Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

"Fully vaccinated" won't likely mean three shots, but officials are now avoiding the term altogether.

As the omicron variant changes the landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is moving away from using the phrase "fully vaccinated," even if a person has received a booster shot.

"We're using the terminology 'keeping your vaccinations up to date' rather than ... 'fully vaccinated,'" Fauci said at a National Institutes of Health presentation on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported. "Right now, optimal protection is with a third shot of an mRNA or a second shot of a J&J." The mRNA vaccines are Moderna and Pfizer.

As of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention'sCOVID-19 web pageuses the term "up to date" in regard to reaching optimal vaccine protection.

Current vaccines have proven less effective against the highly contagiousomicron variantthan they are against delta or other COVID-19 variants. In addition, protection gained from the vaccines decreases over time, particularly after six months.

Mounting evidenceindicatesbooster shotsare needed to "top up" COVID-19-fighting antibodies, especially against the new omicron variant. On Monday, the FDA expanded the authorization of boosters of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to includechildren ages 12 to 15, and those as young as 5 with compromised immune systems.

The CDC site still states that adults are "fully vaccinated" two weeks after a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or a single dose of the J&J/Janssen vaccine.

"Individuals are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 if they've received their primary series," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a briefing Wednesday. "That definition is not changing ... but we are now recommending individuals stay up to date with additional doses they are eligible for."

Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, also clarified on Wednesday that federal vaccine mandates for incoming foreign travelers, health care workers and companies with more than 100 workers would not change to include boosters. "We do not have any plans to change that," Zients stated plainly.

Breakthrough cases in people who've completed two shots of an mRNA vaccine or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have become increasingly common: In New York, such infections were five times higher for the last week of December than the first,NBC New Yorkreported. NYC Mayor Eric Abrams is considering a booster mandate for teachers, police officers and other city workers, he toldABC's This Weekon Sunday.

Many schools and businesses are already requiring boosters. TheNFL announcedthat, starting Jan. 14, all media covering the NFL playoffs or the Super Bowl will need to have received a COVID-19 booster. Last month, the league mandatedbooster shots for coaches and staff-- but not players.

In November, Connecticut's Wesleyan University became thefirst college to make boosters mandatory for students. Several other northeastern colleges quickly followed suit, includingall of the Ivy League schools, followed by manyCaliforniaandOregonschools.

On New Year's Eve,New York Governor Kathy Hochul announcedthat all students in the State University of New York and City University of New York systems must be boosted to return to campus in person, as of Jan. 15.

For more, here's the latest on the Moderna booster shots, what you need to know about the Pfizer antiviral pilland how to pick between the vaccine boosters. The article continues below.

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

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The highly contagious omicron variant is currently the dominant COVID-19 strain in the US, representing nearly 60% of new infections. As such, COVID-19 cases have rocketed to all-time highs, according to the CDC, which reported a seven-day moving average of just under 500,000 new cases on Jan. 3, or roughly a 230% rise over 14 days.

While two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine (or one of J&J) combined with a booster doesn't provide complete protection from COVID-19, the vaccines offer a sturdy defense against illness. In a press briefing Dec. 29, Walensky said an unvaccinated person has 10 times the risk of testing positive for COVID-19 and 20 times the risk of dying compared with someone who's vaccinated and boosted.

According to the CDC's previous messaging, you're fully vaccinated two weeks after you receive the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or two weeks after a single dose of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine.

The CDC also considers you fully vaccinated if you received any single-dose vaccine listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization or any combination of the two-dose vaccines approved by the FDA or listed by the WHO for emergency use.

Though the official definition of "fully vaccinated" isn't likely to change, Fauci has said three shots should be consideredthe new baseline-- part of the primary series of vaccinations rather than a "booster."

"It should be a proper one from the get-go -- three shots," he said in September.

Israel's national coronavirus czar, Dr. Salman Zarka, told his country it should prepare for a fourth dose of an mRNA vaccine. Fauci has said that the need for a fourth jab is "conceivable" in the US, too, but not just yet.

"In the future, we might need an additional shot, but right now, we are hoping that we will get a greater degree of durability of protection from that booster shot," Fauci saidat a White House briefingDec. 29. "We're going to take one step at a time, get the data from the third boost and then make decisions based on scientific data."

As preliminary studies show omicron's ability to infect those who are considered fully vaccinated, the definition began shifting -- if not formally, then practically -- from two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to three.

"As far as I'm concerned -- I make it very clear -- if you want to be optimally protected, get boosted," Fauci saidon CNN's State of the Union, when asked if three shots will become the standard.

Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the University of California at San Francisco's department of medicine, said he thinks the definition change is coming soon.

"It's increasingly clear that if you have three shots, you're in pretty good shape," Wachter said last month during anonline COVID-19 discussionhosted by the San Francisco Chronicle. "I think we will stop calling people with two shots 'fully vaccinated' within a week or two," Wachter added. "Omicron is going to make that case quite vividly."

How many shots to be protected from omicron?

Vaccine makers are already pushing for three doses as the new standard. "Although two doses of the vaccine may still offer protection against severe disease caused by the omicron strain, it's clear from these preliminary data that protection is improved with a third dose of our vaccine," Pfizer Chairman Albert Bourlasaid in a statementon early results about the Pfizer vaccine's continued effectiveness.

The next step would be for the CDC to change its definition of what it means to be fully vaccinated, currently defined astwo shots of the mRNA vaccines or one dose of Johnson & Johnson's.

Will there be afourth shot? Israel has already started rolling out a fourth vaccine shot for medical workers, those of 60 and people who are immunocompromised. On Monday, the country began a study on the effectiveness of a second booster, testing 150 healthcare workers at the Sheba Medical Center. A spokesman says the study "will zero in on the efficacy of the vaccine in producing antibodies, and safety, in order to ascertain if a fourth vaccine is needed in general,"according to Reuters.

