Covid Vaccine Race

The Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Test is a single-use at-home test kit that provides results from self-collected nasal swab samples in roughly 30 minutes.

A new report shows these providers are playing a larger role in vaccine administration, but without federal legislation codifying PREP, half the US states could determine not to continue this path for pharmacists and take away this now vital responsibility.

"We made a mistake," said Wendy Wright, DNP, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, FNAP. "We needed to have a 3-dose primary series and not call these booster shots.”

Administered during the Omicron-dominant phase, the vaccine's efficacy was 73.2% in individuals 6 months to 4 years of age.

Why have “long COVID” cases become less frequent and less severe over time?

The 2023 changes include vaccines for influenza, pneumococcal disease, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and COVID-19.

After an 18-month study, investigators determined none of the diseases examined were more frequent among the vaccinated than among the non-vaccinated.

A phase 1 trial with the investigational vaccine, TNX-801, for the prevention of mpox and smallpox is expected to start in the second half of 2023.

The biggest COVID-19 news from the past week.

Though rare, Guillain-Barré syndrome can occur after vaccination. Did Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Janssen COVID-19 vaccination increase the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome?

The declaration set for May is a wind-down to allow health care and patients the time needed to adjust for the emergency to be over.

In the latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, authors offer some strategies to avoid SARS-CoV-2 infection in this patient population as well as the US government changes course on COVID-19 vaccine policy.

The week's most-clicked COVID-19 stories included vaccine updates, new variants, and a pivotal FDA advisory committee vote.

Novavax will update its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, but maintains the current vaccine is effective against current and future variants.

The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted to move toward a unified strain composition for COVID-19 primary and booster vaccines.

In the CDC’s latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, investigators reported the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech updated vaccines helped prevent acute infection from the latest Omicron mutations.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was associated with rare instances of myo/pericarditis and acute kidney injury, according to a nationwide study in New Zealand that confirmed the safety profile of the vaccine.

A new study demonstrated continuous neutralization after 3 doses.

“Vaccination coverage among pregnant women remains a priority,” the study authors noted.

In this week’s meeting, FDA is expected to ask their advisory committee to consider changes to simplify the vaccination schedule and look at delivering it annually, much like an influenza vaccine.

What factors contribute to post-COVID-19 conditions (“long COVID”)? Can vaccination before or after a COVID-19 infection decrease the risk of long COVID?

Reported reasons adults had not received a bivalent COVID-19 booster dose differed across age groups.

A retrospective study showed that exercise was found to have a protective association to adverse COVID-19 outcomes.

Interleukin-6 receptor antagonists and antiplatelets are highly likely to improve long-term survival of critically ill adults with COVID-19, a recent study suggests.

This act designed to allow pharmacists and technicians the ability to administer certain vaccines without a prescriber order will lapse next year. A new report looks at vaccination trends in the US and how pharmacists are playing a vital role in administering vaccines.

High levels of mucosal IgA antibodies in the airways were found to protect against COVID-19 reinfection for at least 8 months.

A CDC report looked at 2 vaccine safety surveillance systems for the bivalent boosters in this population and there were no reports of myocarditis or death. Many of the reports were due to vaccine errors and not adverse events.

The two agencies said one of the vaccine surveillance systems prompted an investigation into whether there was a safety concern for ischemic stroke in seniors for this booster.

Good news: across 23 countries, trust in COVID-19 vaccines increased 5.2% from 2021 to 2022. However, vaccine hesitancy remains in key populations.

The company is moving forward with vaccines to address respiratory and latent viruses as well as oncology.