Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

Skepticism about getting a coronavirus vaccine has grown since earlier this summer, and most voters say if a vaccine were made available this year, their first thought would be that it was rushed through without enough testing.

Just 21% of voters nationwide now say they would get a vaccine as soon as possible if one became available at no cost, down from 32% in late July. Most would consider it but would wait to see what happens to others before getting one.

Two-thirds of voters think if a vaccine were announced as soon as this year, their initial thought would be that it was rushed through without enough testing, rather than a scientific achievement that happened quickly. Among those who feel it would have been rushed, just 13% say they would get a vaccine for the coronavirus as soon as possible if one were available.

As President Trump touts the possibility that a coronavirus vaccine may be available this fall, the number of Democrats who say they would get a vaccine right away has dropped sharply.

Most Democrats now say they would consider getting the vaccine but want to wait to see what happens to others. Republicans, who have been less concerned personally about the coronavirus, continue to take a wait and see approach, as they did in July.

Even Democrats who are "very concerned" about themselves or a family member contracting the coronavirus say they would not get a vaccine right away.

Among Democrats, we see some differences by race. White Democrats are more than twice as likely as Black Democrats to say they would get a vaccine for the virus as soon as it was available.

Three in four of Democrats say if a vaccine were to become available this year, their first thought would be that it was rushed without enough testing.They are joined by nearly half of Republicans who hold this view. Slightly more Republicans (52%) think if a vaccine is available this year, they would consider it a scientific achievement to find one that fast. These Republicans are more likely to say they would get a vaccine as soon as one was available, but a majority would still wait or never get one at all.

As the coronavirus outbreak continues, voters now have less trust in some key entities for information about the virus, with a notable drop in trust in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Back in March, 86% of voters trusted the CDC for accurate information about the virus, but today just 54% do. Trust is down across all major demographics, including both Democrats and Republicans. Fewer also trust the media, their state's governor and President Trump for accurate information about the coronavirus, compared to the spring.

Regarding the presidential candidates, more voters trust Joe Biden than President Trump to make sure a safe coronavirus vaccine is available. We see the usual partisan differences here, with independents divided.

When a vaccine is developed, 75% of voters think the next president, whoever it is, should publicly take the vaccine to help show the public it is safe. Here we see agreement along partisan lines: Majorities of Republicans (65%), Democrats (84%) and independents (76%) all think the next president should do this.

This survey was conducted on behalf of CBS News by YouGov between September 2-4 2020. It is based on a representative sample of 2,493 registered voters nationwide. The margin of error is +/- 2.4 points.

Toplines

Originally posted here:

Voters skeptical about potential COVID-19 vaccine and say ...

Talk about a rebuke.

President Trump may want a Covid-19 vaccine to ship in time to boost his reelection chances, but the pharmaceutical industry doesnt appear ready to cooperate at least, not on his terms.

In a highly unusual turn of events, nine vaccine makers including some of the worlds biggest companies plan to issue their own public pledge not to seek government approval without extensive safety and effectiveness data on Tuesday. This follows a fairly similar open letter the BIO trade group released last week warning any vaccine or therapy should only become available with the same sort of rigorously considered data.

advertisement

These are only words, but right now, these are the words that Trump needs to hear.

After Trump has brazenly and transparently bullied members of his own team most notably, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn someone has to draw a line in the sand and push back against him.

advertisement

Theres good reason. As we move closer to Nov. 3, vaccine makers are still testing their shots. Yet at a Friday press conference, Trump said a vaccine might be ready maybe even before Nov. 1 or sometime in the month of October.

Wouldnt that be convenient?

The vaccine makers that are signing this pledge Pfizer, Merck, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Novavax are rushing to complete clinical trials. But only Pfizer has indicated it may have late-stage results in October, and thats not a given.

Yet any move by the FDA to greenlight a Covid-19 vaccine without late-stage results will be interpreted as an effort to boost Trump and rightly so.

Consider Trumps erratic and selfish remarks. He recently accused the FDA of slowing the vaccine approval process and being part of a deep state. No wonder there is concern he may lean on Hahn to authorize emergency use prematurely. For his part, Hahn has insisted he wont buckle to political pressure, but he also said emergency use may be authorized based on preliminary data.

Its unprecedented in my experience that industry would do something like this, said Ira Loss of Washington Analysis, who tracks pharmaceutical regulatory and legislative matters for investors. But weve experienced unprecedented events since the beginning of Covid-19, starting with the FDA, where the commissioner has proven to be malleable, to be kind, at the foot of the president.

Remember, weve seen this movie before.

Amid criticism of his handling of the pandemic, Trump touted hydroxychloroquine, a decades-old malaria tablet, as a salve and the FDA authorized emergency use. Two weeks ago, he touted convalescent blood plasma as a medical breakthrough, but evidence of its effectiveness against the coronavirus is inconclusive. And Hahn initially overstated study results.

Most Americans seem to be catching on. A STAT-Harris poll released last week found that 78% of the public believes the vaccine approval process is driven by politics, not science. This goes for a majority of Democrats and Republicans.

The pharmaceutical industry has to be vocal, though.

Why? The FDA has long been seen as the global gold standard among regulators. No government agency is perfect, but Trump is sadly undermining its credibility. If he keeps this up, it will only make it harder for companies to later point to the FDA as validation for the safety and effectiveness of their products.

This explains why the biotech executives used such pointed phrases as FDA should maintain its historic independence and political considerations should be put aside. The vaccine makers, however, avoided using any language that might appear confrontational and further provoke Trump. Instead, they underscored a need to adhere to high scientific and ethical standards.

Lets be clear, though. These public pronunciations are not simply altruistic attempts to take the moral high ground. With each tweet and off-the-cuff remark about the vaccine timeline, Trump is eroding whatever confidence the public may have in vaccine makers, which is already questionable as far as some people are concerned.

The companies are aware that, on a good day, they have trouble selling vaccines to 25% of the country that is suspicious about safety. So the last thing they need is to have Trump pull a stunt and push through a vaccine ahead of its time, Loss said. In many ways, the industry is doing a defensive move to ensure theyre not going to have to defend any approval because the president is doing a dance.

The pharmaceutical industry is keenly aware that its reputation is also at stake as the pandemic becomes more and more politicized.

And simply put, thats not good for business.

Link:

Pharma drew a line over Covid-19 vaccine readiness because it had to - STAT

A scientist at work on a COVID-19 vaccine candidate at Bogazici University in Istanbul in August. Onur Coban/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption

A scientist at work on a COVID-19 vaccine candidate at Bogazici University in Istanbul in August.

Several vaccines are currently in large-scale studies to see if they can prevent COVID-19, and more are on the way.

President Trump has been hinting that a vaccine could be ready before the end of October, but Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser to the administration's Operation Warp Speed, downplayed that possibility in an interview on NPR's All Things Considered.

"There is a very, very low chance that the trials that are running as we speak could read before the end of October," Slaoui said.

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the large-scale vaccine efficacy studies that Slaoui was discussing.

How big are these trials?

The intention is to enroll at least 30,000 volunteers per trial. Half will get an injection containing the vaccine candidate, and half will get an injection of an inert placebo. Neither the person giving the injection nor the person getting the shot knows which is being administered. This is so neither party has a predetermined idea of what the outcome might be. Studies like this are called double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, and they are generally considered the best design to get definitive answers.

Researchers chose enrolling 30,000 people as a target for pragmatic reasons. To test a vaccine, it needs to be given to enough people who will subsequently be exposed to the virus. But researchers didn't know for sure where the virus would be circulating when they were ready to test their vaccine.

So the researchers hedged their bets and chose a large number, "primarily due to the uncertainty as to where those infections ... will happen," says Holly Janes, a biostatistician at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

What determines whether the trial is successful?

By conducting a large trial, researchers hope to learn whether the vaccine is safe and whether it prevents infection.

Initial safety studies were done by testing a small number of healthy volunteers. A large trial should reveal less common side effects.

To determine whether the vaccine is working, researchers will compare the number of infections in the people receiving the active vaccine with the number of infections in the people receiving the inert placebo.

The Food and Drug Administration is the federal agency that will decide whether to authorize the use of the vaccine. It has said a vaccine must reduce infections in the vaccinated group by at least 50% to be considered.

When will we know if the vaccine is working?

That's not clear.

These are what's called event-driven trials. "An event-driven trial means that the primary analysis of the trial happens when you get enough events," Janes says. "We don't know how long that's going to take."

By "events," Janes means laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 disease. Janes says the trial now underway aims to get at least 150 events among the trial participants.

To make sure the researchers are unaware of who's getting the vaccine and who's getting a placebo, an independent body will track the data as they're collected. That data safety monitoring board is made up of experts in all aspects of clinical trial design and implementation.

What's the drawback to putting out a vaccine too soon?

If the vaccine doesn't work well, people would continue to get sick and die. A vaccine that is only 50% effective would still mean people could get COVID-19, but even a partially effective vaccine would make the pandemic more manageable.

Releasing a vaccine with serious side effects, even rare ones, would mean perfectly healthy people would put their health at risk if they got the vaccine.

If the vaccine is perceived as a flop by the public, it will undermine confidence in the government.

What vaccines are being tested now, and how can I sign up?

All vaccines being tested in the U.S. can be found on the government website ClinicalTrials.gov. Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca are conducting large studies now. Johnson & Johnson and Novavax should be starting their big tests in the next month or two.

You can contact NPR science correspondent Joe Palca at jpalca@npr.org.

Read more:

How Scientists Determine If A COVID-19 Vaccine Works ...

Plata-Nino doesnt know what Trainor injected into her muscle. It might have been salt water.

Or it might have been a prospective vaccine against the coronavirus.

Plata-Nino, a staff attorney at the Central West Justice Center, a legal services organization, is among three leaders of the Worcester-area Latino community who went to UMass Friday to set an example and send a message: Latinos, who have been hard hit by COVID-19, need to be represented in clinical trials. And when a vaccine becomes available, Latinos need to take it.

The prospect of a coronavirus vaccine has stirred fevered discussion among experts and pundits: whether an effective vaccine can be identified before a second wave of illness hits; whether political pressure will lead to premature approval; whether the public will accept the vaccine.

But its easy to forget that, first, it comes down to whether people like Plata-Nino will roll up their sleeves and accept an experimental shot.

Three prospective coronavirus vaccines have entered the late-stage clinical trials in the United States, each enrolling 30,000 people. Earlier studies, involving much smaller numbers of people, found that the vaccines appeared safe and likely to work.

In the late-stage studies, half the participants get the vaccine and half get a placebo. Then they go about their daily lives, and researchers will see if those injected with the vaccine are significantly less likely to get infected than those who received a placebo. Crucially, theyre also watching for uncommon side effects that may emerge when a medication is given to a large number of people.

UMass Medical School is among 120 medical centers testing a vaccine made by Pfizer and the German company BioNTech. Boston Medical Center is also participating in the Pfizer trial.

Additionally, Cambridge-based Moderna has been testing its vaccine at about 90 centers nationwide, including Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. And AstraZeneca has recently started enrolling participants in testing its vaccine, with Fenway Health in Boston participating.

Like the women at UMass, participants in the Pfizer trial at Boston Medical Center expressed altruistic motivations. Jay Eaves heard about the study from his mother, a nurse in the infectious diseases group at BMC. Eaves, 42, who works for a company that transports animals used in research, knows two people who got sick with COVID-19. I know this is something essential, he said.

Aria Pearlman Morales, a 24-year-old medical student who hopes to go into research, got her second shot at Boston Medical Center on Friday.

I wanted to do my part, be of service to the greater community, Pearlman Morales said. Hopefully, as a future clinical scientist I hope to one day enroll my own patients [in research]. I wanted to experience what it would be like from the other side.

For the Latina women in Worcester, the quick, anticlimactic injection followed a long morning of listening to a doctor describe the study, answering questions about their health, filling out forms, watching instructional videos, and having noses swabbed and blood drawn.

After 21 days, they will have to return for a second dose, and will come back for up to four additional clinic visits. For the next two years, they are asked to fill out a weekly diary of symptoms and report immediately if they have any symptoms resembling COVID-19. Participants also will receive stipends of $200 for each of the two injections and $150 for each follow-up visit.

Since the trial started at UMass two weeks ago, 58 people have received their first shot, and the researchers expect to enroll 120 by the end of this week.

I would not voluntarily sign up for this type of thing if it werent for the circumstances were in, said Plata-Nino, the Worcester attorney, who is in her mid-30s. Im not a fan of needles.

But she was persuaded by Dr. Robert W. Finberg, the leader of the UMass study, and Dr. Matilde Mattie Castiel, Worcesters commissioner of health and human services.

Both were concerned about the startling inequities revealed by the pandemic: Compared to whites, Latinos in Worcester are three times more likely to get COVID-19 and Blacks more than twice as likely, Castiel said. In March, UMass and the city created a health equity task force to research minority communities and teach them about COVID-19 and how to avoid it.

Finberg asked the group for help making sure that Latinos were represented in the study. And Castiel pushed its members to sign up.

Hilda Ramirez, 56, executive director of the Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University, was one of those pushed. She was reluctant.

Anything like this is a little scary, Ramirez said. Youre going to get a vaccine where its not quite known whats going to happen to your body.

But she, too, was sitting in an exam room at UMass Friday, grimacing as a nurse drew blood and swabbed her nose. Mattie just told us we have to come, she said. How did Castiel persuade her? By agreeing to do the same.

There are numerous people from communities of color who do not feel comfortable with vaccinations, Castiel said. And for good reason: Most are familiar with abuses of the past, from the notorious Tuskegee syphilis study, which documented the progress of syphilis in Black men without treating it, to the forced sterilization of Puerto Rican women.

Castiel, 65, said she wanted to be able to say, Im Latina. Hey, Im going to do the vaccination.

Now she can say that. Sort of.

Oh, that was the saline! Castiel said when Trainor gave her the injection. You gave me saline. It felt like there was nothing in there.

Trainor said many participants find the shot easy to take, and theres really no way for recipients to tell whether the injection is a placebo or a potential vaccine.

Castiel acknowledged the risks of taking an experimental medication, but considers them small and worth it. For the good of the community, she said, Im going to take it.

Felice J. Freyer can be reached at felice.freyer@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @felicejfreyer

See the rest here:

A COVID-19 vaccine hinges on people volunteering as test subjects. These participants explain why they did it - The Boston Globe

Sanofi's experimental COVID-19 vaccine will cost less than 10 per shot, the pharma company's France chief said Saturday. Eric Piermont/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Sanofi SAN, +2.34% stock rose 2.4% on Monday, after a senior executive said the French pharmaceutical giants COVID-19 vaccine will cost less than 10 and revealed plans to list its drugs ingredients unit in the next few months.

Olivier Bogillot, Sanofis chief in France, told France Inter radio on Saturday that the companys coronavirus vaccine candidate, being developed in partnership with Britains GlaxoSmithKline GSK, -1.38%, was likely to be priced at less than 10 per shot but that a final price had not been set.

The potential vaccine, a slower effort than many of its peers, began human trials earlier this month, and it is hoped regulatory approval will be reached in the first half of next year.

Read: Sanofi looks to accelerate MS treatment with $3.68 billion Principia Biopharma acquisition

In the meantime, Sanofi is set to publicly list its active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) company, with an initial public offering planned in the coming months, Bogillot told France Inter radio. The idea is to create a champion of active ingredients at the European level, he said.The business could be valued at between 1 billion and 2 billion, sources told Reuters in July.

