Vaccine

A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.

What are Vaccines?

There are several diseases like Diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis), measles, mumps, Yellow fever, small pox and German measles (rubella) that are unfamiliar to many these days.

Vaccine History

Vaccine Schedule

Vaccine Effectiveness

Vaccine Production

Vaccine Excipients

Vaccine Delivery

Vaccine Immunity

Hib Immunization

History of Vaccination

Latest Vaccine News and Research

A backbone free energy study of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A recent study by scientist Robert Penner at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in France utilizes free energy calculations to predict effective antiviral targets that are highly conserved, surface-accessible for interaction, and resistant to mutation.

1 Mar 2021

Researchers evaluate surrogate large-scale SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance test

A team of international scientists has recently evaluated a surrogate virus neutralization test for severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and observed that it is highly efficacious for detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in serum samples. According to the scientists, the test can be effectively used for population-level serosurveillance and evaluation of vaccine efficacy. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

1 Mar 2021

Single-dose of BNT162b2 vaccine may not be protective without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study by researchers at Imperial College London, UK, discusses the effect of a vaccine dose, specifically the BNT162b2 candidate (also known as the ‘Pfizer-BioNTech’ vaccine), on neutralizing antibody titers in individuals who have already been infected with the virus.

1 Mar 2021

One in seven people in England show SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, finds study

The REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-2 (REACT-2) program completed its fifth round of community surveys in the days between January 26 and February 8, 2021. The findings appear in a new article in the BMJ on February 25, 2021, showing that natural infection and vaccination together account for around 14% seropositivity rates in England at present.

1 Mar 2021

Black churches fill a unique role in combating vaccine fears

In the hospital with covid-19 in December, Lavina Wafer tired of the tubes in her nose and wondered impatiently why she couldn't be discharged. A phone call with her pastor helped her understand that the tube was piping in lifesaving oxygen, which had to be slowly tapered to protect her.

1 Mar 2021

Connecticut is doling out vaccines based strictly on age. It’s simpler, but is it fair?

With Covid vaccines expected to remain scarce into early spring, Connecticut has scrapped its complicated plans to prioritize immunizations for people under 65 with certain chronic conditions and front-line workers. Instead, the state will primarily base eligibility on age.

1 Mar 2021

Could SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests before first vaccine dose help increase coverage and protection?

A new study by scientists in the UK raises the very useful hypothesis that natural infection may help spread the vaccine thinner without loss of efficacy.

1 Mar 2021

FDA issues EUA for third COVID-19 vaccine

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the third vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

1 Mar 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effective for wide range of Covid-19–related outcomes

The Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine was shown to be 95% effective in preventing severe COVID-19 infection in clinical trials. However, given that the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread and evolve into several concerning variants, it remained unknown how the vaccine would respond in a real-life setting.

1 Mar 2021

COVID-19 CG tracks local SARS-CoV-2 mutations by geographical location

Genomic surveillance of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has varied across countries. England's increased coronavirus sequencing helped it uncover the B.1.1.7 variant last fall. In contrast, countries such as the United States have reported little sequencing data.

28 Feb 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 B.1.526 variant emerges in New York

New York has the first case of a new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant called B.1.526, picked up by genomic surveillance research from Columbia University. The findings come after reports of other variants have been reported worldwide — B.1.1.7 in the United Kingdom, B.1.351 in South Africa, and P.1/P.2 in Brazil.

28 Feb 2021

Giving COVID-19 vaccine priority to older people will save more lives, shows study

Challenging the idea that older people with shorter life expectancies should rank lower in coronavirus immunization efforts, new UC Berkeley research shows that giving vaccine priority to those most at risk of dying from COVID-19 will save the maximum number of lives, and their potential or future years of life.

27 Feb 2021

FDA to finalize the issuance of emergency use authorization for vaccine distribution

Following today's positive advisory committee meeting outcome regarding the Janssen Biotech Inc. COVID-19 Vaccine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has informed the sponsor that it will rapidly work toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorization.

27 Feb 2021

FDA undertakes new action in its ongoing response effort to COVID-19 pandemic

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the following actions taken in its ongoing response effort to the COVID-19 pandemic:

27 Feb 2021

KHN’s ‘What the health?’: Staffing up at HHS

More than a month into President Joe Biden’s term, nominees to fill some of the top posts at the Department of Health and Human Services are finally getting confirmation hearings in the Senate, starting with the nominee for secretary, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

26 Feb 2021

Neanderthal-derived protein may protect against COVID-19 susceptibility and severity

Researchers at the Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital have discovered that increased levels of the protein OAS1 are associated with reduced mortality and less severe disease requiring ventilation among patients with COVID-19.

26 Feb 2021

South African SARS-CoV-2 variant partly resistant to neutralization by mRNA vaccine, says study

A new study deals with the clinical and virological effects of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, especially as they affect vaccine efficacy.

26 Feb 2021

Repurposed drugs show antiviral SARS-CoV-2 E channel blocking activity, finds study

A new study by researchers at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel reports the discovery of a promising group of E channel inhibitors with significant antiviral activity. This could be developed into new treatment agents for this often-deadly virus.

26 Feb 2021

Researchers develop new tool for predicting the effects of SARS-CoV-2 missense variants

A new study by a team of researchers in the UK and US describes the use of a computational tool that generates all possible single amino acid substitutions in SARS-CoV-2 and predicts their effects.

26 Feb 2021

Why Astrazeneca and J&J’s vaccines, in use the world over, are still on hold in America

The World Health Organization greenlighted emergency use of AstraZeneca and Oxford's covid-19 vaccine this month, following in the steps of the United Kingdom, the European Union and others, who are already injecting it as quickly as possible into the masses.

26 Feb 2021

Vaccine

Overview

Vaccine History

Vaccine Schedule

Vaccine Effectiveness

Feature Articles

Vaccine Production

Vaccine Excipients

Vaccine Delivery

Vaccine Immunity

Hib Immunization

History of Vaccination

Latest Vaccine News and Research

A backbone free energy study of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Researchers evaluate surrogate large-scale SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance test

Single-dose of BNT162b2 vaccine may not be protective without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection

One in seven people in England show SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, finds study

Black churches fill a unique role in combating vaccine fears

Connecticut is doling out vaccines based strictly on age. It’s simpler, but is it fair?

Could SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests before first vaccine dose help increase coverage and protection?

FDA issues EUA for third COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effective for wide range of Covid-19–related outcomes

COVID-19 CG tracks local SARS-CoV-2 mutations by geographical location

New SARS-CoV-2 B.1.526 variant emerges in New York

Giving COVID-19 vaccine priority to older people will save more lives, shows study

FDA to finalize the issuance of emergency use authorization for vaccine distribution

FDA undertakes new action in its ongoing response effort to COVID-19 pandemic

KHN’s ‘What the health?’: Staffing up at HHS

Neanderthal-derived protein may protect against COVID-19 susceptibility and severity

South African SARS-CoV-2 variant partly resistant to neutralization by mRNA vaccine, says study

Repurposed drugs show antiviral SARS-CoV-2 E channel blocking activity, finds study

Researchers develop new tool for predicting the effects of SARS-CoV-2 missense variants

Why Astrazeneca and J&J’s vaccines, in use the world over, are still on hold in America

Could a diet high in carbohydrates increase your risk of heart disease?

What makes viruses infectious?

Disinfectants could be helping bacteria to become resistant

Vaccine

Overview

Feature Articles

Vaccine Production

Vaccine Excipients

Vaccine Delivery

Vaccine Immunity

Hib Immunization

History of Vaccination

Latest Vaccine News and Research

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