HealthEd podcast featuring Associate Professor Nigel Crawford
MVEC's Associate Professor Nigel Crawford was recently a guest speaker on the HealthEd podcast series Going Viral. In this podcast, Nigel discusses the COVID-19 vaccine, its access equity, safety and manufacture; as well as antibody responses following COVID-19 disease and how this may impact our vaccine strategy.
To listen to this podcast please follow the link
COVID19 Road to a vaccine episode 9: Professor Robert Booy
In episode 9 of our COVID19 Road to a vaccine series, our host, Associate Professor Nigel Crawford, speaks with Professor Robert Booy. Robert is a Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Sydney and is a Senior Professorial Fellow at NCIRS, the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance at Westmead Children’s Hospital. He has special research interests in serious infections and their prevention, particularly in the setting of aged care facilities. In this episode they discuss:
- Special risk groups when it comes to SARS-CoV-2, in particular, those living and working in aged care facilities
- How the ageing process leads to immunosenescence and the impact of this on vaccine efficacy in the elderly population
- The use of adjuvants in vaccines for the elderly population
- How to improve public health messaging and the management of respiratory illnesses in aged care facilities
- Lessons learnt from around the world with high mortality rates in aged care residents and workers and how that can inform the response to outbreaks in aged care facilities in Australia
Links:
- The Conversation: Protecting our elderly: beating flu outbreaks in nursing homes
- The Guardian: National cabinet plans rapid-response units to curb COVID-19 outbreaks in Australian aged care facilities
- PLOS One: Treating and Preventing Influenza in Aged Care Facilities: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
Listen to the episode here:
The virus and the clock, with Moderna's Tal Zaks- A podcast with the Milken Institute
In this podcast, the Milken Institute interviews Tal Zaks, the Chief Medical Officer of Moderna Therapeutics to discuss the development of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. It took them only 63 days from the time the virus was sequenced until the vaccine candidate began human clinical trials. It is hoped that this new technology may also be adapted as possible treatments for other genetic diseases.
Listen to the podcast here
NDTV speak to Professor Kanta Subbarao, Director of WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza
COVID19 Road to a vaccine episode 8: Professor Katie Flanagan
In episode 8 of our COVID19 Road to a vaccine series, our host, Associate Professor Nigel Crawford, speaks with Professor Katie Flanagan. Katie is Head of Infectious Diseases at Launceston General Hospital and is affiliated with the University of Tasmania, Monash University and RMIT where she is involved in a broad range of research projects, with her main interests being in vaccinology and infectious diseases immunology. She has led a number of vaccine immunology trials. In this episode they discuss:
- Immunological aspects of SARS-CoV-2
- Vaccine responses in adults versus children and the difference in adult immune systems
- Vaccinology strategies being used in the development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
- Antibody response variation by age
- Viral vector vaccines and how they work
- Novel vaccine approaches and the implications of these on vaccine safety including: mRNA and DNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines
Links:
- VACSIG: Vaccination Special Interest Group
- The Lancet: Immunogenicity and safety of recombinant adenovirus type-5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine in healthy adults ages 18 years or older: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial
- The Lancet: Safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCOV-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary report of a phase ½, single-blind, randomised controlled trial
- WHO draft landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines
- COVID-19 Vaccine tracker
Download the episode:
New immunisation reference page: Eczema and immunisations
Eczema or atopic dermatitis is a common skin condition affecting people of any ages. Whilst it is recognised that vaccines can cause a flare of eczema symptoms, there is no causal relationship identified between eczema and immunisations in the literature.
For further information on eczema and immunisation please refer to our MVEC page here
Questions and answers about COVID-19 vaccines
The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHoP) has recently launched a new resource page answering common questions related to the development and safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Readers are also encouraged to submit their own questions directly to the VEC team for response.
To access this initiative please follow the link here
VicVax (Victorian Immunisation Schedule) app- currently undergoing review
The National Immunisation Program (NIP) underwent changes from 1 July 2020. As a result, VicVax, MVEC's Victorian immunisation schedule application, is currently undergoing review and has been removed from the App Store and Google Play. If you have downloaded the VicVax app, kindly delete it from your devices as it is no longer up to date with the current immunisation schedule.
In the interim, please refer to the Victorian Immunisation Schedule - July 2020.
Coronavirus vaccine progress report: the projects bidding to win the race for a COVID-19 vaccine
With over 140 vaccine candidates in various stages of development globally, the ABC has taken a look at the role that Australian researchers are playing in the effort to produce a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19.
ABC: Coronavirus vaccine progress:the projects bidding to win the race for a COVID-19 vaccine
To further explore the COVID-19 vaccine development process and hear from a variety of national and international experts, please subscribe to our podcast series:
COVID-19 Road to a vaccine
New immunisation reference page: Vaccine development and safety
In an effort to promote confidence in the safety and efficacy of immunisation, MVEC has looked at the steps undertaken by vaccine candidates prior to being registered for use in vaccination programs. Post-licensure surveillance programs are also important for the early detection of any unexpected safety signals that may arise.
To learn more please visit our MVEC page Vaccine development and safety