Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

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A report on neurogenic bladder in COVID-19 vaccine-associated acute transverse myelitis | Spinal Cord Series and ... - Nature.com

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A major bivalent COVID-19 vaccine induces production of neutralizing antibodies against the coronavirus that circulated at the start of the pandemic as well as subvariants of omicron, albeit less abundantly, according to a Brazilian study reported in the Journal of Medical Virology.

The study confirmed the vaccine's effectiveness and its importance to control of the disease, while also showing that more than three years after the first application of a COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil, the vaccination model should be similar to that adopted for influenza, with frequent adjustments to the formulation to prioritize more recent variants.

This was the first research project conducted to evaluate the immunity induced by the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine (COMIRNATY Original/omicron BA.4-5) in a group of Brazilian subjects. The scientists investigated the antibody neutralization response against different variants of SARS-CoV-2 using serum samples from 93 healthy volunteers (31 males and 62 females) aged between 16 and 84 years and living in Barreiras, Bahia state.

Some of the volunteers had previously been given three or four doses of monovalent vaccines based only on the original strain of the virus first identified in Wuhan, China, such as Coronavac (Butantan Institute/Sinovac), Covishield (Oxford/AstraZeneca), or those of Janssen and Pfizer. Others were also given as an extra booster the bivalent vaccine containing components of the original strain as well as omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

Serum samples collected from the volunteers were submitted to antibody neutralization assays using different strains of SARS-CoV-2: the original strain from the start of the pandemic; omicron (BA.1), predominant in 2021; and omicron subvariants FE.1.2 and BQ.1.1, predominant in Brazil more recently.

The study showed that the bivalent vaccine administered as a booster reinforced the immune response and was more effective in neutralizing omicron and its subvariants than in volunteers given only four shots of a monovalent vaccine. However, its main focus was still the original strain that predominated at the start of the pandemic, and the resulting competition limited medium- to long-term immunity against more recent variants, which are now more important epidemiologically.

"This was expected because immune memory is based on cells capable of recognizing fractions of the virus and is reinforced by the number of contacts with the contaminant. The immune system will naturally react more against what it already knows, and the participants given the bivalent vaccine had already taken three or four doses of a monovalent vaccine," said Jaime Henrique Amorim, last author of the article. Amorim is a professor at the Federal University of Western Bahia (UFOB) and a visiting researcher at the University of So Paulo's Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICB-USP).

"Controlling a virus with the high transmission capacity of SARS-CoV-2 requires equally high vaccine coverage," said Lus Carlos de Souza Ferreira, head of ICB-USP's Vaccine Development Laboratory and a co-author of the article. "The results of the study show that bivalent vaccines are effective to achieve immunity against subvariants of omicron and that their administration has been fundamental to control novel variants."

According to the researchers, another conclusion to be drawn from the findings is that future planning of vaccination policy should take into account the fact that the immune response induced by existing vaccines is mainly to the original strain, which has ceased circulating since 2020, and vaccines should have their formulation adjusted so that they no longer include these components.

"Forthcoming doses should be designed to combat the variants that are circulating now, instead of those that have disappeared, so that immunity is updated and reinforced in accordance with the current epidemiological situation, as it already is in the case of influenza vaccines," Amorim said.

The joint first authors of the article are Milena Silva Souza and Jssica Pires Farias, researchers at UFOB. The other co-authors are affiliated with institutions in Brazil and the United States.

More information: Milena Silva Souza et al, Neutralizing antibody response after immunization with a COVID19 bivalent vaccine: Insights to the future, Journal of Medical Virology (2024). DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29416

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Study confirms effectiveness of bivalent COVID-19 vaccine - Medical Xpress

Oklahoma State Department of Health officials received all information necessary to safely administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to those ages 12 to 15.

Thursday, May 13th 2021, 5:13 pm

Oklahoma State Department of Health officials received all information necessary to safely administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to those ages 12 to 15.

We want our kids to get back to some normalcy as well, said Keith Reed, the state deputy commissioner of health.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention approved the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12 and up.

Reed said that normalcy comes through vaccination, and vaccinating the young population is very similar to vaccinating adults.

The dosing is the same and that is what was studied and it remains the same recommendation, said Reed. Really, the only difference we are looking at in rolling it out to 12- to 15-year-olds is parental consent.

Which OSDH officials are working to make easier with an authorization form that will on the states vaccine portal that a parent can fill out if they cant make the childs appointment.

The child would need to be brought to the clinic with an adult that can attest to that consent and we can then take care of them, said Reed.

Parents also dont need to worry about separating routine vaccines from the COVID-19 vaccine after a new CDC recommendation.

