CDC director OVERRULES her own agency's advisory on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots: Rochelle Walensky says people at risk because of their jobs should receive third doses CDC Director Rochelle Walensky overruled her own agency's advisory panel in a rare move late Thursday, allowing boosters for people at risk due to their jobs Her decision came after the agency's panel said it should only be for Americans aged 65 and older and those with underlying conditions Her approval covers people who live in institutional settings that increase their risk of exposure, such as prisons or homeless shelters Healthcare workers, teachers and grocery store employees are also considered eligible for the booster The recommendations only apply to people who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...s-advisory-booster-shots-senior-citizens.html (More at above url)
Cuba kicks off COVID-19 vaccine exports with shipment to Vietnam https://www.reuters.com/business/he...ine-exports-with-shipment-vietnam-2021-09-25/
U.S. has enough COVID vaccines to meet demand for kids, boosters https://www.axios.com/us-covid-vacc...ers-155c5094-1829-435e-b5ee-9ba323265300.html The U.S. COVID-19 vaccine supply is large enough to meet the rise in demand prompted by the approval of booster shots and the imminent authorization of vaccines for younger children, AP reported. Driving the news: Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus booster shots for people over 65 or at risk of developing severe COVID-19. Approval of the vaccine for children 5-11 could come in a matter of weeks, NIAID director Anthony Fauci said last week. Why it matters: The approval of boosters for select Americans as well as inoculating children could lead to a significant jump in demand for vaccine doses, AP noted. State of play: States around the country say they are prepared to meet the spike in demand. “I hope that we have the level of interest in the booster ... that we need more vaccines,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said earlier this week, per AP. “That’s simply not where we are today. We have plenty of vaccines.” Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told AP that many states had planned their vaccine supply around a broader booster shot recommendation than the one approved. But, but, but: Yet states have more to contend with than just the sheer number of doses. Pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens have been dealing with labor shortages that may require them to hire more staff to meet the spike in demand for doses, according to the Wall Street Journal. States must also strike a balance between ordering vaccine doses to meet demand and avoiding waste. Wisconsin’s health secretary, Karen Timberlake, told AP that the approval of the new shots could see more vaccine doses going to waste. A report out this month noted that the U.S. has already wasted more than 15 million doses since March 1.
4 charts show why Moderna vaccine recipients may not need boosters as much as people who got Pfizer's vaccine https://www.businessinsider.com/moderna-vaccines-might-not-need-boosters-like-pfizer-2021-9
Poll Finds Parents Split on Giving Kids COVID Shot as Pfizer Seeks Vaccine Use for Children https://www.newsweek.com/poll-finds...hot-pfizer-seeks-vaccine-use-children-1633586 Pfizer is seeking to make its coronavirus vaccine available for young children, but a new poll found that parents are split on whether they'd get their kids inoculated against COVID-19. The latest Axios/Ipsos survey shows that slightly more parents of children ages 5 to 11 said they were likely to vaccinate their kids when they become eligible for the shot. Forty-four percent are likely to do so, compared with 42 percent who are unlikely to get their child vaccinated. The poll was conducted just after Pfizer's announcement that the first results from a trial indicated the COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children between 5 and 11 years and establishes a strong antibody response against the virus. Pfizer and BioNTech said administering two doses 21 days apart was well tolerated by children, and the shots' side effects were comparable to those experienced by people between 16 and 25. (More at above url)
Fauci says data will be available soon on mix-and-match COVID booster shots https://nypost.com/2021/09/28/fauci...vaccine-booster-shots-will-be-available-soon/
Joe might approve it before then. Following the science according to the lab in Joe's basement. Of course, he is married to a great doctor. As we know Whoopi said she would love to have Jill as Surgeon General. So I am sure she is a great help to Joe in making all these big medical decisions.
