Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study: Pregnant Moms Who Get MRNA Jab Pass On High Levels Of Antibodies
Bloomberg: Vaccinated Pregnant Women Pass Protection To Babies In Study
Pregnant women who get mRNA vaccines pass high levels of antibodies to their babies, according to a study published in American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology – Maternal Fetal Medicine on Wednesday. The study -- one of the first to measure antibody levels in umbilical cord blood to distinguish whether immunity is from infection or vaccines -- found that 36 newborns tested at birth all had antibodies to protect against Covid-19 after their mothers were vaccinated with shots from Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE or Moderna Inc. (Dave, 9/22)
The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Study Of Covid-19 Vaccine In Pregnant Women Delayed By Slow Enrollment
A study led by Pfizer Inc. PFE 0.07% and BioNTech SE evaluating their Covid-19 vaccine in expectant mothers has been complicated by slow enrollment, researchers say, delaying results that could help inform physicians about how the shots affect pregnant women and their babies. Pfizer closed enrollment at many U.S. sites this summer, after fewer than expected numbers of subjects entered the study, researchers say. The slow enrollment was driven by revised guidelines from government and physician groups that recommend pregnant women receive the shots based on new real-world research, according to trial-site researchers. (Hopkins and Toy, 9/22)
In other vaccine research —
CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine Protects From Severe COVID, Study Says
COVID-19 vaccines appeared to protect patients from severe illness leading to emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalization, according to a pre-Delta (B1617.2) variant study published late last week in The Lancet Regional Health - the Americas. The researchers looked at 11,834 ED visits to a Michigan hospital system from Dec 15, 2020, to Apr 30, 2021. About 92%, 7%, and 1.1% of US adult patients involved were unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and fully vaccinated, respectively, which means the rate of COVID-related ED visits and hospitalizations was 96% lower in those fully vaccinated than those unvaccinated. Similarly, ED visits peaked at 22.6, 12.9, and 1.3 visits per 100,000 people per unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and fully vaccinated patients, respectively. (9/13)
CNN: Vaccine Protection Against Covid-19 Wanes Over Time, Especially For Older People, CDC Says
The protection provided by Covid-19 vaccines appears to wane over time, especially for people 65 and older, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert said Wednesday. Ruth Link-Gelles, who helps lead the CDC's Vaccine Effectiveness Team, reviewed a series of studies looking at the overall effectiveness of vaccines in various groups between February and August and found similar patterns for Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines, both made using mRNA. (Fox and Gumbrecht, 9/22)
The New York Times: Moderna Vs. Pfizer: Both Knockouts, But One Seems To Have The Edge
Roughly 221 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been dispensed thus far in the United States, compared with about 150 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine. In a half-dozen studies published over the past few weeks, Moderna’s vaccine appeared to be more protective than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the months after immunization. The latest such study, published on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, evaluated the real-world effectiveness of the vaccines at preventing symptomatic illness in about 5,000 health care workers in 25 states. The study found that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had an effectiveness of 88.8 percent, compared with Moderna’s 96.3 percent. (Mandavilli, 9/22)
In updates on the vaccine rollout —
Bloomberg: More Than 6.03 Billion Shots Given
The biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway. More than 6.03 billion doses have been administered across 184 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 31.5 million doses a day. In the U.S., 387 million doses have been given so far. In the last week, an average of 750,942 doses per day were administered. (9/22)
CNN: Texas Doctor Fired For Using Leftover Covid-19 Vaccine Doses Sues County For Discrimination
A Texas public health doctor fired earlier this year for using leftover doses of Covid-19 vaccine on eligible individuals is suing Harris County for $1 million, saying he was fired for giving "the vaccine to too many individuals with 'Indian' sounding names." Dr. Hasan Gokal was charged with theft by a public servant but a Harris County grand jury declined to indict him, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg's office. (Hassan, 9/22)
Roll Call: What I Learned From Getting A Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection
Symptomatic COVID-19 after vaccination is extremely rare, especially when you’re relatively young and healthy. After a year and a half of reporting on and successfully avoiding this virus, I convinced myself there was little chance I would get infected. But after my husband and I drove to the beach in late August, he tested positive, with obvious symptoms: a hacking cough, no sense of smell, a high fever. He spent a week sick in bed while I surprisingly felt fine. For this, I thanked my two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. He’d received the Johnson & Johnson shot, and studies show the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provide stronger protection against breakthrough cases than the one-shot vaccine does. (Cohen, 9/22)
