Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

(The Conversation) SinceCOVID-19 vaccines became availablefor children ages 5 to 11 in early November 2021, many families have been lining up to get their school-age kids vaccinated prior to holiday travel and gatherings.

As of Dec. 14,5.6 million U.S. children ages 5 to 11 or about 19% of this age group have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. And 2.9 million, or about 10% of this age group, are fully vaccinated.

However, thepace has begun to slow. Vaccination rates in this age groupvary widely across the country, and the U.S. is still far from reaching a threshold that would help keep COVID-19 infections in check.

We are a team ofmedicalandpublic healthprofessionals at the University of Pittsburgh. We haveextensive experienceresearchingvaccine misinformation on social mediaandworking with community partnerstoaddress vaccine hesitancy, counter misinformation, andpromote vaccine equity.

Through this work, we have seen and studied the ways that anti-vaccine activists on social media target vulnerable parents who are trying to navigate the challenges of digesting health information to make appropriate choices for their children.

Anti-vaccine activists are a small but vocal group. According to research conducted by the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate,just 12 social media accounts the disinformation dozen arebehind the majorityof anti-vaccine posts on Facebook. Studies also show that onlyabout 2% of parentsreject all vaccines for their children.A larger group, or about 20% of parents, can more accurately be described as vaccine hesitant, which means they are undecided about having their children receive vaccinesas recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention.

With regard to COVID-19 vaccines specifically, as of October 2021, about one-third of parents with children ages 5 to 11 years said they would get their child vaccinated right away. Another one-third said they would wait to see how the vaccine is working, and the last one-third said they would definitely not get their child vaccinated.

It can be difficult for parents to sort through the large amount of information available about COVID-19 vaccines both true and untrue. In their search for answers,some parents turn to social media platforms. The problem is, these parents are often targeted by anti-vaccine activists who are better organized andmore skilled at tailoring their messagesto thevaried concerns of people who are vaccine hesitantin comparison to pro-vaccine activists.

Social media, in particular, has beena primary vehiclefor the spread of misinformation. Although sometimes misinformation is blatantly false,other times it is more like a game of telephone. A kernel of truth gets modified slightly as it is retold, which ends up becoming something untrue. Unfortunately, exposure to COVID-19 misinformation has been shown toreduce peoples intent to get vaccinated.

So how can pediatricians and other health care professionals empower parents to feel confident in the choice to get their children vaccinated for COVID-19?

The answer may lie in working with communities to promote the vaccine as trustworthy instead of simply asking communities to trust it. We are part of the Pittsburgh Community Vaccine Collaborative, which is a community-academic partnership that seeks to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccines. Through that effort, we have focused onbuilding trustworthiness of the vaccinesand of the providers and health systems that are offering the vaccines in their communities.

Health care providers are a trusted source of informationfor COVID-19 vaccine information, but they are not the only sources.Research has foundthat it is important to lean on the expertise and voices of community partners, community health workers and religious leaders.

Our research suggests that pediatricians and public health professionalscan effectively use social mediato promote vaccination and provide families with reputable scientific information to address their questions and concerns. Results of a survey that wasrecently published in Academic Pediatricsfound that 96% of parents used social media. Of those, 68% reported using it for health information.

For example,a pediatric groupwe partner withuses comedy combined with informationto combat myths and answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccines. https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6940691573801749765?lang=en-US

Social media is also an effective way to reach adolescents who can decide for themselves if they wantto get a COVID-19 vaccinewithout their parents consent (in some cities and states). Adolescents may also be able to influence their parents.

Research showsthat parents who report high COVID-19 vaccine intention for themselves also report high COVID-19 vaccine intention for their children. Therefore, talking about vaccines as a family may be helpful in combating misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, parents who have had their children vaccinated can use social media to share their experiences andmake it feel more normaland accepted among their peers.

We have also learned that promotingmedia literacy, which encourages people to question the media information they come into contact with, can empower parents to sift through theinfodemicof COVID-19 vaccine information. While social media platforms have announced policies of removing vaccine misinformation,research suggeststhis is not always effective at reducing the influence of such misinformation. Learning how to find the source of a piece of information and thinking about who are the intended targets may help people determine whether the information is true or distorted.

