Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

Health First clinic in Melbourne offers Pfizer vaccine for students and teachers Florida Today

With the federal government's approval last week of use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for those ages 12 through 15, local health care providers are stepping up efforts to administer the vaccine to that age group.

Health First, for example, on Monday began a special clinic, offering access to the Pfizer vaccinesin the former Melbourne Pro-Health & Fitness building at 611 E. Sheridan Road inMelbourne. The clinic will continue from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

A steady stream of students, accompanied by their parents, received their vaccines on Monday, with about 300 signed up.

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Among the first to get vaccinated was 14-year-old Anna Vittitoe of Palm Bay, a ninth grader at West Shore Junior/Senior High.

She said she had no qualms about being vaccinated, and felt it would help her stay healthy. The more people getting vaccinated, she said, the sooner the pandemic can end.

Her father, Steve Vittitoe, added that "we're very happy to be here."

Health First registered nurse Elizabeth Oliver gives sixth grader Lainey Lutz her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Health First hosted its first vaccine clinic for children ages 12 and older, in partnership with local teachers, Monday at a Health First facility at 611 E. Sheridan Road inMelbourne.(Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)

Health First officials encouraged parents to consider gettingtheir children vaccinated.

"Even though kids are less likely to suffer the serious health effects that have plagued adults stricken with COVID-19, being immunized with a vaccine that is 95% effective goes beyond protecting them but also the people they are in contact with," said Jessica Maynor, Heath First's system director of staffing and director of its vaccine services. "Being vaccinated can seriously reduce the risk of these teens unknowingly passing an asymptomatic infection to those they interact with their family members, teachers, coaches and more."

Maynor emphasized that "the more people who are vaccinated, the closer we come to slowing the spread of this virus."

The two-dose Pfizer vaccine can be administered to those age 12 and up. But the two-dose Moderna vaccine and the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be administered only to those ages 18 and up.

So parents of those ages 12 to 17 should check with their vaccine provider to be sure which vaccine is offered.

The Florida Department of Health, Brevard County Emergency Management and Brevard County Library Services are offering Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for those ages 12 and up at 10 libraries throughout the county in June.

Here is the schedule for those vaccination events, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

Omni Healthcare President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Craig Deligdish said Omni expects to get a shipment of Pfizer vaccines next Monday, and they will be available for those ages 12 and up.

He said the vaccines will be available at all Omni sites in the county. To access Omnis online registration, go tohttps://unityphr.com/campaigns/omni/vaccine or text vaccine to 844-594-3292. In addition to the new online registration system, those eligible also can book an appointment by calling the Omni Healthcare COVID-19 hotline at 321-802-5515; or by emailing their name and phone number to COVID@OMNIhealthcare.com.

Health First registered nurse Elizabeth Oliver gives ninth grader Sherri Trimble her first Pfizer vaccine.(Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)

Meanwhile, Parrish Healthcare is offering the Pfizer vaccine to those ages 16 and up at its Parrish Health & Fitness Center vaccination site, 2210 Cheney Highway, Titusville. Appointments are required. Parrish Medical Center has established a COVID-19 vaccine hotline at 321-268-6311, and vaccine appointments can be made by going to https://vaccine.parrishmed.com/.

NatalieSellers, Parrish's senior vice president for communications, community and corporate services, said Parrish officials are discussing potentially opening up the vaccinations for those ages 12 to 15, but no decision has been made.

Parrish announced Monday that it has surpassed the milestone of administering 10,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses since February. In comparison, Health First has topped 41,000 vaccinations at its clinic since January.

Brevard County's third major hospital company, Steward Health Care, currently offers only the Moderna vaccine at its local hospitals, so those under 18 are not eligible.

In a statement issued Wednesday related to the expanded use of the Pfizer vaccine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky encouraged adolescents to be vaccinated, calling it "another important step to getting out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and closer to normalcy."

