Vaccine Updates
Everything there is to know about vaccines, asymptomatic spread, kids, pregnancy, and a production problem.
COVID cases are on the rise in younger Americans this week. The number of new cases increased by more than 10% in 26 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico since last week. We are on the cusp of a (potential) new surge in cases. The number of COVID hospitalizations among younger adults is escalating. Cases of COVID in nursing homes have declined by 96% since vaccines became available.
What does this mean? Vaccines work.
In addition to case count data, there were several reports/announcements this past week highlighting the fact that the COVID vaccines are safe and effective.
Vaccines are quickly becoming available for all adults. We all need to get vaccinated.
Here are this week’s updates (details below the line) —
The Pfizer & Moderna vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 infection
Pfizer reports that its vaccine is safe and effective for kids aged 12-15
Pfizer has begun a trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of its vaccine in kids aged 6 months to 11 years
Data shows that the COVID vaccine is safe and effective for pregnant and breastfeeding women (added BONUS: vaccine-induced immunity is transferred to the baby)
AstraZeneca reports its vaccine is effective against symptomatic COVID infections caused by the B.1.1.7 variant
Pfizer reported that its vaccine is 91.3% effective up to 6 months after vaccination and 100% effective against severe COVID disease.
When Pfizer and Moderna set out to test the efficacy of their vaccines during the summer of 2020, their goal was simple — decrease the number of symptomatic cases of COVID-19. The vaccine trials did not collect data to determine if the vaccine prevented asymptomatic spread; the trials looked at the prevention of symptomatic cases, hospitalizations, and death. On March 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a prospective (following people day-by-day) study that tracked COVID infection (or lack thereof!) in thousands of healthcare workers and first responders, who received the vaccine in late December/early January. This study found the vaccine was 90% effective at preventing infection among individuals who were fully vaccinated (14 days+ after second shot) and 80% effective for those who were only partially immunized. The conclusion of this study is that vaccines have substantial preventive benefits.
It should be noted that this study did NOT answer the question “can a vaccinated person transmit the SARS-CoV-2 virus to another person?” We know that individuals who are vaccinated are less likely to be infected, but questions related to the transmission of disease from one person to another are still UNANSWERED.
On March 31, Pfizer announced that its vaccine was both safe and effective for children aged 12-15. All children who received the vaccine during the trial produced an immune response. We expect Pfizer to submit paperwork for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) Amendment in the coming weeks to expand the original EUA — making the vaccine available to 12-15-year-olds.
Pfizer also announced that it has begun a trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the vaccine in kids aged 6 months to 11 years. The first shots went into kids’ arms a week ago. It will be at least a month or two before the results of this trial are made available.
Two studies were published this week documenting that the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines appear to be safe and effective for pregnant women. The first study - shared via presentation to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — found no unexpected pregnancy or infant outcomes among women who received the vaccine during pregnancy. The other study (published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology) found that vaccine-induced antibody levels were the same in pregnant/lactating women versus non-pregnant women. This means pregnant women who receive the COVID vaccine produce a strong immune response. Antibodies were also found in umbilical cord blood and breast milk. This means immunity to COVID infection is passed from the mother to the baby.
And the encouraging news continues…
AstraZeneca has announced that its vaccine is 70% effective against symptomatic COVID cause by the B.1.1.7 variant. However, Drs. Roger Sanders & Menno deJong of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers caution —
“… the early findings reported … suggest a meaningful degree of efficacy against the B.1.1.7 variant, which is encouraging. However, additional data are clearly needed to fully appreciate the potential impact of this and other variants of concern on current and future vaccine efficacy, and to provide conclusive evidence that will inform important policy projections and decisions.”
And the final piece of encouraging news… Pfizer reported just yesterday that their vaccine is 91.3% effective up to 6 months after vaccination.
The final piece of news this week is the not-so-good news — J&J reported earlier this week that there was a manufacturing error at one of its facilities. A batch — of approximately 15 million doses — failed a quality test. None of the contaminated vaccines was distributed. This error will delay future shipments of the J&J vaccine.
Great update! Keep 'em coming!!!