See the answer in this video by Dr. Chana Davis from Fueled by Science . DP Links: Do the COVID-19 vaccines reduce transmission? References: Outbreak Associated with SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant in an Elementary School — Marin County, California, May–June 2021 Pfizer Vaccine Efficacy (Ages 5-11). Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee October 26, Read more…
The COVID-19 vaccine is almost here for children age 5 and up! How do I help prepare my child for the vaccine? A: Hooray! An FDA advisory panel has recommended the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children age 5 to 11 and the US will hopefully see final authorization from the CDC and FDA next week. Read more…
TODAY IS THE DAY! The U.S. Food and Drug Administration meets to discuss KIDS vaccines TODAY (October 26th)! The FDA released summary documents ahead of today’s VRBAC meeting which foreshadowed their assessment of the current evidence for vaccinating 5-11-year-olds. ➡️ TL;DR: The FDA estimates that vaccine benefits “clearly outweigh” the risks for this age group. Read more…
A: Unfortunately, no. TL;DR: 💥Our current antibody tests can’t tell us how well someone is protected from COVID-19 infection or disease. Whether you have been previously infected, vaccinated, or a combination of the two, the recent authorization of booster shots in many countries has people wondering if they need one yet. While it would be Read more…
The news many in the U.S. were waiting for…this week ACIP and the CDC authorized booster shots for eligible Moderna and Johnson & Johnson recipients. Highlights: ➡️ Booster recommended for *ALL* Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine recipients at least two months past their shot. ➡️ MIX AND MATCH AUTHORIZED!! Everyone, including J&J recipients, can choose Read more…
While his death is being highlighted by some as an example of vaccine failure, in fact it underscores why vaccines are so important to protect others and not just oneself. General Powell, who was 84 years old, suffered from multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in certain white blood cells. These cancerous Read more…
💥 The FDA Vaccines and Biologics Product *Advisory* Committee met on Thursday to discuss recommendations on a third dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine and on Friday to discuss a second dose of Johnson and Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. 💥 The committee unanimously recommended a 3rd half dose of the Moderna vaccine for people over the age Read more…
A: Give a strong, clear, favorable recommendation; be persistent; listen with empathy; address concerns; and keep the door open to keep talking about it! Receiving a strong recommendation in favor of vaccination from a trusted source is one of the most important reasons someone accepts immunization. Each of us can be that trusted source for Read more…
On the eve of the US FDA meetings some long awaited results from the US Mix and Match booster trial. TL;DR: ➡️ A boost of ANY vaccine raised antibodies a lot, no matter your first type of vaccine. ➡️ Boosting with an mRNA vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer) after an original Johnson & Johnson vaccine produced Read more…
Immunologists who *really* do their own research on this topic have thoughts. Check out this infographic from the British Society for Immunology: TL;DR: ➡️ For most people vaccination will induce more effective & longer lasting immunity compared to natural infection. ➡️ Even if you’ve had COVID-19, vaccination will significantly boost the immunity you have from Read more…
Malaria is, in a word, awful. And there’s a lot of it. And the new vaccine for malaria is honestly meh. It’s safe, but its efficacy is nothing to sing about. That said, even a little improvement in malaria prevention multiplied by several hundred million people means a huge positive impact. The newly recommended vaccine Read more…
A: YES! In fact, the US CDC recently released a health advisory strongly encouraging pregnant people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent serious illness, death, and bad outcomes for the pregnancy. Pregnant persons who get COVID-19 are more likely to need ICU admission, need help breathing with machines and tubes, and even death. They Read more…
A: Variant specific boosters are currently being tested, but it’s not clear whether we need them just yet. Here is a run-down of ongoing trials: Pfizer/BioNTech has two Phase 2/3 trials ongoing, one with a booster designed to target the Beta variant (the one that emerged in South Africa in late 2020) and one that Read more…
An all-new special Live Q&A at 9am Central Time Saturday, Oct 2! We’ll be talking ALL ABOUT BOOSTERS and answering your ❓’s about mix & match, ❓’s about timing, ❓’s about flu shots + COVID-19 boosters, ❓’s about boosters after you got COVID-19! So many ❓❓❓’s! ➡️ Welcome and Intros (0:00-1:57) ➡️ Week in Review: Read more…
AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! It’s the news we’ve all been waiting for!!! FDA will review the Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 5-11 on October 26!! On October 1st, the FDA announced that it “anticipates receiving a request from Pfizer to amend its emergency use authorization to allow the use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 through 11 Read more…
A: The vaccine boosts your immune response and gives you better protection against new variants. ➡️ Most people who get COVID-19 do have some antibodies after they recover. ➡️ But the level of antibodies varies from one person to another… So some people have a lot of protection, others–not so much. ➡️ Immune response to Read more…
A: The vaccines have been shown to be safe (much safer than getting COVID-19!) and effective, but safety monitoring continues and remains a priority. Several existing and some new strategies were put in place to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Below, get ready to wade through some acronyms and we’ll outline a few of Read more…
