Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

As we enter the third year of the coronavirus pandemic it would appear that everyday life is slowly resuming. Mask mandates are lifting, adults are heading back into workspaces and the vaccine is readily available to anyone who is eligible. While this normalcy might be encouraging for some adults, parents are still apprehensive and confused as to what these changes in pandemic protocol mean for their children.

I have one kid in Kindergarten and another who is 3, and Im scared everyday, said Sara Sutton, a single mom and medical writer in Durham, NC. I have no choice but to send them to school and daycare so I can work, and Im just ready for them to be vaccinated. That will provide me so much relief.

Keeping young children and adolescents safe has been an exhausting daily exercise for parents throughout the coronavirus pandemic. And the recent news surrounding vaccine efficacy in adolescents has only added more uncertainty to the conversation.

A recent (yet to be peer reviewed) study collected by health officials in the state of New York found that there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of the PfizerBioNTech coronavirus vaccine in children ages 5 to 11, compared to older adolescents or adults. And the FDA announced on Feb. 11 that they would postpone their discussion all together around approval of a vaccine for children under five.

Ive kind of gotten over my physical exhaustion, or at least adapted, said Sutton. But my mental exhaustion from this pandemic is worse than its ever been. I just dont know what to do for my kids. Theres no direct answers.

In October of 2021, the FDA approved a two-dose primary series of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Shortly after the emergency authorization, over 6 million children in the United States received at least one dose, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Health officials in New York state conducted a study of those vaccinated to better understand the vaccines efficacy in children. They found that the vaccine does prevent severe illness in children, but offers next to zero protection against infection, even within a month after full immunization, according to the data. The data, which was collected during the winter 2021 Omicron surge, is a key player in this equation according to Dr. Robert Frenck, Director of the Vaccine Research Center at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center.

A lot of the cases in adolescents occurred during the time that Delta was the predominant strain, said Dr. Frenck. While many, perhaps most, of the infections in five to 11 year olds occurred during Omicron. So in a way you are comparing apples to oranges, as we know that Omicron is much more contagious than Delta.

Just weeks before the data surrounding five to 11 year olds was released, the FDA announced in a rare move that they would be postponing their meeting to discuss approval of a vaccine for children ages six months to four years old. They cited that they wanted to wait to evaluate data from a series of three doses instead of two. These findings are not expected to be released until April at the earliest.

While the percentages are not high, children have died and are still dying of COVID, and God forbid that is your child. Youre done Thus, my advice is to please vaccinate everyone who can be vaccinated.

In short, no. Doctors agree that some vaccination is better than no vaccination. Dr. Noah Greenspan, a cardiopulmonary physical therapist, said while he can understand this thinking on an emotional level, on a scientific level there are other factors to consider. While the percentages are not high, children have died and are still dying of COVID, and God forbid that is your child. Youre done, he said. Obviously, nobody wants their children to get sick, even mildly sick. It is crucial to also recognize that long COVID exists and is not necessarily based upon the severity of the acute illness. This means that even if the acute illness is mild, you can still go on to develop long Covid.

According to the CDC there have been at least 970 deaths involving COVID in children under 18. While this is a low number in comparison to the over 900,000 American adults who have passed from COVID, Dr. Frenck argues that less than 25 percent of children ages 5-11 are fully vaccinated, which leaves a large remaining group of kids susceptible.

Thus, my advice is to please vaccinate everyone who can be vaccinated, he said.

When it comes to finding credible and reputable information regarding COVID vaccination, doctors recommend speaking directly with your childs physician or pediatrician. They will be the most up to date with your childs specific health and needs, and can provide you with their expert tailored advice. The amount of misinformation or pseudoscience available online can be overwhelming and misleading, but Dr. Frenck recommends visiting CDC.gov or the American Academy of Pediatrics website for credible information.

The general consensus is that while research shows vaccine efficacy might be low in children, vaccinations are still working and are keeping people safe. In my opinion, anyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated, said Dr. Noah Greenspan.

As more people remain unvaccinated, the virus will continue to spread and mutate and we will see new variants form, like we saw with Delta and Omicron. Dr. Frenck says that preventing infection is not the right marker, but rather focusing on prevention of moderate to severe disease.

The best way to minimize the likelihood of new variants is to have a very high immunization rate so the virus has no one to infect, he said. As I like to say, Covid is an equal opportunity infector. It does not care if you are female or male, young or old, your race, your religion or political affiliation. Its just looking for a susceptible host to infect. Vaccination is our best way to prevent COVID.

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How Effective Are COVID-19 Vaccines for Kids & Teens? This Is What Doctors Want Parents to Know - SheKnows

75% of urbanites have had at least one dose compared to 58% of rural residents.

March 3, 2022, 6:23 PM

5 min read

The gap in COVID-19 vaccination uptake between rural and urban Americans is continuing to widen, a federal report published Thursday found.

As of Jan. 31, 2022, 75.4% of people aged five and older living in urban counties have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By comparison, just 58.8% of those living in rural areas had been given at least an initial shot -- a nearly 17% difference.

However, a previous report by the federal health agency found that, in April 2021, the gap was smaller with 45.7% of urban residents given at least one dose of the COVID vaccine compared to 38.9% of rural residents.

This means that in the span of nine months, disparities based on geographic location have more than doubled.

COVID-19 vaccination percentages in rural and urban U.S. counties

The authors say the large gap is likely due to less access to health care and increased vaccine hesitancy in rural areas.

"Addressing barriers to vaccination in rural areas is critical to achieving vaccine equity, reducing disparities, and decreasing COVID-19-related illness and death in the United States," the authors wrote.

According to the new report, 46 states had higher COVID vaccine uptake in urban areas than in rural areas with just one state -- Arizona -- having higher coverage in rural areas.

Three states: Delaware, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C., have no rural counties so differences in vaccination coverage could not be evaluated.

In both rural and urban counties, women were more likely to be vaccinated than men.

Data showed 77.4% of urban women and 61.4% of rural women had received at least one dose by the end of January compared to 73.2% of urban men and 55.7% of rural men, respectively.

This is similar to the CDCs report looking at April 2021 vaccination rates, which also showed more women getting vaccinated.

Among all age groups, vaccination uptake was higher in urban counties with the largest difference being among 12-to-17-year-olds.

The report showed just 38.7% of rural teenagers had received at least an initial vaccine dose compared to 64.9% of urban teenagers.

People wait in a distanced line to be tested for COVID-19, as signs point to other tents with no line where healthcare workers waited to administer vaccines, at a mobile health unit run by Nomi Health, Dec. 28, 2021, in Miami.

However, the researchers found that there was relatively no difference in the percentage of people in rural or urban areas who received booster or additional doses, both being similarly low.

About 50.4% of fully vaccinated urban residents had received a booster shot as of Jan. 31, 2022 as had 49.7% of rural residents.

The CDC authors noted Americans living in rural counties tend to be aged 65 or older and have more pre-existing conditions.

This puts them at high risk of severe COVID-19 complications and is why rates of death from the virus are higher in rural areas than in urban areas.

Dr. Matt Feeley, part of ABC News' Medical Unit, contributed to this report.

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Gap in COVID-19 vaccine uptake between urban and rural areas in the US continues to widen: CDC - ABC News

COVID-19 Vaccine: What to know before this weekend's games at United Center originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Before the Chicago Bulls take to the court and the Chicago Blackhawks hit the ice this weekend, you'll want to know the changes to COVID-19 policies at the United Center.

As Chicago lifts coronavirus vaccine and indoor masking mandates across the city, the United Center has announced plans to ease some, but not all, of its guidelines for fans.

Here's what you need to know:

Moving forward, the United Center will continue require all attendees to present proof of vaccination, but will now give the option to show a negative COVID test to gain access to the venue.

Previously, the United Center had required proof of vaccination for entry, and did not accept a negative test.

Masks are now optional at games and events at the United Center, however the venue still says they are "recommended."

The updated guidelines will first take effect for Blackhawks fans on Thursday for their home matchup with the Edmonton Oilers, and for Bulls fans on Friday for their home matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Blackhawks will be on off Friday, then on the road Saturday, facing the Philadelphia Flyers. On Sunday, the team will return to the United Center to play the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After taking off Saturday and Sunday, the Bulls will be in Philadelphia for their matchup against the 76ers on Monday.

The Bulls play eight of their remaining 21 regular-season games at home, and hope to host playoff basketball at the United Center come spring.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, play 14 of their remaining 28 regular-season games at home, but boast no such playoff hopes.

Though they haven't drastically changed, the United Center will continue to conduct all ticket-checks and payments in a contactless format.

The venue also has enhanced cleaning standards including disinfecting equipment, increasing frequently of cleaning and adding more sanitation stations.

