New variants will pose continued threat, NIAID chief warns By John Bowden, Megan Sheets Dr Anthony Fauci warned at a Senate committee hearing that the US faced an “urgent need” for a so-called super vaccine that would be more effective at preventing new variants of...
Immunogenicity of COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine Booster in Patients With Cancer Receiving Active Treatment
By Matthew Stenger In an Israeli single-institution study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Ligumsky et al found that a booster dose of the SARS–CoV-2 Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine given in August or September 2021 was immunogenic in patients receiving...
Will ‘Forever Boosting’ Beat the Coronavirus?
Everyone should get a booster shot. In the long run, though, doses every few months aren’t a viable public health strategy, scientists say. By Apoorva Mandavilli A year ago, just two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine — or even one, in the case of Johnson & Johnson’s...
Cuba Pulling Out of Pandemic with Multiple, Highly Effective Indigenously Developed Vaccines
The communist island of Cuba, long scorned by most of the U.S. political classes that led to ongoing economic sanctions over the past decades, led to the development of a considerable medical sector in this low-and-middle-income country (LMIC). In fact, of all Latin...
WHO Authorized on Emergency Basis the Protein-based Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine—Backed by Novavax & Serum Institute of India
Yet another potentially high quality COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized on an emergency use basis by the World Health Organization (WHO). Biotech company Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX) and Indian partner Serum institute of India (SII) the world’s largest vaccine...
Will we always need Covid-19 boosters? Experts have theories
By Helen Branswell With the world facing the latest in a seemingly endless stream of coronavirus variants — and with bullish talk from manufacturers about a need for even more vaccine shots — you wouldn’t be alone if you were wondering: Are Covid boosters...
FDA’s forced hand drops Pfizer’s Bombshell Safety Document
By Sonia Elijah The highly confidential Pfizer documents, which have been synonymous with the extreme lack of transparency revealed by the actions of pivotal governmental agencies, over the past 20 months, lead critics of the official narrative to demand “show us the...
Fauci: ‘If it becomes necessary to get yet another boost, then we’ll just have to deal with it’
BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci on Sunday said health officials will "have to deal with it” if it is determined that another COVID-19 booster shot is necessary to protect against the virus, but said he is hoping that additional jabs will...
UCLA Breakthrough Points Way to Longer-Lasting COVID Vaccine
Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have identified rare, naturally occurring T cells that are capable of targeting a protein found in SARS-CoV-2 and a range of other coronaviruses. The findings...
Why won’t the West embrace Russia’s highly effective covid-19 vaccine?
Scepticism in Western countries around Russia’s vaccine reflects politics not science – the Sputnik V vaccine has the highest protection against symptomatic disease of any covid-19 vaccine By Graham Lawton he Sputnik V covid-19 vaccine, developed by...
Pfizer Says Its Booster Offers Strong Protection Against Omicron
The company’s finding is based on only a small study of blood samples in a laboratory, but others are sure to follow. By Sharon LaFraniere Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday that laboratory tests suggest a booster shot of their coronavirus vaccine offers...
Fully Vaccinated Patients With Multiple Myeloma: Rates of SARS–CoV-2 Breakthrough Infection and Hospitalization
By Matthew Stenger In a U.S. cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Wang et al found that fully vaccinated patients with multiple myeloma were at increased risk of breakthrough SARS–CoV-2 infection, and that those with breakthrough infection were more likely...
Response to Third Dose of SARS–CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine in Patients With Solid Tumors Undergoing Active Treatment
By Matthew Stenger In a single-institution Israeli study reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Rottenberg et al found that a booster dose of the SARS–CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA resulted in increased spike protein antibody titers in patients with solid tumors...
Fear keeping some cancer patients from COVID-19 vaccination
From UT Health, San Antonio, TX “My doctor has not told me to get the vaccine.” “I do not think it is safe for me because I have cancer.” “I’m afraid of the side effects.” These were the three most common reasons given for declining COVID-19 vaccination,...
Guess who pays for all those millions of COVID-19 vaccines
By Andy Serwer with Max Zahn And with the arrival of this new variant all the depressingly familiar potential pain points come tumbling back — along with some brand-spanking new ones. On Thanksgiving (just nine days ago) we could really believe that COVID was winding...