Category: Vaccine

Although vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV reduces severe disease from these respiratory viruses in populations at high risk, coverage with each of the three vaccines, especially updated (20232024) COVID-19 and RSV vaccines, was low among nursing home residents. Compared with COVID-19 vaccination coverage among adults aged 65 years and RSV vaccination coverage among adults aged 60 years reported by the National Immunization Survey (NIS) Adult COVID-19 Module (37.4% and 17.0%, respectively), COVID-19 and RSV vaccination coverage reported to NHSN was lower among nursing home residents (33.1% and 9.8%, respectively). In contrast, influenza vaccination coverage among nursing home residents (72.0%) was slightly higher than that among the general adult population aged 65 years (69.3%) (5). Although data from NHSN and NIS cannot be directly compared because of different methodology and populations, these directional differences deserve further exploration.

Vaccine fatigue, defined as inaction toward vaccine information or instruction attributable to perceived burden and burnout (6), inaccurate health information, and vaccine hesitancy (7) contribute to lack of vaccine demand, especially in areas with a high SVI (8). For all three vaccines, coverage among nursing home residents was lowest in the most socially vulnerable counties. Lower coverage in areas with higher social vulnerability might be related to challenges to vaccine access and cost and payment barriers associated with COVID-19 vaccine commercialization.

The low RSV vaccination coverage relative to the other two vaccines might be driven by the relative recency of the recommendation, vaccine fatigue associated with the introduction of a fourth respiratory vaccine (in addition to influenza, COVID-19, and pneumococcal), implementation challenges with adding new vaccines, and the recommendation being based on shared clinical decision-making between a patient (or patients guardian) and a health care provider (4). Facilities have had limited time to train providers to implement a shared clinical decision-making recommendation and develop processes and policies to support RSV vaccine administration. Nursing home staff members might also be less familiar with the risk for RSV outbreaks and severe disease among residents (9). Increasing awareness of RSV as a cause of disease among nursing home residents might facilitate increased coverage.

In addition, these data highlight the success that can be achieved through surveillance and coordinated public health efforts to address barriers. During the 20232024 season, influenza vaccination coverage among nursing home residents was significantly higher than updated (202324) COVID-19 vaccination and RSV vaccination coverage. Annual influenza vaccination has been universally recommended since the 201011 influenza season,**** and CMS requires nursing homes to educate residents about and offer both influenza and COVID-19 vaccination. Notably, coverage with all three vaccines was highest in small nursing homes, suggesting that medical directors and other providers at these small facilities with lower patient-to-provider ratios might be best able to build trust with residents and families and mitigate barriers to vaccination coverage. HHS Region 8, driven largely by North Dakota and South Dakota, achieved relatively high coverage among nursing home residents with all three vaccinations because of robust relationships and frequent, persistent, clear communication among nursing homes, health care systems, state and local health departments, and pharmacies; similar strategies might have the potential to improve vaccination coverage in other states. CDC is also engaged in efforts to increase vaccination coverage, including sharing NHSN surveillance data with state and local health departments and CMS Quality Innovation Networks-Quality Improvement Organizations to guide targeted outreach and educational efforts in nursing homes with lower vaccination coverage, contacting facilities with high coverage to learn about and promote successful strategies employed, working with national organizations that represent nursing homes to help educate staff members and residents, responding to barriers by developing a Healthcare Provider Toolkit to facilitate vaccination and conduct webinars with partners, collaborating with CMS leaders to communicate reported billing barriers, and collaborating with CMS Quality Innovation Networks-Quality Improvement Organizations to increase vaccine confidence and demand.

The findings in this report are subject to at least three limitations. First, although it is mandatory for facilities to report COVID-19 vaccination coverage to NHSN, reporting of influenza and RSV vaccination coverage is optional, and the proportion of facilities reporting was low. Facilities that elected to report these data might be more likely to offer influenza or RSV vaccines. However, similarities in distribution of a small number of important facility demographics suggest that facilities voluntarily reporting these data might be representative of all facilities. Second, this analysis was conducted using aggregate, facility-level data reported to NHSN; therefore, vaccination coverage could not be directly examined by person-level covariates such as age, race, and ethnicity. Further, this limitation means that RSV vaccination coverage was calculated among all residents, not just the approximately 91% of residents aged 60 years (10). It is likely that RSV vaccination coverage among residents aged 60 years was higher than the overall coverage. Finally, NHSN does not collect data on the outcome of shared clinical decision-making discussions or reasons for declining vaccination.

There is an urgent need to protect nursing home residents against severe outcomes of respiratory illnesses through continuing effective strategies to increase updated COVID-19 vaccination and influenza vaccination coverage and discussing RSV vaccination as an option among nursing home residents during the ongoing 202324 respiratory virus season. Health care providers should counsel residents that immunizations are the most effective way to prevent severe outcomes from COVID-19, influenza, and RSV and offer recommended immunizations. It is important for nursing homes to collaborate with state and local health departments, federal agencies, and partners to address low vaccination coverage. Because vaccination coverage varied by vaccine type, region, SVI, and facility size, ongoing surveillance of vaccination coverage among nursing home residents remains essential to help guide timely efforts to increase vaccination in this population at high risk and address inequities.

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Coverage with Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, and Updated COVID-19 Vaccines Among Nursing Home ... - CDC

Martha Stewart has seemingly done it all shes a lifestyle expert, media mogul, and even founded a care center to support the geriatric population.

She recently chatted with Pfizer.com about why she joined the Got Yours? COVID-19 vaccination campaign, how her fathers job at Pfizer impacted her view on science, how she juggles her busy schedule and more!

Pfizer: The first thing we wanted to ask you is why you chose to partner with Pfizer, and if you've had a favorite part of being involved in the Got Yours? campaign thus far?

Martha: I chose to work with Pfizer predominantly because of Pfizer's reputation, and also because I am a firm believer in COVID-19 vaccines. I have many friends in the medical field, both doctors and hospital staff, and we have discussed the importance of vaccines. I mean, this has been going on for three years now and Pfizer has always been leading the way when it comes to helping to protect us from COVID-19, so that's one reason. But the other reason is my dad worked for Pfizer when I was a child and I have a fond childhood memory of the company. That also made me pay attention to what Pfizer was doing in response to COVID-19.

Pfizer: That's great. If we could talk about your dad a little bit, did his work in the pharmaceutical industry impact your views on science at all, from a young age and into the later years of your life?

Martha: I'm one of six. We all went to college and some of us got advanced degrees. We loved our science classes. We were brought up with a very curious nature, and science, as well as medicine, was a big part of it. And being smart about one's health is a part of it for me, especially because at my age I have to really take care of myself. As a result of my interest in science, I founded the Martha Stewart Centers for Living at Mount Sinai. Now that the elderly population over 65, the geriatric population, is growing in the U.S., it's very important that we pay attention and support them. So that's a long-winded, but important, answer about why science is significant to me.

Pfizer: Just to go back to the Got Yours? campaign itself, why is vaccination specifically important to you, and what made you decide to get the COVID-19 vaccine from the beginning of the pandemic up until now?

Martha: As I listened to figures like Dr. Fauci, and particularly to my own doctors, I felt that we had to have a vaccine against this very, very terrible disease. And I saw what was happening around me I kept track of the numbers of deaths in the United States. Every day I wrote them down as a record, and wow, was it frightening. We didn't want anything like that to happen around us we believe in this kind of medicine.

Pfizer: Thanks for sharing that. Its important to look back and see how far weve come, but we must also continue the efforts that got us here. For our last question relating to the campaign specifically, we were wondering if you had a favorite part of shooting the ad for example, chopping a bunch of pineapples?

Martha: It was fun, and you had such a fantastic crew. And I notice stuff like that because I've been doing this a long time. But I was really pleased with the whole thing, and I love how it turned out.

Pfizer: Thats awesome we did too. Our next few questions are related to general health. So, what do you consider the key to a healthy and fulfilling life? You surely have a lot of wisdom to provide.

Martha: First of all, I live a very healthy life. I care very much about staying healthy, living well and aging successfully. So, I eat extremely well. I start my day with exercise. I am now doing Pilates three or four times a week. I also drink eight ounces of my green juice made from my own homegrown vegetables every single morning. And I also have a one-shot cappuccino with whole milk. I don't drink a lot I might have a social drink every now and then. I think all of that helps keep me extremely healthy. My only issue is I've never slept very well. I have an active mind, so I must sleep more. But I really do live the life I write, talk about and show on television.

Pfizer: Also, since you're obviously a great cook, we were wondering if you might have an easy, healthy meal that someone can make themselves if they're not feeling great.

Martha: I think people should, as I said, be conscious of what they eat, especially when you're not feeling well. And for me, that would be a bowl of delicious soup. Soup is so easy to make well, so I have lots of recipes. One of my favorites is a vegetable soup that's simply cut up onions, leeks, carrots, sweet potatoes and a little olive oil and other vegetables, plus vegetable stock made at home. For me, everything's homemade. I rarely open a can and make my own pretty much everything. This weekend I taught my 12-year-old granddaughter how to pickle little peppers, and she was so happy to take home a half a gallon.

Pfizer: That sounds fantastic! Now we just have a few final questions that are more about you, and also the holiday season, so we can get to know you better. We know that your schedule is always jam-packed. How do you find the time to do it all, and do you have any tips you might be able to share?

Martha: I have Dorian working on my calendar, and she tries to keep me along the straight and narrow. It's hard because when you see my calendar in a day it's hideous it's really intimidating actually. So, we have calendar meetings regularly and we go over everything very clearly.

Pfizer: Scheduling is key. Would you share one thing you wish more people knew about you anything that comes to mind.

Martha: That I'm really very serious about the sustainable lifestyle that I lead. I think it's very important for people to know all that its something Im proud of.

Pfizer: Also, as you're known for being a tastemaker, could you share just a few of your favorite things? Your favorite scent, your favorite flower, and your favorite food.

Martha: Oh, for flower its what's in bloom now. It has to be that because I love, love flowers. Today I went into my greenhouse, and I brought in one of the most beautiful orchids that just started to bloom. So that's my favorite flower today. But I don't know what it'll be tomorrow I'll find something else that would be equally beautiful. My favorite scent is one of my favorite perfumes it's a combination of tuberose and gardenia. And my favorite food, is hard to say Japanese food is my favorite cuisine overall, I could eat it pretty much every day!

Pfizer: Fabulous! Our last question is about the holiday season, which can be a good time for people to get vaccinated before being with loved ones. Were wondering what your favorite holiday traditions are and what you love most about this time of year.

Martha: The holiday season should be a happy time. However, we're stressed out this year because of what's going on in the world. Many of us are distracted from the holidays and the happiness of what the season should be. I recommend you try to make the most of it. Be with your family and your friends. You can't erase what's going on around us, but you can encompass a lot of compassion for what's going on and help in any ways you can.

Pfizer: Thats great advice. Thank you so much, Martha, for taking the time.

Martha: My pleasure!

If youre interested in learning more about COVID-19 vaccines or scheduling an appointment, you can visit VaxAssist.com.

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Got Yours? Spokesperson Martha Stewart on Health and Wellness - Pfizer

The holidays are here, and County Health and Human Services is asking San Diegans to add a few things to their list to promote a healthy holiday season.

The County reports rapidly rising cases of COVID-19, flu and RSV along with associated hospitalizations. Wastewater surveillance, which measures the amount of COVID-19 virus in sewage, is also showing sharp increases, particularly in the South Bay and north coastal areas of the County. These measurements are a good indicator of cases to come.

As always, vaccinations are the best protection and COVID-19 and flu vaccines are widely available at local pharmacies or medical providers.

Testing for COVID-19 and flu is also recommended. Doctors can prescribe medications to help people from getting severely sick, especially older adults or people with underlying medical conditions.

Everyone ages six months and older is eligible for the updated COVID-19 vaccine regardless of prior vaccination history as long as it has been two months since the last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine.

The flu vaccine is recommended yearly for everyone six months and older, especially people at higher risk for getting seriously sick like young children, older adults, pregnant people and people with certain health conditions.

RSV or Respiratory Syncytial Virus is a common respiratory virus that can cause grave illness in young children and older adults with underlying illnesses. Pregnant people and people 60 years or older should talk with their doctor about whether the RSV vaccine is right for them.

Staying current on your vaccines is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from getting sick, said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. Its not too late to go get your COVID-19 and flu vaccines as these viruses have not yet peaked this season.

In addition to pharmacies and other locations, vaccines are also available at County public health clinics.Check onlinefor the days and hours sites will be open.

Beyond vaccination and staying home when sick, San Diegans can take other precautions to protect themselves and others against COVID-19, the flu and RSV with these measures:

The County Health and Human Services Agency publishes theRespiratory Virus Surveillance Reportweekly.

Originally posted here:

Put a Healthy Holiday on Your List this Season - countynewscenter.com

A CDC study released Dec. 21 found low COVID-19 and flu vaccination coverage for most adults, and low RSV vaccination coverage for adults aged 60 and older. Antiviral treatments are also being underused, and COVID-19 rebound can happen whether patients receive any, the study said. Among other findings, the report said that most nursing home residents have not received an updated COVID-19 vaccine or RSV vaccine for residents aged 60 and older using shared clinical decision-making.

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CDC study finds low rates of COVID-19, flu and RSV vaccinations in adults | AHA News - American Hospital Association

Particles of SARS-CoV-2 (yellow; artificially coloured) infect cells in the lining of the nasal passage.Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/National Institutes of Health/SPL

Delivery of COVID vaccines directly to the lungs and nose can stop SARS-CoV-2 infections in their tracks, according to a trio of new studies in monkeys. The research offers a boost to the wave of mucosal COVID-19 vaccines now in development and provides clues about how they might be improved.

Until now, there has been little evidence that mucosal vaccines, which are taken by nose or mouth, shield people against infection any better than existing COVID-19 jabs do. Even so, some countries have already approved such vaccines, and key trials are under way in the United States, with others set to start.

Together, the studies show that how and where vaccines are delivered can have a profound effect on the immunity generated and the protection conferred. The latest results also raise hopes that mucosal vaccines that offer sterilising immunity complete blockage of infection could become a reality.

These studies are showing you can get near sterilising immunity, says Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. "Its not complete science fiction to think about developing vaccines that would stop transmission and infection.

COVID-19 jabs saved millions of lives during the pandemic and continue to do a good job of keeping at-risk individuals out of hospital. But even updated versions of existing injected vaccines offer scant and short-lived protection against infection, scientists say.

Researchers think this is because injected intramuscular vaccines do a good job of stopping SARS-CoV-2s spread deep in the lungs, but are much less effective in the rest of the airway, where infections probably begin. Mucosal COVID-19 vaccines aim to trigger the production of antibodies and other immune players in the mucous membranes, or mucosa, that line the nose and the rest of the respiratory tract, in the hope that this will boost protection there.

Dozens of mucosal COVID-19 vaccines are in development (see High hopes) and several have been approved in countries including China and India. But according to an 8 December report by the London-based data and analytics firm Airfinity, the efficacy of existing mucosal COVID-19 vaccines has been disappointing and the available data suggest that they do not offer a meaningful increase in protection against infection.

Source: Airfinity

However, the latest studies in monkeys and other laboratory animals offer hints on how these vaccines might be improved. A team led by Dan Barouch, a vaccine scientist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, tried two approaches in monkeys that had previously received COVID-19 jabs: squirting a liquid vaccine into the animals noses, or applying it directly to their tracheae1.

Only the trachea-delivered vaccine substantially boosted mucosal immunity and protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. We think that the problem with intranasal delivery is that most of the vaccine is either swallowed or sneezed out, Barouch says. The results were published in Nature 14 December.

Biochemical engineer Wei Wei at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and his colleagues created a nanoparticle vaccine that includes a fragment of a SARS-CoV-2 protein, and delivered it as an aerosol into the lungs of mice, hamsters and monkeys. This triggered a strong mucosal immune response and stymied the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in vaccinated hamsters housed in cages next to one another, the researchers reported in Nature2 on 13 December. Both this study and that from Barouchs team hint that vaccines applied more deeply to the respiratory system outperform nasal sprays.

Chinas COVID vaccines have been crucial now immunity is waning

In a third study, a team led by Robert Seder, a vaccinologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, reached a slightly different conclusion. His group used devices approved to deliver other medicines to give monkeys a booster dose of mucosal COVID-19 vaccine either by way of the nose or as an inhaled aerosol delivered through the mouth and nose. Then they exposed the animals to SARS-CoV-2.

Monkeys that had received a booster dose with either device developed much lower levels of the virus in their upper airways than did monkeys that had received a booster jab, even though the animals were exposed to the virus five months after the booster. Such durability, Seder says, is striking. The results were posted on the preprint server bioRxiv on 8 November and have not yet been peer reviewed.

Delivering aerosolized vaccines to the lungs might be the best strategy for mucosal COVID-19 vaccines, says Zhou Xing, a vaccine immunologist at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. But he adds that simple, hand-held delivery devices might need to be developed for such vaccines to be widely deployed.

There is also a need to optimize the vaccines themselves, says Seder. Many of the current injectable vaccines contain SARS-CoV-2 RNA, but Seders team has found that the RNA formulations used in those vaccines arent effective when inhaled.

The vaccines that Seders and Barouchs teams tested, as well as the mucosal vaccines approved in China and India, are based instead on bioengineered adenoviruses that carry snippets of genetic material from SARS-CoV-2. The US government is supporting trials of mucosal vaccines based on other viruses: one that harnesses Newcastle disease virus, which infects birds, and a second based on a strain of SARS-CoV-2 that has been altered to replicate too slowly to cause disease.

China and India approve nasal COVID vaccines are they a game changer?

The protein-based vaccine that Weis team developed has the advantage that it can be stored at room temperature in a powdered form, reducing storage and transportation costs, Wei says.

Showing that mucosal vaccines actually work and work better than existing jabs do is another challenge facing the field. One possibility for testing these products is a human challenge trial, in which participants are intentionally infected with a virus. Seder expects it to take at least another two or three years to develop successful mucosal vaccines for COVID-19.

But the burst of interest in these vaccines has wider relevance, say scientists. If we can learn how to trigger mucosal immunity against SARS-CoV-2, it should be possible to do the same for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and infections we might not yet know about. Its a worthy goal, says Hyon-Xhi Tan, an immunologist at the University of Melbourne, Australia, especially for respiratory viruses that may pop up in the future with pandemic potential.