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COVID-19 Vaccine: What to Know Before This Weekend's Bulls, Blackhawks Games - NBC Chicago

(Precision Vaccinations)

A new study funded by the U.K. Health Security Agency and published as an Original Article by the New England Journal of Medicine on Mar 2, 2022, concluded by stating 'Primary immunization with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine provided limited protection against symptomatic disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus variant known as Omicron.'

And a Cominraty (BNT162b2) orSpikeVax (mRNA-1273) booster after either the AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) or Comirnatyprimary course substantially increased protection, but that protection waned over a short period of time.

The researchers used data from the National Immunization Management Systemfrom Nov 27, 2021, to Jan 12, 2022, to estimate COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic illness caused bythe Omicron and Delta variants.

VE was higher against Delta throughout the study than Omicron for all combinations of the primary vaccine series and booster doses.

These researchers could not determine VE against severe illness using this study'stest-negative, case-controldesign because the number of severe Omicron cases leading to hospitalization was limited, and the natural lag between infections and poor outcomes was too long.

'Our findings indicate that vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease caused by the omicron variant is substantially lower than with the Delta variant,' concluded these researchers.

Dr. Lopez Bernal can be contacted at[emailprotected]. No industry conflicts of interest were disclosed.

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COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Wanes Against Omicron - Precision Vaccinations

Attacking COVID-19: Pros and cons of vaccines and treatments

A quick look at the five main COVID-19 treatments, with advantages and limitations of each.

Wochit

The Kansas health agency stopped airing television advertisements promoting the COVID-19 vaccine after some Republican lawmakers took issue with calling the shots safe and effective.

The revelation came during Janet Stanek's confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. Stanek is theacting secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The same committee pressed Stanek on COVID-19 conspiracy theories at a January meeting. Some members contended the KDHE should be more careful about labeling COVID-19 vaccines as safe and effective.

Sen. Mark Steffen, R-Hutchinson, again raised the issue Wednesday.

"When it comes to the COVID shot ... we talked about the problem that KDHE was basically saying 'safe and effective, safe and effective, safe and effective' when we have a CDC VAERSreporting system that ties 20,000-plus deaths,and more complications, to these shots than all the other vaccines combined," he said."What have you done since we saw you last in regards to correcting that lack of a balanced approach to obtain true informed consent?"

Stanek said health officials were obtaining informed consent for vaccination.

"One thing we've done is revisited the ads, which were brought up by many of you, and we have removed the TV ads," Stanek said."We are making sure that in reviewing all of our ads that if we do have an advertisement or something that might mentiongetting thevaccine, that there is a link, and we are encouraging people to follow up with their doctor."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. The vaccines do carry a risk of such common side effects as muscle pain.

Serious safety problems are rare, according to the CDC. Anaphylaxis, thrombosis withthrombocytopenia syndrome, myocarditis and pericarditis, andGuillain-Barr Syndrome are the four serious adverse events with evidence suggesting a link to vaccines.

"Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem," the CDC states.

An autopsy found that a Topeka-area woman died last year of "anaphylaxis due to COVID-19 vaccination."

More: Kansas woman Jeanie Evans died of an allergic reaction to COVID-19 vaccine, autopsy shows

"The decision to stop the vaccine advertising, both digital and television, was made as daily cases were falling and we began to look at transitioning to steady state as it relates to COVID," KDHE spokesperson Matt Lara said in an email. "We stopped the advertising to allow us time to review what our next steps are and what messaging we still need to push out."

The health department continues to promote vaccination clinics statewide.

"Vaccines remain the best tool to protect people from COVID-19, slow transmission, and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging," the agency said in a Wednesday news release.

Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Stanek to lead the state's health agency in November after ousting Lee Norman. She took over in their early days of the omicron surge.

"We've talked about educating citizens on early treatment of COVID," said Steffen, who has promoted the unproven off-label drugs ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. "You've been in this interimpositionwhile cases skyrocketed. Did you do anything to help people understand what their early treatment options were ... any educating, any public service announcements in regards to early treatments?"

"NoPSAs," Stanek said. "Only referenceto CDC and AMA and other guidance about where they can learn more about those early treatments."

Steffen has taken issue with "federal government agencies making all our decisions for us." Hecontendedthat public health puts "the greater good over the individual" rights.

"Are you comfortable with the concept that individuals have to be sacrificed for the well-being of society?" he said."Like pushing vaccines so hard. You knew people were going to be injured, you knew people were being injured, and yet we didn't hear anything about that."

More: Kansas Republicans on mission to fulfill COVID special session promise with stronger legislation

Stanek said people should talk to their doctors and read CDC publications.

In January, Steffen called the KDHE vaccine ads morally and legally objectionable.

Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, said the ads should have disclaimers about risks of adverse reactions.

"There's no effort by your agency to at least put a seed of doubt in people's mind," Thompson said, adding, "The perception is the vaccines are safe and effective," and he has "done a lot of research on this."

Jason Tidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jtidd@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Tidd.

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Kansas pulls COVID vaccine ads from TV after lawmakers object to calling them safe and effective - The Topeka Capital-Journal

Japanese drugmaker Shionogi & Co. said its experimental Covid-19 vaccine was found safe and effective in a study, creating an indigenous supply source for the Asian nation that is racing to complete a booster drive in hopes of curbing future outbreaks.

The recombinant protein-based vaccine that was being tested as a booster shot met its primary endpoint in the Phase 2/3 trials, Osaka-based Shionogi said in a statement Friday announcing the interim reports findings. There were no serious treatment-related adverse events, deaths or adverse events of special interest, it said.

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Shionogi Says Covid-19 Vaccine Found Effective and Safe in Study - Bloomberg

As vice president and head of clinical trial experience at Pfizer, one of the most rewarding days for Judy Sewards was on May 10 of last year. It was the day the FDA granted emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to include adolescents 12 to 15 years old. It also happened to be her daughters 15th birthday.

It was such a wonderful day, Sewards recalled. My daughter said this is the best birthday present ever. They booked an appointment to get her vaccinated later that week and celebrated by taking selfies together. I was like alright, you gotta wait a month or so and then you can see people again. After that, our life changed so dramatically. I was happy to see her thriving again.

Indeed, it was a full-circle moment for Sewards, who played a critical role in the success of Pfizers Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial program. In her role, she led participant and site communications and engagement. Her days were spent ensuring Pfizer had strong relationships with the over 150 trial sites who conducted the Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials. She also helped build awareness about the clinical trials and worked with community, medical and government partners to highlight importance of participation in the trial by diverse communities and put in place new services to make clinical trial participation more convenient and comfortable for volunteers.

Know Your Value recently chatted with Sewards about getting through the pandemics darkest days and what she consequently learned about her leadership abilities. The conversation below has been edited for brevity and clarity:

Know Your Value: What has it been like for you and what has it meant for you to be working in life sciences at this particular time?

Sewards: Our purpose statement is breakthroughs that change patients lives, Over the 10 years I've worked at Pfizer, something that's always been in the backdrop for me is whatever work that we're doing, even though my arena is really around communications and experience, is that we're helping patients. But it really came into focus during the pandemic. It became so much more meaningful to me.

I felt like the world is counting on us. Society is counting on us. And whether this vaccine is successful or not, I have to do my part and do my very best in whatever I was bringing to the table during this time. There was a camaraderie, and a very shared focus amongst the team that was both emotional and in many ways just very personal as well.

Know Your Value: Speaking of the emotional and personal side of this all, you have your job, of course, but you were also juggling a lot at home with two teenagers. With the pandemic and working from home, how did that affect the lifesaving work that you do at Pfizer every day? Tell us a little bit about that experience.

Sewards: My stepdaughter was in her senior year of high school. She was applying to colleges and she had all the typical high school senior things to deal with. She also has Type 1 diabetes, and so we were especially careful and worried about her and her exposure to Covid.

At the time, I had a middle schooler going into high school, going through the high school application process in New York City. And my daughter is incredibly social. . .spending time with friends is important to her. And I think it was just very hard for her during the pandemic, because we had to keep her at home So, we operated as this very small bubble probably for a year. We did not see very many other people, aside from our immediate family. And I think that took a toll on both girls. For example, my little one had a hard time She was so used to a full schedule of soccer, friends, activities, events - all of these things. And now she was basically relegated to her room with her computer and her iPhone and having to take a COVID test before she saw her sister. For me, just seeing how both of their lives and their relationship had been impacted by this pandemic was motivation and as a mother, I was like, I'm working for you guys.

My parents were in Ohio. My dad had some lung issues. I hadn't been able to see mom and dad for a very long time, and I just felt like the work that we were doing both across the antiviral and the vaccine, was for them in many ways too. We were lucky enough to be reunited with them this year before my dad passed away. That was a very special time for us, and in looking back, will be a lifelong precious memory.

Know Your Value: What did you learn about yourself in that high pressure environment? And what did you learn about your leadership abilities?