Addressing COVID-19 vaccine misinformation can feel overwhelming. TheAmerican Academy of Pediatricshashelpful information for parentsto support making decisions around the COVID-19 vaccine. Parents can also have conversations with their children about media literacy and evaluating information. And they can talk to their children especially adolescent-age children about how getting the COVID-19 vaccine can protect them and others.

Increasing COVID-19 vaccine rates for children and young people is important to promote their health and wellness, as well as to move closer to ending the pandemic.

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COVID-19 vaccines for children: How parents are influenced by misinformation, and how they can counter it - NBC4 WCMH-TV

AUSTIN (KXAN) If youre planning to gather for the holidays, health experts are reminding that now is the time to get vaccinated not just for COVID-19, which has been making headlines, but for other transmittable diseases too.

While much attention has been paid to the COVID-19 vaccine this year, the Texas Medical Association (TMA) is reminding that flu is also a threat, especially this year, and for infants, pertussis, or whooping cough is always a big concern.

Certainly, you need to make sure that youre up to date on all your vaccines, particularly if were talking about pregnant women or if were talking about people who will be in contact with young infants, said Dr. C. Mary Healy, an associate professor of pediatrics specializing in infectious disease at the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Childrens Hospital and a member of the Texas Medical Association.

Whooping cough can cause severe illness and be fatal for infants who are too young to be immunized. Babies under 1-year-old are at the greatest risk.

Heres whats recommended under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to protect against it:

They really should be vaccinated against everything that they can be vaccinated, Healy said.

As the COVID-19 vaccine has become a political topic, health leaders are concerned about hesitancy as they make this plea for people get their general vaccines this year.

But I think really we need to think about caring for others and that means getting vaccinated, Healy said. Get your vaccines, get your boosters and do everything you can to protect your loved ones.

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Health experts worried about vaccine hesitancy heading into holidays, not just with COVID-19 vaccine - KRQE News 13

Covid-19 cases are surging upward again in the United States, and public health experts are warning the fast-spreading omicron variant may push the number of infections to their highest level yet. Whether this surge will be followed by an unprecedented level of hospitalization and death is uncertain, but researchers say its possible the most devastating phase of the pandemic is yet to come.

Already, countries like South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Denmark have seen sharp spikes in new Covid-19 cases, with some areas reaching record highs. South Africa has reported far fewer hospitalizations from omicron compared to previous waves, but the UK is is in the midst of a sharp rise in hospitalizations, about 30 percent higher week over week.

The big reason is that omicron appears to spread far more readily than the delta variant that has been dominant worldwide since the summer omicron is 25 to 50 percent more transmissible, according to some UK estimates.

The current moment is an eerie echo of December 2020, when the first major variant of Covid-19 began infecting people around the world. But a key difference now is that there are effective vaccines that have been widely deployed in some countries. In the US, more than 70 percent of the population have had at least one dose of a vaccine and 30 percent of those vaccinated have received two doses and a booster, which should absorb some of the impact of omicron.

Yet epidemiologists and health officials are sounding the alarm about another tsunami of infections in hopes people will take more precautions, and to help hospitals and health workers prepare to care for the sickest patients. Omicron could be just as deadly as delta even if it causes milder disease, Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist who has advised the White House, told reporters this week. Considering the potential impact on the health care system is also crucial as decision-makers weigh another round of restrictions closing schools, banning large gatherings, reimposing mask mandates.

In one of the most comprehensive forecasts to date, researchers from the Covid-19 Modeling Consortium at the University of Texas at Austin on Friday chalked out 18 different scenarios for omicron. Their study was not peer-reviewed, but the findings show that the US is facing yet another dangerous variant while the conditions for spreading it the holiday season are at their most favorable.

The most optimistic pathway in the study would lead to more than 50 percent fewer deaths compared to last year the six-month period spanning December 1, 2020, to May 1, 2021 while the most pessimistic route would end with 20 percent more fatalities than that grim period last winter and spring.

Everything weve seen so far growth in Denmark, growth were seeing in the United States, in Canada, in the UK suggests that these scenarios are actually very plausible ... for our country, said Spencer Fox, associate director of the UT Covid-19 Modeling Consortium.

A lot depends on the mutated virus itself, particularly how badly it sickens unvaccinated (and vaccinated) people. While some early reports have hinted that omicron causes a lower rate of severe Covid-19 illness compared to prior variants, theres still not enough data to be sure. Its too uncertain right now to say that, Fox said. (The UT model currently assumes that omicrons severity is the same as with delta in unvaccinated people with no prior infection, and that protection against severe illness from prior infection and vaccines may be similar or reduced.)

Getting a booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine is the most effective action an already-vaccinated individual can take to protect against the variant, and if enough people get an extra shot, thousands of deaths could be averted this winter, according to the models.

However, communities around the US have so far responded in drastically different ways to the Covid-19 pandemic some imposing policies that have slowed transmission, and others rejecting those policies and suffering terrible consequences in the form of overwhelmed hospitals and thousands of preventable deaths. So its likely that both the best and worst scenarios could play out in parallel over the coming months, in different places.

As people head indoors to warm up from the cold and celebrate the winter holidays, omicron will find ample opportunities to jump from lung to lung. In addition to its greater transmissibility, early results also show omicron can better evade the shielding provided by the immune system thats built up from vaccines or from prior infections. One recent study suggests that antibodies produced to counter past versions of the virus are far less effective at curbing omicron, which could make the variant more likely to cause a breakthrough infection or reinfection.

At the same time, the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is continuing to wreak havoc, having recently pushed the US death toll above 800,000. Flu could come roaring back this winter, as well, generating a fresh wave of hospitalizations among the most vulnerable to that infection, too. The combined threats of all these respiratory illnesses could push some hospitals to horrific new levels of overcapacity especially those already stretched thin from staffing shortages and other strains after two years of crisis.

Specifically, experts worry that hospitals will have to ration care or turn patients who need life-saving care away something many hospitals had to do in earlier Covid-19 surges if a a lot of new severely ill patients come flooding through the doors.

Besides the toll of suffering and death which will inevitably go up if, in fact, we have that convergence in the winter months of flu and omicron and delta, we could get our hospital systems overwhelmed, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said Thursday.

But how bad, exactly, could it get?

Fox and his colleagues modeled Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths through the winter and into May 2022. For their 18 scenarios, they tweaked factors like the transmissibility of omicron, differing degrees of severity of the virus, the level of immunity in the US population, the likelihood of reinfection among Covid-19 survivors and breakthrough infections among those vaccinated, and the number of people who topped up their vaccine doses with a booster.

Under all the scenarios they modeled, omicron supplanted delta and became the main driver of Covid-19 infections, pushing case counts higher. The first key finding is that unless significant transmission reduction happens in our communities, were likely to see an omicron surge that rivals the previous peak that we saw in January 2021, Fox said.

The most optimistic scenario emerged when omicron was 50 percent more transmissible than delta and 10 percent better at eluding immunity from vaccines and previous infections, yet led to equally severe illnesses. That scenario also presumed many people will get boosters at 80 percent uptake by March 2022 but that no other policy or behavior changes are made to reduce transmission. It predicted a Covid-19 peak in mid-January 2022, but with 8 percent fewer cases and 43 percent fewer hospitalizations than the same six-month period the year before. It also led to 54 percent fewer deaths, totaling 152,000 (still a grim result).

The worst outcome arose when the model assumed omicron was just as transmissible as delta, but far more evasive of prior immunity and much more likely to cause severe disease. In this scenario, prior immunity was 85 percent less effective at preventing infection from omicron, and protection against death was 22 percent lower. In this worst case, vaccine booster uptake remained fairly low, reaching only 57 percent by the end of March 2022. This resulted in Covid-19 cases peaking in early February 2022 and 342,000 deaths over six months, a 20 percent increase from 2021.

That Covid-19s devastation could be even worse in an era of vaccines and treatments is tragic, a stark consequence of failing to get the pandemic under control across the country.

However, if the booster uptake rate increased to 80 percent, Covid-19 cases in this scenario dropped by 5 percent, hospitalizations by 12 percent, and deaths by 13 percent. That translates to 1.3 million averted infections and 39,000 lives saved between December 2021 and May 2022.

The scenarios show that there is a bit of luck involved in how harsh the next few months will be, but specific actions like getting booster doses of vaccines rolled out can vastly improve the outlook.

For millions of Americans, now two years into the pandemic, omicron is triggering an exasperating episode of dj vu.

However, the question of the variants severity is still unclear. And researchers warn that even if omicron turns out to be less dangerous for individuals, it could still cause widespread damage if it continues to spread out of control.

The context for the omicron surge also varies throughout the country, something not accounted for in the UT Austin simulation. This analysis is really just looking at an average across the whole country, said Fox.

There are things it doesnt factor in: the rate of preexisting health conditions, access to health care, exposure to prior waves of infection, adherence to mask-wearing, and vaccine uptake which can be radically different around the country. Around 72 percent of the US population have received at least one shot of a Covid-19 vaccine, but in states like Idaho and Mississippi, only half have gotten it. New Hampshire, meanwhile, is above 90 percent. There are around 90 million people who are unvaccinated against Covid-19 throughout the country, but many are concentrated in distinct regions, often aligned with political views.

That means omicron could play out quite differently in different parts of the country, with some places facing far more hospitalizations and deaths than others with high vaccination rates. And given how readily omicron can spread, the regions with lower vaccination rates that have so far lucked out of previous waves may now be vulnerable.

People who have not been previously infected or immunized against Covid-19 face the greatest risk of omicron infection. But omicron has also shown that vaccinations are not an impermeable shield against infection.

Many omicron cases have been detected in people who completed their course of Covid-19 vaccines, even in some people who received booster doses. Its a disheartening prospect for people who have rigorously followed public health advice throughout the pandemic, eager for it to be over.

I share the frustration, said Justin Feldman, a research fellow and social epidemiologist at Harvard University. Unfortunately, I dont think that [the coming omicron wave is] something that individuals can solve with their own personal behaviors.

The most impactful measures for dealing with Covid-19 have to happen at the policy level, according to Feldman. That includes easily accessible widespread testing for Covid-19 to detect infections early so people can isolate from others and seek treatment, something the US is still struggling to do. It also includes mandates for vaccines, quarantine and isolation rules for workers, regulations for indoor ventilation, making high-quality masks widely available, and training a corps of pandemic responders to administer tests, treatments, and vaccines.

These are things Biden should have been trying to build since January 20, but largely hasnt because the administration went with a very vaccine-centric approach, Feldman said.

While the White House has taken some steps to implement some of these policies, like purchasing and distributing millions of rapid Covid-19 tests, its becoming clear there is little political will to implement more restrictions even as another towering wave of Covid-19 infections crests. Mask mandates are lapsing, travel is increasing, businesses are reopening, and large indoor gatherings are resuming.

But that doesnt mean apathy is the solution, wrote Voxs Dylan Scott.

The pandemic playbook of maintaining social distancing, rigorous hand-washing, wearing face coverings, getting tested for Covid-19 after a possible exposure, and getting vaccinated remains useful, even if it doesnt completely solve the problem.

With omicron, there are some tweaks to this; namely, for eligible vaccinated people to get boosters and for people to ditch cloth face masks for higher-quality options, like N95 respirators and KN95 masks.

We are really recommending that people up their mask game, especially now with omicron, Gounder said.

Regardless of what course omicron takes throughout the country, health officials are bracing for a situation that will get far worse before it gets better. I think we really do need to anticipate there probably will be a surge and increase in hospitalizations over the coming months, Gounder said. Just how dangerous it will be is partly in our hands.

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How many cases and deaths could the Covid-19 omicron variant bring in the US? - Vox.com

(WTRF) As COVID-19 is still very much a part of our daily lives, the Ohio Valley marked the anniversary of a pandemic milestone; one year since the first Coronavirus vaccine was administered in the area.