"For vaccination to do its job, we must do our critical part," Walensky said. "That means vaccinating as many people as possible who are eligible. This official CDC action opens vaccination to approximately 17 million adolescents in the United States and strengthens our nations efforts to protect even more people from the effects of COVID-19. Getting adolescents vaccinated means their faster return to social activities, and can provide parents and caregivers peace of mind knowing their family is protected."

Health First registered nurse Elizabeth Oliver gives eighth grader Shelby Maynor her first Pfizer vaccine.(Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)

Walensky notedthat, although "most children with COVID-19 have mild or no symptoms, some children can get severely ill and require hospitalization. There have also been rare, tragic cases of children dying from COVID-19 and its effects, including multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children."

Walensky conceded that some parents want more information before their children receive a vaccine.

"I encourage parents with questions to talk to your childs health care provider or your family doctor to learn more about the vaccine," Walensky said in her statement.

Parrish Medical Center lead paramedic Leigh Spradling said each vaccination is "getting us one step closer to a new sense of normal."

As of Monday, 260,541 Brevard residents, or 42.6% of the county's population, have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Of those, 211,796 residents, or 34.7% of the county population, have completed all recommended doses of their version of the vaccine.

But those percentages remain far below the 75% threshold health experts cite as needed to achieve "herd immunity" that would significantly curtail the spread of the coronavirus.

About 8.3% of all COVID-19 cases in Brevard were reported in patients ages 14 and under, and about 15.2% were reported in those ages 15 through 24.

According to data compiled by the Florida Department of Health, there have been 2,771 cases of COVID-19 associated with public and private primary and secondary schools in Brevard County recorded from Sept.6, 2020, to May 1. Students account for the vast majority of these cases, although some cases involved teachers and other staff.

Schools with the most reported cases during that time period were:

Maynor noted that, for the older students about to graduate from high school, manyuniversities and colleges now are requiring proof of vaccination prior to arriving on campus. So aremany summer camps and extracurricular activities.

As students begin looking to next school year and are getting ready for summer activities, "getting vaccinated now will help give them and their family members greater peace of mind," Maynor said.

Health First registered nurse Faith Willis gives sixth grader Luna Stieber her first Pfizer vaccine.(Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)

Maynor said local teachers have volunteered to serve as on-site ambassadors for Health First's vaccination clinics, "helping to answer questions, calm jittery students and parents, and help reinforce the message that a vaccinated student can safely head into the summer and new school year with confidence."

Among the teachers at the event on Monday were Patricia Elliott and Karen Tabor, both exceptional student education teachers at Atlantis Elementary in Port St. John.

They were looking forward to a time when students can once againbe more collaborative in their projects and learn as teams.

"Students want to be part of the solution," said Tabor, who teaches third and fourth grades, explaining the strong turnout for the Health First vaccinations.

Elliott, who teaches sixth grade, said she wants "students to be able to work together with each other" on projects, rather than being separated from one another.

"Kids learn from each other," Elliott said.

Michael Seeley, president of the Health First Foundation, credited Brevard School Board Vice Chair Matt Susin and Brevard Federation of Teachers Treasurer Kyle Savage with working with Health First to coordinate the special clinics for students.

"This is one of the highest and best things we can do," Seeley said.

By vaccinating students as a way to help end the pandemic, Seeley said, it leads to the process by which it allows "kids to be kids."

Twelve-year-old Jasmine Hill came to the clinic for her COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, accompanied by her mother, Ceean Hill.

Ceean Hill said she wants her children to be vaccinated because she wants them to be able to get back to sports and their other regular activities.

Jasmine agreed, saying: "I got the vaccine because it is important. It would protect people around you."

She said she is looking forward things going back to normal.

"We could go on the beach without masks. I could go to back to school without masks. I could go in the store without masks," Jasmine said. "Ahhh. No more masks. That's great."

Pfizer andits German partner, BioNTech, tested the vaccine in more than 1,000 adolescents, giving an equal number a placebo. Among the 2,260 participants, only 16 developed COVID-19, all of whom received the placebo.

None of the adolescents suffered a severe reaction to the vaccine, and the biggest side effects for adolescents in COVID-19 vaccine trials were headache and arm pain. The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said it was fine for parents to give their children pain relievers after the shot.

COVID-19 now is one of the top 10 causes of death among adolescents ages 12 to 17, according to Dr. Sara Oliver, co-lead for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' COVID-19 Vaccines Work Group. The disease accounted for 1.3% of all deaths among adolescents from Jan. 1, 2020, through April 30, 2021, or 127 deaths overall.

While this sounds low, it's worth noting that this would still be in the top 10 causes of deaths among children, Oliver said.

Adolescents ages 12 to 17 years also are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19. There have been more than 1.5 million reported cases and more than 13,000 hospitalizations to date in that age group, Oliver said.

Theyre also more likely to transmit COVID-19 to people in their households and communities than younger children, she added.

Other vaccine makers are also testing their shots in teenagers but have not yet completed their studies or requested authorization to deliver their shots to minors.

Tim Shortt of FLORIDA TODAYand Elizabeth Weise ofUSA Today contributed to this report.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY.Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bydaveberman.

If stories like this are important to you, please consider subscribing to FLORIDA TODAY. To subscribe: https://cm.floridatoday.com/specialoffer/

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Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations begin in Brevard for 12- to 15-year-olds to help slow spread - Florida Today

(WXYZ) The State of Michigan and Protect Michigan Commission are looking at different incentives to increase Michigan's COVID-19 vaccination rate.

As of Friday, the state had 55.7% of people with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but demand is slowing. The state hit its first benchmark, 55%, last Monday, allowing in-person office work to resume on May 24.

Kerry Ebersole Singh, the director of the Protect Michigan Commission, said the state is also looking to increase vaccine access points throughout the state.

Currently, the City of Detroit is giving away $25 gift cards to get vaccinated, and they're also offering gift cards to "good neighbors" who take another Detroiter to get vaccinated.

Ohio is also giving away $1 million to five different people who got vaccinated.

"We are absolutely always thinking of innovative ways to vaccinate our state," Singh said.

She said they've been working with the Small Business Association and Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association to do something similar to the $25 gift cards to employees in downtown districts.

Additional Coronavirus information and resources:

View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.

See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.

Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.

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Michigan looking at providing incentives to those getting COVID-19 vaccinations - WXYZ

COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be administered at The Potter's House in Dallas.

The City of Dallas' Equity and Inclusion team announced Monday morning that due to the "dramatic decrease in the number of vaccinations on-site" and that because of the availability of vaccines at other locations, such as hospitals, pharmacies, and grocery stores, vaccination efforts at the church ended on May 15.

Those who received their first dose at the church and are awaiting the second dose will be redirected to Dallas County's drive-through site at Fair Park.

Full coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak and how it impacts you

The county will inform all who are due for their second shot on the change of venue by text, email, and phone call.

For more information, Dallas County residents can call 1-855-IMMUNE (855-466-8639) or go to the county's COVID-19 vaccine page for more information.

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COVID-19 Vaccinations End at The Potter's House in Dallas - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

WESTERLY The Jonnycake Center of Westerly is teaming with Wood River Health Services to provide a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the agency's Industrial Drive office.

The clinic, at 23 Industrial Drive, will take place from 9 am to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the following days: May 24, May 25, May 26, and May 27; June 2, June 3, and June 4. On June 5, the clinic will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon.

The vaccine clinic is available for Rhode Island residents age 18 or older except for June 5 only, when from 9 a.m. to noon local children ages 12-17 can attend the clinic to receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. This option requires registration in advance at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/jccvaccine or by calling 401-377-8069, ext. 1.

Walk-ins will not be accepted for those ages 12 to 17. Pre-registration is preferred for adults, but walk-ins will be welcome while vaccine supplies last. All visitors who pre-register must make separate appointments for each person in their party or household.

Adults can register at the signup genius website.

