Hopeful Dads Can Relax About COVID Vax: No Link to Infertility
Researchers of a recent study looking at whether the authorized COVID-19 vaccines harm male fertility were deluged with hundreds of emails from freaked-out men and their worried partners leading up to publication. Now, the findings from 45 vaccinated men are in: none showed any significant signs of lower sperm counts after getting their shots. It’s […]
Immune system-stimulating nanoparticle could lead to more powerful vaccines
A common strategy to make vaccines more powerful is to deliver them along with an adjuvant — a compound that stimulates the immune system to produce a stronger response. Researchers from MIT, the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, and other institutions have now designed a new nanoparticle adjuvant that may be more potent than others […]
Two Doses of mRNA COVID Vax Not Enough for the Immunosuppressed
COVID-19 vaccines worked fairly well in keeping immunocompromised patients out of the hospital from the infection, but still less than for those with a competent immune system, a study showed. After two vaccine doses, immunocompromised patients saw 77% vaccine effectiveness (95% CI 74%-80%) against hospitalization for confirmed COVID-19, with a 3.9% rate of SARS-CoV-2 test […]
The Unvaxxed and a History of Cynicism
The vitriol that characterizes discussions about vaccines, masking, and school policies has been deeply disturbing. I am a physician who is concerned about COVID. At first, I thought that everyone would want to be vaccinated. I thought that the pandemic would cause everyone to isolate and socially distance to protect themselves, their families, and their […]
Allergies to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines rare, generally mild, study finds
Allergic reactions to the new mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are rare, typically mild and treatable, and they should not deter people from becoming vaccinated, according to research from the Stanford University School of Medicine. The findings will be published online Sept. 17 in JAMA Network Open. “We wanted to understand the spectrum of allergies to the […]
CDC Staff Floats ‘Risk-Based Approach’ to Potential Booster Doses
A risk-based booster dose strategy for COVID-19 vaccines could target populations at risk of severe disease and those critical to the public health infrastructure, CDC staff said at a meeting of CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Monday. Though FDA has yet to review data on booster doses for COVID-19 vaccines among the […]
The Science Supporting the U.S. Case for COVID Boosters
U.S. health officials laid out the scientific rationale for a third dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for all U.S. adults on Wednesday, relying on published and unpublished CDC data, as well as a preprint study. Overall, they said that there is evidence that vaccine effectiveness against infection — both symptomatic and asymptomatic — has […]
CDC Panel Backs Third COVID Shot for the Immunocompromised
Moderately to severely immunocompromised people who received mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 should receive an additional dose, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) said on Friday. In a unanimous 11-0 vote, the ACIP recommended an additional dose of the Pfizer (ages 12 and up) or Moderna vaccine (ages 18 and up) following a primary […]
Biden Says Vaccine Mandate For Federal Employees ‘Under Consideration’
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that his administration was mulling the possibility of requiring COVID-19 vaccines for all federal employees. Asked during a press conference whether he would impose a vaccine mandate on the federal workforce, Biden said, “That’s under consideration right now.” “But if you’re not vaccinated, you’re not nearly as smart as I thought […]
mRNA vaccines slash risk of COVID-19 infection by 91 percent in fully vaccinated people, study finds: Illness is significantly milder in rare ‘breakthrough’ cases of the disease
People who receive mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are up to 91 percent less likely to develop the disease than those who are unvaccinated, according to a new nationwide study of eight sites, including Salt Lake City. For those few vaccinated people who do still get an infection, or “breakthrough” cases, the study suggests that vaccines reduce […]