Kenya’s quest to vaccinate her entire adult population received a shot in the arm on Tuesday after a further 407,000 doses of the Astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine arrived in the country....
Report on peer review article It's important to note that the cases in this study included asymptomatic and symptomatic infections, which partially explains the somewhat lower effectiveness that was observed....
Report on peer review article This large population-based study confirms just how effective the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines can be for preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection. The investigators did not assess effectiveness for...
Report on peer review article Although a temporal association does not establish causation, the incidence rates of diagnosed myocarditis and pericarditis during COVID-19 vaccination were more than 60% higher than...
Peer review article The mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine had an acceptable safety profile in adolescents. The immune response was similar to that in young adults, and the vaccine was efficacious in...
Vaccinated health care workers can be infected with variants of concern transmitted from unvaccinated household contacts and may transmit SARS-CoV-2 in the hospital if not screened early enough. Finally, variants...
Peer review article The high mortality associated with VITT (blood clotting events) was highest among patients with a low platelet count and intracranial hemorrhage. Treatment remains uncertain, but identification of...
Peer review article The heterologous ChAdOx1 nCov-19– (Oxford/AstraZeneca) BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) immunisation with 10–12-week interval, recommended in Germany, is well tolerated and improves antibody production compared with homologous ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccination...
Peer review article Single doses of either BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19(Oxford/AstraZeneca) in older people induces immunity in most participants, and is markedly enhanced by previous infection. Cellular responses were...
Peer review article ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) was well tolerated, showing favourable safety and immunogenicity in people with HIV, including heightened antibody production in SARS-CoV- participants. People with HIV showed cross-reactive...
Exactly how extended-interval dosing might protect against future variants of concern is an important consideration and additional studies could help to better define dose regimens in people aged 80 years...
Peer review article History of SARS-CoV-2 infection impacts the magnitude and quality of antibody response after a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine in long term care facilities residents. Residents who...
Peer review article History of SARS-CoV-2 infection impacts the magnitude and quality of antibody response after a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine in long term care facility residents. Residents who...
Safety considerations associated with the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 ChAdOx1-S vaccine (AZD1222) have led many public health agencies to recommend a heterologous boost, with a different mRNA vaccine after prime vaccination with...
Pfizer announced an intention to profit from its Covid-19 vaccine. In the first three months of 2021, Pfizer’s vaccine brought in $3.5bn (£2.5bn; €3bn) in revenue and hundreds of millions...
Peer review article Vaccination with CoronaVac (Sinovac Biotech) was associated with a reduction in symptomatic Covid-19, hospital admissions, and deaths in adults aged ≥70 years in a setting with extensive...
Peer review article Two doses of mRNA covid-19 vaccines were observed to be highly effective against symptomatic infection and severe outcomes. Vaccine effectiveness of one dose was observed to be...
Transparency advocates have criticised the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision not to hold a formal advisory committee meeting to discuss Pfizer’s application for full approval of its Covid-19...
The virulence of the delta variant has prompted many countries to start administering booster vaccines. Many high and middle income countries have been discussing booster doses (a third dose, in...
The two-dose regimen of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is 88% effective against symptomatic disease caused by the Delta variant, while the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 67% effective, research has found.
Continued COVID-19 vaccination will prevent COVID-19 morbidity and mortality far exceeding the expected cases of Guillain–Barré syndrome (a rapid-onset muscle weakness), Thrombosis thrombocytopenia syndrome (blood clotting issues) and myocarditis (inflamation...
Report on 2 peer review articles and 6 pre-release peer review articles Peer review article Although COVID-19 duration is usually short in children, some children experience prolonged illness. SARS-CoV-2 variants...
CDC is actively investigating reports of people developing myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) after receiving a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). Most of these people fully recover, but...
Africa is facing a surging third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination remains a challenge. As a partner in the continents’ response to the pandemic, The African Trade Insurance...
Report on 4 peer review articles and 2 prerelease peer review articles Adolescents vaccinated with 2 doses of mRNA-1273 (Moderna) had immunogenicity and vaccine efficacy comparable to young adults, with...
While SAGE acknowledges the potential public health benefits of dose-sparing strategies to increase vaccine supply and accelerate population-level vaccination coverage, SAGE considers there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend the...
This WHO Medical Product Alert refers to falsified COVISHIELD ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) Corona Virus Vaccines (Recombinant)) identified in the WHO African Region, and the WHO South-East Asia Region. The falsified...
