CDC: Effectiveness of 2-Dose BNT162b2 (Pfizer BioNTech) mRNA Vaccine in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children Aged 5–11 Years and Adolescents Aged 12–15 Years — PROTECT Cohort
The CDC has released the findings of a recent PROTECT study, assessing the efficacy of two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in preventing infection from the Omicron variant amongst children 5 to 11 and adolescents 12 to 15 years of age. The study included clinical data from a cohort of 1,364 participants gathered from July 2021 to February 2022.
The report provides evidence that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is effective in preventing both asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in this cohort.
Click on the link below to read the full report:
Clinical recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines- updated booster advice
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) have provided updated recommendations on the use of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines:
- Individuals aged 18 years and above are recommended to receive a single booster dose of either mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna), 3 months after the completion of a primary course of vaccination.
- Individuals aged 16-17 years are recommended to receive a single dose of Comirnaty (Pfizer) as their booster, 3 months following the completion of their primary course. Alternate COVID-19 vaccine brands are not registered for use as a booster dose in this age group.
- Whilst Nuvaxovid (Novavax) is not TGA-registered for use as a booster dose, ATAGI recommends that it may be used as a booster in individuals aged 18 years or older in circumstances where there is a contraindication to mRNA vaccines. There is limited safety and efficacy data to support the use of Nuvaxovid as a booster dose, however there are no theoretical concerns.
- Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) is no longer recommended for use as a booster dose. Individuals who have already received Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) as their booster dose do not need a repeat booster dose of an alternate brand.
For further information regarding the ATAGI recommendations on the use of a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine, please refer to the links below:
ATAGI recommendations on the use of a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Sydney Morning Herald: Fourth COVID vaccine shot found to be highly effective
A preliminary study published by Israel’s Sheba medical centre found that a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine administered to people 60 years and over, made them three times more resistant to serious illness and twice as resistant to infection than thrice-vaccinated people in the same age group.
Moving forward, Pfizer’s chief executive Albert Bourla said annual COVID-19 vaccine boosters would be preferable to more frequent boosters
At this stage, Pfizer is nearly ready to file for approval for a redesigned vaccine that targets Omicron while still protecting against other variants.
To read the full article, follow the link below:
Fourth COVID vaccine shot found to be highly effective
Pfizer and BioNTech provide update on ongoing studies of COVID-19 vaccine
Following a routine review examining the safety and efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech by the external Independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), data has demonstrated that whilst there were no safety concerns, immunogenicity of a two dose primary course consisting of 3µg doses in the 6 to 24 month-old cohort was met with non-inferiority, but not in the 2 - 5 year old group.
The company has also announced that it will resume studies evaluating a third 3µg dose of COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months to under 5 years of age in order to select the right dose to maximise the risk-benefit profile in this age group.
For further information on this study and its findings, follow the link below:
Pfizer and BioNTech provide update on ongoing studies of COVID-19 vaccine