The profound health and economic impact of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine during its first year of rollout in the US is described in detail in a new study in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Economics.
Tag: COVID-19 Vaccine
The US reaches 1 Million Deaths from COVID-19: GW Experts Available to Comment
The United States has reached 1 million reported deaths from COVID-19 and that number is likely an undercount, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The George Washington University has a number of experts to comment on the…
COVID-19 vaccine elicits weak antibody response in people taking immunosuppressant
People taking TNF inhibitors, a kind of immunosuppressive drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions, produced a weaker and shorter-lived antibody response after two doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. A third vaccine dose drove antibody levels back up, indicating that this additional dose may provide protection as the virus’s delta variant continues to spread.
Flu Season Underway Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic
For the second straight year, flu season is emerging against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the number of flu cases was relatively low last year, experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine say that this year, it could be much higher.
New COVID vaccine design is easier to manufacture, doesn’t need cold storage
Currently available COVID vaccines require cold storage and sophisticated manufacturing capacity, which makes it difficult to produce and distribute them widely, especially in less developed countries.
Which older adults are getting flu shots and COVID boosters? Poll shows variation
With two viruses threatening to make older adults sick this winter, a new poll shows most people over 50 have gotten protected by vaccines against both influenza and coronavirus, or plan to. And a majority of those who have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine plan to get an additional dose. But the poll also reveals major differences in vaccine attitudes between older adults, including those of different political leanings.
COVID-19 Vaccine Gets Strong Response in Some With Weak Immunity
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai found that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)─whose treatment can weaken the immune system─produced a strong antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination. The study findings have been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Together by St. Jude Teaches Children about the COVID-19 Vaccines in New Coloring Book
Following FDA authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds, Together by St. Jude releases a free coloring book that educates children on COVID-19 vaccines.
NYU Langone Presentations at American College of Rheumatology Convergence 2021 to Address Vaccine Efficacy and High-risk Pregnancy
NYU Langone rheumatologists are presenting their discoveries at the annual American College of Rheumatology conference, November 1 to November 9. The conference will be held virtually.
FDA authorization of COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5 to 11: IU experts available to comment
Following a daylong meeting Oct. 26, the FDA authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children ages 5 to 11. This was the first in a series of meetings to make this vaccine available to younger children. Next, the Advisory…
COVID-19 vaccines and men’s reproductive health
UAB’s Adam Baumgarten, M.D., shares more on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine for men.
Healthcare worker vaccine mandate may jumpstart local efforts
Employees at hospitals and long-term care facilities in New York are mandated to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 27, a requirement that has resulted in dozens of staff members quitting their jobs. Adam Seth Litwin, an…
Pregnant Women Who Receive COVID-19 Vaccination Pass Protection from the Virus to Their Newborns
Women who receive COVID-19 mRNA vaccines during pregnancy pass high levels of antibodies to their babies, a new NYU Langone study finds.
Rutgers Pediatric Clinical Trial Experts, Parents Available to Discuss Pfizer’s Vaccine for Children
Rutgers researchers conducting the Pfizer COVID-19 pediatric vaccine clinical trial and parents whose children are participating are available to discuss the recent news of the vaccine prompting a strong immune response in young children.
Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Show Robust T-Cell Responses to mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
New research shows that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients undergoing anti-CD20 (aCD20) treatment – which depletes the B cells that contribute to the MS attacks – are able to mount robust T-cell responses to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, despite having a muted antibody response to the vaccines.
The Lancet: Scientific evidence to date on COVID-19 vaccine efficacy does not support boosters for general population, expert review concludes
An expert review by an international group of scientists, including some at the WHO and FDA, concludes that, even for the delta variant, vaccine efficacy against severe COVID is so high that booster doses for the general population are not appropriate at this stage in the pandemic.
Majority of older adults say health care workers should have to get COVID-19 vaccine
Many unvaccinated health care workers will soon be subject to a federal vaccine requirement announced by President Biden. A new poll shows most older adults support a vaccination mandate for doctors, nurses and others.