In the context of ongoing global vaccine supply constraints, administration of booster doses will exacerbate inequities by driving up demand and consuming scarce supply while priority populations in some countries,...
WHO with support of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization and its COVID-19 Vaccines Working Group is reviewing the emerging evidence on the use of heterologous priming...
Africa’s largest-ever vaccination drive is well underway.52 African countries are rolling out COVID-19 vaccines and over 73 million doses have been administered on the continent. With WHO support, Botswana is...
With 620 million COVID-19 vaccine doses set to arrive in Africa through COVAX alone by the end of 2021, African countries are set to roll out a range of different...
When Togo launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on 10 March, health workers on the frontlines of the pandemic were identified among the priority groups. 33 090 health workers have received...
WHAT WAS CLAIMED The Australian government has admitted Covid-19 vaccines are a poison. OUR VERDICT Under Western Australian legislation, vaccines (alongside medicines such as paracetamol) are classed as poisons. This...
WHAT WAS CLAIMED: Official data shows twice as many people have died due to the Covid-19 vaccines in six months than people who have died of Covid-19 in 15 months....
WHAT WAS CLAIMED: There have been 1,517 deaths and 1,102,228 adverse reactions caused by the Covid-19 vaccines in the UK. OUR VERDICT: These figures relate to the Yellow Card reports....
Claim: During a press briefing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that COVID-19 vaccines were “failing” and that vaccinated individuals were considered “superspreaders.” Rating: False. The CDC did...
Claim: COVID-19 mRNA vaccines contain graphene oxide. Rating: False. Vaccines do not contain graphene oxide
Report on peer review article The efficacy study was conducted primarily in young, healthy persons, raising questions about generalization (especially regarding older patients and those with underlying illnesses). The effectiveness...
Kenya received a further 180,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine on 6 August 2021 in a boost to ongoing vaccination efforts amid increased Covid-19 cases across the country. The latest consignment,...
Report on peer review article These findings provide reassurance that the mRNA-based BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and the adenovirus-based ChAdOx1 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) vaccines both have very good effectiveness against the Delta variant (although...
Infections in vaccinated people do not mean that vaccines do not work Although the effectiveness of all COVID-19 vaccines authorised in the EU/EEA is very high, no vaccine is 100%...
Peer review article Vaccine induced blood clotting (VITT) is specifically associated with adenovirus vector vaccines against COVID-19 and urgent work is needed to elucidate the trigger for this reaction, in...
Peer review article Data suggests that antibody production after a first COVID-19 vaccination is delayed in older patients on specific immunosuppressive drugs, but that second or repeated exposure to SARS-CoV-2,...
Peer review article Mixing ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, (AstraZeneca) and an mRNA vaccine (NT162b2, (Pfizer–BioNTech) as the first and second dose appears to not affect the safety of vaccinations. The results from...
Rather than negotiating with pharmaceutical giants or the Covax vaccine sharing initiative, Cuba bet everything on its prestigious biotech sector coming up with its own vaccine against Covid-19. And though...
Opinion piece New English law will make vaccination a condition of employment for eligible care home workers, following similar moves in Italy, France, and Greece for healthcare staff. This is...
The World Health Organization has called for a moratorium on Covid-19 booster shots until the end of September to help vaccines reach poorer nations facing shortages. Wealthier countries with widespread...
Report on pre-release peer-review article. Mild local and systemic reactions are common among adolescents following Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and serious adverse events are rare. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices conducted...
Report on pre-release peer-review article. Among adults aged 65–74 years, the effectiveness of full vaccination for preventing hospitalization was 96% for Pfizer-BioNTech, 96% for Moderna, and 84% for Janssen COVID-19...
Report on pre-release peer-review article. Among people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in 2020, the vaccination status of those reinfected during May–June 2021 was compared with that of residents who were not...
On August 5, the first monthly shipments will arrive through the African Vaccine Acquisition Fund (AVAT), in several member states and will continue to reach a total of 6.4 million...
All countries and areas of the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region have now secured sufficient doses of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine to protect all of their healthcare...
AVAT is pleased to announce the shipment of 108,000 of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccines (JNJ-78436735/Ad26.COV2.S) to Mauritius on the 7th of August. This is part of a total...
Sierra Leone has today received the second batch of 96,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine donated by France and delivered by UNICEF through the COVAX Facility, a partnership between...
This is a story of a caseworker. Asmera confirms that although the work put her at high risk of contracting the disease, she was still very happy to be part...