At last week'sWhite House COVID-19 press briefing, Fauci stressed the importance of first collecting and analyzing data from the third shot before considering a fourth dose.

For more, here's what we know about theomicron variantand how thenew mutation compares with delta. And here's how tostore your vaccine card on your phone.

If two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are not enough to guard against omicron, would we need a variant-specific booster to restore protection? According to Fauci, "At this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster."

But getting from the two-dose definition to three will take effort:The CDC website says almost 206 million Americans right now are "fully vaccinated" with the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. That's 62% percent of the total US population. However, only 68 million in the US have received a booster -- only a third of the so-called fully vaccinated, or a little more than 20% of the total US population.

"That's why getting more Americans vaccinated and boosted is central to the president's plan to fight COVID and confront omicron this winter," Zients said during last week's White House briefing.

Moderna has said it is studying an omicron-specific vaccine, as well as a multivalent shot that could protect against the alpha and delta strains, but clinical trials aren't expected to start until next year.

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

The CDC says you can "ensure you are optimally protected against COVID-19" by getting vaccinated and getting a booster. If you got the Pfizer vaccine, the CDC says you should get a booster at least five months after your second dose. If you got Moderna, the agency says you should get a booster at least six months after the second shot.

The Moderna vaccine, Spikevax, has been authorized only for adults 18 and up. The FDA has approved the Pfizer vaccine for people 16 and up, and given emergency authorization for children 5 to 15 years old.

On Wednesday, the CDC expanded its recommendation on booster shots to include teens ages 12 to 17. In the CDC press release, Walensky said, "It is critical that we protect our children and teens from COVID-19 infection and the complications of severe disease. ... This booster dose will provide optimized protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. I encourage all parents to keep their children up to date with CDC's COVID-19 vaccine recommendations."

If you got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, see the next section.

The CDC website indicates "optimal" protection after receiving a second shot of the one-dose J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least two months after the first.

Last year, the agencyrecommended Moderna or Pfizer's mRNA vaccinesoverJohnson & Johnson''s viral-vector shot, citing a rare but dangerous blood-clot side effect. But a booster of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine provides strong protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 --stronger, even, than Pfizer's jab -- according to new research.

A Dec. 30 studyof 69,000 South African health care workers found that, among individuals who already received one dose of the J&J vaccine, a booster given six to nine months later improved their odds against hospitalization from 63% to 85%.

A separate study by Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found a J&J booster given to individuals who were initially given two doses of Pfizer's mRNA vaccine generated a 41-fold increase in antibody response within a month, compared with only a 17-fold increase when given a booster of the Pfizer vaccine.

CNET reached out to Johnson & Johnson for comment but hasn't gotten a response.

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.

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Do you need a booster shot to be 'fully vaccinated' against COVID? What does 'up to date' mean? - CNET

Listen and subscribe on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, and Google. And if you like what you hear, a five-star rating goes a long way in helping us "Track the Vax!"

We did it all. We social distanced, masked, got vaccinated, masked some more, and got boosted. But still, with Omicron -- a much more contagious variant spreading like wildfire -- infections are at an all-time high.

There remain more than 100 different vaccines in human trials and development for COVID-19, from protein subunits to inactivated coronavirus vaccines, as well as another 70-plus in animal trials.

So, is boosting with our existing authorized vaccines going to be our "new normal?" Or, are there new vaccines still in development that would allow us to truly be "one and done."

On this week's episode, Dial Hewlett Jr., MD, the medical director for Westchester County, New York, and deputy to the commissioner for the Westchester County Department of Health, joins us to explain what future vaccines are coming down the pike and where research will lead us.

The following is an abridged transcript of his interview with "Track the Vax" host, Serena Marshall:

Marshall: Despite vaccines, despite the strides we've made with them, we are still looking at a really bleak winter here. Is that because it's not that the vaccines aren't working, it's that the virus is sort of evolving?

Hewlett: That's fair to say. I think this new Omicron variant, unfortunately, seems to be much more transmissible than some of the earlier variants, including the Delta variant. And as a result of that, we have a larger number of people who are becoming infected. Certainly it has run rampant among those who are unvaccinated. But it has now led to a lot more of what we call breakthrough infections among people who are fully vaccinated.

Fortunately, those individuals who are fully vaccinated are experiencing only mild symptoms, similar to say, a common cold. So, I think that that's the good news, in that the vaccines are preventing serious illness and hospitalizations and deaths.

Marshall: But they're not bulletproof, and boosters are going to be what's necessary in order to really up that antibody protection?

Hewlett: That is correct. I think that we have understood now clearly the benefit of the boosters and we are encouraging everyone who is fully vaccinated, if they are eligible, to come into either their health departments or to their physicians' offices, or other places where they can get the boosters, because we believe the boosters are going to be very, very helpful in preventing further infections.

Marshall: But how often will boosting or this reboost be necessary when it comes down to it? Especially with these mRNA vaccines, which is what is being used in the U.S. the most, and what's being recommended now, even over the adenovirus vector vaccine.

Hewlett: I don't think that we can really answer that question accurately at this time. This is really a moving target. We don't know whether this virus ultimately is going to behave like the influenza virus, which requires a shot every year, because there are variants that occur -- not really variants, but there are changes in that particular virus that necessitate revaccination every single year.

So, we don't know if that may be the case with this virus at all, just like the others. I think we have to wait and see what's happening as far as that's concerned. We don't have to wait and see with regard to the effectiveness of these vaccines at preventing serious disease, because we've seen that that's definitely occurring.

Marshall: So, we don't know how often we'll have to get boosted with these mRNA vaccines, but we're hearing some good news about future vaccines -- like Novavax.

