Halting the Oxford vaccine trial doesn't mean it's not safe- it shows they're following the right process
Due to a single event of an unexplained illness, the AstraZeneca Oxford group have announced a voluntary pause on all vaccinations across all sites of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate clinical trial. This pause will allow an independent committee to review the safety data and investigate the incident.
The following article, published in The Conversation, outlines how this halt doesn't necessarily indicate that the vaccine is not safe, but reflects the robust processes for clinical trials. It is important to recognise that whilst these clinical trials are moving at pandemic speed, safety is not being compromised.
COVID19疫苗之路第12集：Heidi Larson教授
在本期《新冠疫苗之路》中，我们的主持人 Nigel Crawford 副教授与 Heidi Larson 教授进行了对话。海蒂是一位人类学家、疫苗信心项目主任、伦敦卫生与热带医学学院人类学教授。疫苗信心项目是世卫组织解决疫苗犹豫问题的卓越中心。海蒂是联合国儿童基金会全球免疫沟通的前任负责人，担任全球疫苗和免疫联盟倡导工作组的主席，并在世卫组织疫苗犹豫问题 SAGE 工作组中任职。在这一集中，他们讨论了：
- 海蒂如何以及为何创立疫苗信心项目
- 为什么在尚未有疫苗完成临床试验所有阶段的情况下，疫苗信心对于 SARS-CoV-2 疫苗来说已被证明如此重要
- 不同国家应对 SARS-CoV-2 大流行的方式是否会影响疫苗信心
- 医护人员对疫苗接种情况进行建模以提高疫苗信心的重要性
- 我们可以利用社交媒体促进疫苗准备的积极方式
- 对强制疫苗接种的抵制以及社区免疫与群体免疫的重要性
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2020年流感疫苗——现在接种还不算太晚
流感疾病可能在一年中的任何时间发生，建议 6 个月以上的每个人都接种疫苗。某些患者群体有资格获得国家免疫计划 (NIP) 资助的流感疫苗。不符合资助标准的人也可以购买。
有关 2020 年流感疫苗接种的更多信息，请参阅以下资源：
Australian Government Department of Health: 2020 influenza vaccines- it's not too late to get vaccinated
MVEC：流感疫苗建议
MVEC：流感疫苗 - 常见问题
New immunisation reference page: Melbourne immunisation drive-through clinics
Staying up to date with scheduled and additional vaccinations, remains essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerning results from the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) National Child Health Poll, indicate the impact that the pandemic has had on immunisation, with data showing 1 in 5 children have had those vaccinations delayed since the beginning of the pandemic.
Families are reminded that it is safe and recommended to attend local immunisation providers (GP or local council) for vaccinations, however drive-through clinics are also available at Monash Health in Clayton and the RCH in Parkville.
For more information please refer to the following:
MVEC: Melbourne immunisation drive-through clinics
Check your knowledge on the July 2020 NIP changes
Developed in conjunction with the Victorian DHHS Immunisation section, MVEC is excited to share the new "July 2020 National Immunisation Program changes" quiz. This quiz aims to check the knowledge of immunisation providers on the recent changes to the National Immunisation Program (NIP). It can be found via our MVEC 教育门户 or by following the link below:
Africa declared free of wild polio
After 4 years without a case of wild polio, the African region has been declared free of wild poliovirus. MVEC congratulates the efforts of everyone involved in accomplishing such a tremendous achievement which has been described by WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as "one of the greatest public health achievements of our time". This milestone means that Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only 2 countries worldwide who continue to see wild poliovirus transmission.
To read more on this remarkable effort please follow the links:
Africa kicks out wild polio
WHO: Global polio eradication initiative applauds WHO African region for wild polio-free certification
Zostavax safety advice: not to be administered to people with compromised immune function
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) have issued a reminder that Zostavax® vaccine should not be administered to people with compromised immune function. Vaccination in this patient group is contraindicated and can result in infection with the vaccine virus causing mild to severe complications (including death).
Further details on the alert can be seen here: TGA: Zostavax® vaccine
For more information on Zostavax® and access to the Zostavax® GP decision aid please review the MVEC pages below:
MVEC：带状疱疹
MVEC: Zoster vaccine (Zostavax®) FAQ's
COVID19疫苗之路第11集：Margie Danchin副教授和Julie Leask教授
在我们的新冠疫苗之路系列的第 11 集中，我们的主持人 Nigel Crawford 与疫苗信心专家 Margie Danchin 副教授和 Julie Leask 教授进行了交谈。玛吉是皇家儿童医院的儿科医生顾问、墨尔本大学儿科和默多克儿童研究所的副教授，她是默多克儿童研究所疫苗摄取小组的负责人。 Julie 是悉尼大学医学与健康学院苏珊瓦基尔护理与助产学院的社会科学家和教授，也是 NCIRS（国家免疫研究与监测中心）的客座教授研究员。在这一集中，他们讨论了：
- 从澳大利亚的角度应对疫苗犹豫并增强疫苗信心
- 在疫苗信心、犹豫和接受方面，语言和定义的重要性
- (5) 让公众为 SARS-CoV-2 疫苗做好准备的重要方法
- 社交媒体平台在传达这些信息方面的作用
- 衡量社区对疫苗信心的重要性
- 围绕不良事件进行良好沟通以赢得社区信任和维持疫苗计划的方法，包括利用专业免疫诊所 (SIC) 的专业知识
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New immunisation reference page: Foetal embryonic cells- utilised in vaccine development platforms
Foetal embryonic cell lines isolated in the early 1960's have been used to develop a number of various vaccines. As scientists work to produce an effective vaccine against SARS CoV-2 it is important to explore as many technologies as possible. Addressing ethical and religious concerns is an essential part of COVID-19 vaccine readiness planning. Our new reference page details the background behind the use of foetal embryonic cells and the role they play in the development of vaccines, the reasons why they are used, as well as addressing any religious and ethical implications.
To access our reference page follow the link to MVEC: Foetal embryonic cells- utilised in vaccine development platforms.
The use of foetal tissue in vaccine development
There has been attention in the media recently regarding the use of foetal cell lines by the Oxford Vaccine Group to develop their COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Cell lines are currently used to manufacture many vaccines including varicella, hepatitis A, rabies and MMR vaccines.
The below information from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHoP) discusses the background behind using these cell lines in vaccine development as well as any potential ethical or religious concerns surrounding this.
Vaccine ingredients- Fetal tissues