A similarly altered Tyson photo was used once before in connection with COVID-19 misinformation. On April 29, 2021, Full Fact debunked a claim that Tyson was wearing a shirt with...
“The COVID-19 vaccines do not work.” FACT: They do. “The COVID-19 vaccines were not properly tested or developed.” FACT: They were “The COVID-19 vaccines are mandatory.” FACT: They aren’t. “The...
An Instagram post claims that a scientific paper found an 82% miscarriage rate among women who got an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine between 30 days and 20 weeks pregnant. The Instagram...
The FDA on July 16 formally accepted Pfizer and BioNTech’s application for approval of the vaccine for people age 16 and older Moderna said in June that it had started...
WHAT WAS CLAIMED Public Health England (PHE) released a report revealing 62% of Covid-19 deaths are people who have been vaccinated. OUR VERDICT PHE’s report suggests 61% of Covid-19 deaths...
WHAT WAS CLAIMED Covid-19 has never been isolated in a laboratory. It has never been proven to exist. OUR VERDICT Covid-19 is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This...
WHAT WAS CLAIMED In the USA there have been 387,087 reports of adverse events after the Covid-19 vaccination. OUR VERDICT Adverse event reports after vaccination are not proof that the...
WHAT WAS CLAIMED The Pfizer vaccine is 99% graphene oxide. OUR VERDICT False. The MHRA has told Full Fact that this is ‘completely incorrect’.
WHAT WAS CLAIMED There have been 1,400 deaths and one million injured from Covid-19 vaccinations in the UK. OUR VERDICT These are deaths and potential side effects reported following the...
WHAT WAS CLAIMED The vaccine is causing new daily cases of Covid-19 in the UK, or at least isn’t stopping them. OUR VERDICT Real world evidence and data from trials...
WHAT WAS CLAIMED Unvaccinated people are not dying from Covid-19. OUR VERDICT This is untrue, unvaccinated people are dying from Covid-19.
This claim has been widely debunked. Some fact-checking organisations have also made the point that even if the vaccines did contain magnetic metals, one dose could not possibly cause a...
Claim: A photograph shows former boxer Mike Tyson wearing a shirt that says "I believe in God, not in vaccines." Rating: False This isn’t the first time that a photograph...
The image appears to be a screenshot of a Facebook post with a Polish caption, which shows the packaging of an AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. A pink arrow points to the...
Claim: Five JetBlue pilots died as the result of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Rating: False This claim “False” because it comes from an unreliable source with a track record for...
Claim: A viral video shows a pet scanner detecting a microchip from the COVID-19 vaccine in a person's arm. Rating: False While this TikTok user may have meant this short...
Claim: There have been more deaths from COVID-19 vaccines than deaths from the actual virus. Rating: False Junk news site Gateway Pundit published a misleading story with a headline falsely...
Claim: Some 45,000 Americans died within three days of receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Rating: False Despite claiming to have evidence to prove that 45,000 individuals died within three days of...
Opinion piece Each country will have its own unique challenges in vaccine distribution, which should be addressed with careful planning, including leveraging computational models of prioritization and rollout strategies, and...
Peer review article Results suggest that the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (using a “dead” form of the virus) effectively prevented Covid-19, including severe disease and death, a finding that is consistent...
Peer review article Only modest differences in vaccine effectiveness were noted with the delta variant as compared with the alpha variant after the receipt of two vaccine doses. Absolute differences...
Peer review article Authorized mRNA vaccines were highly effective among working-age adults in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection when administered in real-world conditions, and the vaccines reduced the viral RNA load, risk...
Peer review article Among fully vaccinated health care workers, the occurrence of breakthrough infections, variants able to infect vaccinated people, with SARS-CoV-2 was correlated with antibodies detected in blood samples...
This document provides a review of evidence on three topics of interest (effectiveness of partial vaccination, immunogenicity and effectiveness of vaccination for previously infected individuals and safety and immunogenicity of...
Peer review article BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine induces a robust and rapid antibody response. The significant correlation between receptor-binding domain IgG antibodies and neutralisation titres suggests that IgG antibodies might serve...
Peer review article CoronaVac (Sinovac Biotech) has high efficacy (83.5%) against PCR-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 with a good safety and tolerability profile.
Peer review article Aerosolised Ad5-nCoV vaccine (CanSino Biologics) is well tolerated, and two doses of aerosolised Ad5-nCoV elicited neutralising antibody responses, similar to one dose of intramuscular injection. An aerosolised...