Hewlett: Yes, we are. And I think that one of the good things about that vaccine is that it does use a different type of platform. It uses what we call a protein subunit platform, so it's a protein-based vaccine, which is very similar to the platforms that are used for some of the other types of vaccines. I think the influenza vaccine is on a similar platform.

One of the good news pieces of this is that the availability of this new vaccine is going to increase the supply. And so it's going to allow for some of the underserved parts of the world to be supplied with vaccine, which, according to studies that were recently published over the summer in the New England Journal, this vaccine is close to 90% effective in preventing serious illness and hospitalization. So, that's very good news.

It may well be that if this vaccine is tested further, that it may be something that will be added to the armamentarium here in the United States. We don't have approval for this vaccine yet here in the U.S. and we don't have a COVID vaccine as of now that's in this class of vaccines that's available to us.

Marshall: So, you said it's a subunit protein vaccine. Explain for us how that's different from the mRNA vaccines.

Hewlett: Yes. If I can, not being a basic scientist. The mRNA vaccines actually couple the material from the virus, that is, they actually take pieces of the spike protein, and it's coupled with the messenger RNA. And that is actually the platform by which the vaccine operates.

With protein subunits, they are actually using what they call nanoproteins, which are just small amounts of protein, and what they call an adjuvant. They are using essentially the entire protein subunit, as I understand it, from the spike protein of the coronavirus. And so, in that way, it's a bit different. At the end of the day, all of the vaccines, whether it's an mRNA vaccine or a protein subunit vaccine as this one is, or a viral vector vaccine, which is what the J&J vaccine is, or the AstraZeneca -- all of these vaccines will generate what we call an antibody response. So, antibodies will be generated, which will neutralize the virus and hopefully prevent the person from getting sick.

But the other part that we don't talk about that much is that they will all also generate what we call a memory response through what we call the T cells or some of the white cells in our body. And this is probably very, very important -- not probably -- but is very important in terms of the duration of the protection that a person has.

Marshall: Do we know, though, if the subunit protein vaccines create longer protection memory?

Hewlett: We don't, we really don't. We really are going to have to wait and see what happens to the individuals who were involved in these initial trials. The trials that were reported in the New England Journal back in July involved about 15,000 participants. And so in order to know exactly how long protection is going to last, you have to follow these individuals longitudinally. And you have to look at their antibody responses over time and you expect the antibody levels to go down, but you also want to look at the percentage of individuals who may develop symptoms that would then be attributable to the coronavirus infection. And that's really the only way that we'll know how long the protection is going to last.

Marshall: I mean, it sounds like the Novavax vaccine is using more of traditional vaccination approaches than the mRNA, which is relatively, for all intent and purpose, brand new.

Hewlett: Well, yes. The mRNA vaccines have been used previously, but certainly the mRNA technology is much newer than the protein subunit technology. The advantage of the mRNA technology was that it allowed scientists to develop and produce the vaccine much more rapidly than the traditional protein subunit vaccine.

Marshall: But the protein subunit -- we have to just, to be clear here -- don't infect you either. There's no way you can get COVID from the vaccine?

Hewlett: That's correct. And that's true with all of them. So, you're not being injected with the virus. You are receiving protein parts of or either the entire spike protein, if you will, of the virus. And that is what generates the immune response.

Marshall: There's another vaccine, Dr. Hewlett, that's just out of phase I. So it's really early. And it's being called an umbrella vaccine, protecting not just against COVID, but all SARS infections. It is coming out of Walter Reed's medical center, U.S. Army. And that one they're saying is using a spike ferritin nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine. Can you explain for us what that is?

Hewlett: Unfortunately, I don't know a lot about this. I do know that the principle is one that has also been applied to the influenza vaccines. That is, if you can develop a vaccine that is going to offer universal protection against a whole array of coronaviruses, that of course is going to be much better in the long run than the vaccines that we have now that seem to have maybe a narrower range of protection.

And I think what they're talking about here is this umbrella, if you will, would allow for coverage of a broader range. And they can do this, if they can recognize a portion of the virus that is consistent across the entire range of coronaviruses and direct a response against that one particular portion of the virus, which might be in addition to, of course, the spike protein, which has been the focus up until now.

Marshall: I mean, that sounds like a really cool option, but for the flu, are we getting one that targets 24 or 20, however many different units ...?

Hewlett: I think that they have been working on that for many years. The flu virus has two major targets, the hemagglutinin and the neuraminidase, and those are targets for the currently used flu vaccines. And there's a lot of interest in trying to develop flu vaccines, influenza vaccines, which will be directed at some of the other proteins, which are more consistent, which don't seem to change from year to year.

Marshall: Okay, so, the goal then here would really be to prevent any other variants from being able to infect with this singular vaccine. That sounds pretty great.

Hewlett: Yes. If that can be accomplished. And I have confidence in our colleagues who are working in the laboratories. The technology is improving every single day. They are able to come up with novel ways of developing new vaccine products. And so I'm confident that they will come up with something very soon.

Marshall: How long do you think we're going to have to wait, though, for that to really come out of phase II, phase III and be distributed for something like that?

Hewlett: That's a good question. I think that if we look at our previous experience with the mRNA vaccines, where they were able to come up with a viable vaccine within a period of about a year, of course, that was based upon some of the previous work that was done. Who knows, maybe within another year or so there might be something that will be available. It's really pure conjecture on my part. But it's certainly possible.

Marshall: But a little hope/light at the end of the tunnel.

Hewlett: Yes, for sure.

Marshall: Now there's another type of vaccine that are being worked on, and those are non-injectable vaccines. So, can you tell us how those work? Those are inhalers. We've heard about this inhaler use for things like the flu in the past. And is that a legitimate option here for COVID?

Hewlett: Well, yes, they are. Again, not being a basic scientist it's difficult for me to go through all of the details, but I think that whether you are injecting a vaccine or if you are inhaling the vaccine, if you can basically expose the body's immune system to a high enough volume of the antigens, as we call it, then the body is going to generate a response. And it will generate a response not only by producing what we call antibodies, but it will also generate a response through the memory cells or the T-lymphocytes as we like to call them. And I think that these types of vaccines are not totally new. There are other types of vaccines that have been administered via the inhaled route, so this certainly is exciting.

Marshall: So, explain for us, though, how that would work. So, a vaccine, it gets into your arm, it goes into your immune system via the bloodstream. But when you inhale it, it goes into your lungs. So how has that response different?

Hewlett: It does, but it also is going to be absorbed through the small blood vessels that are present. And the same is true when you receive an intramuscular injection. And it then is going to cause a response as far as your immune system is concerned, so it really doesn't matter the route by which the vaccine enters the body.

The thing that is important is whether there's enough stimulation of the immune system. So, there are vaccines which are administered orally, that you take by mouth, and, so, it certainly is plausible. And it makes sense since this particular infection, we primarily acquire it through the respiratory route, it is logical that you could use a vaccine that was administered via the same route.

Marshall: But one wouldn't be necessarily better than the other?

Hewlett: No, it wouldn't be. However, I think that as time goes on they will have to look at the profile in terms of how effective the vaccines are when they're administered via this route. And also, the safety and the tolerability, there are many people who do not tolerate taking things via inhalation. Individuals who have respiratory disorders might not tolerate this route as well.

Marshall: I mean, this all sounds really promising, a promising future for COVID as we deal with this continued outbreak. And, in principle, it seems like it would be fantastic, but access is still going to be an issue. I mean, initially it was with the vaccines, now it's with tests, and we're learning about new types of tests, molecular analyses that can be used at home as well. Is that a way to really then kind of get ahead of this, as we continue to ramp up those vaccine technologies?

Hewlett: Well, yes. And I think that we have to look back on some of the errors that were made in the past. Many years ago there was, I think, a withdrawal of support for our response to things like pandemics and natural disasters. And this was recognized by many of the experts in the field.

And even during recent years, the public health infrastructure has been pretty much dismantled and we've had dismantling of some of the areas like our National Institutes of Health. There were draconian cuts to the Centers for Disease Control. And, unfortunately, as these cuts were starting to take effect, we were faced with the pandemic.

And so we were ill-prepared to deal with this pandemic. And I think now there has been an awakening and I think that now the support to some of these infrastructure areas is being renewed. And hopefully as we move forward, we will be in a better position. But things like home tests are certainly going to be very, very helpful in terms of improving access, and, of course, the technology for the tests. So, I think that these are certainly steps in the right direction that the administration is taking in terms of dealing with this testing issue.

Marshall: Is the problem or is the solution, I guess, going to be these new kinds of vaccines and figuring out how to boost and have that protection last? Or is it going to be that with a variant like Omicron, everyone will slowly get infected? And then it turns into more of a flu-like illness and we use testing to return to normal?

Hewlett: Well, that's a difficult question. I think that all of us are hoping that maybe -- and we have to keep in mind that coronaviruses have been around for a long, long time. They've been known as pathogens in animals since the 1930s. And they were identified as pathogens in humans in the late 1960s. And we know that the coronaviruses are responsible for about 30% of the common colds in certain parts of the world -- and so it is hopeful that as a result of many of the measures that are being taken, that it may return to that status.

Before we had SARS 1 and then MERS, the coronaviruses were felt to be rather benign. And so what happened to us in 2020 was totally unexpected, but possibly with a lot of the measures that have been taken already, combined with testing, we will be able to achieve normalization or at least a level of control.

But it may well be that in the future, we may have to include vaccinations for coronaviruses along with vaccinations for influenza, that's certainly a possibility on the horizon.

Marshall: And that's another vaccine that's being worked on, combining the two?

Hewlett: Yes. If you could combine them, that would really be a very good thing for people, so that when they got their flu vaccines every year, they could also get protection against coronaviruses.

Marshall: In the short term, though, just two arms, right? Roll up both sleeves.

Hewlett: That's pretty much where we are right now. We have to emphasize to everyone that the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters do not protect you against influenza. And the influenza vaccine does not protect you against COVID-19.

Marshall: Okay, well, I guess it sounds like COVID is here to stay for at least the long term and vaccines do remain our best weapon against them. But is the idea now that we reframe the goal to COVID testing and care?

Hewlett: Well, I guess we're going to have to ... there's no one solution. I think we can't get rid of testing just because we have vaccines. And just because we have testing, we can't stop vaccinating and encouraging everyone to be vaccinated and to have boosters. I think we have to have a multifaceted approach.

And I think while we're in this outbreak of the Omicron variant, we also have to emphasize the other things that we know are helpful in preventing infection, like masking and distancing, and also, unfortunately, avoiding large indoor gatherings, until this is under better control.

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COVID-19 Vaccines: What Does the Future Hold? - MedPage Today

ROCKFORD It's been over a year since the coronavirus vaccines were made available, and within the ever-changing climate of the pandemic questions are inevitable.

In December 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for thePfizerandModernavaccines, likewise in February for the Johnson & Johnson version.

Since then local hospitals, pharmacies, community centers, and churches have played host to vaccination sites.

Despite recommendationsfrom local officials and health professionals,a large number of area residents have not gotten the vaccine.According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, about 52%or148,902 people in Winnebago County have been vaccinated as of Monday.

More: Some Black health care workers aim to lead by example as vaccine skepticism resurfaces

Here's whatDr. Kavitha Subramanian, infectious disease specialist for OSF HealthCare had to say about the vaccines.

What does the COVID-19 vaccine offer in terms of protection? Does it mitigate contracting the virus? Mitigate developing severe symptoms or prevent death?