Sanofi announced plans in February to create a standalone company making API by combining its commercial and development activities with six of its production sites in Europe.

The French drugmaker said at the time it would decide whether to list the new company on Euronext Paris by 2022. It would be the worlds second largest API company, behind Switzerlands Lonza LONN, +2.70%, with approximately 1 billion in expected sales by 2022, Sanofi said earlier this year.

The company said the spin off would help balance the industrys heavy reliance on Asia for drug ingredients, which was highlighted through the disruption at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read the original post:

Sanofi COVID-19 vaccine to cost below 10 and drug ingredients IPO planned within months, its France chief says - MarketWatch

BERLIN, Sept 4 (Reuters) - German biotechnology firm Curevac expects to be able to produce the COVID-19 vaccine it is developing at scale by the end of the year, investor Dietmar Hopp told the Handelsblatt business daily on Friday.

"We want to make 100 million doses available by the end of the year," said billionaire Hopp, one of the founders of software company SAP.

He said he expected regulatory approval in spring or summer of 2021, although limited clearance could come this year to vaccinate people doing jobs that put them at risk of catching COVID-19 or regions with high rates of infection.

Curevac is likely to be beaten to market by U.S. rival Moderna and Germany's Biontech.

"We can't win this race," Hopp said. "But we want to win the race to produce the best vaccine and here we have good chances."

The Tuebingen-based startup, valued at $10 billion after floating last month on Nasdaq, is one of a number of firms developing vaccines based on molecules carrying a genetic code called messenger RNA (mRNA) to treat diseases.

Hopp said Curevac may also expand its cooperation with Grohmann, a subsidiary of Elon Musk's electric car maker Tesla , in developing so-called RNA printers that would make it possible to decentralise vaccine production.

Musk was in Germany this week and visited Curevac, sparking speculation that he may invest in the company. Hopp earlier dismissed this as "pure fantasy". (Reporting by Douglas Busvine; editing by Jason Neely)

The rest is here:

Curevac COVID-19 vaccine scale production seen this year -investor - Yahoo Finance

The world is in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic. As WHO and partners work together on the response -- tracking the pandemic, advising on critical interventions, distributing vital medical supplies to those in need--- they are racing to find a vaccine.

Vaccines save millions of lives each year. Vaccines work by training and preparing the bodys natural defences --- the immune system--- to recognize and fight off the viruses and bacteria they target. If the body is exposed to those disease-causing germs later, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness.

Immunization currently prevents 2-3 million deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles. There are now vaccines to prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases, and work is ongoing at unprecedented speed to also make COVID-19 a vaccine-preventable disease.

There are currently over 169 COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development, with 26 of these in the human trial phase. WHO is working in collaboration with scientists, business, and global health organizations through theACT Acceleratorto speed up the pandemic response. When a safe and effective vaccine is found,COVAX(led byWHO,GAVIandCEPI) will facilitate the equitable access and distribution of these vaccines to protect people in all countries. People most at risk will be prioritized.

See more here:

The race for a COVID-19 vaccine - World Health Organization

Would you get the COVID-19 vaccine?

We could have a coronavirus vaccine sooner than we thought but polling shows many Americans would rather wait.

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Federal health officials say the coronavirus vaccine may be ready in less than two months but recent polls show Americans are hesitant to get it.

Im fairly skeptical. Ive never even had a flu shot. Im probably not going to be quick to run to it, said Andrew Losinger inOrlandoFriday.

On the other hand, Philip Maxwell says hes excited to be among the first to have access.

I work in healthcare. As a healthcare provider, because Im actually on the frontline, we are required to get it if were going to continue fighting the pandemic and being on the front doorstep, Maxwell said.

Recent polls attempt to take the temperature of people ahead of the vaccines approval. A USA Today/Suffolk poll says two-thirds of voters wont try to get the vaccine as soon as its available. A FOX News poll from last month showed around 55% percent of Americans planned to get it.