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Inhaled COVID vaccines stop infection in its tracks in monkey trials - Nature.com

With the holidays in full swing, the U.S. is seeing high rates of respiratory virus activity, but concerningly low levels of vaccination against COVID, influenza (flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

In a health alert published Thursday, the agency warned healthcare providers that the combination of high virus circulation and low vaccination uptake could lead to more severe disease and increased healthcare capacity strain in the coming weeks.

Within the last month, the CDC reported that among all ages, hospitalizations have gone up by 200% for flu, 51% for COVID, and 60% for RSV.

The CDC recommended that healthcare professionals continue to vaccinate their patients, if eligible, and should recommend antiviral treatments for COVID and flu for those who are at risk ofserious disease.

We wanted to make sure our providers know that it is not too late to get folks vaccinated, Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Health.

In addition to data on current virus activity and vaccination rates, the health alert also features a conversation guide for healthcare providers with information on talking people through vaccine concerns.

Importantly, we wanted to give folks tools on how to have those conversations, and to flag some new data that we have, Cohen added.

Junior Asiama/500px/Getty Images

According to the CDCs health alert, vaccinations arent where they should be for all age groups.

The agency found that as of mid-November, there were 7.4 million fewer influenza vaccine doses administered to adults in pharmacies and physician offices compared with the 20222023 influenza season.

By November 11, 36.1% of adults had gotten a flu shot, including just 58.6% of people over the age of 65. Thats down from 38.4% and 61.3%, respectively, in 2022.

Its worth noting that, according to CDC data from December 15, an estimated 42.2% of adults had gotten their flu shot, including 69.3% of seniors.

In general, flu shot uptake declined during the pandemic and has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.

This is the first season that the RSV vaccine has been widely available, meaning theres no comparative data. However, as of December 2, about 16% of adults over 60 reported getting the vaccine.

Low rates of vaccination for the updated COVID vaccine is an especially sorry state, Mark Cameron, PhD, associate professor and infectious disease researcher at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, told Health.

So far, just over 17% of adults have gotten the shot, including 36% of those over the age of 65. These numbers are slightly down from those who got last years bivalent COVID shotaccording to data gathered between fall 2022 and spring 2023, just over 20% of all adults got that shot, including just over 43% of older adults.

These lagging vaccination rates are worrisome, especially for seniors, said Cameron.

If you havent been infected for a while or youre exposed at a point thats been months or maybe years away from your last vaccine, that really puts up a risk for more severe illness, he said. We cant become complacent. We have to keep up with boosters.

Alongside low vaccination rates, the U.S. is also seeing increased rates of all three major respiratory viruses, Cohen explained.

We are probably at the peak of RSV season. Flu is definitely increasing right now, but were on the early end of the flu season, she said. [COVID is] elevated and increasing across most of the country, particularly in the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic regions.

According to respiratory illness data from last week, over 10% of flu tests came back positive, and 4.4% of all visits to healthcare providers were related to respiratory illness.

Health experts are also keeping an eye on COVID, as new Omicron variants are also emerging concurrently with this spike in hospitalizations and virus activity. The HK.3 variant has grown in recent weeks and now makes up an estimated 7.7% of cases. And, having exploded since early November, the JN.1 variant now makes up 1 in 5 COVID cases.

The JN.1 variant luckily doesnt seem to be any more severe than other variants, experts agreed, but it will likely still have an impact in the coming weeks.

Its still going to lead to a lot of infections that will peak over the holidays, and still up our hospitalizations and deaths, said Cameron.

Though vaccinations cant completely stem the tide of infections, they will be an integral part of managing this increase in RSV, COVID, and flu. Unmitigated, these viruses can lead to more hospitalizations and death, Cohen explainedvaccines prevent the worst of what the viruses could bring.

In the face of low vaccination rates, new COVID variants, and increasing case numbers, theres still good news, said Cohen.

While the virus has continued to change and be more transmissible and spread more quickly, our tools continue to be able to work against it, she said.

COVID cases will likely increase over the next few weeks and peak in mid-January, Cohen explained, and the country still has a long flu season ahead of it.

That means its not too late to get those updated vaccines, Cohen said. If people havent yet gotten vaccinated, they should do that before the holidays if possible, she added.

But, with holiday gatherings in full swing, its important to remember that vaccination is just one way to stay safe.

I want folks to enjoy the holidays, but use the tools that we have to protect themselves, said Cohen. If youre sick, stay homeI know thats probably the hardest recommendation to give because no one wants to miss a holiday gathering. But if you are sick, get tested, stay home, get treatment.

Theres no correct way to gather safely, Cohen emphasized. It has more to do with evaluating each persons individual risk, and increasing or decreasing safety measures from there. If someone is visiting an elderly family member or a friend fighting cancer, for example, those may be situations where increased protective measures are necessary.

It could be just opening a window, or it could be gathering outside, or it could be wearing masks, she said. But you want to think about yourself and the risk of the folks you are gathering with. But I want folks to be together [...] We can do that in a safe way using all of these tools as layers of protection.

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CDC Urges RSV, COVID, Flu Vaccination Amidst Rising Cases - Health.com

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there is an urgent need for vaccinations to fight respiratory illnesses this winter.

Earlier this week, the organization issued a health alert to doctors across the United States, calling on them to encourage their patients toget shotsto protect them from COVID, the flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) for the remainder of the season.

Low vaccination rates, coupled with ongoing increases in national and international respiratory disease activity caused by multiple pathogens, including influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and RSV, could lead to more severe disease and increased healthcare capacity strain in the coming weeks, the CDC said.

"Healthcare providers should administer influenza, COVID-19 and RSV immunizations now to patients, if recommended. Healthcare providers should recommend antiviral medications for influenza and COVID-19 for all eligible patients, especially patients at high-risk of progression to severe disease such as older adults and people with certain underlying medical conditions," the organization added.

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According to the CDC, there has been an increase in hospitalizations among groups of all ages within the past four weeks tied to respiratory illnesses.

There has been a 200% increase in hospitalizations for the flu, a 51% jump for COVID and a 60% rise for RSV, per the organization.

"Currently, the highest respiratory disease activity in the United States is occurring across the southern half of the country, with increasing activity in northern states," the CDC said.

There have also been 12 reported pediatric influenza deaths and 30 reports of MIS-C, a rare complication that typically occurs a month after a COVID infection, the organization added.

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According to CDC data through Nov. 18, about 36% of both adults and children have received their flu vaccine this year. Compared to 2022, about 7 million fewer adults have gotten the shot in 2023, the health organization said.

As for COVID shots, 17% of adults and about 8% of children have received the latest round, according to CDC data through Dec. 2.

Meanwhile, only about 16% of adults ages 60 and up have gotten the new RSV vaccine, the CDC found.

Key reasons for low vaccination, the CDC said, citing a national survey, include a lack of provider recommendations, concerns tied to side effects and a lack of time or forgetting to get vaccinated.

Multiple large-scale studies have found that vaccines are safe. There is no scientific link between vaccines and autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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The CDC Warns of 'Urgent Need' for Vaccinations to Fight Respiratory Illnesses This Winter - PEOPLE

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Anixa Biosciences CEO Dr. Amit Kumar told FOX Business that the company is working on a "game-changing vaccine" that could prevent the recurrence of the most aggressive form of breast cancer.

It's already being tested on women who were diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. Kumar believes that the potentially life-saving vaccine could hit the market within the next five years.

The vaccine was developed at Cleveland Clinic by the late Dr. Vincent Tuohy who died earlier this year. Before his death, Tuohy and his team worked on the development of this vaccine for two decades, Kumar said.

"Various other types of cancer vaccines have been attempted and nothing has been successful," Kumar told FOX Business. "The reason we believe that they failed is because of the mechanism of action that's been utilized to try and destroy cancer cells."

BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS AT FOX PUSH TO MAKE MAMMOGRAMS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO AMERICAN WOMEN

For the first time, Kumar believes the team may have made a breakthrough with a vaccine administered in a series of three shots that might be able to help more than just breast cancer patients. Eventually, he believes this vaccine could have the power to eliminate various forms of cancer.

After years of animal testing, the team received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin human testing in 2021. In October 2021, Jennifer Davis was the first woman to undergo the series of shots.

Jennifer Davis receiving treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. (Jennifer Davis)

"A lot of people, physicians, doctors, scientists, nurses, people like myself and others are going to be working on this before this vaccine is approved," Kumar said. "But the people who should really get the credit are people like Jenny and all the patients who let us as scientists try the vaccine out."

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The mother of three was first diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in the fall of 2018. She was only 41 years old.

It was a harrowing reality and within a few weeks, she was assigned a team of doctors and nurses at Cleveland Clinic and started an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. She underwent four rounds of a "brutal chemotherapy drug" and was supposed to endure 12 more rounds of another chemotherapy drug afterward.

However, she was forced to stop the second treatment short after suffering from neuropathy, a condition that left her unable to even button her own shirt. If she kept doing the chemotherapy, she could have ended up in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, Davis' doctor warned.

"In my mind, I thought the chemotherapy was what was going to save my life. So it was very difficult for me to finally stop," she said.

In 2019, she underwent a double mastectomy followed by 26 rounds of radiation.

Jennifer Davis holding an image of her receiving treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. (Jennifer Davis)

According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, as many as 50% of patients diagnosed with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer experience a recurrence.

"How triple-negative works is once you're done with standard of care, then that's it. There's no pill or anything that I could take that would ensure that this would not come back," Davis said.

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If it does come back, it tends to be much more aggressive and metastatic, meaning it's moved to other parts of the body, Kumar added.

Davis was one of 16 people who were part of the trial, which is still ongoing. Data released last week revealed that all women had an immune response.

"That means that that vaccine taught my body to identify these cancer cells and destroy them before they become a tumor," Davis sporting a tremendous smile said.

Anixa Biosciences CEO Dr. Amit Kumar. (Dr. Amit Kumar / Anixa Biosciences)

Kumar said the team of scientists plans to test a few more women as part of their phase one trial. Starting in 2024, they will initiate a double-blind study with hundreds of women, which will be split into two groups. Both groups will have the standard of care, but one group will get a series of placebo shots.

"The ratio of recurrences within those two groups will tell us how good this vaccine is, even if we can prevent half those recurrences. It's still a game changer," Kumar said.

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Right now, the team is only testing the shots on women who have triple-negative breast cancer because of the high recurrence rate of the type of the disease.

The goal, though, is to eventually test this vaccine on women with other types of breast cancer, Kumar said. Eventually, the team of scientists will test to see if this vaccine can address the prevention of cancer in women who've never had the disease.

Davis and Kumar, both of whom have daughters, have expressed how critical it is to have a vaccine like this for their children.

Kumar said that if the team is successful in this vaccine, "there's no reason why we couldn't develop similar vaccines for other types of cancers," he said.

Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle published findings in the journal JAMA Oncology last year that said an experimental vaccine against breast cancer safely generated a strong immune response to a key tumor protein. The findings, published in November 2022, might be able to treat different types of breast cancer, according to the university.

The "results should be considered preliminary, but the findings are promising enough that the vaccine will now be evaluated in a larger, randomized clinical trial," lead author Dr. Mary"Nora" L. Disis, said in a statement when the findings were published.

The vaccine has been licensed to Korean biopharmaceutical company Aston Sci. The company has initiated a randomized Phase II study in human growth receptor 2, or HER2, low breast cancer. The study is open and actively enrolling at multiple sites.

Read this article:

Breast cancer vaccine could prevent most aggressive form of disease from reoccurring - Fox Business

The Polk County Health Department is urging people to get updated respiratory shots with an alarmingly low number of doses reported in recent months.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalization rates for the flu, COVID-19 and RSV are the highest they've been since March.Paired with those high rates, the number of people getting vaccinated against respiratory diseases is alarmingly low.According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, 12.4% of Polk County residents are up-to-date with the COVID-19 vaccine. It's a staggering drop from the 68.5% of people who were up-to-date as of Aug. 31.The department also says 31.3% of Polk County neighbors got the updated flu shot this year.It's the lowest rate since the department began reporting numbers online in 2017.And, according to the CDC, 17% of adults age 60+ nationally report receiving an RSV vaccine.Madisun VanGundy, of the Polk County Health Department, said no matter how healthy you are, it's important to remember the others you may put at risk."Think about your grandparents. Think about the pregnant mothers in your life. Think about someone who's battling cancer. By getting the updated respiratory shots, you're helping protect their health as well," she said.Des Moines neighbors have various thoughts about why the vaccine rates are coming in lower for this time of year."I think people put priorities at this time of the season on some other things, especially since it seems like COVID-19 concerns have diminished a little bit," Tom Joensen said."I suppose people are just getting complacent. It's been a few years since COVID-19," Tami McLaren said.VanGundy said no matter how many COVID-19 vaccines you've had thus far, you only need the most recent shot to be considered up to date. However, if you haven't gotten one in the last six months, it's time to get another dose.

The Polk County Health Department is urging people to get updated respiratory shots with an alarmingly low number of doses reported in recent months.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalization rates for the flu, COVID-19 and RSV are the highest they've been since March.

Paired with those high rates, the number of people getting vaccinated against respiratory diseases is alarmingly low.

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, 12.4% of Polk County residents are up-to-date with the COVID-19 vaccine.

It's a staggering drop from the 68.5% of people who were up-to-date as of Aug. 31.

The department also says 31.3% of Polk County neighbors got the updated flu shot this year.

It's the lowest rate since the department began reporting numbers online in 2017.

And, according to the CDC, 17% of adults age 60+ nationally report receiving an RSV vaccine.

Madisun VanGundy, of the Polk County Health Department, said no matter how healthy you are, it's important to remember the others you may put at risk.

"Think about your grandparents. Think about the pregnant mothers in your life. Think about someone who's battling cancer. By getting the updated respiratory shots, you're helping protect their health as well," she said.

Des Moines neighbors have various thoughts about why the vaccine rates are coming in lower for this time of year.

"I think people put priorities at this time of the season on some other things, especially since it seems like COVID-19 concerns have diminished a little bit," Tom Joensen said.

"I suppose people are just getting complacent. It's been a few years since COVID-19," Tami McLaren said.

VanGundy said no matter how many COVID-19 vaccines you've had thus far, you only need the most recent shot to be considered up to date. However, if you haven't gotten one in the last six months, it's time to get another dose.

Continued here:

Polk County Health Department urges vaccine updates before holiday gatherings - KCCI Des Moines

Health

By Daniella Genovese, Fox Business

Published Dec. 19, 2023, 12:36 p.m. ET

Anixa Biosciences CEO Dr. Amit Kumar told FOX Business that the company is working on a game-changing vaccine that could prevent the recurrence of the most aggressive form of breast cancer.

Its already being tested on women who were diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.

Kumar believes that the potentially life-saving vaccine could hit the market within the next five years.

The vaccine was developed at Cleveland Clinic by the late Dr. Vincent Tuohy who died earlier this year.

Before his death, Tuohy and his team worked on the development of this vaccine for two decades, Kumar said.

Various other types of cancer vaccines have been attempted and nothing has been successful, Kumar told FOX Business. The reason we believe that they failed is because of the mechanism of action thats been utilized to try and destroy cancer cells.

For the first time, Kumar believes the team may have made a breakthrough with a vaccine administered in a series of three shots that might be able to help more than just breast cancer patients. Eventually, he believes this vaccine could have the power to eliminate various forms of cancer.

After years of animal testing, the team received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin human testing in 2021.

In October 2021, Jennifer Davis was the first woman to undergo the series of shots.

A lot of people, physicians, doctors, scientists, nurses, people like myself and others are going to be working on this before this vaccine is approved, Kumar said. But the people who should really get the credit are people like Jenny and all the patients who let us as scientists try the vaccine out.

The mother of three was first diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in the fall of 2018. She was only 41 years old.

It was a harrowing reality and within a few weeks, she was assigned a team of doctors and nurses at Cleveland Clinic and started an aggressive chemotherapy treatment.

She underwent four rounds of a brutal chemotherapy drug and was supposed to endure 12 more rounds of another chemotherapy drug afterward.

However, she was forced to stop the second treatment short after suffering from neuropathy, a condition that left her unable to even button her own shirt.

If she kept doing the chemotherapy, she could have ended up in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, Davis doctor warned.

In my mind, I thought the chemotherapy was what was going to save my life. So it was very difficult for me to finally stop, she said.

In 2019, she underwent a double mastectomy followed by 26 rounds of radiation.

According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, as many as 50% of patients diagnosed with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer experience a recurrence.

How triple-negative works is once youre done with standard of care, then thats it. Theres no pill or anything that I could take that would ensure that this would not come back, Davis said.

If it does come back, it tends to be much more aggressive and metastatic, meaning its moved to other parts of the body, Kumar added.

Davis was one of 16 people who were part of the trial, which is still ongoing. Data released last week revealed that all women had an immune response.

That means that that vaccine taught my body to identify these cancer cells and destroy them before they become a tumor, Davis sporting a tremendous smile said.

Kumar said the team of scientists plans to test a few more women as part of their phase one trial. Starting in 2024, they will initiate a double-blind study with hundreds of women, which will be split into two groups. Both groups will have the standard of care, but one group will get a series of placebo shots.

The ratio of recurrences within those two groups will tell us how good this vaccine is, even if we can prevent half those recurrences. Its still a game changer, Kumar said.

Right now, the team is only testing the shots on women who have triple-negative breast cancer because of the high recurrence rate of the type of the disease.

The goal, though, is to eventually test this vaccine on women with other types of breast cancer, Kumar said.

Eventually, the team of scientists will test to see if this vaccine can address the prevention of cancer in women whove never had the disease.

Davis and Kumar, both of whom have daughters, have expressed how critical it is to have a vaccine like this for their children.

Kumar said that if the team is successful in this vaccine, theres no reason why we couldnt develop similar vaccines for other types of cancers, he said.

Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle published findings in the journal JAMA Oncology last year that said an experimental vaccine against breast cancer safely generated a strong immune response to a key tumor protein.

The findings, published in November 2022, might be able to treat different types of breast cancer, according to the university.

The results should be considered preliminary, but the findings are promising enough that the vaccine will now be evaluated in a larger, randomized clinical trial, lead author Dr. Mary Nora L. Disis, said in a statement when the findings were published.

The vaccine has been licensed to Korean biopharmaceutical company Aston Sci.

The company has initiated a randomized Phase II study in human growth receptor 2, or HER2, low breast cancer. The study is open and actively enrolling at multiple sites.

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'Game-changing' new treatment could have astonishing outcomes for breast cancer patients - New York Post