Feature Channels: Vaccines

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• Researchers have identified a set of receptors shared across human, mosquito, and other animal cells for the eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) and two related viruses, a crucial first step for developing preventive and curative treatments. • In experiments with cells and mouse models with a related virus, the scientists were able to prevent infection and disease progression using decoy molecules to hamper viral entry into cells. • In a 2019 outbreak of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE, or triple E) in New England, 30 percent of infected people died and half of those who survived had long-term neurologic damage. • Done between major outbreaks, this type of research into highly pathogenic viruses with pandemic potential can help improve preparedness for future outbreaks.

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Some recipients of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, like those made by Pfizer and Moderna, have experienced a wide variety of side effects, indicating their immune system is revving into gear. However, for those who have not had such reactions, this does not mean the vaccine failed to work as intended, according to a new collaborative study, “Adverse Effects and Antibody Titers in Response to the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in a Prospective Study of Healthcare Workers,” published Jan. 14 in Open Forum Infectious Diseases by researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU).

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As COVID-19 continues to evolve and mutate quickly, so do treatment options. While the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are vaccinations and booster vaccinations, several authorized treatments and preventive drugs, including monoclonal antibody therapies, are used to treat patients at different stages.

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Michael Lin, MD, MPH, an infectious disease specialist, explains how risky some activities are now as the highly transmissible omicron variant surges through Chicago and the rest of the country.

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The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing challenges to a Biden administration vaccine mandate that requires eligible employees in Medicare or Medicaid-funded facilities to get vaccinated or receive an exemption.

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Researchers at Penn Medicine have discovered a new, more effective method of preventing the body’s own proteins from treating nanomedicines like foreign invaders, by covering the nanoparticles with a coating to suppress the immune response that dampens the therapy’s effectiveness.

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With the new coronavirus variant circulating widely, our expert urges people to get the vaccine and booster shots—and to wear a tight-fitting mask around people outside one’s household.

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Mayo Clinic experts are available to offer commentary and perspective on the "new normal" as COVID-19 transitions to an endemic disease. Among Mayo Clinic experts who are available

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There is growing evidence that the currently available MRNA vaccines provide some protection against the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) of the SARS-COV-2 virus, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. According to the CDC, preliminary results for Omicron from South Africa showed that the Pfizer vaccine provided 70% protection against COVID-19 hospitalization and 33% against infection, during the current Omicron wave. Granted, the protection is reduced compared with the Delta variant (93% for hospitalization and 80% for infection).

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An experimental immunotherapy can temporarily reprogram patients’ immune cells to attack a specific target via only a single injection of messenger RNA (mRNA), similar to the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

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First on the list: Get vaccinated and get a booster shot if you qualify.

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The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) publishes updated guidance on vaccination and pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 for people with cancer based on latest FDA approvals and surging COVID-19 infection rates—available at NCCN.org/covid-19.

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ORNL story tips: Cooler vaccine transport, bioenergy boost and radiation-resistant sensors

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Cervical cancer is the only gynecologic cancer that can be prevented—and there are numerous tools to promote prevention including vaccines and tested strategies. James K. Aikins, Jr., MD, FACOG, FACS, chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and associate professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School shares more information about cervical cancer prevention through HPV vaccination, routine PAP tests and lifestyle choices.

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Now more than ever, shots and vaccines are an important part of a safe and healthy childhood. The experience of getting these shots, however, can be a source of fear and anxiety—for children and even parents alike. How can families make it easier? Two Child Life specialists from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles share eight important tips.

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In a widely shared newsletter, Steve Kirsch, a man who promotes himself as an entrepreneur and technology expert, stated that "they've now killed close to twice as many kids from the vaccine as have died from COVID." He's also repeated this claim in an interview on The New American, a conservative news site. We find this claim false. There is no confirmed evidence of a COVID-19 vaccine causing the death of even one child.

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On Dec. 22, Caroline Davis of Nashville became the first patient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to receive injections of a new antibody combination to protect her from COVID-19.

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A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital helps explain why mRNA vaccines have been so successful at preventing severe disease.

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​The California State University announced today that it will require faculty, staff and students who are accessing university facilities or programs to receive a vaccine booster shot in order to be fully immunized against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and in compliance with the university's COVID-19 vaccination policy.​

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As the discovery of the new omicron variant illustrates, new COVID-19 variants will continue to regularly emerge. In an effort to make sense of these new variants, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed methods to quantify how much more or less transmissible they are, which could have far-reaching implications for public health in terms of COVID-19 risk and the vaccination levels required to obtain herd immunity.

