Category: Vaccine

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has updated its adult immunization schedule for 2024 to include recommendations on new vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and meningitis, the mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) vaccine, and the updated COVID-19 vaccines.

Key changes to this year's recommendations, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, include the following:

The updated schedule comes on the heels of a recent CDC health advisory alert warning that many adults are not up-to-date on influenza, COVID-19, and RSV vaccination heading into the 2023-2024 winter season. As of Dec. 23, 2023 only 43.8% of adults have received an influenza vaccine. As of Dec. 2, 2023, just 17.2% of adults have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine and 15.9% have received the RSV vaccine, according to the health alert.

In an accompanying editorial, Scott Ratzan, MD, and other members of the Council for Quality Health Communication offered scathing criticism of the CDC's complex written and visual presentation of the recommendations. "We cannot stay the present course," they commented. "The Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule article and recent CDC alert on seasonal flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccination shortfalls are the latest warning signs that the CDC needs to upgrade its health communication capability now. Our nation's health and security depend on it."

Referring to the schedule design itself, Ratzan and colleagues commented, "The color-coded grid of indications and age groups is so crammed with asterisks and fine print that CDC was apparently obliged to produce a second chart to help the reader use the first one."

They also pointed out that the updated schedule fails to address the key issue of co-administration of influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 vaccines, a topic that is confusing for clinicians and patients alike.

Inadequate implementation of the CDC's adult vaccination recommendations is not a new problem, Ratzan and colleagues wrote, adding that "the newer challenges of misinformation and loss of trust in public health exacerbate the issue, as does the seductive concept of 'medical freedom' now promoted by vaccine skeptics."

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

Disclosures

Murthy and other authors of the report have no relevant ties to industry.

Ratzan has received grants and other compensation for vaccine literacy programs from the Institute for the Advancement of Health and Wellbeing, PRIME Education, CVS Health, and others. All other authors report no ties to industry.

Primary Source

Annals of Internal Medicine

Source Reference: Murthy N, et al "Recommended adult immunization schedule, United States, 2024" Ann Intern Med 2024; DOI: 10.7326/M23-3269.

Secondary Source

Annals of Internal Medicine

Source Reference: Ratzan SC, et al "Quality health communication is critical to optimal adult immunization" Ann Intern Med 2024; DOI: 10.7326/M23-3452.

The rest is here:

ACIP Unveils Its 2024 Adult Immunization Recommendations | MedPage Today - Medpage Today

The two-dose recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV; Shingrix) remained highly effective at preventing shingles over a 4-year period in real-world settings, according to a prospective cohort study.

Over 4 years, the two-dose regimen was 76% effective (95% CI 75-78), with one dose of the vaccine just 64% effective over the same time period (95% CI 62-67), underscoring the need for people to get both doses, Nicola P. Klein, MD, PhD, of Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, and colleagues reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

"The study findings are reassuring in confirming that the recombinant zoster vaccine is highly effective for at least 4 years," Klein told MedPage Today in an email. "The study also reaffirms the importance of getting the second dose of vaccine to maximize protection against shingles, which can be a painful and potentially dangerous condition."

Klein noted that vaccine effectiveness was the same in patients who received the second vaccine dose later than the recommended interval of 2 to 6 months between doses. "One of the main messages is that everyone for whom the vaccine is recommended should get two doses, but not to panic if the second dose ended up being delayed beyond 6 months."

The study included about 2 million people over the age of 50 who had never received RZV. During the study period from 2018 through 2022, 38% received at least one vaccine dose and 29% received two doses of RZV. After both doses, vaccine effectiveness was 79% during the first year, 75% during the second year, and 73% during the third and fourth years.

Although vaccine effectiveness after one dose was 70% effective during the first year, effectiveness waned substantially after that to 45% during the second year, 48% during the third year, and 52% after the third year.

Effectiveness also varied by age. The vaccine was slightly more effective in people who were vaccinated when they were younger than 65 years of age (81%) versus those who were older (74%).

Notably, in people who received corticosteroids -- a group at significantly higher risk for shingles -- the vaccine exhibited lower but substantial effectiveness (65%). The authors pointed out the number of shingles cases per 100 recipients prevented by the vaccine was about the same in corticosteroid users and nonusers.

"Our analysis can give clinicians additional support for urging adults in the recommended categories -- over age 50 or immunocompromised -- to get vaccinated against herpes zoster," Klein said.