Before COVID started we were already seeing increases in vaccine hesitancy people that either delay or refuse vaccines that was before the pandemic, said Rupali Limaye, an associate scientist at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

She says theres another element at play right now that may be scaring people away from the vaccine.

Then we have an administration that calls vaccine development Operation Warp Speed. That doesnt necessarily convey a comprehensive, thorough process, Limaye explained.

Just Sunday, the head of the FDA said the agency would be willing to consider fast-tracking the vaccine.

I think what has happened now is theres a huge concern that there are steps that are being skipped, Limaye said.

She added that vaccine scientists are now concerned that if so many people opt out of the vaccine, we will not be able to achieve herd immunity and it could prolong the pandemic.

Read more:

Would you get the COVID-19 vaccine? - FOX 35 Orlando

When a vaccine is ready to be administered, there wont be enough doses to vaccinate the entire U.S. population, so experts have to figure out who will be first in line.

A task force organized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released recommendations this week on who should get vaccinated first when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available.

The report, released Tuesday as a draft, prioritizes people at high risk: frontline workers in healthcare facilities along with people who have underlying health conditions greatly increasing their risk of COVID-19 complications and mortality. Older adults living in crowded settings, such as nursing homes, would also be at the front of the line.

Itll serve as a guide for more a specific, detailed vaccination campaign. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is also working on a similar vaccination plan that prioritizes frontline healthcare workers.

The vaccines primary purpose is to prevent severe disease, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told Healthline. Severe disease is the criterion, and in that regard, everyone knows that older persons, persons with underlying illness, adults who are [marginalized] those are the populations most severely affected by this virus and so it is to those populations that the vaccine will first be directed.

Drawing from past vaccination campaigns during the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak and 20142016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the task force developed four pieces of criteria to inform wholl get access to a vaccine first.

They are as follows:

Using the criteria, the task force outlined four phases in which various groups of people could qualify for the vaccine.

You cant give it to everybody simultaneously, we wont have enough [doses], so were going to have to decide who is first, second, third in line, Schaffner said.

The task force recognizes that people of color specifically Black, Hispanic, and American Indian people have been disproportionally impacted by COVID-19.

The framework laid out was designed to address the underlying factors putting groups at risk occupation, living situation, underlying health issues and ensure vaccine equity.

The recommendations will be updated as researchers learn more about which vaccines work best in whom, according to Schaffner.

In Phase 1, first responders, healthcare workers in high-risk settings like hospitals or nursing homes people with serious comorbidities that significantly increase their risk, and older adults in congregate settings like nursing homes would take priority.

Frontline healthcare workers work in high-risk settings where they provide essential care for people battling COVID-19. A recent United Kingdom study found that frontline workers are 12 times more likely to get COVID-19 than the general population.

A vaccine would allow these workers to continue their work safely and cut the chances theyd contract and spread the virus at work, says the task force.

Dr. Eric Cioe-Pea, Northwell Healths Director of Global Health, says healthcare workers are the most nonrenewable resource available during a health crisis.

I said many times in March and April, you can build more ventilators, you cant build more nurses, Cioe-Pea told Healthline.

Schaffner says most other countries prioritize healthcare providers who provide direct care to COVID-19 patients.

First responders like police, firefighters, and emergency medical services workers are also included in phase 1 as theyre essential to societys functioning and urgently needed for emergency situations, the task force states.

Older adults in nursing homes have been hit hard during the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 80 percent of COVID-19 deaths have been in people age 65 and up. In addition, nursing home staff have a known role in spreading the disease in these environments and many, at least 800, have died from the disease.

Often because of staffing shortages, you have few people taking care of many residents, and the residents that are in nursing homes tend to be sicker than their peers not living in nursing homes, says Cioe-Pea.

People with two or more serious underlying conditions cancer, kidney disease, obesity, heart disease, to name a few have the greatest risk for developing complications from COVID-19.

The task forces rationale: Nearly 75 percent of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 had two or more underlying conditions. Sixty percent had three or more.