> A year of COVID-19 vaccines: The anniversary of the Ohio Valleys first shots <

Wheeling Hospital became the first local hospital to give out doses of the vaccine.Health officials say at the time they were hopeful it was the beginning of the end to the pandemic.More than 800,000 people have now died from COVID complications in the United States. After more than two months being held hostage, the remaining members of a missionary group kidnapped in Haiti have been released.

> Ex-hostages doing well, have left Haiti, mission agency says <

The group of 17 people from Christian Aid Ministries included some individuals from Ohio and five children.

Schools were on high alert this week and plans were announced to increase security in response to threatening posts on the social media app TikTok.

> TikTok threats cause fear in schools across the nation <

West Virginia State Police posted about the concerns, but officials said they found no credible threats in the state.However, they worked with the department of education and emergency management to handle the situation.

After severe tornadoes ripped through several states last weekend, Wheeling Firefighters traveled to one of the most devasted areas in Kentucky to assist.

> Wheeling Firefighters return from assisting with tornado relief in Kentucky <

The five firefighters said the damages was shocking.They spent several days in Bowling Green, assisting local emergency officials search through the rubble of collapsed homes and businesses.Also in Wheeling-Changes are coming to the I-70 construction.

> I-70 exit to Downtown Wheeling to open next week <

WVDOT said Exit IA on I-70 Eastbound that connects to Main Street in downtown will open this week.All lanes of traffic near Exit 5 in Elm Grove will also be open.We will let you know when that happens.

For the latest headlines all week long, be sure to stay with 7News.

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One year of COVID-19 vaccines and changes in I-70 construction: Here are the weeks top headlines - WTRF

Covid-19 Vaccination in American Indians and Alaska Natives Lessons from Effective Community Responses | NEJM  nejm.org

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Covid-19 Vaccination in American Indians and Alaska Natives Lessons from Effective Community Responses | NEJM - nejm.org

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities has produced three brief videos to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence in the disability community. These videos feature an adult with an intellectual disability and a parent and her daughter with autism, who share their personal experiences, hesitancy and decision-making related to getting themselves or their child vaccinated.

The videos were produced as part of a funding award from the U.S. Administration for Community Living of the Department of Health and Human Services. They also build upon the work of the Tennessee Developmental Disabilities Network and community partnerships.

Links to the individual videos with descriptions are below. View them all by clicking here. For more information about the Vaccine Confidence video series, email kc@vumc.org.

Wills story: Promoting vaccine confidence in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

The CDC recommends vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone 5 years and older. However, some adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities still have questions about vaccine safety. In this video, an adult with Down syndrome shares his initial hesitation and the steps he took to educate himself.

Vaccine hesitancy and autism: A familys story

The CDC recommends vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone 5 years and older. However, parents who have sons and daughters with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities may have questions about vaccine safety. In this video, a parent of a child with autism shares her familys story of educating themselves on vaccine safety and addresses additional concerns present in the Hispanic community.

Dudas sobre las vacunas y el autismo: Una historia familiar

El CDC recomienda la vacunacin contra COVID-19 para todas las personas de cinco aos en adelante. Sin embargo, los padres que tienen hijos e hijas con autismo y otras discapacidades intelectuales y del desarrollo pueden tener preguntas sobre la seguridad de las vacunas. En este video, un padre de un nio con autismo comparte la historia de su familia de educarse sobre la seguridad de las vacunas y aborda preocupaciones adicionales presentes en la comunidad hispana.

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Vanderbilt Kennedy Center produces videos on COVID-19 vaccine and individuals with intellectual disability - Vanderbilt University News

GREENWICH Residents will have another opportunity to get a booster of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine after the Greenwich Department of Health added another date to a series of clinics it is holding.

The next clinic will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 5 in the lower level of Greenwich Town Hall. The town also offered booster clinics on three dates in December. Anyone age 18 and older can attend get a booster shot at the clinic.

The town of Greenwich is reporting a sharp uptick in cases of COVID-19, as is the state of Connecticut.