Healthcare professionals from Wood River Health Services will administer the Moderna vaccine to most adult visitors. Some single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines may be available on request.

Those who participate in the vaccine clinic will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for $100 in store credit in the center's thrift store.

"With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to wreak havoc around the world, we feel it is imperative to bring life-saving vaccines directly to our community in Westerly," said Lee Eastbourne, Jonnycake Center of Westerly Executive Director. "We can make a big impact by offering preventative healthcare that is convenient to where our neighbors live, work, and shop. With more of our local population protected against the virus, we can more quickly resume our normal way of life. We are grateful for our partnership with Wood River Health Services for helping make this wonderful effort possible."

Wood River Health Services has been providing vaccines at its Hope Valley main office since late February.

"Wood River Health Services is pleased to bring COVID-19 vaccines to the Westerly area," said Alison Croke, President and CEO. "We hope that by providing easy access to vaccines over a two-week period, local residents will take the opportunity to gain long-lasting protection from the dangers of the virus. Together, we can make a big impact in fighting COVID-19 while making a safer, healthier community."

For more information call the Jonnycake Center of Westerly at jonnycake.org or call 401-377-8069. Wood River Health Services can be reached at (401) 539-2461.

Excerpt from:

Jonnycake Center, Wood River Health team up to host COVID-19 vaccination - The Westerly Sun

Aiden Arthurs receives the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine from Pharmacist Andrew Mac (R) at the Jewish Federation/JARC's offices in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on May 13, 2021. - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 10, 2021 authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 years old. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

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Are you a parent who's hesitant about getting the Covid-19 vaccine for your child? Share your story. - CNN

As COVID-19 diagnoses and hospitalizations fall, and some mask mandates are lifted around the country, its tempting to dream about a world without the novel coronavirus. But many biopharma companies are betting the virus is here to stayand theyre continuing to develop vaccines and drug treatments to keep it under control.

Two of those companies, CureVac and Memo Therapeutics, released animal data over the last week that provide a glimpse into the future of their COVID-19 development efforts.

CureVac, which is preparing to file for U.S. and European authorization for its mRNA vaccine, is now working on a second-generation version of the shot with partner GlaxoSmithKline. Rats immunized with one dose of the next-gen vaccine mounted strong immune responses against the virus, CureVac scientists reported on the journal preprint site bioRxiv.

CureVacs follow-up vaccine, dubbed CV2CoV, was designed with a new mRNA backbone that it and GSK hope to show will improve the immune response to emerging COVID variants, potentially at lower doses than current mRNA vaccines require, the company said in a statement. CureVac and GSK formed an alliancein February, under which GSK agreed to help manufacture the first-generation version of CureVacs vaccine while simultaneously working to improve the product.

The scientists working on CV2CoV made changes intended to improve RNA stability in the hopes of prolonging expression of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein and improving the immune response.

In the study, the rats were vaccinated twice with CV2CoV at different doses. All of the vaccinated animals generated neutralizing antibodies against COVID at all dose levels. Serum collected from the rodents showed cross-neutralization of virus variants first reported in Denmark, the U.K. and South Africa. And all of the animals except for the rats that got the lowest dose were fully protected after just one shot, CureVac reported.

Thats significant, given that preclinical studies of the first-generation of CureVacs shot, CVnCoV, showed two doses were necessary for full protection. CureVac is planning to apply for authorization for its shot with two doses, similar to the regimen that rolled out for the currently marketed mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.

But the second-generation shot from CureVac and GSK could fill a void in the vaccine market, the researchers argued in the new study. Its ability to induce high levels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 at low doses supports a scenario in which vaccination with CV2CoV allows dose sparing that might be able to contribute to reduce worldwide vaccine shortage, they wrote.

RELATED: CureVac preps its COVID-19 shot for deployment as J&J, AZ holdups slow Europe's rollout

Meanwhile, a Swiss biotech thats working on next-gen COVID drugs said its seeing promising preclinical results for its antibody candidate. Memo Therapeutics reported Monday that its treatment, MTX-COVAB, which was derived from patients who recovered from COVID-19, is effective against the original strain of the virus as well as the U.K. variant.

