BBC News: Covid: Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs work against Indian variant - study
A study conducted by Public Health England (PHE) has shown that either of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine brands are highly effective against the COVID-19 Indian strain. Two weeks after the administration of dose 2, the Pfizer vaccine was found to be 88% effective at stopping symptomatic disease and the AstraZeneca vaccine was 60% effective.
The effectiveness of only 1 dose of either brand was reduced to 33%, highlighting the importance of administering both doses.
To read more, follow the link below:
BBC News: Covid: Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs work against Indian variant - study
nature: COVID vaccines and kids- five questions as trials begin
With a number of COVID-19 vaccine trials now focusing on paediatric populations across various age groups, specific factors need to be considered.
The following article explores issues such as the consent process for paediatric involvment, the robust immune responses of children, and monitoring for signs of exacerbated immune responses and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
Whilst severe COVID-19 disease in children is rare, the immunisation of children against COVID-19 disease will play an important role in achieving herd immunity.
To read more, please read the article below:
nature: COVID vaccines and kids: five questions as trials begin
New resource: Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout
For easily accessible information relating to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the Australian Government Department of Health have created a new resource page. This page will be updated daily and describes the number of vaccine doses administered via the various providers, makes comparisons to international COVID-19 vaccine programs, and provides other sources of useful data.
To view this page please refer to the link below:
Australian Government Department of Health: Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout
A recording of the 26th April CVU mini is now available
Thank you to all who attended our recent CVU miniseries event COVID-19 vaccine: reporting and management in Victoria on 26th April 2021.
This interactive webinar looked at the latest vaccine safety questions around COVID-19 vaccines, guidelines for referring patients for evaluation prior to vaccination (VicSIS), and reporting safety events related to COVID-19 vaccines.
A recording of this event is now available via our education portal.
To access this recording please follow the link below:
VACSIG Webinar Events: Register to attend
The Vaccination Special Interest Group (VACSIG) will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday 5 May featuring a panel of expert speakers including MVEC's Professor Jim Buttery and A/Prof Nigel Crawford. The topic for the webinar is COVID-19 vaccines and rare side effects - now blood clots/bleeding, what’s next?. This event is open to both ASID members and non-members. Further information and details on registration can be found via the link below:
VACSIG Webinar Wednesday 5 May
CVU mini event 26th April 2021 - Reminder to register
Our next Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) mini event: COVID-19 vaccine: reporting and management in Victoria will be held virtually on Monday 26th April 2021, at 7pm AEST.
To view the full program and to register for this event, please visit our Events page.
A recording of COVID-19 vaccine: reporting and management in Victoria will be available on our Education Portal following the event.
TGA: Wider storage and transportation conditions for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine now approved
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) have approved wider storage and transportation conditions for Comirnaty™ (the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine).
Long-term storage of Comirnaty™ still requires ultra-cold temperatures of -90°C to -60°C. Unopened vials can be stored and transported at domestic freezer temperatures (-25°C to -15°C) for up to 2 weeks. Vials stored or transported at domestic freezer temperatures can be returned to ultra-cold longer term storage within the original shelf life of the product. Unopened vials can be stored for up to 5 days at temperatures of 2°C to 8°C. Once thawed, Comirnaty™ cannot be refrozen.
Once diluted, Comirnaty™ can be stored or transported at room temperatures of up to 30°C for up to 6 hours either in vials or syringes.
The product information contains the most up-to-date storage and transport requirements.
The full TGA statement can be accessed via the link below:
TGA: Wider storage and transportation conditions for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine now approved
New resource: Weighing up the potential benefits against risk of harm from COVID-19 AstraZeneca
The Australian Government Department of Health have released a document entitled ‘Weighing up the potential benefits against risk of harm from COVID-19 AstraZeneca.’ The document provides information to assist patients in making an informed decision about whether or not to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine.
Whilst ATAGI advises that AstraZeneca and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are recommended in all adults, the Pfizer vaccine is preferred in people aged under 50 years due to the risk of the very rare side-effect thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), which can occur following the first dose of COVID-19 AstraZeneca. This recommendation has been made based on evidence that TTS appears to be less likely in older adults.
COVID-19 AstraZeneca can be given to people aged under 50 where benefits are likely to outweigh the risks and an individual has made an informed decision based on an understanding of the risks and benefits. This document provides information on making this decision and how ATAGI measure potential benefits vs risks in different scenarios.
The full document can be accessed via the link below:
Registrations now open for two MVEC webinars in April
The Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre are excited to announce two new webinar events in April.
Join us for a special clinical feature event on Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) & COVID-19 AstraZeneca on Tuesday 20th April 2021. Our expert panel will be giving background on what this new syndrome is and exploring its association with the vaccine. We will also discuss the risk-versus-benefit assessment and how this new recommendation will impact confidence in the vaccine rollout.
The panel will be answering your questions in our live Q&A format on the night. We encourage you to submit questions ahead of the event via our events page.
The next Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) mini COVID-19 Vaccines: Shots, clots and reports will be held virtually on Monday 26th April 2021. This session will provide an interactive update on the latest vaccine safety questions around COVID-19 vaccines, as well as a discussion of key guidelines for reporting safety concerns and incidents related to COVID-19 vaccines.
To read more about our upcoming webinar events and to register, please visit our events page.
A recording of the 12th April CVU mini is now available
Thank you to all who attended our recent CVU miniseries event Hot topics in vaccine science on 12th April 2021.
Presentation topics included Influenza vaccines for 2021, COVID-19 vaccine: vaccine allergy and rollout, as well as an update of the Novavax NVX-CoV2373. In addition to these topics, there was also an update on vaccine safety concerns around clotting syndromes associated with the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine.
A recording of this event is now available via our education portal.
To access this recording please follow the link below: