Pfizer’s Covid Shots Less Effective For 5- To 11-Year-Olds: Study

Stat: Pfizer Covid Vaccine Is Far Less Effective In Kids 5 To 11, Study Finds
Newly emerging data suggest the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine works substantially less well at preventing infection and hospitalizations in children aged 5 to 11 than it does in those aged 12 to 17 — a finding that is raising questions about whether the companies chose the wrong dose for the younger children. The data, from New York state, show a rapid and substantial decline in protection after vaccination in children in the younger age group, with efficacy against infections dropping off more quickly and dramatically than the declines seen in children aged 12 to 17. The study also found a significant, but less steep, decline in protection against hospitalizations. (Branswell, 2/28)

CNBC: Pfizer Vaccine Was Just 12% Effective For Kids In Omicron Surge: Study
Pfizer and BioNTech’s two-dose Covid vaccine provided very little protection for children aged 5 to 11 during the wave of omicron infection in New York, according to a study published Monday. The New York State Department of Health found that the effectiveness of Pfizer’s vaccine against Covid infection plummeted from 68% to 12% for kids in that age group during the omicron surge from Dec. 13 through Jan 24. Protection against hospitalization dropped from 100% to 48% during the same period. The study has not yet undergone peer review, the academic gold standard. Due to the public health urgency of the pandemic, scientists have been publishing the results of their studies before such review. (Kimball, 2/28)

NPR: Pfizer Vaccine Is Less Effective Against Infection For Kids 5-11, Study Says 
In all cases, the vaccine proved to provide strong protection against becoming seriously ill. The preprint study looked at data collected from more than 1.2 million fully vaccinated children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17 from Dec. 13 to Jan. 30. Researchers from the New York State Department of Health found the ability of the vaccine to protect children who got the lowest dose — kids ages 5 to 11 — from catching the virus dropped the most, falling from 68% to just 12%. Those children received an injection containing just 10 milligrams, one-third of the dose given to older children, adolescents and adults. (Romo and Stein, 2/28)

In other vaccine development news —

Stat: Pfizer Made Trump’s Vaccine Push Harder, Per New Warp Speed Book
Pfizer may have been the first company to deliver on the promises of former President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, but it was an exceedingly rocky road for the drugmaking giant and the administration’s team, according to a sweeping new book from a former official. “Of all the companies in which we invested, Pfizer was both the least transparent and least collaborative,” writes Paul Mango, the federal health department’s deputy chief of staff under Trump. (Florko, 3/1)

The Washington Post: Moderna Faces New Lawsuit Over Lucrative Coronavirus Vaccine 
Moderna faces yet another patent challenge over its coronavirus vaccine after Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences, both small biotechnology companies, filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging Moderna hijacked its technology to develop the multibillion-dollar vaccine. Arbutus and Genevant said in their lawsuit that Moderna infringed on their patent for what is called lipid nanoparticle technology, which they say was key in the development of Moderna’s mRNA vaccine and took scientists from Arbutus and Genevant “years of painstaking work to develop and refine.” The suit had been expected after Moderna lost a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling last year in the protracted patent battle. (Abutaleb and Rowland, 2/28)

And more on the vaccine rollout —

The Aegis: Harford County Volunteer Fire And EMS Association Members Help Deliver COVID-19 Vaccines To Homebound Community Members 
Since May 2021, over 200 COVID-19 vaccinations have been provided to homebound or infirmed Harford community members by Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association members, according to a news release from the HCVFA. Homebound people can contact the Harford County Health Department to receive a vaccine in their home. But once the word got out, the number of calls increased and the partnership between the county health department and HCVFA began, according to a spokesperson for the county health department. (Fontelieu, 3/1)

KHN: J&J-Vaxxed, MRNA-Boosted, And Pondering A Third Shot 
Yes, we are all exhausted by the covid pandemic. Flummoxed by the constantly shifting science and guidelines. Worried about a succession of scary new variants, each with its own name, like hurricanes. But a sizable minority — nearly 17 million U.S. residents, including me — has its own special quandary. Our initial vaccine was Johnson & Johnson, which was just one shot, and that has many of us confused. Are we fully vaccinated, even with a booster, or should we get a third shot to catch up with the 92 million vaccinees who got two doses of Pfizer or Moderna early on and have since been boosted? Since J&J has largely disappeared from the public eye, actionable information is in scarce supply — not to mention that the guidance is constantly shifting, for everybody. (Wolfson, 3/1)

In global vaccine news —

AP: 1 Million Sputnik Coronavirus Vaccines Expire In Guatemala 
Health authorities in Guatemala say over a million doses of the Russian Sputnik coronavirus vaccine have expired, because nobody wanted to take the shot. Francisco Coma, the country’s health minister, said Monday that there was a “rejection” among the population toward the vaccine, even though a lot of Guatemalans remain unvaccinated. (3/1)