The study's estimates of vaccine effectiveness were lower than those observed in the ZOE-50 and the ZOE-70 clinical trials, the authors noted. ZOE-50 found that the vaccine was 97% effective in people ages 50 and older and ZOE-70 found that the vaccine was 90% effective in those 70 years of age or older. A long-term follow-up study of those trials concluded that vaccine effectiveness held steady for at least 7 years, but long-term effectiveness of the vaccine in real-world settings hasn't been extensively evaluated, the authors said.

The prospective cohort study gathered data from patients in four healthcare systems within the Vaccine Safety Datalink, a collaboration between the CDC and nine integrated healthcare systems. RZV was offered free of charge to most eligible patients. Researchers excluded those who received a diagnosis of shingles in the year before the study began. Among participants, 38% were 65 years of age or older, 53% were female, and 59% were white. The outcome was incident herpes zoster infection.

During the study follow-up over 45,000 cases of shingles were diagnosed and most (94%) were in unvaccinated participants. Unadjusted incidence of herpes zoster was 1.7 per 1,000 person-years in fully vaccinated people versus 6.7 per 1,000 person-years in unvaccinated people.

One of the potential limitations of the study was that a diagnosis of shingles required both a herpes zoster diagnosis ICD code and an antiviral prescription, rather than PCR testing. This may have lowered vaccine effectiveness estimates, researchers wrote. Also, patients with milder illness may have not sought care, potentially overestimating vaccine effectiveness.

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

Disclosures

The study was funded by the CDC.

Klein reported prior institutional funding from Sanofi Pasteur, Merck, Pfizer, Seqirus, and GSK. A co-author became an employee at Pfizer after completion of this study.

Primary Source

Annals of Internal Medicine

Source Reference: Zerbo O, et al "Effectiveness of recombinant zoster vaccine against herpes zoster in a real-world setting" Ann Intern Med 2024; DOI: 10.7326/M23-2023.

More here:

Shingles Vaccine Highly Effective Over 4 Years | MedPage Today - Medpage Today

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending new vaccines for adults and kids in 2024, according to its latest annual guidelines finalized Jan. 11. The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a collection of medical and public-health experts who regularly review evidence and research about vaccines, compiled the new guidelines.

Like it does every year, ACIP recommends that American adults receive an annual flu shot and several standard vaccinations, such as those for chickenpox (if they havent had it already) and tetanus. For infants and children, the pediatric immunization plan that includes shots such as the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine remains mostly the same.

However, the 2024 schedule has some notable changes. Here are the vaccines newly recommended for Americans.

All adults and children 6 months or older should receive a dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine in 2024, ACIP says. The most current shot targets the Omicron variant XBB.15, replacing the bivalent mRNA booster previously recommended on the vaccination schedule. This updated vaccine protects against evolving strains including the JN.1 variant surging in the U.S.

The recommendations come amid historic lows for vaccine uptake in the U.S., leading to outbreaks of dangerous diseases like measles in pockets of the country. Anti-vaccine sentiment is on the rise.

Low COVID-19 vaccination rates are a particularly concerning issue. So far, fewer than 20% of adults in the U.S.and just 8% of eligible kidshave gotten the shot. The updated COVID-19 vaccine is highly protective against hospitalization, serious illness, and death. People vaccinated before contracting COVID-19 are also four times less likely to develop Long COVID, though we now know that the risk also goes up with repeat infections.

Read More: The Updated COVID-19 Shot Works on the Newest Variants

Missing from the document is a plan for increasing vaccine uptake. In a new editorial published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, a group of physicians from City University of New York (CUNY) argue that the absence of any sort of uptake strategy within the CDCs annual document feels like a glaring omission so many years into the pandemic. It demonstrates that CDC has not moved sufficiently beyond merely providing information to clinicians and the public to persuasive communication, the CUNY group writes.

2024 is the first time the government is formally recommending the mpox vaccine on an annual schedule for those in high-risk groups, which includes certain members of the LGBTQ community who may have been exposed to the virus formerly called monkeypox. Mpox cases in the U.S. have remained low since peaking in August 2022, with fewer than 10 new cases per day on average, but the CDC stresses that the two-dose vaccination plays an important role in keeping case numbers down. Those who have already received two doses of the mpox vaccine do not need further vaccination at this time, the agency says.