Memo used a single-cell molecular cloning and screening system to identify MTX-COVAB in a matter of weeks. It also used the technology to discover a very promising antibody candidate against the South African variant, the company said in a statement.

Memos scientists arent alone in their belief that COVID antibody treatments are still needed, even as vaccinations ramp up across the world. Regeneron CEO Len Schleifer told analysts recently he was confident demand for his companys antibody combo, Regen-Cov, would persist. And even though the FDA revoked its emergency authorization of Eli Lillys solo antibody drug, bamlanivimab, the company is marketing it as part ofa combination treatment with another antibody, etesevimab.

As for Memo, it continues to study samples taken from recovered COVID-19 patients in the hopes of developing more antibody-based drugs to address emerging variants. And it's preparingMTX-COVAB for clinical trials.

Vaccines will not always be effective against all variants, so the ability of our technology to rapidly identify active antibodies could form an additional strategy to combat the spread of these mutant strains, said Christoph Esslinger, Ph.D., chief scientific officer and co-founder of Memo, said in a statement.

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Prepping the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments - FierceBiotech

Almost nine in every 10 companies will require or encourage their employees to get a COVID-19 vaccination or face consequences, according to a new report.

All employees are required to be vaccinated by 40% of companies surveyed in a report from Arizona State University (ASU), the World Economic Forum and the Rockefeller Foundation. Employees will be encouraged but not required by 32% and 16% will require some, but not all, employees to have the jab.

While vaccination programmes are well underway in many of the worlds wealthiest countries, other regions lag far behind, with India and Latin America in the crosshairs. The ASU report assessed responses from 24 industry sectors and 1,339 facilities at 1,168 companies. Most came from companies in the US and UK, which are among the most advanced in terms of vaccination plans.

88% of employers will require of encourage vaccinations from employees.

Image: Arizona State University

People who choose not to comply with their companys policies are likely to face consequences, including having their work responsibilities changed, disciplinary action or being excluded from the physical work environment, the data showed.

The first global pandemic in more than 100 years, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an unprecedented speed. At the time of writing, 4.5 million cases have been confirmed and more than 300,000 people have died due to the virus.

As countries seek to recover, some of the more long-term economic, business, environmental, societal and technological challenges and opportunities are just beginning to become visible.

To help all stakeholders communities, governments, businesses and individuals understand the emerging risks and follow-on effects generated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Marsh and McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, has launched its COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications - a companion for decision-makers, building on the Forums annual Global Risks Report.

Companies are invited to join the Forums work to help manage the identified emerging risks of COVID-19 across industries to shape a better future. Read the full COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications report here, and our impact story with further information.

Companies responses indicate that vaccination is perceived as significantly important for keeping the workplace and their employees safe, the authors of the report, Nathaniel L Wade and Mara G Aspinall from Arizona State Universitys College of Health Solutions, wrote.

44% of people will not be allowed to return to the physical work environment without vaccine compliance

Image: Arizona State University

Nearly 60% plan to incentivize employees to be vaccinated, 84% would allow vaccinations to be administered to employees at their facility and 60% will require employees to demonstrate proof of vaccination.

Vaccination will play a key role in what the future of work looks like.

Employees are facing a double-disruption scenario, according to the World Economic Forums Future of Jobs report, as automation and the COVID-19 pandemic redefine work.

In addition to the current disruption from the pandemic-induced lockdowns and economic contraction, technological adoption by companies will transform tasks, jobs and skills by 2025, the report says. By 2025, the time spent on current tasks at work by humans and machines will be equal.

The ASU report shows companies are still dealing with the fall-out from the pandemic.

Companies said 57% of their employees are still remote and are likely to remain so for much of the year. But the report indicated most employers want people to come together to work, at least some of the time. More than two-thirds of employers believe that employees should be in the office at least 20 hours per week, citing their top reason as social connections among colleagues, the report said.

The most popular reason why companies think employees should be in the office at least 20 hours a week is social contact.

Image: Arizona State University

Mental health was also a key feature of the report, with 50% of employers saying theyve seen an uptick in the use of resources relating to this area.

Many companies introduced more mental health measures to help employees through the struggles of the pandemic.

Image: Arizona State University

Employee mental health is now a top priority for more than 75% of those surveyed, the report showed. Even so, engagement and morale had increased.

The World Economic Forums Jobs Reset Summit brings together leaders from business, government, civil society, media and the broader public to shape a new agenda for growth, jobs, skills and equity.

The four-day virtual event, being held on 20-23 October 2020, comes as the world seeks a way out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus crisis has further disrupted the world of work after years of growing income inequality, concerns about tech-driven job displacement, and rising societal discord.

The Summit will develop new frameworks, shape innovative solutions and accelerate action on four thematic pillars: Economic Growth, Revival and Transformation; Work, Wages and Job Creation; Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning; and Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice.

The bottom line for us is that so many are working so hard to keep it all together to balance work, family, friends and even some fun, the report authors wrote. For the most part, it has worked, but we are not sure how much longer that balancing act can last.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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Survey: Will employees be required to get the COVID-19 vaccination? - World Economic Forum

Here's what you need to know about COVID-19 vaccines in Washington state on Monday, May 17.

Biden announces US sharing 20M additional COVID vaccine doses

President Joe Biden said Monday that the U.S. will share an additional 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with the world in the coming six weeks.

The doses would come from existing U.S. production of Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine stocks. It would mark the first time that U.S.-controlled doses of vaccines authorized for use in the country will be shared overseas, as domestic demand for the shots has dropped significantly in recent weeks. Read more

Some fully vaccinated Washington residents aren't ready to go maskless

As major retailers begin to relax mask rules for the fully vaccinated, there are some shoppers who don't yet feel comfortable going into stores without one.

Shoppers who bring their children with them also wondered about mask rules for kids who have yet to be vaccinated.

Scientists working on universal vaccine for coronaviruses, common colds

There is major progress on the development of a universal coronavirus vaccine, that could also help protect against some of the common colds, according to experts.

Under UW Medicine, Dr. Neil King is leading what's officially known as the Design of Broadly Protective Coronavirus Vaccines program. King said there are four classes of coronaviruses, but one, the beta class, is dangerous and has led to the worst pandemic in a century.

How to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Washington

Everyone in Washington state aged 16 and over is eligible for the vaccine.

Find a list of vaccine providers on the state's Vaccinate WA page and information on how to make an appointment.

Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for people 16 and 17 years old, and the state is working to update its Vaccine Locator with information about which vaccine is offered at each location.

More vaccine sites have begun accepting walk-in patients with no appointment necessary, including Seattle's mass vaccine sites at Lumen Field Event Center, Rainier Beach and West Seattle as well as King County's sites at Outlet Collection Way in Auburn, the ShoWare Center in Kent and at the Shoreline Center.

Other health care providers allow people to join waiting lists for the vaccine, and they will contact you when doses are available. Join the waiting list for:

Link:

What you need to know about COVID-19 vaccines in Washington Monday - KING5.com

The National Institutes of Health has launched a study to study how people with immune disorders respond to COVID-19 vaccines.

The study will include people with autoimmune diseases, such as celiac or lupus, and people on immunosuppressant medications, including those who've undergone a transplant or who have HIV/AIDS.

The US has thrown its weight behind vaccines in the hope that the three available shots from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson will provide a route out of the pandemic.

Last week, with data showing more than a third of Americans are fully vaccinated, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention said, in most cases, fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks or physically distance from others.

"If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a press briefing.

But questions remain for people with immune disorders, who were excluded from the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. As with pregnant people, the immunocompromised are not included in US clinical trials given the higher risks of adverse events if there were safety issues with the medication being developed.

In a recent study, researchers gauged how organ transplant recipients taking antimetabolites, a type of immunosuppressant drug, responded to the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine compared to patients who did not take antimetabolites.

Of the 473 participants who were taking the immunosuppressant, only 35% generated an antibody response after the second dose. Meanwhile, 50% of the 185 patients not taking the immunosuppressant had an antibody response after the second dose.

"I am quite disappointed that a significant amount of transplant patients did not get a reasonable response from both doses of the vaccine," Dr. Dorry Segev, study author and associate vice chair for research and professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University, told NBC.

In two preprint studies, that have yet to be peer-reviewed by independent scientists, people taking immunosuppressants for blood cancers or inflammatory disorders generated fewer antibodies after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine compared to people without an immune disorder.

One limitation of the study, however, is that it did not assess the participants' T cell response, which can provide protection against the coronavirus even in people who do not have high levels of antibodies.

So far, it's unclear whether T cells or antibodies are better at protecting against COVID-19, Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce previously reported.

Emily Ricotta, a research fellow at the NIH and lead investigator of the study, said it's imperative we find answers to these questions as early as possible. "We understand how frustrating it is," she told NBC. "This has been a long, hard year for everybody and to have to continue that vigilance is tiring."

Originally posted here:

US studying how immunocompromised people respond to COVID-19 vaccines - Business Insider

Some parents who have children with disabilities said getting them the COVID-19 vaccine has been a difficult process.

CARROLLTON, Va. Children 12 and older are now eligible to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, but some parents say it's been difficult to find a process that works for their children with disabilities.

Jeanine Scherrer said she registered her son Trevor for a COVID-19 vaccination at a local grocery store, but Trevor didn't respond well to the new environment.

Trevor -- who has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism -- can experience sensory issues. Scherrer said he was moving too much to safely get a shot, and when she offered to help the vaccinators, she was told she couldn't for liability reasons.

And so we left and I was frustrated, I wanted him to get it," said Scherrer. It shouldnt be a struggle."

Scherrer said a COVID-19 vaccination would help protect Trevor from the virus and let him work on socialization.

A lot of kids with autism, their social skills are lacking, so we need to get him out into the environment and out doing things," she said.

She said other parents of children with disabilities are reaching out to her, reporting they're also finding problems getting their kids vaccinated. Scherrer said she'd love if someone could come to their house and give Trevor a shot at home, a comfortable environment.

The less distractions and the less movement for him the better," she said.

We asked the Virginia Department of Health: what are the options for parents of children with disabilities?

A spokesperson responded with a statement of options, saying in part, "Virginia has been working to improve support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, when they participate in COVID-19 vaccination clinics across the Commonwealth."

VDH says parents can call their local health department to request accommodations, like a homebound vaccination. The health department also says all large community vaccination clinics (CVCs) in Hampton Roads have vaccinators trained to work with children with autism.

Plus, Virginia is now sending more vaccine doses directly to doctors and pediatricians, so parents could call to schedule a vaccination appointment in their offices.

A CHKD spokesperson said the hospital is receiving a shipment of vaccine doses for children 12 and older this week, and parents should call to schedule appointments.

"We absolutely have staff trained to work with children with special needs or with families who have special questions," a CHKD spokesperson said. "These are folks who really want to serve, [families] should call their primary care pediatrician."

Trevor, a 16-year-old with a talent for basketball and a love of playing cards, has been learning at home and mostly isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic, his mother said.

I just want him to be vaccinated so we can be safe, just like all the other immunizations," Scherrer said.

A VDH spokesperson said the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services also developed a training program for vaccination staff that includes adaptive communication and sensory issues.

Ash Britt Logistics and Autism Speaks also created a toolkit that includes a card any person with autism can bring with them to a vaccination appointment to explain what accommodations would be most helpful.

Families can sign up for a COVID-19 vaccination at this link.

Originally posted here:

COVID-19 vaccinations for children with disabilities: what are the options? Families look for help - 13newsnow.com WVEC