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
NEJM: Effectiveness of the BNT162b2 Covid-19 Vaccine against the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 Variants
The following article, published in the NEJM, assessed the vaccine efficacy of Comirnaty™ (BNT162b2) in Qatar where the predominant circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2 were the UK and South African variants.
By extracting information from the national COVID-19 databases, vaccine effectiveness against the B.1.1.7 (UK) strain was estimated at 89.5%, and 75.0% against the B.1.351 (South African) strain. Vaccine effectiveness against severe disease caused by infection with either variant strain was 97.4%.
For more information on these results refer to the link below:
NEJM: Effectiveness of the BNT162b2 Covid-19 Vaccine against the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 Variants
ऑस्ट्रेलिया मॉडर्ना टीकों को सुरक्षित करता है
ऑस्ट्रेलियाई सरकार ने मॉडर्न COVID-19 वैक्सीन की 25 मिलियन खुराक की आपूर्ति सुनिश्चित कर ली है। यह समझौता मौजूदा मॉडर्न वैक्सीन फॉर्मूलेशन (10 मिलियन डोज) के साथ-साथ वैक्सीन के वैरिएंट-विशिष्ट संस्करणों (15 मिलियन डोज) तक पहुंच की अनुमति देगा ताकि दीर्घकालिक प्रतिरक्षा और उभरते SARS-CoV-2 वेरिएंट की आवश्यकता को पूरा किया जा सके।
नैदानिक परीक्षण के परिणामों ने प्रदर्शित किया है कि मॉडर्न वैक्सीन में गंभीर COVID-19 रोग के खिलाफ 100% प्रभावकारिता है, साथ ही दूसरी खुराक के कम से कम 6 महीने बाद 90% की लंबी अवधि की प्रभावकारिता है। ऑस्ट्रेलिया को वैक्सीन की आपूर्ति तभी शुरू होगी जब थेराप्यूटिक गुड्स एडमिनिस्ट्रेशन (टीजीए) द्वारा मंजूरी प्रदान की जाएगी।
वैक्सीन की निरंतर आपूर्ति सुनिश्चित करने के लिए ऑस्ट्रेलिया के भीतर विनिर्माण सुविधाओं की स्थापना के संबंध में मॉडर्ना के साथ भी चर्चा चल रही है।
अधिक पढ़ने के लिए नीचे दिए गए लिंक का अनुसरण करें:
ऑस्ट्रेलिया मॉडर्ना टीकों को सुरक्षित करता है
NEJM: Efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 Covid-19 Vaccine against the B.1.351 Variant
Novavax have published preliminary phase 2a-b clinical trial results for their COVID-19 vaccine candidate (NVX-CoV2373), assessing vaccine efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variants (B.1.351- South African strain). This vaccine candidate is a nanoparticle based vaccine containing pieces of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
In this study, participants aged between 18 and 84 years, received either a 2 dose course of the candidate vaccine or a 2 dose course of a placebo (normal saline). Approximately 30% of participants were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 prior to commencing the trial. Among the seronegative participants, approximately 94% were HIV-negative and 6% were HIV-positive.
A vaccine efficacy of 49.4% was seen among participants who were seronegative at baseline, regardless of HIV status. In the HIV-negative cohort, vaccine efficacy was 60.1%. A history of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection did not reduce the risk of subsequent infection with the new variants of SARS-CoV-2.
To read the article and view these results in full please refer to the below link:
NEJM: Efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 Covid-19 Vaccine against the B.1.351 Variant
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
Guidance for differentiating anaphylaxis from acute stress response for vaccine providers and Emergency Departments
Anaphylaxis following immunisation is extremely rare but can be life-threatening if not managed effectively. There are many conditions with similar presentations to anaphylaxis without being true anaphylaxis (eg. vasovagal, anxiety, vocal cord dysfunction) which can make the diagnosis difficult.
The Department of Health and the VicSIS network have put together Guidance for differentiating anaphylaxis from acute stress response for vaccine providers and Emergency Departments. This helpful resource provides a comparison of signs and symproms, as well as highlights the importance of measuring tryptase levels in patients with suspected anaphylaxis.
This guidance can be found in the resources section of the below reference page:
एमवीईसी: कोविड-19 टीके और एलर्जी
New immunisation reference page: COVID-19 vaccines in people with immunocompromise
Despite vaccination being recommended, there is currently minimal data on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in the immunocompromised population. In principle, there are no theoretical safety risks and no vaccine safety signals have been identified for vaccinated people with immunocompromise को date. Similar to responses following the administration of other inactivated vaccines in immunocompromised people, a reduced efficacy may occur following vaccination against COVID-19.
Our new reference page collates the various recommendations and guidance available for a broad group of immunocompromising conditions and therapies, as well as providing specific recommendations and/or links where available.
अधिक पढ़ने के लिए, नीचे दिए गए लिंक का अनुसरण करें:
एमवीईसी: प्रतिरक्षाविहीनता वाले लोगों में कोविड-19 टीके