Lasting Immunity and Protection from New Single-Shot, Room-Temperature Stable COVID-19 Vaccine
Gene-based, single-dose AAVCOVID vaccine shown to offer disease protection in challenge study, and to elicit year-long immune response, according to new paper in Cell Host & Microbe.
“Automated Vaccine Filling Machine”, An Innovation from Chulalongkorn University, Helps Boost the Number of Vaccinations by 20 Percent, and Reduce the Workload of Medical Personnel
The Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University has developed an automated vaccine filling machine that can fill AstraZeneca vaccine into syringes with precision, speed, and safety, helping to increase the number of vaccinated people by 20 percent. The prototype is now operating at Chula Vaccination Center and more machines are planned to be built to support frontline medical personnel in many vaccination centers soon.
These fridge-free COVID-19 vaccines are grown in plants and bacteria
Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed COVID-19 vaccine candidates that can take the heat. Their key ingredients? Viruses from plants or bacteria.
Mount Sinai Cardiologist Leads Effort to Outline Guidance for Management of Heart Failure Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic
New scientific statement aims to establish more streamlined care to improve outcomes in this high-risk group
COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine that Uses Fundamental Penn Technology Receives FDA Approval
PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the first full approval to a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, which uses modified mRNA technology invented and developed by scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, whose years of research in mRNA science laid a critical piece of the foundation for the largest global vaccination campaign in history.
Early COVID-19 vaccine campaign in US prevented 140,000 deaths
The early COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the U.S. prevented nearly 140,000 deaths and 3 million cases of COVID-19 by the second week of May, according to a new study.
Cancer Guidelines Organization Supports Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination for Health Workers
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) COVID-19 Vaccination Advisory Committee calls for healthcare workforce vaccine requirements to assure healthcare community is doing all it can to prevent exposure to COVID-19.
Nearly 140,000 U.S. deaths prevented by early COVID-19 vaccinations
A new study by Indiana University and RAND Corp. researchers assessed the impact of COVID-19 vaccination and found that 139,393 deaths were prevented during the first five months of vaccination efforts in the United States.
Mount Sinai Mandates COVID-19 Vaccination for All Faculty and Staff
Mount Sinai Health System today announced that all faculty and staff will be required to get the first shot of the vaccine by September 13.
Mount Sinai Mandates COVID-19 Vaccination for All Faculty and Staff
Mount Sinai Health System today announced that all faculty and staff will be required to get the first shot of the vaccine by September 13.
Ask a Scientist: Should I consider getting vaccinated against COVID-19?
Ask a Scientist: Should I consider getting vaccinated against COVID-19?
Should COVID-19 Vaccination Be Mandatory for Health and Care Staff?
Italy, France, and Greece have made covid-19 vaccination mandatory for healthcare workers, and England is making it compulsory for care home workers and consulting on whether to extend this to healthcare workers and other social care staff.
Spreading ‘Doses of Hope’ as COVID-19 Cases Rise
In an emotional new series of videos, Black medical professionals plead for viewers to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Support for Government Mandates High and Increasing Over Time, Survey Finds
As the coronavirus Delta variant surges throughout the country and mask and vaccine mandates are being considered, a new national survey finds that almost 20 percent of Americans say it is unlikely that they will get the COVID-19 vaccine.
American Society of Anesthesiologists Strongly Encourages all Health Care Personnel to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Amid the new surge of COVID-19 cases across the U.S., the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and eight professional societies associated with the specialty, are strongly encouraging the nation’s health care workers and all eligible Americans to get fully vaccinated with one of the COVID-19 vaccines. ASA and the associated societies remind the public that widespread vaccination is the most effective way to reduce illness and death.
Facebook News Consumers Less Likely To Be Vaccinated, Survey Finds
People who rely exclusively on Facebook for news and information about the coronavirus are less likely than the average American to have been vaccinated, according to a new survey.
Rush University Medical Center Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine for Workers
Rush University Medical Center will require all staff, contractors and volunteers to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by October 1.
National Poll: Parents split on whether to vaccinate younger kids against COVID
Many parents are missing opportunities to discuss questions and concerns about the COVID vaccine for kids with a doctor.