Subramanian: COVID-19 vaccines protect everyone from the ages of five years and older from getting infected and becoming severely ill. Evidence shows that it significantly reduces the likelihood of hospitalization and death.

Getting vaccinated is the best way to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent infection from delta and other variants. Avaccinated person can still contract the virus and when vaccine breakthrough infections happen they can still transmit the virus. So even if you are vaccinated, taking the extra steps including hand washing, social distancing, and wearing a mask in indoor public places will assist in controlling the transmission.

Does the COVID-19 vaccine offer any guarantees to those who take it?

Subramanian: I will not call it a guarantee, but there is enough research to back up the recommendation. The CDC, WHO, and other organizations continue to actively monitor vaccine safety and effectiveness against new and emerging variants for all FDA-authorized COVID -19 vaccines. So far the evidence shows that the vaccines offer protection against severe disease hospitalization and death against currently circulating variants in the United States.

How effective is the COVID-19 vaccine against the different types of variants?

Subramanian: Scientists monitor all variants, some spread more easily and quickly than other variants.

The current variants of concern are omicron (B.1.1.529) and delta (B.1.617.2).Among these two, omicron may spread more easily than other variants including delta. Breakthrough infections in people who are vaccinated can happen, but we do know the booster dose offers increased protection against these variants, and the vaccine is still effective in preventing severe disease. Omicron data is still early but available information is encouraging enough to recommend that we continue getting the vaccine and the booster dose.

How long will booster shots be needed? Should people expect to need to get a shot routinely?

Subramanian: Data from clinical trials showed that a booster shot increased the immune response in trial participants. With an increased immune response we expect more protection against severe disease. ... Regarding future boosters, we need to continue to monitor how this particular virus evolves. If the disease continues in the community and causes severe disease then there is a possibility that we may need further boosters, but if the disease goes away we wont need boosters.

Are there things people can do in conjunction with the vaccine in order to build up their immune system?

Subramanian: Yes, since we are currently seeing a case spike and vaccine breakthrough infections, the general population needs to take all extra steps including hand washing, social distancing, and indoor masking. There is also a correlation between severe disease and underlying chronic respiratory conditions so this would be a good time to quit smoking, vapingand other habits that lead to lung disease.

Take all the prescribed medications for your chronic conditions including asthma, hypertension, and cardiac conditions as per your doctor's instructions so that you can stay healthy at a baseline. If you have family members who have low immunity due to chronic conditions, make sure you are vaccinated and boosted so that you dont transmit the disease to them, because immunosuppressed individuals can get a severe disease even if they have received the vaccine.

Other tips include: get your seasonal flu vaccine, eat healthily,and include vitamin C-rich foods like fruits and fresh vegetables in your diet. If you develop any upper respiratory symptoms you should quarantine and get tested. If the test is positive then reach out to your doctor regarding available early interventions including monoclonal antibodies.

Shaquil Manigault: smanigault@gannett.com; @RRstarShaquil

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What we've learned about the COVID-19 vaccine, from a Rockford OSF specialist - Rockford Register Star

The resurgence of Covid-19 is again leading health care systems across the globe to brace themselves. And with deep scars from early in the pandemic, leaders are again calling on people to get vaccinated. One prominent reason they cite for vaccination is to protect hospitals and health care workers.

In the U.S., this message is not working.

In his recent speech to the nation, President Biden pleaded, Let me say again and again and again: Please get vaccinated. Its the only responsible thing to do. Those who are not vaccinated are causing hospitals to become overrun again. A day earlier, Dr. Anthony Fauci described a very strong urge to get people vaccinated because, There will be a big stress on the hospital and health care system. In Cleveland, six medical systems took out a striking full-page newspaper ad to beg Help.

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These messages are collectivist in principle, but also appeal to self-interest. Protecting your own hospital and its workers means they will be available to serve you if you get Covid-19. While such a message seems to fall on deaf ears in the U.S., it appears to resonate elsewhere.

In the U.K., for example, which began seeing the effects of Omicron ahead of the U.S., officials from Englands prime minister to managers of top soccer clubs have called on the public to protect the NHS. The NHS, or National Health Service, is the U.Ks taxpayer-funded, government-run health system. Although it is impossible to attribute success to a single message, England has been vaccinating people at a rate three to four times greater than the U.S since mid-December.

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The British public loves the NHS. People who use it pay little or nothing at the point of care, and it is among the highest performing health care systems in the world. In fact, more than half the population identified the NHS as the thing that makes them most proud to be British above the armed services, the royal family, and the BBC. It is held in such high esteem culturally that it was featured in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Most of the criticism the NHS faces is about underfunding. More than three-quarters of the public wants funding for the NHS protected above all other government activities. During Covid-19, this concern heightened into public worry about whether services would be available. U.K. residents know that Covid-19 can overwhelm the system they rely on and want protected.

That loyalty is what makes a message like protect the NHS ring true. The system is nearly universally seen as a public good, and in need of protecting. Most people in the U.K. understand that getting vaccinated benefits the NHS precisely because the public has an equal stake in its success. An unvaccinated person who ends up in the hospital takes resources such as beds, doctors, and nurses away from others.

In the U.S., we like our doctors but are not loyal to the health care system. Many Americans valorize the doctors and nurses working on the frontlines of Covid-19, but you would be hard pressed to find someone who wants to protect the medical groups, HMOs, and other complex insurance convolutions undergirding our system. In fact, just 19% of the public believes the health care system works at least pretty well, less than in every other country studied.

That lack of loyalty to the system is reasonable. Many families, even those with health insurance, have been financially harmed by a system they pay increasingly unreasonable amounts to support. In 2019, about 20% of Americans with private insurance reported being contacted by a collection agency about a medical bill. And nearly 60% of all people in the U.S. who declare bankruptcy identify medical expenses as a contributor. This is unheard of in most other high-income countries.

It is also difficult for the public to justify protecting a health care system that has, in parts, profited from the pandemic. The five largest private health insurance plans in the nation made more than $11 billion in profits in early 2021, after record profits a year earlier. And some private, wealthy hospital systems reportedly made millions of dollars and a few made billions in the past two years. Some might reasonably ask, what exactly needs protecting?

Perhaps Americans trust in their own physicians will outweigh attitudes towards the larger health care system in making vaccine decisions. But without underlying fixes to the health care system that create a recognized, legitimate public good, broad vaccine messages about protecting our hospitals and health care system may continue to give Americans little reason to act.

Gregory Stevens is a professor of public health at California State University Los Angeles, co-editor of The Medical Care Blog, and co-author, with Leiyu Shi, of Vulnerable Populations in the United States (Wiley, 2021).

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'Protect our hospitals' might convince Britons to get Covid-19 vaccines, but it won't work in the U.S. - STAT

Contributed| District Health Department Four

District Health Department Four is offering a number of COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites in multiple places over its four county service area during the month of January, in cooperation with Honu Management Group.

The health department provides services to people who live and work in Cheboygan, Alpena, Montmorency and Presque Isle Counties. Anyone who has any questions regarding the COVID-19 testing results from these events can call Honu Management Group at 866-809-8282, or email covid19help@honumg.com.

There will be several events in Alpena and Montmorency counties where people will be able to receive their COVID-19 vaccine or booster shots.

In Alpena at the Alpena County Fairgrounds on Tuesdays throughout the month of January, there will be vaccine and booster shots available from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. In Lewiston at the St. Francis of Assisi Church vaccines will be available 1-7 p.m. Jan. 10 and 24.

All three brands of the COVID-19 vaccine will be available: Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson.

No preregistration is required. There will not be any pediatric vaccines or boosters given for children who 5-11 years old.

Appointments may be scheduled, if a patient prefers, by calling 800-221-0294.

Visit dhd4.org/covid19 for other testing and vaccination providers.

Four locations around the health department's service area will also offer rapid antigen testing which returns results in 15 minutes and PCR testing, which returns results in two to three days.

From 10 a.m until 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, Thunder Bay Junior High in Alpena will be offering these tests. It is hoped these tests will be offered each week throughout January, but at this time, the health department has only confirmed the one day.

From 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on every Tuesday throughout the month, the Alpena County Fairgrounds will also be offering testing. The Cheboygan Knights of Columbus Hall will offer these tests from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. each Thursday throughout the month.

St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lewiston will be offering the testing events 1-7 p.m. Mondays in January, on Jan. 10 and 24.

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Health department offering COVID-19 vaccines and testing - Cheboygan Daily Tribune

Individuals who have been infected with coronavirus are still recommended to get vaccinated -- including booster doses -- as a means to reduce risk of reinfection, according to local and federal health officials.

But how long should they wait after infection? Doctors say it varies based on severity of infection and if you received antibody treatment.

For individuals who dont require hospital care for their COVID-19 illness, the recommendation is to be vaccinated as soon as youre symptom free and beyond your 10-day quarantine window. The main reason to delay is to avoid infecting others at the vaccination site.

Patients who need hospital care for COVID-19 should wait 10 days after they are released from the hospital, according to Dr. Asha Shajahan, medical director of community health for Beaumont Hospital in Grosse Pointe. Additionally, those who needed to be intubated in the ICU should wait 20 days after they leave the hospital.

If an individuals received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma as a means to treat COVID-19, they should delay receiving a COVID vaccine for 90 days, according to the CDC.

The reason for that is that your immune system is not functioning at its highest capacity and we want you to get vaccinated when your immune system is working the best because then you will provide yourself with the best protection, Shajahan said.

Linda Vail, health officer for Ingham County, said monoclonal antibodies already provide some protection against coronavirus, delaying the need for immediate vaccination as an avenue for protection.

For everyone else?

You can get vaccinated as soon as youve recovered, Vail said. If youre well and out of isolation, you can get vaccinated.

As of Dec. 30, nearly 6.34 million Michiganders had gotten at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or about 63.5% of residents 5 years and older. About 5.3 million had been fully vaccinated, and about 2.2 million received a booster/third dose.

The CDC acknowledges that it doesnt have enough data to know the optimal timing to receive a vaccine after infection. However, it notes protection from a COVID-19 vaccine is more reliable, consistent and predictable than protection from previous infection, which can vary by age and severity of illness. There is also evidence that vaccination reduces risk of reinfection.

To find a vaccine near you, eligible residents can visit Michigans COVID-19 vaccine website or go to VaccineFinder.org. Shots are available through health systems, pharmacies, health departments, physicians offices and other enrolled providers.

If you have any COVID-19 questions that youd like answered, please submit them to covidquestions@mlive.com to be considered for future MLive reporting.

Read more on MLive:

Omicron variant of coronavirus now in 18 Michigan counties, latest data shows

Michigan COVID-19 cases skyrocket, hitting record seven-day average of 12,442

One year later: COVID vaccines brought relief, protection to Michiganders in 2021

Why vaccinating your child for COVID is erring on the side of caution

Demand for monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 is high, supply is low and omicron is coming

Continued here:

How long after having COVID-19 should you get vaccinated? - MLive.com

An image shared on Instagram claims that people are largely safe from catching COVID-19 even if they dont take the vaccine.

By declining the vax, I am 100% safe from adverse reactions and 99.8% safe from COVID, the images text reads. Id say those are pretty safe [odds.]

The image appears to be a screenshot of an Instagram post. Although the account featured in the post does have several anti-vaccination posts, we could not find that specific image on its timeline.

The post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. Instagram is owned by Facebook. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

While the post doesnt give a source for the figures it cites, weve fact-checked similar claims before about unvaccinated people and their chances of survival against COVID-19.

As with the previous claims, this post appears to conflate the global survival rate for the virus with an individuals chance of survival.

Of the 290 million people in the world who have tested positive for the virus as of Jan. 3, around 5.4 million people, or fewer than 2 percent, have died, according to The New York Times. That means at least 98 percent of people in the world who had COVID-19 survived.

However, the global survival rate for the virus should not be considered the same thing as an individuals chance of survival.

A persons age, gender, health history and where they live all factor into how likely they are to survive an infection, according to Our World in Data.

No vaccine is ever 100 percent effective, but early studies showed the protection provided by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can reduce a persons risk of infection from the virus by as much as 91 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine can reduce that risk by 66 percent.

The vaccines effectiveness has waned over time and with the prevalence of more infectious coronavirus variants like delta and omicron, prompting health officials to approve booster shots. Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have said booster doses of their vaccines are able to protect against severe symptoms and hospitalization related to the omicron variant.

Health officials have also stressed the vaccines are safe to use and that serious adverse reactions are rare.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said during a November White House briefing, before this post was made, that unvaccinated people in the U.S. are six times more likely to test positive for the virus and have at least a 14 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19 compared with vaccinated people. In a December briefing following a surge in cases caused by the omicron variant, Walensky said those figures only went up: Unvaccinated people in the U.S. were 10 times more likely to test positive for the virus and were at 20 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19 compared with vaccinated people who received a booster dose. The hospitalization rate for unvaccinated adults in the country was also 17 times higher.

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Our vaccines are working really well to prevent severe disease and hospitalization and death, Walensky said. Theyre actually also working quite well to prevent cases, although we do know more breakthrough cases are happening in the context of omicron.

The latest data from the CDC also show the case and death rates of COVID-19 remain high among unvaccinated individuals compared with those who are vaccinated.

Similarly, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a July interview with NBC that unvaccinated people accounted for 99 percent of deaths in the U.S. related to the virus. And, accounting for omicron, he said in the December White House briefing that while omicron may result in less severe symptoms compared with the other variants, its increased transmissibility is still a danger, especially among unvaccinated populations.

The risk of severe disease from any circulating variant, including omicron, is much, much higher for the unvaccinated, he said.

An image shared on Instagram claimed that not getting vaccinated against the coronavirus makes a person 100% safe from adverse reactions and 99.8% safe from COVID.

The claim appears to conflate the total survival rate of the virus in the world with an individuals chance of survival.

The COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be safe and effective in reducing a persons risk of infection and hospitalization from the virus. Positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been fueled by the unvaccinated. This trend has continued even as omicron has spread.

The claim does contain an element of truth. By not getting vaccinated against COVID-19, a person does have a 100% chance of being safe from adverse reactions associated with those vaccines. However, developing a serious adverse reaction is rare. And serious health effects related to COVID-19 infection are more common.

We rate this claim Mostly False.

Tampa Bay: The Times can help you find the free, public COVID-19 testing sites in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties.

Florida: The Department of Health has a website that lists testing sites in the state. Some information may be out of date.

The U.S.: The Department of Health and Human Services has a website that can help you find a testing site.

The COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 and up and booster shots for eligible recipients are being administered at doctors offices, clinics, pharmacies, grocery stores and public vaccination sites. Many allow appointments to be booked online. Heres how to find a site near you:

Find a site: Visit vaccines.gov to find vaccination sites in your zip code.

More help: Call the National COVID-19 Vaccination Assistance Hotline.

Phone: 800-232-0233. Help is available in English, Spanish and other languages.

TTY: 888-720-7489

Disability Information and Access Line: Call 888-677-1199 or email DIAL@n4a.org.

KIDS AND VACCINES: Got questions about vaccinating your kid? Here are some answers.

BOOSTER SHOTS: Confused about which COVID booster to get? This guide will help.

BOOSTER QUESTIONS: Are there side effects? Why do I need it? Heres the answers to your questions.

PROTECTING SENIORS: Heres how seniors can stay safe from the virus.

GET THE DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information.

Were working hard to bring you the latest news on the coronavirus in Florida. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. If you havent already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription.

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No, declining the COVID-19 vaccine wont make you 99.8% safe from the virus - Tampa Bay Times

Jan 4th 2022

SINCE OMICRON, a new and highly contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2, emerged in November, governments have urged their citizens to get vaccinated. In rich countries that usually means a third, booster, dose. But in poorer countries it often means getting a first.

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Data collected by the World Bank and Our World in Data, an online publication based at the University of Oxford, show that rich countries have received enough doses to vaccinate their population many times over. But poorer countries have been unable to inoculate their citizens even partially. Among countries with a gross national income (GNI) of above $12,500 (classified as high income) or between $4,000 and $12,500 per capita (upper- middle income) more than 160 vaccine doses were administered per 100 people. (This figure includes second doses and booster jabs.) Lower-middle income countries, with a GNI per head between $1,000 and $4,000, have administered about 85 doses per 100 people. Countries with a GNI of below $1,036 per capita, the low-income bracket, received 12 doses per 100 people.

Vaccine inequality began early on in the pandemic. Richer countries could afford to risk investing in drugs before their efficacy had even been proven. And COVAX, the organisation tasked with divvying up doses to poorer countries, has struggled to source the supplies with which to do so. At the end of last year supplies of vaccines to Africa, where many of the lowest income countries are, did start increasing. But distribution remains difficult. Some vaccines have to be stored at very low temperatures, which makes them unsuitable for places with unreliable electricity. CARE, a charity, estimates that for each $1 spent on the vaccine itself, $5 more will be spent on its distribution. For those who fall ill with covid-19 in poorer countries medical care tends to be worse. And vaccine-hesitancy is a problem in poor countries as well as rich ones. A survey of five west African countries last year by Afrobarometer found that on average only 39% were likely to try to get vaccinated.