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The results of a nationwide, multicenter clinical trial led by Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health provides solid evidence for the use of plasma from convalescent patients — those who have recovered from the disease and whose blood contains antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 — as an early treatment

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Newly published findings from surveys conducted last year reveal people were less interested in getting COVID-19 vaccines when they thought the vaccines were scarce. The researchers point to compassion for the vulnerable as a driving factor.

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A new study from COVID researchers at Columbia and the University of Hong Kong adds more evidence that the omicron variant can evade the immune protection conferred by vaccines and natural infection.

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Research Shows Vaccine Has 90 Percent Efficacy at Preventing Infections; Moderate to Severe Disease Occurred Only in Placebo Recipients

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Cedars-Sinai is gathering pediatricians, parents and community members to address important questions about vaccinating children 5-11 years old against COVID-19. The free virtual event, “The Open House: FAQs on COVID-19 Vaccines for Ages 5-11,” will take place from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, on Zoom. The conversation will be recorded and available for viewing by clicking here.

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os especialistas da Mayo Clinic afirmam que, independentemente da variante, a prevenção da infecção funciona. As vacinas reduzem e previnem a hospitalização e morte de acordo com o conhecimento atual.

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妙佑医疗国际(Mayo Clinic)的专家表示，无论对于哪种变异株，预防感染的措施都有效。根据现有理解，疫苗可预防并且减少住院和死亡。如果您可以接种疫苗或符合接种加强针的条件，请立即接种。

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Los expertos de Mayo Clinic dicen que, independientemente de la variante, la prevención de la infección funciona. Las vacunas reducen y previenen los casos de hospitalización y muerte, según lo que se sabe hasta ahora. Si reúnes las condiciones para vacunarte o recibir un refuerzo, hazlo ahora.

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Penn Medicine’s pop-up vaccine clinics and low-tech signups provided a road map for equitable mass vaccinations, at sites from schools to churches to hardware store parking lots. Now, the health system is planning for what’s next.

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A nationwide effort to adequately vaccinate 8 in 10 adolescents against the human papillomavirus (HPV) could prevent 934,000 cases of virus-associated, male oropharyngeal cancer over this century, reported investigators at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) School of Public Health in The Lancet Regional Health—Americas.

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The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute a contract that enables it to compete for projects advancing investigational vaccines to production for use in early clinical trials.

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A long, long time ago, the BCG vaccine was approved for use against tuberculosis (TB), and it's still given to infants today. For generations, the vaccine has saved lives and prevented untold suffering.

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For patients with the blood cancer multiple myeloma, vaccination against COVID-19 provides some protection against coronavirus infection but to a far lower degree than the general population of cancer survivors, a new study by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators shows.

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Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have identified rare, naturally occurring T cells that are capable of targeting a protein found in SARS-CoV-2 and a range of other coronaviruses.

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A new company spawned by McMaster University innovation in the arena of vaccine manufacturing has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Elarex Inc., based in Burlington, has been awarded a $1.2M Cdn grant from the non-profit humanitarian foundation to develop a new technology for keeping liquid mRNA vaccines safe and viable without the deep-freeze that is necessary today for storing and transporting such vaccines.

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Immunologist David A. Ostrov, Ph.D., was asked by a worldwide consortium of scientists to analyze and map the locations of omicron’s mutations. His analysis for the Global Virus Network found omicron has substantially more mutations than the delta variant at four key sites within the virus.

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Mayo Clinic experts say, regardless of the variant, prevention of infection works. The vaccines reduce and prevent hospitalization and death based on current knowledge. If a person can get vaccinated or is eligible for a booster, do it now. But what about these variants? Why do they show up, and how? Here is what Mayo Clinic experts are saying:

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The combination of two monoclonal antibodies, called Evusheld, was authorized as a pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent COVID-19 in adults and children 12 years and older who have compromised immune systems or a history of severe adverse reactions to a COVID-19 vaccine.

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Many parents have been concerned about reports of myocarditis—heart inflammation—in some young people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine. This worry is understandable. But there’s also reassuring news: Heart inflammation after the vaccine is a very rare event.

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