Is Vaccine Latecomer Inovio Making a Comeback? https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/09/29/is-vaccine-latecomer-inovio-making-a-comeback/ Key Points Three countries have agreed to participate in the late-stage trial of Inovio’s coronavirus vaccine candidate. Inovio aims to focus on countries where need for coronavirus vaccines remains high. Inovio shares have dropped more than 70% from a high point last year. Inovio Pharmacauticals (NASDAQ:INO) once was among the most prominent companies in the coronavirus vaccine race. The biotech designed its vaccine candidate in only three hours after receiving the coronavirus genetic sequence. And it started a phase 1 trial only a few weeks after one of today's market leaders, Moderna. Since then, a series of events has pushed Inovio to the back of the pack. The most damaging was the U.S. government's decision to drop funding of its late-stage clinical trial. That was due to the supply of vaccines already on the market. But recently, Inovio announced news that could jump-start its vaccine program. Let's look at the details and find out what this means for the stock. Inovio's phase 1 trial First, a bit of background on Inovio's path to this point. Inovio announced positive data from its phase 1 trial shortly after Moderna. Unlike its rival, Inovio didn't go into detail regarding neutralizing antibody levels. And that disappointed investors. Neutralizing antibodies are known to block infection, so they offer solid clues about vaccine performance. Then, a few months later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) placed a partial clinical hold on Inovio's phase 2/3 trial. The regulatory agency had questions about the trial -- and in particular the device used to deliver the vaccine candidate. Inovio uses its proprietary handheld Cellectra device to introduce product directly into cells through electrical pulses. The FDA lifted the hold on the phase 2 portion of the trial after Inovio provided answers. But the hold on phase 3 remains. Meanwhile, as mentioned above, the U.S. government decided it wouldn't fund the phase 3 portion of the trial as originally planned. As a result, Inovio changed its strategy to focus on vaccinating parts of the world that lack doses. The company said it would start by conducting late-stage trials outside of the U.S. So, here's the latest news: Mexico recently authorized Inovio to start a phase 3 trial there. This comes shortly after Brazil and the Philippines agreed to participate in the global trial. Inovio continues to seek permission to add trial sites in other countries. Vaccination in Africa This is positive news for Inovio. It means the company can finally proceed with the late-stage testing of its vaccine candidate. And it's true that need remains high in various parts of the world. For example, today on the African continent, only 4.2% of people are fully vaccinated. And Inovio plans to focus on vaccinating Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Of course, eventually selling vaccine doses to certain low- and middle-income countries won't generate as much revenue as selling doses to the U.S. Still, for a clinical stage company like Inovio, bringing a product to market and generating any level of revenue would be a win. That said, I would be very hesitant about buying Inovio shares right now. Investors progressively lost confidence in the company following the setbacks I mentioned earlier. The stock soared more than 700% from the start of 2020 through June of that year as Inovio moved from early development through phase 1 trials. Since that time, though, the stock has lost more than 70%. I think Inovio has to show it can bring a candidate to the regulatory authorization stage before the shares will deliver a sustained gain. As a potential investor, I would want to see positive trial data and Inovio's manufacturing plan. I also would be interested in hearing about advance purchase agreements. Right now, all of that still seems pretty far away. At the same time, bigger rivals such as Moderna and Pfizer have plenty of time to deliver doses to regions in need -- and that may slowly chip away at Inovio's potential market. A stock to watch? Inovio remains a stock to watch. The company's technology is innovative. The vaccine candidate introduces an optimized form of DNA from the coronavirus into cells. The idea is that the cells then produce a protein from the virus -- and the immune system responds. Inovio is also working on a pan-covid vaccine candidate. This means one that could work against any variant. If Inovio succeeds here, it could be big. But it's much too early to invest in such hopes. The candidate hasn't yet entered clinical trials. So, yes, Inovio's latest news is positive. And it's reason to keep an eye on what comes next. But until Inovio offers us clear signs it really can bring a product to market, this biotech stock remains high-risk.
Venezuelan academy of medicine expresses concern over use of Cuban vaccine https://www.reuters.com/world/ameri...es-concern-over-use-cuban-vaccine-2021-09-27/ CARACAS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Venezuela’s National Academy of Medicine on Monday expressed concern over the use of Cuba’s Abdala coronavirus vaccine due to a lack of scientific research on its safety and efficacy. Cuba said on Saturday it had exported the three-shot vaccine for the first time, sending an initial shipment to Vietnam as part of a contract to supply five million doses to the Southeast Asian country. The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has so far been relying on the Russian Sputnik V and the Chinese Sinopharm vaccines, and in recent months received its first shipment of doses via the global COVAX program. "The characteristics of the Sputnik V vaccine have been published in scientific journals and its quality has been verified in independent clinical trials ... (and) the Sinopharm vaccine has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO),” the academy said in a statement. "Abdala has not been approved by the WHO or any international regulatory agency." Venezuela received its first batch of 30,000 Abdala doses in June as part of clinical trials, and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Sunday said another batch had been sent, without confirming how many vaccines were shipped. The academy "expresses its deep concern that a product for which there is no scientific information on safety and efficacy ... is being administered to Venezuelans,” the academy added. Cuban scientists have developed three homegrown vaccines against COVID-19, all of which are waiting to receive official recognition following an evaluation by the WHO, according to the island's authorities. Maduro says about 40% of the country’s roughly 28 million inhabitants have been vaccinated and that this figure should rise to 70% by October. Venezuelan doctors have questioned the figure. As of Sunday, the country had country reported a total of 363,300 infections and 4,412 deaths.