The Washington Post: The coronavirus-free island nation of Palau could soon vaccinate almost all its people
With a population of close to 18,000 people, the tiny island nation of Palau has managed to remain free of COVID-19 disease. As part of a "free association" agreement with the United States, Palau has access to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, and aims to immunise almost its entire population by April 2021.
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The Age: We cannot delay vaccine rollout and risk major illness in winter
A call by many scientists to pause the proposed COVID-19 vaccine rollout is a cause for concern.
The following article suggests that Australia's initial public health goal should be a rapid vaccine rollout and not herd immunity, in order to limit further risk of major illness. In order to achieve a rapid rollout, both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are needed. Recent modelling suggests that vaccination will most likely shift SARS-CoV-2 from a virus causing major disease burden, to a relatively benign coronavirus causing the common cold.
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The Age: We cannot delay vaccine rollout and risk major illness in winter
Peak bodies support Australia's COVID-19 vaccine strategy
In a statement released on January 13, 2020, the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID), the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) and the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) have shown support for the Commonwealth Government's COVID-19 vaccine strategy. The statement suggests that recent media reports surrounding concerns for the ability of any vaccine to create herd immunity is unjustified and reinforces that the public should have confidence in the approach being taken to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Australians.
To read the statement in full follow the link below:
Peak bodies support Australia's COVID-19 vaccine strategy
Raising Children Network - new immunisation resources
MVEC have partnered with the Raising Children Network to develop parent focused immunisation resources explaining vaccine immunity and the vaccine development process.
To view these articles follow the link below:
Vaccine development: a guide for families
Vaccine immunity: how vaccines prevent infectious diseases
Zostavax vaccine: Safety advisory - risk of disseminated varicella zoster virus (vaccine strain) infection
Following a third report of fatal disseminated vaccine strain varicella-zoster virus infection following Zostavax administration, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is reminding health professionals that Zostavax should not be used in people with compromised immune function.
Further details on the alert can be seen here:
Zostavax vaccine: Safety advisory
For more information on Zostavax® and access to the Zostavax® GP decision aid please review the MVEC pages below:
MVEC: Zoster
MVEC: Zoster vaccine (Zostavax®) FAQ’s
FDA report reveals phase 3 clinical trial data for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine candidate
In preparation for a meeting of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), the FDA has made public the interim results of phase 3 clinical trials for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine candidate. This meeting will discuss the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) application and determine any recommendations for approval.
Phase 3 clinical trials for this vaccine were spread across 99 sites in the United States and participants were aged 18 years or older. The Moderna vaccine utilises a messenger RNA (mRNA) platform. Interim results show an acceptable safety profile. Following the administration of 2 doses, 28 days apart, it is reported that this vaccine has an efficacy rate of 94.5%.
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The Conversation: How did the University of Queensland/CSL vaccine fail due to 'false positive' HIV tests? A vaccine expert explains
Further clinical trials of the UQ/CSL COVID-19 vaccine candidate have been called off after phase 1 results showed that participants had returned 'false positive' HIV tests. The UQ/CSL vaccine utilises molecular clamp technology involving components of a HIV protein. These components are unable to cause a HIV infection, however participants were shown to be creating antibodies against HIV which then leads to a false positive HIV test result.
The following article confirms that no safety concerns had been identified. It suggests that researchers acted appropriately to limit unnecessary anxiety over inaccurate test results and to reinforce public confidence in a future COVID-19 vaccine program.
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The Conversation: People with severe allergies warned off Pfizer COVID vaccine for now. But that may change as more details emerge
As a precautionary measure, the UK medicines regulator have advised that people with a significant history of allergic reactions should not receive the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine after 2 people experienced allergic reactions. The following article outlines how common allergies to vaccines are, why these types of reactions weren't noted in clinical trials and the role of ongoing safety surveillance and monitoring.
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Australian Government Department of Health: COVID-19 vaccines
The Australian Government Department of Health have developed a dedicated resource for COVID-19 vaccines. This site will host news and information for Australians about the development, approval process and plans for COVID-19 vaccines.
To access this resource, please follow the link below:
Australian Government Department of Health: COVID-19 vaccines
FDA report reveals phase 3 clinical trial data for the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine candidate
In preparation for a meeting of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), the FDA has made public the interim results of phase 3 clinical trials for the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine candidate. This meeting will discuss the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) application and determine any recommendations for approval.
Phase 3 clinical trials were spread across the US, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, South Africa and Turkey. The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine candidate utilises a messenger RNA (mRNA) platform and its' studies involved participants aged 16 to 85 years. Findings have shown that the vaccine candidate has an acceptable safety profile and following the administration of 2 doses, has an efficacy rate of 95%.
To read the document in full please refer to the link below: