

Read the original here:

DHS Recommends COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose for Everyone Ages 12 and Older - Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Patricia Flemming says she is feeling more motivated and less fearful of catching COVID-19 after getting her booster shots.

The 71-year-old is among the 87 residents at Chester Village to have received a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose since Dec. 30 at the Toronto nursing home.

The third one, I noticed a bit of fatigue, said Flemming, who is a retired nurse from Nova Scotia.

This one had a little more fatigue associated with it. But other than that, there [were] no real issues.

Chester Village was one of the first long-term care homes in Ontario to fully vaccinate almost all of its residents against the coronavirus last January. And now a year later, the not-for-profit facility is offering all eligible residents the Moderna vaccine as a fourth dose.

Story continues below advertisement

As the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 surges across the country, Canadas National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has recommended that moderately or severely immunocompromised Canadians may receive a second booster or fourth shot at least six months after their last dose.

Many of these individuals are at a higher risk of severe outcomes of COVID-19 and also at increased risk of decreasing protection over time since vaccination, NACI said in its updated guidance released on Dec. 3.

Besides long-term care homes, the Ontario government is making fourth doses available to residents of the provinces retirement homes, elder care lodges and other congregate settings.

Meanwhile, Manitoba is recommending a fourth dose for moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals at least six months after the last received dose.

Story continues below advertisement

Saskatchewan has also opened up fourth doses to people who are immunocompromised, provided it has been three months since their third dose.

According to NACI, the intent of a booster dose is to restore protection that may have decreased over time or is no longer sufficient in individuals who initially responded adequately to a complete primary vaccine series.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly warned against blanket booster programmes, stressing greater equity globally in the distribution of and access to vaccines.

The agency says more people worldwide should be vaccinated with first doses before others receive boosters.

Booster after booster in a small number of countries will not end a pandemic while billions remain completely unprotected, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHOs director-general, during a news conference on Jan. 6.

But Canada, like several other countries, is pressing ahead with boosting its population amid a surge in infections thanks to the Omicron variant.

A growing body of research shows that a first booster or third COVID-19 vaccine dose, which is recommended for all Canadian adults, raises antibody levels, cuts death rates and hospitalization.

Story continues below advertisement

But there is limited data to back the need for a fourth dose or additional subsequent doses, experts say.

It is, in my view, somewhat early to start thinking of a fourth dose when the third dose itself hasnt been fully deployed in our population, said Dr. Ciriaco Piccirillo, an immunologist and senior scientist at the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).

Trending Stories

As of Sunday, 9,810,166 people or roughly 25 per cent of the Canadian population had received a third COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to covid19tracker.ca.

Piccirillo believes a two-dose or triple-dose vaccine series should be more than sufficient for people who dont have pre-existing conditions and who have normal immune systems.

However, subsequent boosters are likely very important for the elderly, immunocompromised individuals and cancer patients, he added.

Israel, which is now administering fourth doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to people over 60, health workers and immunocompromised patients, has played a leading role in studying the effects of COVID-19 vaccines.

Story continues below advertisement

The country was the fastest to roll out two-dose inoculations to a wide population a year ago and one of the firstto give third shots as boosters.

Citing preliminary findings of an Israeli study, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Jan. 4, that a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine boosts antibodies five-fold a week after the shot is administered.

Like Canada, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended a fourth shot for anyone who is moderately and severely immunocompromised.

But in the U.K., the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization has advised the government that there was no need to offer a fourth dose, or second booster, to vulnerable people at this time. It cited data that shows a third shot offers lasting protection against admission to the hospital three months after the dose.

The purpose of giving a booster is to raise the level of neutralizing antibodies from a vaccine, especially in immunosuppressed individuals, who have difficulty producing antibodies due to a weakened immune system, said Dr. Horacio Bach, an infectious diseases expert at the University of British Columbia.

Story continues below advertisement

However, more research is needed to see the impact of a fourth shot before it can be rolled out to the general population, he said.

Dr. Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Sinai Health and University Health Network hospitals in Toronto, said while a fourth shot may provide benefit in certain vulnerable populations who are at risk of waning immunity, it still remains to be seen if a mass rollout among the general population is needed going forward.

This might become one of those illnesses that we need a booster on an annual basis, for example, he said.

But right now, we just dont have that information on whether a fourth shot would truly be beneficial for younger, healthier populations.

Are boosters targeting variants?

The current booster shots have exactly the same formula as the first two doses.

Story continues below advertisement

For now, each dose is targeting the same S protein of the original Wuhan strain of SARS-CoV-2, Piccirillo said. The S protein is the key that the virus uses to dock into cell receptors to enter human cells, causing infection.

Early findings about a single booster in the context of the Omicron variant are promising.

Citing data from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the United States top doctor, Anthony Fauci, has said that the current booster vaccine regimens work against Omicron, whether your dose is Pfizer or Moderna.

Research from the University of California indicates boosters can push protection against Omicron back up to roughly 48 per cent. As for preventing severe disease, boosters appear to push that efficacy back up to 91 per cent.

A study released in the United Kingdom also found a COVID-19 booster shot can provide 71 to 75 per cent protection against mild symptoms of COVID-19.

Story continues below advertisement

Meanwhile, both Pfizer and Moderna, are working to develop booster shots that can specifically target the Omicron variant.

This week, Modernas chief executive Stephane Bancel said that the efficacy of boosters against COVID-19 is likely to decline over the next few months and people may need another shot in the fall of 2022.

I suspect that in the upcoming months, we will be seeing commercially available booster shots that are variant specific, Piccirillo said.

Sinha agrees. There might be a future booster dose thats tailored more to variants like Omicron or other future variants. But that takes time to develop.

For now, James Patridge, 76, is looking forward to getting his fourth shot at Chester Village next week so he can move around more freely and live longer.

It protects me from the virus, he said, urging others to get vaccinated.

with files from Reuters

2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Continue reading here:

4th COVID-19 vaccine dose: Whats the science behind another booster? - Global News