Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

50-state analysis finds excess deaths from COVID-19 and other causes in the U.S.

Extended surges in the South and West in the summer and early winter of 2020 resulted in regional increases in excess death rates, both from COVID-19 and from other causes, a 50-state analysis of excess death trends has found.

3 Apr 2021

Prioritization of COVID-19 vaccines saves lives, reduces spread of infection

Waiting for your turn can be frustrating, especially when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations. But prioritizing who receives the limited supply of vaccines available saves lives and reduces spread of infection, according to a study published today in the journal PNAS from the University of California, Davis.

2 Apr 2021

Researchers offer large-scale screening of potential broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 antivirals

A new study describes the identification of new compounds from a library, with inhibitory activity against several coronaviruses. This study shows the utility of this method, besides identifying compounds that not only inhibit viral shedding in SARS-CoV-2 cultures, but have an immunomodulatory effect that may be useful in mitigating the damaging cytokine storm typical of severe or critical COVID-19.

2 Apr 2021

Beating the pavement to vaccinate the underrepresented — and protect everyone

Leonor Garcia held her clipboard close to her chest and rapped on the car window with her knuckles. The driver was in one of dozens of cars lined up on a quiet stretch of road in Adelanto, California, a small city near the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert.

2 Apr 2021

Comparative study of SARS, MERS, BAT‐SARS, and SARS-CoV-2

Even though a comparative study on the genomic sequences of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 is available, there is a gap in the research in regards to the comparison between four types of coronaviruses, namely, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, BAT-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. A new study, which deals with the genomic comparison between the sequence of the above-stated four types of coronaviruses, has been published in the Journal of Medical Virology.

2 Apr 2021

Study investigates the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines over longer term

COVID-19 vaccines were designed to reduce the likelihood that infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus would lead to severe outcomes, such as hospitalization and death. In that sense, all of the currently approved vaccines -- Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson -- have proven comparably effective.

2 Apr 2021

Study finds vaccine distrust among majority of incarcerated people

Fewer than half of inmates in jails and prisons surveyed in a study by the CDC and University of Washington said they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine, while the majority either said they wanted to wait before getting the vaccine or would refuse one.

1 Apr 2021

COVID-19: Several 'proxy wars' spawned by the pandemic

When Australia, India, Japan and the US — countries strategically allied under the so-called Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) — switched focus to fighting COVID-19, it was seen as one more of the several 'proxy wars' spawned by the pandemic.

1 Apr 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Planning for round two

Congress is out of session, but that hasn't stopped Democrats from planning their next round of health legislation.

1 Apr 2021

Study discovers new target on SARS-CoV-2 spike for protective antibodies

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute, USA, have described a potential target for COVID-19 vaccines. Dubbed as CC40.8 bnAb, it exhibited broad reactivity with human beta coronaviruses.

1 Apr 2021

Can asymptomatic COVID-19 confer long-term immunity?

Researchers examined the antibody responses in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals recovered from COVID-19 to see if there was a discernable difference in their humoral immune responses and long-term protection from reinfection with SARS-CoV-2.

1 Apr 2021

Could a flavonoid found in common fruit and vegetables combat COVID-19?

Researchers in India have gathered and presented a large body of evidence highlight quercetin – a flavonoid molecule found in many common fruits and vegetables – may be developed into drug therapies used to combat COVID-19.

1 Apr 2021

Researchers develop a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain trimer vaccine candidate

New research deals with the development of RBD trimer as a potent target for SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccines. This study revealed the development of a trimeric RBD subunit vaccine candidate that could induce strong humoral and cellular immune responses in nonhuman primates (NHPs), namely, rhesus macaques.

1 Apr 2021

Study investigates U.S. public support for COVID-19 vaccine donation to less prosperous countries

The pandemic is affecting every country, but not every country has equal access to the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines. Recent estimates show that high-income countries -- which have just one-fifth of the global adult population -- have purchased more than half of the world's total vaccine doses, resulting in disparities for low- and middle-income countries.

1 Apr 2021

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in pregnancy

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server shows that while pregnant women are seriously worried about their risk of contracting the infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but are also hesitant to take the vaccine.

1 Apr 2021

Antibodies produced from infection with SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 protect against other variants

A recent paper in the journal Nature shows that while earlier lineages do not elicit antibodies capable of efficiently neutralizing the newly emerged South African variant, SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 (B.1.351), the converse does occur.

31 Mar 2021

Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine effective against B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant

Published in The Lancet, the study explores if the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine works well in protecting against the B.1.1.7 variant, otherwise known as the U.K. variant.

31 Mar 2021

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 from reinfected individuals with previous infection or vaccination

A technical report recently published by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has summarized all available literature regarding the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission from asymptomatic reinfected individuals with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination.

31 Mar 2021

New Phase 1 clinical trial of investigational vaccine against B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant begins

An investigational vaccine designed to protect against the B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant has been administered as part of a new Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the vaccine candidate's safety and immunogenicity in adult volunteers.

31 Mar 2021