Sewards: I really like high pressure situations and generally thrive in them. But I think the biggest learning for me was just pacing. The Covid vaccine project was and continues to be a marathon. It's not a sprint.

One thing I learned is how critical it is to set a bold goal and then prepare really well. You need to have a really great plan, but then also to create the space and be flexible enough to adapt, be creative and reprioritize based on what the science is telling us. Ultimately, to ensure that we get to the finish line and do so in the right way.

This lesson also extended into my personal life, and my whole orientation also changed. Living in New York, I thought my life was so full. I would go to work at 7:30 a.m. and have a very busy day. Go out four or five nights a week. Everything was a sprint. My daughter was very scheduled, and there were always lots of events or activities. And the pandemic took all of that away. But it created a really nice space to actually recreate. I got the chance and the space to think about my life in a way where I could focus on the things that were really important.

It gave me space to say, "who are the important people in my life? How do I want to spend my time? How do I want to be a mother? A wife? A daughter? A friend?"

I reprioritized and also reflected. I talked to my parents much more. I made space to regularly connect with the people who were closest to me. I got a chance to really get to know the young woman my daughter was growing into. It definitely just brought my life more into focus and made it more enriching in the way that it shouldve been.

Know Your Value: There are some incredible women in leadership at Pfizer. How do you feel like the company supports you and how do you support one another? And on the flip side of that, how do you support other women in their careers?

Sewards: Pfizer is an amazing place for working women. I'm grateful for the extensive resources offered to us, the flexibility and the respect for home-life balance. And they are committed to ensuring that women are in leadership positions and advocated for.

During the pandemic, there was even more emphasis and an acknowledgement that everybody's home life is different and your home responsibilities and work responsibilities may be in conflict or blurred. I think Pfizer did a lot to offer many different services and to be very flexible on defining what working from home means I personally felt super supported.

The majority of my team and folks I work with day-to-day are women who have children at home. I think before we were in the pandemic work environment, we've may have talked about our kids and our home life, but it was very peripheral in many ways.

During the pandemic, however, I gained an appreciation and I think we all gained appreciation for each others situation as working mothers and actively supported one another through it. For example, my coworker Sarah and I have WebEx's just about every day. Simply because of the blurring of work and home time and space, I gained a greater appreciation for what she was juggling as we were going through this journey together. At times, shed have her young daughter right next to her doing remote learning. And my daughter at the same time might be asking, "I need help with this homework thing" all while we were having meetings and getting work done.

At the end of the day, because it all had to get done and we were all in this compressed space, it created an environment where we were all able to accommodate and support each other both as colleagues and as mothers. And thats a huge positive that has come out of this. In fact, many of us who worked closely together during the pandemic created this unique tribe that has now thrived passed the most critical periods. Having such shared purpose really brings you closer together.

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Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine: How Judy Sewards, head of clinical trial experience, navigated the pandemic - MSNBC

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) In an effort to make COVID-19 vaccines more accessible, Equitas Health will deliver them directly to homebound residents in some central Ohio zip codes starting Friday.

The local nonprofit healthcare system will also provide residents with personal care items like laundry detergent, toilet paper, socks, blankets and toiletries from Friday to Sunday, according to a news release from the Franklin County Office on Aging.

Arranged by date, vaccines will be administered to Franklin County residents living in the following zip codes:

Friday, March 4

Saturday, March 5

Sunday, March 6

In order to receive a shot, residents in the selected areas must schedule an appointment at go.oncehub.com/HBMC or call the Franklin County Office on Aging at 614-525-5230.

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Equitas Health delivering COVID-19 vaccines to homebound residents - NBC4 WCMH-TV

All adults in Pennsylvania are eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine booster. Kids and adolescents ages 12-17 are eligible for a Pfizer booster.

Boosters for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available if its been at least five months since your initial series of two doses.

Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine are eligible to get a booster if its been at least two months since your initial dose.

Regardless of which brand of vaccine was received for a primary vaccination, individuals can take any brand for a booster dose.

Find a provider near you to schedule a booster.

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Getting the COVID Vaccine | PA.GOV

Everyone 12and older isnow eligible to receive a COVID-19 booster shot, regardless of underlying medical conditions, giventhe following criteria:

Pfizer is the only FDA-authorized vaccine for people younger than 18, so it is the vaccine used as a booster for those age 12through17.

For more information, see this FAQ. To find a booster dose, find a vaccination site or call the Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.

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Vaccines | Covid-19 - Maine.gov COVID-19