Pfizers new RSV vaccine, Abrysvo, received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in May 2023. The CDC recommends it for two groups: people who are nearing the end of a pregnancy during RSV season (between September and January), and anyone over age 60. Seniors also have the option of taking a different new RSV vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline called Arexvy. Pfizer is currently testing Abrysvo in children ages 2 to 17 at high risk for RSV.

A different RSV shot is also newly recommended for infants up to eight months old if their mothers did not receive an RSV vaccine during pregnancy. The monoclonal antibody nirsevimabbrand name: Beyfortuswas approved by the FDA in July 2023, and recent studies have shown that its effective at keeping kids out of the hospital.

Pfizers new vaccine Penbraya, which was approved by the FDA in October, protects against the five most common variations of meningococcal disease affecting adolescents and young adults globally. 2024 marks its first appearance on the vaccination schedules for some children and adults; doctors are now being asked to consider it as an alternative for patients 10 years and older who would otherwise receive the two meningitis vaccines currently in use, which cover the same five variations together. Penbraya is given as two doses six months apart.

Continue reading here:

The New Vaccines to Get in 2024 | TIME - TIME

10 January 2024

Boris Johnson holds a vial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine

The Covid inquiry will not start hearing evidence about the development of vaccines and other drugs this summer, as originally planned.

Witness hearings will be postponed until a later date, likely to be after the next general election.

Baroness Hallett, who is chairing the inquiry, recognised the decision would be "disappointing for some".

But she said more time was needed to prepare for a separate investigation into the impact of Covid on the NHS.

"I want to ensure our hearings in 2024 are as effective as possible and I recognise the increasing pressure on organisations to respond to requests and provide information to the inquiry," she added.

"I remain committed to not allowing the inquiry hearings to run beyond my original aim of summer 2026."

The Covid-19 public inquiry has been split into a number of sections - known as modules - each covering different topics.

The first phase, which started taking evidence in June 2023, looked at planning for a pandemic. Its findings and recommendations are expected to be published this summer.

A second phase, looking at the major political decisions taken after Covid emerged, started hearings in London in October 2023, and will now travel to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to take evidence.

The module investigating vaccines and therapeutics was originally expected to start in the summer of 2024, but that has now been postponed.

Instead, public hearings will restart in September 2024 looking at the impact of the pandemic on the NHS and healthcare, as originally planned.

The investigation into vaccines was meant to look in detail at the rollout of jabs across the UK, including the setting up of the UK vaccines taskforce and the role of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

It will also cover concerns around vaccine safety, including any suggested link between the jabs and heart issues, and whether reforms are needed to the scheme which is meant to pay out if an individual's health is damaged after taking the jabs.

No timing has been given for the postponed hearings, with further details promised "in the next few weeks".

It is thought the decision is likely to push that part of the inquiry until after the next general election, which has to take place before 28 January 2025.

The inquiry is also still expected to question the current cabinet secretary, Simon Case, in a special hearing later this spring.

Mr Case, who has recently returned as head of the civil service after two months of sick leave, was not able to give evidence last autumn when the second phase of the inquiry looked at the political decisions made during the pandemic.

In WhatsApp exchanges with other Downing Street officials, and later read out at the inquiry, he was often critical of ministers.

In one message he accused officials, including former health secretary Matt Hancock and then-education secretary Gavin Williamson, of being "weak".

In another, he described being "at the end of my tether" over decisions being made by Boris Johnson and said the former prime minister was "unable to lead".

See the rest here:

Covid inquiry postpones vaccine investigation - BBC.com

The first participants in a trial received doses of a vaccine for the Nipah virus - a disease with a mortality rate of up to 75 per cent.

Scientists have launched the first-in-human trial to test a vaccine to protect people against the Nipah virus.

This zoonotic pathogen, which can be transmitted from animals to humans, has been responsible for outbreaks in South and Southeast Asia.

Fruit bats, particularly those of the Pteropus genus, are considered natural hosts of the virus.

Humans can become infected through direct contact with other infected animals, such as pigs, by consuming contaminated food products, or through close contact with an infected person.

The virus symptoms include fever, headache, dizziness, and respiratory distress. In severe cases, the infection can progress to encephalitis, characterised by inflammation of the brain, leading to altered consciousness and even coma.

The virus has a high mortality rate, estimated at 40 per cent to 75 per cent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). A vaccine could bring this rate down.