A total of 157 cases of COVID-19 were reported in town between Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, according to Director of Health Caroline Baisley. A town resident diagnosed with COVID-19 died in the past week, bringing the total number of COVID-related deaths to 99 residents since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Baisley urged Greenwich residents to increase their use of masks to protect against the infection of COVID-19.

Its time for Greenwich residents to take personal protection measures by wearing a mask indoors and wearing a mask outdoors in populated areas, she said. People need to practice social distancing and practice good hygiene by washing hands, avoiding crowds and wearing a mask.

The town of Greenwich is in the red zone for its rate of COVID-19 positivity, along with nearly every municipality in the state. According to the latest state statistics from Thursday, the rate of infection was 22.6 new cases of the coronavirus per 100,000 in population in Greenwich from Nov. 28 to Dec. 11.

First Selectman Fred Camillo urged all residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine, saying that those who fail to do so are running a big risk.

We know when people get the booster it helps with the (COVID) variants, he said recently. We need to keep getting people vaccinated. Get your booster shots.

Coronavirus in Connecticut

To get a booster at the Town Hall clinic, you must be registered in VAMS for an appointment. No walk-ins accepted.

Appointments can be made only through the Vaccination Administration Management System, or VAMS, at https://guest.vams.cdc.gov/?jurisdiction=CT. Select the COVID-19 vaccine and booster dose when prompted when making an appointment via VAMS. The clinics are not restricted to Greenwich residents.

The booster dose is for individuals six months after completing a two-shot series of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the Moderna vaccine. Anyone who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine can also receive a booster two months after their vaccination.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration allow a booster dose of a different type of vaccine than what an individual received for their primary series, if they choose.

At the clinic, you must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, with a CDC Vaccination Record Card, a snapshot of your vaccination card, a vaccination record document or any other proof of vaccination, all of which must have name, birth date and vaccine type and dates of vaccination.

Any Connecticut residents who have lost their vaccine card can visit https://ctwiz.dph.ct.gov/ctwiz_public/Application/PublicPortal to print out another copy.

You must also show proof of identification that confirms who you are as it relates to your proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

Masks are required at the clinic. After receiving a booster shot, you must sit for 15 minutes to check for a reaction.

The COVID-19 vaccine clinic will not be administering any flu shots, initial series of COVID-19 vaccinations or third dose COVID-19 vaccinations.

For more information or questions, contact the Department of Health at 203-622-7836. Leave your name and contact number and someone will return your call as soon as possible.

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Greenwich adds another clinic to get the COVID-19 vaccinations: Get your booster - Greenwich Time

Today, the World Health Organization issued an emergency use listing (EUL) for NVX-CoV2373, expanding the basket of WHO-validated vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The vaccine, named CovovaxTM, is produced by the Serum Institute of India under licence from Novavax and is part of the COVAX facility portfolio, giving a much-needed boost to ongoing efforts to vaccinate more people in lower-income countries.

WHOs EUL procedure assesses the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and is a prerequisite for COVAX vaccine supply. It also allows countries to expedite their own regulatory approval to import and administer COVID-19 vaccines.

Even with new variants emerging, vaccines remain one of the most effective tools to protect people against serious illness and death from SARS-COV-2, said Dr Maringela Simo, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products. This listing aims to increase access particularly in lower-income countries, 41 of which have still not been able to vaccinate 10% of their populations, while 98 countries have not reached 40%.

CovovaxTM was assessed under the WHO EUL procedure based on the review of data on quality, safety and efficacy, a risk management plan, programmatic suitability, and manufacturing site inspections carried out by the Drugs Controller General of India. The Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Use Listing (TAG-EUL), convened by WHO and made up of experts from around the world, has determined that the vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against COVID-19, that the benefit of the vaccine far outweighs any risks, and that the vaccine can be used globally.

CovovaxTM is a subunit of the vaccinedeveloped by Novavaxand theCoalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations(CEPI). It requires two dosesand is stable at 2 to 8C refrigerated temperatures. The vaccine uses a novel platform and is produced by creating an engineered baculovirus containing a gene for a modified SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

The originator product produced by Novavax, named NuvaxovidTM, is currently under assessment by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). WHO will complete its own assessment of this vaccine once the EMA has issued its recommendation.

