Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Moderna Shots Are 96% Effective In Teens, Trial Data Show
USA Today: Moderna Says Its Vaccine Shows A 96% Effectiveness Rate For Kids
Encouraging data on the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines for kids is a welcome sign for summer vaccinations and the 2021-22 school year that will begin in little more than three months for some of the nation's districts. The good numbers also could ignite much-needed momentum in the lagging national vaccination effort, experts say. Moderna reported Thursday that its vaccine is showing a 96% effectiveness rate in Phase 2/3 testing of adolescents ages 12 to 17. Pfizer has reported its COVID-19 vaccine was 100% effective in a study of adolescents ages 12 to 15. Emergency use authorization for its vaccine is expected soon. (Bacon, 5/6)
Los Angeles Times: Studies Of Hospital Workers Suggest COVID-19 Vaccines Really Do Prevent Coronavirus Infections
The COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the U.S. were authorized for use because they dramatically reduced the risk of getting the disease when tested in clinical trials. However, those trials didn’t test the vaccines’ ability to prevent a coronavirus infection — the first step on the road to COVID-19. Scientists suspect the vaccines do thwart infections to some extent. Two new studies bolster their case. Both studies compare coronavirus infection rates among vaccinated and unvaccinated people who work at a single medical center. And in both cases, being vaccinated was indeed associated with a significantly lower risk of testing positive for an infection. (Kaplan, 5/6)
Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Vaccination Reduces Asymptomatic Infection Risk
Receiving a COVID-19 vaccination dramatically reduces the chances of contracting the virus, either in symptomatic or asymptomatic form.That's according to new research from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital published in JAMA on Thursday. Almost 8,000 hospital workers—both vaccinated and unvaccinated—were regularly tested between Dec. 2019 to March 2020. The results come as demand for the vaccine slows in part due to hesitency, and a recent White House push to get at least 70% of U.S. adults one dose by July 4th. (Gillespie, 5/6)
In updates on AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson —
CIDRAP: Clotting, Bleeding Issues Uncommon With AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine
The AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine is associated with some increases in bleeding and clotting events, according to a BMJ study yesterday, but experts say the benefits outweigh the risks. The researchers compared 28-day post-vaccination comorbidities in 291,264 Danish and Norwegian adults under 65 with the general population. Most (79.0%) were women, with a median age for all patients of 44 to 45. People who had experienced any adverse events in the past year were excluded. (5/6)
Axios: Countries Testing J&J Vaccine Doses After Contamination At Baltimore Plant
The European Union, Canada and South Africa are withholding Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines produced at an Emergent BioSolutions plant in Baltimore, Maryland, for safety testing after quality-control problems, according to the New York Times. Johnson & Johnson said in March that workers at the Emergent facility, which had been producing Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines, had ruined about 15 million doses of its vaccine by contaminating a batch with ingredients used in the AstraZeneca vaccine. (Knutson, 5/6)
