Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
J&J Says Its Covid Shot Buys You At Least 8 Months' Protection
CNN: J&J Covid-19 Vaccine Lasts At Least 8 Months, Protects Against Delta Variant, Studies Find
The Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine provides immunity that lasts at least eight months, and it appears to provide adequate protection against the worrying Delta variant, the company said in a statement Thursday night. "Current data for the eight months studied so far show that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generates a strong neutralizing antibody response that does not wane; rather, we observe an improvement over time," Dr. Mathai Mammen, head of research and development at J&J's Janssen vaccine arm, said in a statement. (Fox, 7/1)
NPR: Johnson & Johnson's COVID Vaccine Is Effective Against The Delta Variant, Studies Find
Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine offers strong protection against the delta variant of the coronavirus, the company said Thursday. And the protection appears to last at least eight months. The results follow similar announcements about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, in the fight against the fast-spreading delta strain. In one small laboratory study, researchers observed what happened to the blood of eight vaccinated individuals when it was exposed to the delta variant. And they found that antibodies and immune system cells in the blood were highly effective at neutralizing the virus. (Campbell, 7/1)
In other vaccine development news —
CIDRAP: MRNA Vaccines Ease Breakthrough COVID; Novavax Helps Block Variant
The few adults who receive a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine but still become infected have a milder, shorter illness and lower viral RNA loads than their unvaccinated peers, finds a real-world US study yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The journal also features a UK study confirming that the Novavax vaccine offers 90% overall effectiveness and protects against the highly transmissible and potentially more deadly Alpha (B117) SARS-CoV-2 variant. (Van Beusekom, 7/1)
Fox News: COVID-19 Vaccines Reduce Viral Load, Severity In Breakthrough Cases, Studies Find
Fully vaccinated individuals who then go on to contract COVID-19 are likely to have milder symptoms, a shorter infection time and a lower viral load, ongoing studies suggest. The data, compiled by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers, included 3,975 participants across two studies, and saw just five fully vaccinated individuals develop SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to 156 unvaccinated individuals. The researchers also noted 11 infections among participants who were partially vaccinated. Participants who had been vaccinated had received either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines. Infections detected in fully vaccinated individuals are considered "breakthrough cases." Among those cases, researchers noted a viral load about 40% less than what was detected in unvaccinated individuals who had been infected. They also were only able to detect the virus in infected vaccinated individuals for about a week, whereas unvaccinated individuals remained infected for two or more weeks. (Hein, 7/1)
The Atlantic: Is Heart Inflammation A Hurdle To Vaccinating Kids?
The most reliable way to inflame the heart is to bother it with a virus. Many types of viruses can manage it—coxsackieviruses, flu viruses, herpesviruses, adenoviruses, even the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Some of these pathogens bust their way straight into cardiac tissue, damaging cells directly; others rile up the immune system so overzealously that the heart gets caught in the crossfire. Whatever the cause, the condition is typically mild, but can occasionally be severe enough to permanently compromise the heart, requiring lifesaving interventions including ventilators or organ transplants; in very rare cases, it’s fatal. (Wu, 7/1)