So that means when you go to your doctor and you have that conversation with your doctor, you can get all your vaccines when you get there so you no longer have to wait that two weeks, which will expedite that process to get you back to a new normal moving forward," said Jolianne Stone, a state epidemiologist.

State health officials said they will not mandate kids to get vaccinated to go back to school.

We have no intent in requiring these vaccines, said Reed.

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Oklahomans Ages 12 To 15 Can Start Getting Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine - News On 6

Drugmaker Pfizer is now shipping doses of its COVID-19 vaccine out to states and health care workers are expected to start getting the vaccine as early as today. Dr. Ellen Niemitalo from the Tulsa Health Department joined the News On 6 team virtually to answer questions about the vaccine as the rollout begins.

Monday, December 14th 2020, 8:21 am

By: News On 6

Drugmaker Pfizer is now shipping doses of its COVID-19 vaccine out to states and health care workers are expected to start getting the vaccine as early as today.

Dr. Ellen Niemitalo from the Tulsa Health Department joined the News On 6 team virtually to answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccine as the rollout begins.

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Dr. Ellen Niemitalo From The Tulsa Health Department Discusses The COVID-19 Vaccine - News On 6

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Concerns about the common side effects of COVID-19 vaccines and their effectiveness are key to determining whether adults in Germany and the UK choose to get vaccinated against the virus, according to new research being presented at this year's ESCMID Global Congress (formerly ECCMID) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April).

In contrast, timing of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines and their type have little influence on people's willingness to get vaccinated in both countries.

The survey and discrete choice experiment involved 1,000 adults (500 from Germany and 500 from the UK, with 250 who were fully vaccinated and 250 who were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine but were not up to date on their vaccine in each country. These "vaccine-hesitant" people included 230/250 participants from the UK who were partially vaccinated, and 20 who were unvaccinated, respectively; and 226/250 from Germany who were partially vaccinated, and 24 who were unvaccinated, respectively. Fully vaccinated was defined as participants who believed they were fully vaccinated, having received the initial primary series and additional COVID-19 booster doses. Un/partially vaccinated consisted of those who did not receive all primary series or booster doses available to them.

The study by Professor Jeffrey Lazarus from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain and international colleagues offers important insights into the drivers of behavior that might boost COVID-19 vaccine uptake, especially in those who are vaccine-hesitant.

"With vaccination fatigue growing alongside vaccine disinformation and hesitancy, our research suggests that educating the public about the benefits of vaccines, with messaging focusing largely on vaccine safety and efficacy, will get more people to roll up their sleeves," says Professor Lazarus. "What's more, a better understanding of the importance of the perceptions of possible vaccine side effects will be essential to developing more appropriate messaging to reduce vaccine hesitancy."

Despite medical evidence of the importance and safety of COVID-19 vaccines, some of the public is hesitant and/or opposed to COVID-19 vaccination. Understanding the public's preferences for different COVID-19 vaccines and drivers of vaccine hesitancy is critical for implementing effective strategies to increase vaccine uptake.

To identify the most important factors when choosing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the researchers first conducted an online survey of 1,000 adults in Germany (average age 47 years; 50% women) and the UK (average age 50 years; 49% women) between July and August 2023, to find out their preferences and experiences with SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 vaccines.

Participants were recruited using a specialist patient recruitment agency called Global Perspectives (GP). GP identified eligible participants through their panel databases, as well as through support groups, word of mouth, internet advertising, email blasts, and social media. Recruitment messages were used to support this process. The sample was stratified by country, vaccination status, and disease risk status.

Then the study went a step further to examine which of six attributes of a COVID-19 vaccine were the most important in making a decision to be vaccinated or notvaccine type (mRNA or protein), level of protection against COVID infection, level of protection against severe COVID-19 disease, chance of experiencing common side effects (i.e., reactogenicity events), risk of serious side effects (i.e., myocarditis/pericarditis), or joint and separate administration of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines.

This was done by giving each participant an illustrative choice task in which they viewed 11 unique vaccine profiles with a different combination of the six vaccine attributes. Participants were asked to choose between two different vaccine profiles at a time, and to pick which vaccine they would choose if there were only those two vaccine options, or they could select that they would prefer neither of the two options. Using this approach, researchers were able to understand the relative importance of each attribute to each participant.

In the baseline survey that asked participants how they felt about different attributes individually, 59% of German and 46% of UK respondents reported being moderately to extremely worried about COVID-19. More than three-quarters of those surveyed in both countries considered that being able to choose a COVID-19 vaccine to be moderately to extremely important. Additionally, around two-thirds of German and around half (45%) of UK participants reported that they were moderately to extremely worried about serious vaccine side effects.

The survey results differed substantially between the vaccinated and unvaccinated/partially vaccinated groups (based on ranking moderately to severely combined)while concerns about COVID-19 were higher in the vaccinated group, having a choice of vaccine, vaccine type and concerns of side effects were all rated higher in the unvaccinated/partially vaccinated groups, with the trend followed in both countries.

However, when these attributes were put together in a combined profile in the discrete choice experiment (i.e., when considered together with efficacy, side effects, timing, etc.), the results showed that the most important considerations when deciding whether to be vaccinated in respondents from both countries were vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 infection and severe disease, followed by common side effects.

Interestingly, the relative importance of common side effects was nearly 10% higher among Germany participants than their UK counterparts, while the importance of serious side effects was less than half as important as common side effects in both countries.

The researchers' next steps involve examining the rate at which participants experience common side effects and the impact on individuals' activities.

The authors note several limitations, including that the study used self-reported/stated preferences that might not always match preferences/decision-making in real-world situations.

More information: Poster abstract P0344 at the ESCMID Global Congress (formerly ECCMID).

Provided by European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

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COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and fewer common side effects most important factors in whether adults choose vaccination - Medical Xpress

Monday, Pfizer released results from a study that shows their COVID vaccine is effective for children aged 5 to 11.

Monday, September 20th 2021, 5:32 pm

Pfizer released good news Monday on the COVID-19 vaccine front.

In a study with over 2,000 kids ages 5 to 11, Pfizer and Biontech officials said the vaccine was safe, well tolerated and showed robust neutralizing antibody responses.

The dosage for the children 5 to 11 is less than the dosage for those 12 and over. But it is a still a two-dose regimen taken 21 days apart.

This is the first pivotal trial of any COVID-19 vaccine for children under 12. Officials said they hope to submit this data to the FDA and other agencies as soon as possible.

"The risk of hospitalization and death is much lower in children who get COVID," said Dr. Dale Bratzler, OU Health's Chief COVID-19 officer. "But it's not zero and some kids get very sick, and they can also bring it home to adults."

Bratzler was excited about the data but knows some parents might be hesitant at first.

"I know there are a lot of parents out there that are waiting and will get their kids vaccinated and I know there are some parents that will take a step back wait and see," said Bratzler.

But kids can't get it just yet. The vaccine needs to get emergency use authorization from the FDA and then the CDC advisory panel will give the final guidance for administering the vaccine to this age group.

"I am going to say a month to six weeks at the maximum," said Bratzler. "It will be a very important step to reduce the case counts in Oklahoma to get as many children vaccinated as we possibly can."

There is a study for kids under the age of 5. Those results are expected to come out this year.

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Pfizer Says Vaccine Is Safe For Kids 5 To 11 - News On 6

(Precision Vaccinations News)

Novavax Inc. recently announced its Nuvaxovid XBB.1.5 dispersion for injection, COVID-19 Vaccine (recombinant, adjuvanted) (NVX-CoV2601) becameavailable to pharmacies across the United Kingdom (U.K.) for private healthcare providers to offer an updated protein-based non-mRNA option as part of the 2024 vaccination season.

On April 18, 2024, Novavax stated in a press release, Today is an important milestone for our organization. It demonstrates our commitment to deliver an updated protein-based COVID-19 vaccine as we evolve into an endemic market.

It also underscores our place as a long-term partner to public health.

We believe a diverse vaccine portfolio and broader access can be vital in protecting communities in the U.K. and elsewhere.

Our participation in the U.K. private market follows the receipt of a Wholesale Dealers License from the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and the U.K. Health Security Agencys latest Green Book update in February 2024 includes our updated COVID-19 vaccine for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 in individuals aged 12 and older.

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Updated Protein-based COVID-19 Vaccine Available to UK Private Healthcare Providers - Precision Vaccinations

Officials say a dozen MTA workers are off the job today following accusations of submitting fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.

The MTA Inspector Generals Office says a Metro-North employee was fired and 11 Long Island Railroad workers were suspended without pay.

Officials say the groups vaccination cards were provided by Julie Devuono, of Amityville, the owner of Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare.

As News 12 has reported, Devuono confessed to forging vaccination cards. Prosecutors say her company made more than $1 million in the scheme.

Four of the LIRR workers admitted they were never actually vaccinated.

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11 LIRR employees suspended without pay, accused of submitting fake COVID-19 vaccine cards - News 12 Long Island

The Oklahoma City VA Health Care System will be offering the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday.