Nipah virus was first identified in 1998, and yet 25 years on the global health community still has no approved vaccines or treatments for this devastating disease, Brian Angus, the trials principal investigator and professor of infectious diseases at the University of Oxford,said in a statement.

Developed by the University of Oxfords Pandemic Sciences Institute, the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine is the first vaccine to be administered to humans with 51 volunteers who underwent a rigorous screening process to take part in the experiment.

Due to the high mortality rate and the nature of Nipah virus transmission, the disease is identified as a priority pandemic pathogen. This vaccine trial is an important milestone in identifying a solution that could prevent local outbreaks occurring, while also helping the world prepare for a future global pandemic, Angus added.

This trial will focus on evaluating the safety of the vaccine and analysing immune responses in a youthful and healthy demographic.

The project will run over the next 18 months, with further trials expected to follow in a Nipah virus-affected country.

The University of Oxford's work on the Nipah virus vaccine started in 2017 but was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work developing the COVID-19 vaccine will now help us prepare this Nipah vaccine for licensure, ensuring we're ready to prevent future outbreaks of this devastating disease from spreading, said Sarah Gilbert, principal investigator at the Pandemic Sciences Institute.

The primary objective of Phase I trials is to assess safety, not efficacy. Researchers focus on monitoring adverse effects and determining a safe dosage range.

Subsequent phases of clinical trials are designed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a vaccines effectiveness.

Read more:

Nipah virus: First vaccine to treat devastating disease with 75% mortality rate goes to trial - Euronews

WASHINGTON (AP) A Montana fire chief who lost a previous job over a coronavirus vaccine mandate has been charged with spraying a chemical irritant on police officers during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Prosecutors say that Frank Dahlquist sprayed an orange-colored chemical agent directly into the face of one officer and later sprayed a second officer as supporters of former president Donald Trump attacked the Capitol building in Washington D.C., according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.

He was identified in part by matching his distinctive facial hair with a photo from the riot to a TV news story about firefighters who were terminated from a fire department near Seattle in April 2022 after the agency required a COVID-19 vaccination, court documents state.

Later that year, Dahlquist was named chief of West Valley Fire Rescue, near Helena, Montana.

No lawyer was listed for Dahlquist in court records, and he did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment. The Associated Press also left messages with the fire department.

Dahlquist was charged with assault, obstruction of law enforcement and other counts. The case was first reported by the online publication Court Watch.

He is also accused of throwing a piece of lumber toward a line of police officers, though it fell short of the officers and did not come close to hitting them, prosecutors said. FBI agents confirmed his identity by talking to firefighters who had worked with him in in Issaquah, Washington and identified him from video and photos taken on Jan. 6. They also provided his cellphone number, which was traced to the restricted area of the Capitol that day.

Investigators also found text messages he sent from that number to someone else convicted in the riot, saying It was a great day!! It got spicy but I love the taste of Freedom.

He was arrested in Montana and made his first court appearance Wednesday, according to court records.

Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman in Washington and Amy Beth Hanson in Helena, Montana contributed to this story.

Continued here:

Montana fire chief charged with spraying chemical irritant on police during Jan. 6 riot - The Associated Press

Bivalent Vaccine Coverage

During September 4, 2022March 4, 2023, among 12,706,176 immunocompetent Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years who had previously received an original COVID19 vaccine, 5,683,208 (44.7%) received a bivalent dose (Table 1). Overall, higher percentages of bivalent vaccine recipients than nonrecipients resided in an urban area (83% versus 78%), had received an influenza vaccine during the 202122 season (82% versus 55%) and 202223 season (87% versus 50%), and had received an original monovalent booster vaccine dose (96% versus 73%).

Among 78,618 Medicare beneficiaries aged 18 years with ESRD receiving dialysis who did not have additional immunocompromising conditions and had previously received original COVID-19 vaccine, 23,229 (29.5%) received a bivalent dose, including 7,239 (31.2%) aged 1864 years and 15,990 (68.8%) aged 65 years. Similar to beneficiaries aged 65 years, among recipients with ESRD receiving dialysis, a higher percentage of those who received a bivalent vaccine dose compared with those who had not, had also received an influenza vaccine during the 202122 season (90% versus 82%) and the 202223 season (92% versus 79%) and had received an original monovalent booster vaccine dose (90% versus 74%). In addition, a higher percentage of bivalent COVID-19vaccinated ESRD beneficiaries were older (69% were aged 65 years) and non-Hispanic White (53%) compared with those who did not receive the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine (59% and 47%, respectively).

During the study period, COVID-19related thromboembolic events were recorded among 22,001 immunocompetent beneficiaries aged 65 years and 1,040 immunocompetent beneficiaries aged 18 years with ESRD receiving dialysis (Table 2). A total of 1,505,533,898 original-vaccineonly person-days were contributed by immunocompetent beneficiaries aged 65 years, during which 17,746 COVID-19related thromboembolic events were identified (Table 3). Among adults aged 65 years, 694,184,995 bivalent-vaccine person-days were contributed, during which 4,255 COVID-19related thromboembolic events were identified. Adjusted VE against COVID-19related thromboembolic events among immunocompetent beneficiaries aged 65 years was 47%, with lower VE estimates 60 days after bivalent vaccine receipt (42%) compared with VE estimates 759 days after bivalent vaccine receipt (54%).

Similarly, a total of 10,395,534 original-vaccine-only person-days were contributed by beneficiaries aged 18 years with ESRD receiving dialysis, during which 917 COVID-19related thromboembolic events were identified. A total of 2,394,731 bivalent vaccine person-days were contributed, during which 123 COVID-19related thromboembolic events were identified. Adjusted VE against COVID-19related thromboembolic events was 51%, with lower VE estimates 60 days after bivalent vaccine receipt (45%) than 759 days after bivalent vaccine receipt (56%); however, these differences were not statistically significant (i.e., the 95% CIs overlapped).

Similar results were seen among beneficiaries aged 65 years with immunocompromise (overall bivalent VE=46%, with 55% VE 759 days after receipt of vaccine, and 39% VE 60 days post-vaccination) and among beneficiaries with ESRD receiving dialysis and who had additional immunocompromising conditions (overall bivalent VE=45%, with 60% VE 759 days after receipt of vaccine, and nonsignificant 30% VE at 60 days post-vaccination) (Supplementary Table 1; https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/140316). A supplementary analysis estimating VE against all-cause thromboembolic events also indicated a protective effect of bivalent vaccination (Supplementary Table 2; https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/140315).

See the rest here:

Effectiveness of Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines in Preventing COVID-19Related Thromboembolic Events Among ... - CDC

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Preventing the next worldwide pandemic from happening before it even starts -- researchers at Stanford University think it's possible.

Doctors say the COVID-19 virus will always be with us, but some experts wonder if the pandemic could have been avoided all together?

What if there was a way in which our bodies fought off a new infection using different immunities?

Stanford University Professor Bali Pulendran and his colleagues think they may have found an answer.

"Imagine if you had this universal vaccine that could've been delivered to humans that induces broad protections," Dr. Pulendran said. "We don't know exactly what this virus is, we don't know what it takes to make a conventional vaccine, but nevertheless, we ramped up our innate immune system that's giving you a broad degree of protection."

MORE: 7 of the biggest medical breakthroughs in 2023

Traditional science utilizes antibodies - our T-cells that remember specifics of viruses introduced by vaccines to fight off infection.

But Dr. Pulendran says the innate immune system, found in all creatures, can be used to fight off more kinds of sicknesses - even viruses we've never been exposed to.

"I mean, that would be an absolute game changer in our society that's struggling against these three major viruses right?" ABC7 News reporter Dustin Dorsey asked.

"Absolutely, or any other virus actually," Dr. Pulendran said. "We should aspire towards creating vaccines that are already available and could be deployed immediately upon the first signs of the pandemic."

MORE: As COVID-19 continues to evolve, so does our immunity. What does that mean for you?

The innate immune system vaccine won't replace traditional antibody vaccines. It's broad, but can only prevent infection for a few months at best.

But, a universal vaccine could create a stop-gap until specific treatments can be developed.

This is all in the hopes we can prevent the next global pandemic.

"In a way, it was too late for the COVID pandemic, but I do believe it's timely in a sense," Dr. Pulendran said. "It stimulated a whole new field that - God forbid - we have another pandemic that this should then be in primetime for that."

If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

See the article here:

Stanford University researchers think future pandemics could be prevented with universal vaccines - KGO-TV

image:

RS2sequence conservation and protectiveefficacy

Top panel:Sequence conservation mapped onto a model of the RS2 molecule

Bottom Panel:Lung tissue sections from micedemonstrate superior protection conferred by RS2 against viral challenge.