10 reasons to put the COVID-19 vaccine on your back-to-school list
Starting the COVID-19 vaccination process in July and August can prepare teens and young adults for a safe school year and protect children who can’t be vaccinated.
No Sign of COVID-19 Vaccine in Breast Milk
Messenger RNA vaccines against COVID-19 were not detected in human milk, according to a small study by UC San Francisco, providing early evidence that the vaccine mRNA is not transferred to the infant.
COVID-19 Vaccine Protection Against Infection Lower and Slower in People with Liver Disease
A study shows for the first time that people with cirrhosis who receive mRNA COVID-19 vaccination gain important protection against more serious outcomes like hospitalization and death. At the same time, however, the vaccines offer less protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and take longer to take effect in this population.
Phage Display-Based Gene Delivery: A Viable Platform Technology for COVID-19 Vaccine Design and Development
Researchers at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) and the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP) at Rice University in Houston, Texas, have demonstrated that a technology with favorable biological attributes known as phage display could be a viable platform for the development of new vaccines to protect against COVID-19.
mRNA Vaccines Slash Risk of COVID-19 Infection by 91 Percent in Fully Vaccinated People
People who receive mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are up to 91 percent less likely to develop the disease than those who are unvaccinated, according to a new nationwide study of eight sites, including Salt Lake City. For those few vaccinated people who do still get an infection, or “breakthrough” cases, the study suggests that vaccines reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and shorten its duration.
GW Experts Available to Discuss Returning to the Office This Fall
WASHINGTON (June 30, 2021) — Now that COVID-19 vaccination rates in the United States have gone way up, many employers are calling workers back to the office. However, surveys show that many employees enjoy working from home and do not want…
Rutgers Chancellor Available to Discuss the Need for Health Care Workers to be Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Brian L. Strom, chancellor at the Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and executive vice president for Rutgers Health Affairs is available to discuss why it’s important for health care and public safety workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as the…
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: Dr. Vin Gupta Narrates New American Thoracic Society Video
The American Thoracic Society rolls out a new video to address vaccine hesitancy and answer common questions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
University of Miami Miller School Study Shows COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Do Not Impact Male Fertility
The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is safe for male reproduction, according to a new study by University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers published in JAMA , the most widely circulated general medical journal in the world.
Data and safety review board reports how it monitored the COVID-19 vaccine trials
Evaluation of three vaccine candidates during the COVID-19 pandemic fell to 12 experts of the federally appointed COVID-19 Vaccine Data and Safety Monitoring Board. This team has now taken the unusual step of publishing details of their review process in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Dollars to donuts: What will it take to get more of the U.S. vaccinated against COVID-19?
Prizes, lotteries, discounts and freebies for COVID-19 vaccination may help overcome vaccine hesitancy and reward the vaccinated too, but it’s important to learn from this moment to inform other preventive health care, an expert says.

FSU expert available to discuss vaccine hesitancy
By: Bill Wellock | Published: June 2, 2021 | 1:16 pm | SHARE: Rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine is continuing, but some people are hesitant to get vaccinated against the disease.Dr. Christie Alexander, an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health in the Florida State University College of Medicine and a past president of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians, recently participated in an expert panel about how to win over vaccine skeptics.
Safety board members describe stringent oversight of U.S. COVID-19 vaccine trials
In a new report published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, the 11-member Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) that is overseeing the federally funded COVID-19 vaccine trials outlines its mission, procedures, and the challenges that it faced in monitoring…
Why are some Covid-19 vaccines working better for men than women?
If there’s one take-home message for the general public about the coronavirus vaccines approved in the U.S., it’s that they are remarkably effective. But Michigan State University’s Morteza Mahmoudi is raising awareness about an important subtlety: The vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech appear to work slightly better for men than for women.
Researchers Call for More Transparency from Russia’s Sputnik COVID Vaccine
“It is not a problem connected to “the Sputnik V” vaccine itself,” argues Prof. Enrico Bucci, adjunct professor in the Department of Biology, Temple University, and part of the Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO).