The Conversation: COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest children may be inching closer to authorization – a pediatrician explains how they’re being tested
COVID-19 vaccines offer safe and effective protection against severe disease and are strongly recommended for everyone over the age of 5 years. While children often experience milder symptoms of disease than adults, US data obtained during the Omicron surge in cases shows a significant spike in the rates of hospitalisation in children under 5.
This article explores the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines in children of different age groups, the safety and efficacy considerations for vaccinating children under 5, and an approximate timeline for next steps regarding this cohort.
To read the article in full, please click on the link below.
ATAGI statement on use of booster doses in adolescents aged 12-15 years
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has released a statement on booster doses in adolescents aged 12-15 years.
Following their review of evidence on the benefits and risks of a booster dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents in Australia aged 12-15 years, ATAGI does not recommend that adolescents aged 12-15 years need to receive a booster dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and will continue to review international evidence on efficacy of a booster in this age group.
ATAGI continue to strongly recommend vaccination of all young people aged 5 to 15 years with 2 primary doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, including those who may have previously had COVID-19. 3 primary doses are recommended for those in this age group who are severely immunocompromised.
For more information please refer to the link below:
ATAGI statement on use of booster doses in adolescents aged 12-15 years
ATAGI advice on use of sedation for COVID-19 vaccination
ATAGI has provided guidance regarding the use of sedation in individuals with anxiety disorders, needle phobia or behavioural disorders, to assist vaccine providers in delivering COVID-19 vaccines.
The advice outlines:
- indications for sedation
- safety implications of delivering vaccines under sedation
- procedural sedation guidelines
- post-vaccination observation recommendations
- opportunistic vaccination during sedation for an unrelated procedure
To read the ATAGI recommendations in full, please click on the link below:
ATAGI advice on use of sedation for COVID-19 vaccination
For further information on strategies to manage needle phobia and immunisation, including sedation, please click on the link below:
MVEC：针头恐惧症
Moderna: COVID-19 Vaccine Phase 2/3 Study in Children 6 Months to ≤ 6 Years successfully meets its primary endpoint
Moderna has announced interim data from the Phase 2/3 KidCOVE COVID-19 vaccine study ahead of its submission to global regulatory bodies.
Approximately 4,200 children aged 2 to <6 years and 2,500 children aged 6 months to <2 years were recruited across the U.S. and Canada with participants receiving 2 doses of 25 μg, 28 days apart (a lower dose compared with older age groups).
Moderna reports immunogenicity consistent with that seen in adults (18-25 years) receiving doses of 100mcg with a vaccine efficacy of 43.7% in those aged 6 months to <2 years and 37.5% in those aged 2 to <6 years. Omicron was the predominant COVID-19 strain circulating during this trial.
Adverse events following vaccination were reported as mild or moderate and more frequently associated with dose two. No deaths, myocarditis, pericarditis, or cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) were reported. Independent safety monitoring will continue for 12 months following the second dose.
To read the press release in full, please click on the link below:
COVID-19 Vaccine Phase 2/3 Study in Children 6 Months to ≤ 6 Years successfully meets its primary endpoint
ATAGI 关于冬季加强剂量 COVID-19 疫苗建议的声明
作为冬季准备工作的一部分，ATAGI 已为被确定为患严重 COVID-19 疾病风险最高的特定人群提供了额外的 COVID-19 疫苗冬季加强剂量的建议。 这些团体包括：
- ≥ 65 岁的个人
- 老年护理或残疾护理机构的居民
- ≥ 16 岁的个人 严重的免疫功能低下
- 50 岁以上的原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民。
根据 2022 年流感疫苗接种计划，将于 4 月开始推出冬季加强剂，两种疫苗可以在适当的情况下联合接种。 COVID-19 疫苗的冬季加强剂量可以从前一次加强剂量/确认的 SARS-CoV-2 感染（以较晚者为准）起 ≥ 4 个月开始接种。
mRNA 疫苗（Comirnaty（辉瑞）或 Spikevax（Moderna））仍然是用作加强剂量的推荐品牌，Vaxzevria（阿斯利康）可用于对 mRNA 疫苗有禁忌症的人。 Nuvaxovid (Novavax) 可用于认为没有其他疫苗品牌适合的情况。
ATAGI 表示，目前没有足够的证据支持为其他人提供额外助推器的建议。对于这些群体，通过 COVID-19 疫苗初级疗程和随后的 1 剂加强剂的保护继续提供良好的保护，避免因 COVID-19 疾病住院。随着更多证据的出现，未来可能会考虑进一步的建议。
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ATAGI 关于冬季加强剂量 COVID-19 疫苗建议的声明
Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases webinar recording now available: JEV outbreak in Australia - important insight for clinicians
A recording of the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases webinar: JEV outbreak in Australia - important insight for clinicians is now available.
The Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases (ASID) and Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists (ANZAN) welcomed a panel of expert speakers to discuss the current JEV outbreak in Australia on Thursday 17 March.
To access the recording, please click on the link below:
For additional information regarding JEV, please refer to our MVEC reference page:
Vocal cord dysfunction/inducible laryngeal obstruction(s) mimicking anaphylaxis during SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccination
Researchers at Monash Health have published findings related to vocal cord dysfunction/inducible laryngeal obstruction(s) (VCD/ILO) in relation to incident-associated VCD which may be related to vaccination.
Their findings are related to a case series of ten individuals who were initially labelled as having experienced anaphylaxis following COVID-19 vaccination. These individuals were referred on to a specialist allergy service, where 9 out of the 10 received a second dose of the same COVID-19 vaccine that caused their initial reaction. It was found that 2 out of the 10 individuals met the Brighton Criteria for anaphylaxis, and symptoms recurred in 8 of the 9 individuals who received a second dose, mirroring their initial reactions which had been diagnosed as anaphylaxis.
Clinical features of VCD/ILO overlap with those of the Brighton Criteria for vaccine-related anaphylaxis, with this research demonstrating the need for providers to be able to differentiate between anaphylaxis and VCD/ILO.
To read the article in full, please follow the link below:
过敏和临床免疫学杂志：声带功能障碍/诱导性喉阻塞模仿 SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) 疫苗接种期间的过敏反应
For further information on how to differentiate between anaphylaxis and an acute stress response, refer to the animation on the MVEC：过敏和免疫 reference page.
The Conversation: Flu, COVID and flurona: what we can and can’t expect this winter
With international borders open and public health measures alleviated, it is highly likely that COVID-19 and influenza will be circulating simultaneously in Australian communities this coming winter.
This article addresses some probable outcomes and provides helpful tips on how people can protect themselves during this flu season.
Click on the link below to read the full article:
Flu, COVID and flurona: what we can and can’t expect this winter
《纽约时报》：在非洲，多种枪击事件推动了不确定的新冠疫苗接种进程
尽管许多富裕国家在使用辉瑞和 Moderna 疫苗进行 COVID-19 加强疫苗接种方面进展顺利，但非洲国家仍然依赖许多研究人员认为会降低疫苗功效的产品和给药方案。
整个非洲大陆的新冠疫苗接种率平均约为 14%，专家透露，疫苗接种存在一些需要考虑的障碍，并警告第五波可能更致命的浪潮即将到来。
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《纽约时报》：在非洲，多种枪击事件推动了不确定的新冠疫苗接种进程
CDC: Effectiveness of COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19–Associated Emergency Department and Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Nonimmunocompromised Children and Adolescents Aged 5–17 Years
A recent study conducted by the CDC and the VISION Network examined 39,217 emergency department (ED), urgent care (UC) encounters and 1,699 hospitalisations among persons aged 5 to 17 years with COVID-19–like illness during April 9, 2021–January 29, 2022. The study employed a case-control test-negative design to estimate the VE of two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in preventing COVID-19 associated hospitalisations in this cohort.
Click on the link below to access the study findings: