People with Medicare or Medicaid and those with private health insurance would likely get the vaccine for free
COVID-19 Death Rate Increased With Age, Was Higher for Men
Death rate was 2.8 and 7.0 times higher for those aged 85 years and older than those aged 75 to 84 and 65 to 74 years, respectively
London's Poliovirus Confirmations Continue Unabated
The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recently announced it continues investigating the source of the poliovirus identified in wastewater systems across London, England.
The UKHSA stated on October 19, 2022, it is most likely that an individual entered the U.K. in February 2022 from a country where the oral polio vaccine (OPV) had been used for immunization campaigns.
Recently vaccinated individuals can shed the OPV virus in their stool for a few weeks following vaccination enabling the virus to be detected through sewage surveillance.
Flu Shots Flopped Last Season
During the two-day U.S. CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting led by Dr. Grace Lee, several presentations revealed significant vaccine progress and measurable health impact.
However, when Jessie Chung MPH, Samantha Olson MPH, and Nathaniel Lewis Ph.D. presented the preliminary influenza vaccine efficacy (VE) results from the last flu season, various ACIP members expressed shock and dismay.
CDC Panel: Add COVID-19 Shot to Routine Vaccine Schedule
The next step is for the CDC to decide whether to follow the advice of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
Rates of Health Care Use Higher After Positive SARS-CoV-2 Test
At 99th percentile per person-year, women who tested positive had 6.48 more days of hospital admission
Monkeypox Vaccination Produced de Minimis Protection
When the monkeypox outbreak began in May 2022, most impacted people started a search for a preventive vaccine. In the U.S., the government began offering vaccinations in Boston, then in New York and Washington DC.
But without peer-reviewed clinical studies, vaccine efficacy remained in question.
A recent study published by the journal Nature Medicine found the antibody response to the two-dose JYNNEOS® (MVA-BN) vaccine in non-primed people or those who had not previously received a smallpox vaccine was very low.
FDA OKs Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine as First Booster Shot
Until now, the protein-based vaccine was only approved as a two-dose primary series
Monkeypox Virus Detected in Nonhuman Primate Testes
For the first time, scientists have detected the monkeypox virus (MPXV) in the testes of macaques, according to research published in the journal Nature Microbiology.
In addition, these researchers found preliminary evidence of persistent infection in two animals that survived challenges with the virus.
This data provide evidence that MPXV may be shed into semen during both acute and convalescent stages of the disease.
Their results, published on October 17, 2022, highlight the potential for sexual transmission of the MPXV in humans.
Authorization Granted for Protein-Based Boosters for Adults
Novavax, Inc. announced that the protein-based Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted (NVX-CoV2373), had received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide a first booster dose of at least six months after completion of primary vaccination with an authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine to individuals 18 years of age and older for whom an FDA-authorized mRNA bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine is not accessible or clinically appropriate.