Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Shot Of Pfizer And A J&J Booster? US To Study Mixing Vaccines
Fox News: US Launches Study Mixing COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Regimens
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has initiated an early-stage study testing mixed COVID-19 booster vaccine schedules among fully vaccinated adults. The goal is to understand safety and immune responses following mixed boosted regimens, should booster vaccines become necessary. The NIAID-funded study involves some 150 people who already received one of the authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimens developed by Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. (Rivas, 6/1)
The Wall Street Journal: Mixing And Matching Covid-19 Shots In Fully Vaccinated People Is Subject Of New Study
Federal health officials have started a new study exploring whether mixing different Covid-19 vaccines can prolong immunity and better protect people from concerning variants of the coronavirus. The new study will enroll adult volunteers who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and give them booster doses of different vaccines, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Tuesday. (Loftus, 6/1)
In other news on vaccine research —
ABC News: COVID-19 Vaccines Safe And Effective For Pregnant People, NIH Director Says
Two new studies show Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines appear to be "completely safe" and effective for pregnant people, according to Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Collins wrote in a blog post Tuesday that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which both use mRNA technology, were found to provide in pregnant people the levels of antibodies and immune cells needed to protect them against COVID-19. (Kindelan, 6/1)
CIDRAP: Cancer Patients Show Good COVID Immune Response To Vaccine, Infection
Two new studies were published late last week in JAMA Oncology on COVID-19 and cancer patients, one from Israel showing good immune response to the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine and one from Japan finding that cancer patients were as likely as healthcare workers (HCWs) to have serum SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. (Van Beusekom, 6/1)
Reuters: Israel Sees Probable Link Between Pfizer Vaccine And Myocarditis Cases
Israel’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday it had found the small number of heart inflammation cases observed mainly in young men who received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in Israel were likely linked to their vaccination. Pfizer has said it has not observed a higher rate of the condition, known as myocarditis, than would normally be expected in the general population. (Heller, 6/2)
CIDRAP: Previous COVID-19 Linked To Risk Of Adverse Events Post-Vaccination
An increased risk of adverse events after the first Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-vaccine dose was associated with previous COVID-19 infection, according to a letter to the editor late last week in the Journal of Infection. ... Female sex and younger age were associated with increased risk of COVID-19 vaccination adverse events, but data also showed that those with previous COVID infections were associated with more vaccine symptoms (1.61 vs 0.89) and vaccine symptom severity (2.7 vs 1.5 symptom-days) after adjustments were made for age and sex. (6/1)
Also —
Axios: Universal Coronavirus Vaccine Interest Grows Among Researchers
New science is breathing fresh life into the idea of a vaccine that works against all coronaviruses, including ones that could cause future pandemics. No one wants to do the last year over again. But the road to a universal coronavirus vaccine is filled with hurdles, and there's no guarantee that coronaviruses would cause the next global pandemic. (Owens, 6/1)
PBS NewsHour: Why You Shouldn’t Get A COVID Antibody Test After A Vaccine
Many Americans are basking in the warm light of what appears to be the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Millions of people are vaccinated, and restrictions that had prevented further spread of COVID-19 are loosening. People are planning summer travel and long-delayed reunions with loved ones. That optimism, however, is tinged with uncertainty — about the effectiveness of vaccines, the possibility of getting or transmitting the virus even after vaccination, and the rise of variants that may spread more easily or evade vaccines altogether. Some people are thinking about antibody tests as a way to check how effective their vaccines are. (Santhanam, 6/1)
