Yes, You’ll Feel ‘Lousy’ After Your COVID Shot, And Other Answers
When will you be protected from the coronavirus? The Pfizer vaccine has prevented COVID-19 illness seven days after the second injection — which is about a month after the first shot.
Boston Globe:
Doctor Who Volunteered For Moderna Study Felt ‘Lousy’ After Second Shot, But Touts Vaccine
Jorge Arroyo isn’t certain whether he was injected with Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine or a placebo when he volunteered to receive two shots four weeks apart during the summer. Participants and researchers in the study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital were kept in the dark to eliminate the power of suggestion. But to Arroyo, it sure felt like he got the real thing. The Harvard-affiliated ophthalmologist ― one of about 30,000 participants in the Cambridge biotech’s nationwide trial ― says he began feeling ill about 10 hours following the second shot. The symptoms included body aches, slight nausea, and chills. What’s more, his husband, who also participated in the trial, had a similar reaction. (Saltzman, 12/7)
Reuters:
Explainer: I Just Got A COVID-19 Vaccine. Now What?
Clinical trials so far have not been designed to determine if an immunized person can still spread the coronavirus to someone else. Some vaccines, such as hepatitis A, do provide such protection - known as sterilizing immunity - but others do not. COVID-19 vaccine makers focused trials on determining whether the drug stopped people from getting ill. It will also be several more months before it becomes clear how long the vaccination will protect someone from coronavirus infection. (Beasley, 12/8)
The Hill:
Five Questions And Answers On COVID-19 Vaccines
Coronavirus vaccines are poised for authorization and distribution across the U.S. in the weeks ahead, offering hope that the end of the pandemic is in sight. The development comes as the coronavirus spreads at a seemingly uncontrollable rate across the country, killing more than 275,000 people and pushing health systems in many states to the breaking point. (Weixel, 12/6)
Also —
AP:
Years Of Research Laid Groundwork For Speedy COVID-19 Shots
How could scientists race out COVID-19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners? A head start helped -- over a decade of behind-the-scenes research that had new vaccine technology poised for a challenge just as the coronavirus erupted. “The speed is a reflection of years of work that went before,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press. “That’s what the public has to understand.” (Neergaard, 12/7)
The Washington Post:
How The Leading Coronavirus Vaccines Made It To The Finish Line
On a Sunday afternoon in early November, scientist Barney Graham got a call at his home office in Rockville, Md., where he has sequestered himself for most of the last 10 months, working relentlessly to develop a vaccine to vanquish a killer virus. It was Graham’s boss at the National Institutes of Health, with an early heads-up on news the world would learn the next morning: A coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer and the German biotech firm BioNTech that used a new genetic technology and a specially designed spike protein from Graham and collaborators had proved stunningly effective. (Johnson, 12/6)
Albuquerque Journal:
Los Alamos Examines Impact Of Vaccines
Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory are using computer models to study how the timing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines might shape the course of the pandemic – work that may influence policymakers in New Mexico and across the country. The researchers say wearing masks and taking other steps to limit the spread of the disease will remain critical for months to come, even as the first vaccines reach New Mexico, perhaps next week. (McKay, 12/7)