Phase 2 would green light the vaccine to essential workers in industries impacting the functioning of our society and economy (think: food supply workers and postal workers) along with school teachers.

This group makes sure the rest of the fabric of the essential services in society is preserved, Cioe-Pea said. Many essential workers have acquired COVID-19 on the job, according to the report.

Phase 2 also includes people with underlying conditions that moderately increase their risk.

People with underlying conditions still have the highest risk of a poor outcome with COVID-19, says Cioe-Pea, noting that this group also requires more resources like ventilators and oxygen support.

Finally, in phase 2, are all other older adults, people in shelters or group homes, and individuals who reside or work in prisons, jails, or detention centers.

Not only do many of these individuals have underlying conditions, but congregate living areas are prime settings for disease transmission, according to the report.

Phase 3 includes young adults and kids along with remaining essential workers not included in phase 2.

The report says theres evidence young adults ages 18 to 30 are fueling the pandemic via asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission. A vaccine would lower their risk of passing the virus to friends and family.

Kids, though unlikely to experience severe disease, are thought to play a big role in community transmission, too, especially when they attend camp, day care, or school.

A vaccine will help schools safety reopen while cutting the chances children would give the virus to teachers or bring it home to their families.

They are low risk in that their risk of complications is extremely low they are in phase 3 not 4 because they will likely contribute to the spread of the disease within families, says Cioe-Pea.

Schaffner reminds that the vaccines key purpose is to prevent severe illness, which with COVID-19, greatly affects older adults and people with underlying health issues.

The final phase, phase 4, would allow all remaining U.S. citizens to get vaccinated.

Everyone is at risk of acquiring an infection and the task force hopes to see high vaccination rates in the general population.

The more people who are protected, the less readily this virus will be able to move through our population and be transmitted and find people who are seriously ill, says Schaffner.

The vaccine will also be given in two doses a month apart, which could further complicate the process.

A U.S. task force has released recommendations regarding who should get vaccinated first when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available.

Since there will be limited doses of the vaccine at first, health officials need to prioritize groups that are most at risk. Frontline healthcare workers and people with serious underlying health issues will likely be first in line to get vaccinated.

See the rest here:

Experts Come Up with Plan for Who Gets the COVID-19 Vaccine First - Healthline

The Associated Press checks out some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. This one is bogus, even though it was shared widely on social media. Here are the facts:

CLAIM: The new vaccine for COVID-19 will be the first of its kind ever. It will be an MRna vaccine which will literally alter your DNA. It will wrap itself into your system. You will essentially become a genetically modified human being.

THE FACTS: Experts say mRNA vaccines do not alter your DNA.

As researchers work to test vaccines to stop the spread of COVID-19, social media posts are sharing misinformation to sow doubt even before they become available to the public. The posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram suggest that a new coronavirus mRNA vaccine will genetically modify humans.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccine candidates that began phase 3 testing in July both use mRNA. Such vaccines are a new and unproven technology that experts say offer an easier and faster way to produce vaccines compared to traditional methods.

They work by introducing a messenger RNA molecule into your body, which causes cells to produce a protein that resembles one of the viral proteins that make up SARS-CoV-2, said Brent R. Stockwell, a Columbia University biology and chemistry professor.

Your immune cells then recognize this viral protein and generate an immune response against it, primarily by generating antibodies that recognize the viral protein, he said in an email.

While there are other concerns with mRNA vaccines, such as the degree and length of protection and possible side effects, Stockwell said, modifying DNA is not one of them.

Dr. Dan Culver, a lung specialist at Cleveland Clinic, agreed its not possible for an mRNA vaccine to alter your DNA. This cannot change your genetic makeup, he said. The time that this RNA survives in the cells is relatively brief in the span of hours. What you are really doing is sticking a recipe card into the cell making protein for a few hours.

Beatrice Dupuy

More:

COVID-19 vaccine wont alter your DNA: Widely shared misinformation is not true - OregonLive