The impact of the pandemic varies by income in other ways too. The Economists excess death model estimates that lower-middle income countries, which received only half as many shots per 100 people as the upper-middle and high-income countries, have the highest excess-death ratio. But the low-income countries, which administered fewer than 12 doses per 100 people, have an excess-death rate lower than even that of upper-middle income and high-income countries.

Young populations are less susceptible to severe disease from covid. And where the disease has already spread widely, some populations have achieved some natural immunity, which protects against severe covid, though less so against catching the virus (rates of re-infection with Omicron are higher than with previous variants, but previous infection still offers some protection against severe disease). So the disease has probably caused fewer deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, which has a median age of less than 20, than in older places such as Europe, which has a median age of 43 and where the prevalence of conditions such as obesity and diabetes put individuals at higher risk. And there is evidence that previous infections with malaria, which is common in much of sub-Saharan Africa, may lessen the severity of a subsequent covid infection. That is some good news for people there who are still unable or unwilling to be vaccinated.

For a look behind the scenes of our data journalism, sign up to Off the Charts, our weekly newsletter.

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Most covid-19 vaccines have been used in rich countries - The Economist

Will lottery prizes convince people to take the COVID-19 vaccine? It appears not, according to Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers.

Previous BUSM research found that Ohio's lottery system to incentivize vaccination was not associated with increased vaccinations, now a new study from the same researchers, found the same results despite expanding their data to include 15 additional states.

As in our prior study of Ohio's lottery incentive, we unfortunately did not find an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations related to lottery incentive programs in other states."

Anica Law, MD, MS, corresponding author, assistant professor of medicine, BUSM

Since it was unclear if other states (besides Ohio) might have different responses to lottery vaccine incentives, the researchers assessed changes in COVID-19 vaccination rates in 15 other states with subsequent lottery programs. Data from both the U.S. Center for Disease Control as well as individual state vaccine data was reviewed to evaluate trends in vaccination rates among adults in states with and without lottery incentive programs. No association between state-based vaccine lottery incentive programs and increased rates of COVID-19 vaccination was found.

According to the researchers, these results suggest that state-based lotteries are of limited value in increasing vaccine uptake. "Further studies and resources should be devoted to other strategies to increase vaccination rates, including those that more directly target underlying reasons for vaccine hesitancy," said Law, a physician at Boston Medical Center.

These findings appear online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Source:

Journal reference:

Law, A.C., et al. (2022) Lottery-Based Incentives and COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in the United States. JAMA Internal Medicine. doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.7052.

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Lottery-based incentives are of limited value in increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake - News-Medical.Net

CHENGDU, China, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., (Clover; Stock code: 2197.HK), a global clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel vaccines and biologic therapeutic candidates, today announced that the first participants have been dosed with Clovers COVID-19 vaccine candidate, SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum), as a homologous booster dose following primary vaccination of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) in the ongoing global Phase 2/3 SPECTRA clinical trial. Clover reported final efficacy data for SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) in SPECTRA in September 2021 and the study is continuing to generate additional immunogenicity and safety data.

This double-blind, randomized, controlled study will evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of two formulations of SCB-2019 (full dose: 30 g with CpG 1018/Alum and half dose: 15 g with CpG 1018/Alum) as a homologous booster dose administered approximately 6 months following 2-dose primary vaccination with SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) in approximately 4,000 adult participants.

In addition, the evaluation of the immunogenicity and safety of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) for primary vaccination in the adolescent (12-18 years) subgroup has been expanded to 1,200 adolescents. Initial data on both the homologous booster arm and adolescents are anticipated in the first half of 2022.

Joshua Liang, Chief Executive Officer of Clover Biopharmaceuticals said, We are pleased to announce that the first participants have been dosed with SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) as a homologous booster in the Philippines. The data generated from this study combined with previously reported positive data on previously-infected individuals in SPECTRA as well as data from other heterologous booster studies will potentially position SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) as an attractive universal booster vaccine candidate globally.

The development of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which has awarded Clover up to $397.4 million in funding. Through this collaboration, Clover will supply up to 414 million doses of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) to the COVAX Facility for equitable distribution.

About SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum)

SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum), our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, is anticipated to potentially be one of the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccines commercialized globally through the COVAX Facility. Employing the Trimer-Tag technology platform, Clover developed the SCB-2019 antigen, a stabilized trimeric form of the S-protein (referred to as S-Trimer) based on the original strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Clover created its COVID-19 vaccine candidate by combining SCB-2019 with Dynavaxs CpG 1018 advanced adjuvant and aluminum hydroxide (alum).

About Clover Biopharmaceuticals

Clover Biopharmaceuticals is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing novel vaccines and biologic therapeutic candidates. The Trimer-Tag technology platform is a product development platform for the creation of novel vaccines and biologic therapies. Clover leveraged the Trimer-Tag technology platform to become a COVID-19 vaccine developer and created SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) to address the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2.

For more information, please visit Clovers website: http://www.cloverbiopharma.comand follow the company on LinkedIn.

Clover Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to us and our subsidiaries that are based on the beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to our management. When used in this [document], the words aim, anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, going forward, intend, may, might, ought to, plan, potential, predict, project, seek, should, will, would and the negative of these words and other similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. We give no assurance that these expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are participant to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. We caution you therefore against placing undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this document speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. Participant to the requirements of applicable laws, rules and regulations, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All forward-looking statements contained in this document are qualified by reference to this cautionary statement.

Clover Biopharmaceuticals:

Cindy MinSVP, Public Affairsmedia@cloverbiopharma.com

Naomi EichenbaumVP, Investor Relationsinvestors@cloverbiopharma.com

See the original post:

Clover Doses First Participants with Homologous Booster Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate in SPECTRA - BioSpace