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Research indicating protecting people who are immuno-compromised from getting COVID is important not just for their sake – it could be critical in the effort to end the pandemic for everyone.

Tue, 2021-06-29 12:34 — mike kraft

There's mounting research to suggest that protecting people who are immuno-compromised from getting COVID is important not just for their sake – it could be critical in the effort to end the pandemic for everyone.

The evidence comes from two separate strands of studies.

Dr. Laura McCoy has been doing the first type. She's an infectious disease researcher at University College London.

"The group of people that I'm particularly interested in are those living with HIV," she says.

She's been studying how well their immune systems respond to vaccines against COVID-19 — specifically the Pfizer vaccine.

So far, it's worked quite well for HIV-positive people.

But there's a catch. In her studies, "all of our participants had really quite well-controlled HIV."

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Three studies offered fresh evidence that widely used vaccines will continue to protect people against the coronavirus for long periods

Tue, 2021-06-29 09:36 — mike kraft

Three scientific studies released on Monday offered fresh evidence that widely used vaccines will continue to protect people against the coronavirus for long periods, possibly for years, and can be adapted to fortify the immune system still further if needed.

Most people immunized with the mRNA vaccines may not need boosters, one study found, so long as the virus and its variants do not evolve much beyond their current forms — which is not guaranteed. Mix-and-match vaccination shows promise, a second study found, and booster shots of one widely used vaccine, if they are required, greatly enhance immunity, according to a third report.

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Study indicates mix-and-match Covid vaccine approach boosts immune response

Tue, 2021-06-29 09:26 — mike kraft

Mixing different types of Covid vaccines can boost immune response, study finds Some European countries have started offering alternatives to AstraZeneca as a second shot after the vaccine was linked to rare blood clots. NBC News

A mixed schedule of vaccines where a shot of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine is given four weeks after an AstraZeneca shot will produce better immune responses than giving another dose of AstraZeneca, an Oxford study said on Monday.

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Trial of first coronavirus variant vaccine, Oxford/AstraZeneca, under way

Mon, 2021-06-28 19:14 — mike kraft

Covid-19 news: Trial of first coronavirus variant vaccine under way The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper and Layal Liverpool New Scientist

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OVERVIEW: U.S.vaccinations and overseas developments

Mon, 2021-06-28 12:36 — mike kraft

UK health minister resigns after breaching coronavirus rules; Massachusetts releases vaccine lotto details: Latest COVID-19 updates Many businesses across the U.S. are reluctant to demand proof of vaccination from customers, facing pushback from the general public and politicians. Edward Segarra USA TODAY

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Oxford vaccine produces strong immune response from booster shot - study

Mon, 2021-06-28 10:03 — mike kraft

Oxford vaccine produces strong immune response from booster shot - study A third shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine produces a strong immune response, researchers said on Monday, adding there was not yet evidence that such shots were needed, especially given shortages in some countries. Alistair Smout Reuters

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Explainer: There are at least 200 known cases of the Delta Plus coronavirus variant worldwide.

Fri, 2021-06-25 09:57 — mike kraft

What we know about the Delta Plus coronavirus variant A new and slightly changed version of the Delta coronavirus variant is spreading in a number of countries including the United Kingdom, United States and India, health officials say. Jessie Yeung, CNN CNN

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New study: Over 2 million in England may have had long COVID

Thu, 2021-06-24 09:11 — mike kraft

Over 2 million in England may have had long COVID, study finds Over 2 million people in England might have had long COVID and suffered one or more COVID-19 symptoms that lasted at least 12 weeks, one of the biggest surveillance studies of the coronavirus found on Thursday. Reuters Staff U.S.

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OVERVIEW: Blood shortage delay New England surgeries, London uses soccer stadiums for stepped up vaccinations.

Sun, 2021-06-20 18:43 — mike kraft

The Latest: Blood shortage forces New England surgery delay BOSTON — Some New England hospitals are delaying or rescheduling surgeries because of a shortage of blood donations during the pandemic. “We haven’t seen anything like this in about 30 or 40 years at least,” Dr. AP NEWS

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Former British Prime Minister Brown says recent vaccine pledges for poor nations were inadequate and a "moral failure"

Fri, 2021-06-18 12:46 — mike kraft

Former British PM Brown and New Zealand PM Clark say rich nations should send more caccines to the poorer countries. Brown said recent pledges were a "moral Failure."

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark says the Covid-19 pandemic will continue to wreak havoc globally unless rich nations "share the burden" and help vaccinate poorer countries.

"If we're to end this pandemic, we need 70 per cent of the global population (according to the head of the World Health Organisation) vaccinated by the time the G7 meets in June next year. On the level of [vaccine] pledge we're seeing, and we're not going to meet that," she said in a webinar last night hosted by the Helen Clark Foundation.

"That means this disease is going to carry on in pandemic phase - which is ghastly. We need to see it coming off the accelerating pandemic, down to the point where it becomes somewhat endemic, and ideally, if more countries follow the approach of New Zealand and Australia - squashing it, eliminating it where it appears - we might even see an end to it one day.

"But the redistribution of existing vaccine orders from the high-income countries like ours is clearly important." ...

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