A meeting of WHOs Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) this week also reviewed the vaccine. SAGE formulates specific policies and recommendations for vaccines use in populations (i.e. recommended age groups, intervals between doses, specific groups such as pregnant and lactating women) and will issue recommendations for NuvaxovidTM/CovovaxTM in the coming days.

WHO emergency use listing

The emergency use listing (EUL) procedure assesses the suitability of novel health products during public health emergencies. The objective is to make medicines, vaccines and diagnostics available as rapidly as possible to address the emergency while adhering to stringent criteria of safety, efficacy and quality. The assessment weighs the threat posed by the emergency as well as the benefit that would accrue from the use of the product against any potential risks.

The EUL pathway involves a rigorous assessment of late phase II and phase III clinical trial data, as well as substantial additional data on safety, efficacy, quality and a risk management plan.These data are reviewed by independent experts and WHO teams who consider the current body of evidence on the vaccine under consideration, the plans for monitoring its use, and plans for further studies.

As part of the EUL process, the company producing the vaccine must commit to continue to generate data to enable full licensure and WHO prequalification of the vaccine. The WHO prequalification process will assess additional clinical data generated from vaccine trials and deployment on a rolling basis to ensure the vaccine meets the necessary standards of quality, safety and efficacy for broader availability.

See all EUL listings

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WHO lists 9th COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use with aim to increase access to vaccination in lower-income countries - World Health Organization

Dec.18 marks the anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccine administered in Clarke County.

One year later, nearly half the county is fully vaccinated:51% of the population has had at least one doseand 47% are fully vaccinated. Clarke County's vaccination rate islower than Georgiasat 52% full vaccinated.

As ofDec. 16, there have been 141,794 doses, including initial doses and follow-up, administered inAthens-Clarke County.

Booster shots became available for all adults in November.

The Georgia Department of Public Health reports that 20,433 additional doses have been administered in Athens, which includes the booster shotas well as a third dose in the primary vaccine series, which is for immunocompromised individuals.

More: Athens vaccine incentive program gets more funding, expands local group partnerships

More COVID news: Full vaccination against COVID-19 and a breakthrough infection builds 'super immunity,' study finds

Of the number of fully vaccinated in the county, 34% have received additional doses. This is higher than Georgias rate, which currently sits at 26%.

At the time the vaccine was first administered in Clarke, there had been a total of 9,217 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 58 COVID-related deaths in Clarke County. As of Dec. 16, there have been 20,589 total antigen and PCR cases and 179 deaths.

In neighboring counties, Oconee County continues to surpass Clarke in its primary vaccine rates, with 65% of residents having had at least one shot and 61% fully vaccinated. But similar to Clarke, 35% of fully vaccinated Oconee residents have received an additional dose.

The COVID-19 vaccine also recently became available to those 5-12 years old.

In Clarke County, the least vaccinated eligible group are those five to nine years old; 20% of this group has had at least one dose of the vaccine. But that rate doubles to 41% at the next age group, which includes children age 10-14.

The vaccination rate then decreases when looking at those 15 to 19 years old who sit at 25% with at least one dose and those from 20 to 24 years old who have a vaccination rate of 24%.

Those 25 to 34 years old are 54% vaccinated with at least one dose and from there, the vaccine rate continues to climb with each increased age group.

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First COVID-19 vaccines administered in Clarke County 1 year ago. Here's where we stand now - Online Athens

Under Mayor Lori Lightfoots directive, all city employees had until Oct. 15 to report their vaccination status but could choose to undergo regular COVID-19 testing, rather than get shots, through the end of the year. After police unions challenged the vaccine mandate in court, though, a judge suspended the Dec. 31 date for those members to be fully inoculated, saying that needed to go through arbitration.

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More than 240 Chicago police personnel have lost pay over COVID-19 vaccine rules, with 83 currently stripped of powers for noncompliance - Chicago...