COVID-19 Vaccines
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The Johnson & Johnson vaccine promises renewed optimism for widespread distribution
Written by: Parker Davis Edited by: Esther Melamed On Friday, January 29, Johnson & Johnson posted a press release on their website announcing the Phase 3 results of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The vaccine, which was developed and produced by Belgian pharmaceutical company Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, was reported to be 72% effective…
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Understanding the Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Variants on Vaccination Efficacy
Written by: Sean Brady Edited by: Esther Melamed What does it mean that there are SARS-CoV-2 variants? We have all patiently waited for the COVID-19 vaccines to begin to roll out. As these efforts become actualized, we are unfortunately facing SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants that could potentially undermine vaccination efforts. Before we dive into the impacts of…
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Despite a rocky start, AstraZeneca tosses its hat into the COVID vaccine ring
Written by: Parker Davis Edited by: Esther Melamed In addition to Pfizer/BioNTech announcing their vaccine as being up to 95% effective in Phase 3 trials, Moderna and the University of Oxford partnered with AstraZeneca have added their names to the list of published vaccine efficacy data. Astonishingly, Moderna has reported in a news update that…
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Pfizer and BioNTech Vaccine Efficacy, Remdesivir officially FDA approved, and Bamlanivimab gains EUA
Over the previous month, there have been many exciting advances in the arena of COVID-19 clinical trials. To start, recently Pfizer and BioNTech announced 90% efficacy (at 7 days post the second dose) in their BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate. It is important to remember that these patients are not having their SARS-CoV-2 antibodies titers…
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SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Development: Immunological Considerations and Perspectives
As we move ever closer to that ultimate triumph of science over nature – a successful vaccine for COVID-19 – it is increasingly important that we, and especially those in the business of vaccine development, harbor an understanding of how the biology of SARS-CoV-2 interacts with our own, and how we may leverage that interaction…
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mRNA-1273 Induced Robust Immune Responses in a Small Cohort of Older Adults
Summary: Results of a phase 1 trial have revealed that the Covid-19 vaccine developed by the US-based biotechnology company Moderna elicited a strong immune response in older adults with no serious adverse effects. Last week, Moderna released the results of the expansion of their phase 1 trial of mRNA-1273, one of the more prominent COVID…
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US Government Announces SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Distribution Strategy
Last week, the Trump administration released guidelines regarding the distribution strategy for a COVID-19 vaccine through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD). These guidelines, found in this link, detail the American government’s plan to safely and effectively distribute a vaccine ahead of time as many of…