Saturday, January 30th 2021, 10:23 am

By: News 9

The Oklahoma City VA Health Care System provided the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to veterans on Saturday.

The VA was able to administer the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to more than 150 veterans over the age of 65 and helped them set-up an appointment for their second dose.

.

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OKC VA Hosts Walk-In Vaccine Clinic Veterans Over 65 - News On 6

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines stimulated mucosal immunity in people previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, but generated only a tiny amount of immunity in people who had never been infected, according to a cohort study using data from the French CoviCompare trials.

Among trial participants who received the Moderna mRNA-1273 (Spikevax) vaccine in early to mid 2021, SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific saliva IgA levels were significantly higher in those with previous infection compared with the most responsive SARS-CoV-2-naive participants at day 180 (P<0.001), reported Guy Gorochov, MD, PhD, of Sorbonne University in Paris, and colleagues in JAMA Network Open.

In participants without prior infection, compared with day 1, increases of specific salivary IgA levels were smaller, especially after vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 (Comirnaty) vaccine, reaching statistical significance only at day 57 (P=0.01).

SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific IgG saliva levels increased after one or two shots in participants with previous infection and those who never had infection.

"Until now, there was still a considerable controversy in the literature regarding the capacity of intramuscular mRNA vaccination to induce a mucosal immune response," Gorochov told MedPage Today in an email. "In this study, we show that current vaccines can, at best, induce traces of specific antibodies in the saliva in individuals that were never infected by the virus before vaccination."

"After intramuscular vaccination, we did not expect to detect SARS-CoV-2-specific secretory IgA antibodies" in the saliva of SARS-CoV-2-naive people, he said. "Since the vaccine is injected in muscles, we expected an appearance of specific antibodies in the serum, but not in secretory body fluids for induction of a protective barrier effect."

"It is very important to underline that a clear stimulation of mucosal immunity [was] only observed in vaccinees with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection," he added, despite the detection of small amounts of spike-specific salivary IgA in vaccinated SARS-CoV-2-naive participants.

"Nasal delivery of vaccines might one day improve their local efficacy," Gorochov noted. "Further studies would then be needed to address the association between local secretory IgA levels and prevention of infection or transmission of SARS-CoV-2."

IgA is the principal immunoglobulin isotype in secretions of the respiratory and intestinal tracts, whereas IgG is the principal isotype found in serum and extracellular fluid. IgA is monomeric in human serum but is also produced locally in mucosal tissues mostly under dimeric or even polymeric forms and released as secretory IgA, the authors wrote. Monomeric IgA is also present in saliva following passive transport from blood.

The mRNA-1273 vaccine appeared to elicit a stronger immune response than the BNT162b2 vaccine. Among the SARS-CoV-2-naive patients, serum anti-spike IgG and IgA levels were significantly higher among people who received the mRNA-1273 vaccine (P<0.001 for all comparisons).

This study included 180 patients from the CoviCompare M trial and 267 patients from the CoviCompare P trial, enrolled from February 19 to June 8, 2021 in France. After exclusions, 427 participants were included in this study. Of these, 120 had a documented SARS-CoV-2 infection at least 5 months before receiving a single dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine. The remaining 307 patients had received two doses of either the mRNA-1273 vaccine or the BNT162b2 vaccine and had no prior documented SARS-CoV-2 infection. The median age of participants was 68 years, and 53.4% were men.

The researchers measured total saliva IgA and IgG, SARS-CoV-2 spike- and nucleocapsid-specific serum antibodies, and secretory SARS-CoV-2-specific IgA using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. Ultrasensitive digital ELISA technology was used to measure and compare spike-specific serum and salivary IgG and IgA levels.

The main limitation of the study was that the authors were unable to determine whether the increase in specific secretory IgA in infection-naive individuals could be attributable to asymptomatic or seronegative exposures to SARS-CoV-2, Gorochov said.

Katherine Kahn is a staff writer at MedPage Today, covering the infectious diseases beat. She has been a medical writer for over 15 years.

Disclosures

The studies were funded by the Ministre des Solidarits et de la Sant and Ministre de l'Enseignement Suprieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation, the ANRS Maladies Infectieuses mergentes, and Assistance Publique-Hpitaux de Paris.

Gorochov reported no relevant financial disclosures, but several co-authors reported ties to industry, including Pfizer and Moderna.

Primary Source

JAMA Network Open

Source Reference: Gorochov G, et al "Serum and salivary IgG and IgA response after COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccination" JAMA Netw Open 2024; DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.8051.

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COVID Shot Boosts Mucosal Immunity in Previously Infected People - Medpage Today