Credit: Nidhi Mittal

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Raghavan Varadarajan, Professor at the Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and collaborators have been working on developing a heat-tolerant vaccine that can offer protection against different strains of SARS-CoV-2 both current and future variants.

In a study published innpj Vaccines,they report the design of a synthetic antigen that can be manufactured as a potential COVID-19 vaccine candidate. They show that their vaccine candidate is effective against all current strains of SARS-CoV-2 and can be quickly adapted for future variants as well.

While current vaccines are proven to be effective against most SARS-CoV-2 strains, their efficacy has declined due to the virus rapid mutation. After analysing various proteins found in the virus, the researchers selected two parts of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein the S2 subunit and the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) for designing their vaccine candidate. The S2 subunit is highly conserved it mutates much less than the S1 subunit, which is the target of most current vaccines. Scientists have also known that the RBD can provoke a strong immune response in the host. Therefore, the team created a hybrid protein called RS2 by combining these two components.

The researchers used mammalian cell lines to study the expression of the hybrid protein. The protein showed very high levels of expression, and I [initially] thought that the experiment was not working properly, says Nidhi Mittal, PhD student at MBU and first author of the study. This means, she explains, it can potentially be produced in large quantities.

The team then tested the effects of the protein in both mice and hamster models. They found that the hybrid protein triggered a strong immune response and provided better protection when compared to vaccines containing the whole spike protein.

The RS2 antigen can also be stored at room temperature for a month without the need for cold storage, unlike many vaccines on the market which require mandatory cold storage. This would make the distribution and storage of these vaccine candidates much more economical.

Varadarajan explains that his team began working on the vaccine even before the pandemic became widespread in India. At that time, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided us funding and support, he adds. Since 2000, Varadarajans team has been working on designing several viral vaccines, including those against AIDS and influenza. They have leveraged this expertise to design their current RS2-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate in collaboration with the startup Mynvax, that was, until recently, incubated at IISc.

According to the team, the vaccine candidate can be tailored to incorporate the RBD region of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that might emerge. Its high levels of expression and stability at room temperature can greatly reduce production and distribution costs, making it well suited for combating COVID-19.

Enhanced protective efficacy of a thermostable RBD-S2 vaccine formulation against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants

25-Oct-2023

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Read the original post:

Thermostable, broadly protective vaccine candidate for current and future SARS-CoV-2 variants - EurekAlert

A lawsuit against Confluence Health over its COVID-19 vaccination policy now has seven fewer plaintiffs.

The suit was brought by 91 former Confluence Healthemployees who filed a class action against their employer over wrongful termination for not taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

The group says their religious rights were violated when Confluence required them to be vaccinated in 2121.

But Douglas County Superior Court Judge Brian Huber dismissed seven of the plaintiffs from the case last week, saying they never asked for a religious exemption from the vaccine requirement.

Huber sided with a motion to dismiss filed by Confluence Health.

The plaintiffs who are no longer part of the lawsuit are Annette Aguigui, Sue Sinclair, May Tussey, Chris Tussey, Bryce Tussey, Genevieve Wilson and Jeremiah Voss.

Judge Huber denied another motion from Confluence Health, which asked for the entire lawsuit to be dismissed.

Confluence Health argued the Superior Court lost jurisdiction over the case when the original lawsuit went to an appeals court.

Judge Huber dismissed the original case in April of 2023, saying Plaintiffs failed to identify which employees had requested a religious exemption, and failed to identify which religious beliefs they were claiming.

Plaintiff Attorney Steve Lacy, a former East Wenatchee mayor, filed then a second class action lawsuit against Confluence Health.

The day before filing a new case, the Washington State Court of Appeals accepted the plaintiff's request for appeal.

The appeals court will hear oral arguments in the original case on Jan. 24 while the second lawsuit is ongoing in Douglas County.

Plaintiffs are using the same argument from their previous class action suit, claiming that Confluence failed to uphold employees religious/medical exemptions.

They are also asking for all past and future damages, reimbursement of legal fees, and to go back to their previous positions with Confluence Health.

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practicalhow will I get vaccinated?to the scientifichow do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.

Gallery Credit: Stephanie Parker

View post:

Seven Plaintiffs Dismissed From Suit Against Confluence Health - KPQ