COVID-19 booster vaccinations should be offered in England from September 2021, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised. But some experts have questioned the necessity and the practicalities...
A research paper that was promoted by anti-vaccination activists has been retracted by the journal Vaccines after several members of its editorial board resigned. Retracted: The Safety of COVID-19 Vaccinations-We...
Two doses of the new CoronaVac vaccine made in China have an efficacy of 83.5% against symptomatic Covid-19, an interim analysis has shown. The vaccine, developed by the Chinese company...
The US, the UK, and the Netherlands face throwing away tens of thousands of covid-19 vaccine doses that are due to expire. Over 3.5 billion vaccines have been distributed globally,...
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine’s efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 peaked at 96.2% at seven days to two months after the second dose and then declined to 83.7% at four months, a preprint from...
Report on 5 peer review articles Prevention efforts need to focus on highly impacted older age groups and also on Hispanic/Latino, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic AI/AN, and non-Hispanic populations, where a...
Report on 8 peer review articles It is unknown how neutralising antibody production correlates with protection from infection. BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) has been found to prevent symptomatic COVID-19 in persons ≥80...
CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine resume in the United States, after a temporary pause.
Report on 4 peer review articles Coincident with rising prevalence and transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, positive cases continue to increase in England, with younger populations experiencing the largest...
Report on 7 peer review articles The Black/White COVID-19 mortality ratio (in the US) has been declining and the driving force for the observed mortality convergence appears to be changes...
Report on 5 peer review articles Peer review Transplant patients on specific therapies may not be protected following 2 SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine doses. These individuals should continue to follow current...
There is concern that vaccine delivery schedules and contracts for COVAX, AVAT, and low and low-middle income countries are delayed or too slow. Less than 5% of vaccine doses that...
Strong political commitments were made to drive momentum for the African Union’s bold vision to manufacture about 60% of its vaccines on the continent by 2040, an initiative that will...
WHO today validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing. The...
This interim guidance was initially issued in October 2020, based on advice from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization; it has been updated following the discussions at...
The Secretariat highlighted factors driving the current situation including: variants of concern, inconsistent application of public health and social measures, increased social mobility, and highly susceptible populations due to lack...
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), Afrigen Biologics (PTY) Limited, the Biologicals and Vaccines Institute of Southern Africa (Biovac), the South African Medical Research Council...
These WHO interim recommendations on the use of the Astra Zeneca – Oxford University AZD1222 vaccine against Covid-19 were developed on the basis of advice issued by the Strategic Advisory...
Africa marked its worst pandemic week ever, surpassing the second wave peak during the seven days ending on 4 July 2021. Yet, as the COVID-19 cases climb sharply, there are...
One hundred and fifty-one thousand, two hundred (151,200) doses of the Johnson and Jonson (J&J) vaccine arrived in Gambia under the COVAX facility on 20 July.
“Good preparation, including around staffing and training needs, cold-chain logistics and getting the regulations right, were just some of the reasons why Angola was one of Africa’s first countries to...
COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Africa are rapidly ramping up from multiple sources after a near-halt to deliveries in recent months. Nearly 4 million doses from COVAX arrived in Africa last...
The beneficial lessons identified so far are categorized into four areas. They are early planning, delivering vaccines across the life-course, digital platforms and risk communications strategies. Key early challenges include...
Claim: A viral video shows a pet scanner detecting a microchip from the COVID-19 vaccine in a person's arm. Rating: False While this TikTok user may have meant this short...
Opinion piece Each country will have its own unique challenges in vaccine distribution, which should be addressed with careful planning, including leveraging computational models of prioritization and rollout strategies, and...
Peer review article Results suggest that the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (using a “dead” form of the virus) effectively prevented Covid-19, including severe disease and death, a finding that is consistent...
Peer review article Only modest differences in vaccine effectiveness were noted with the delta variant as compared with the alpha variant after the receipt of two vaccine doses. Absolute differences...
Peer review article Authorized mRNA vaccines were highly effective among working-age adults in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection when administered in real-world conditions, and the vaccines reduced the viral RNA load, risk...
Peer review article Among fully vaccinated health care workers, the occurrence of breakthrough infections, variants able to infect vaccinated people, with SARS-CoV-2 was correlated with antibodies detected in blood samples...
This document provides a review of evidence on three topics of interest (effectiveness of partial vaccination, immunogenicity and effectiveness of vaccination for previously infected individuals and safety and immunogenicity of...
Peer review article BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine induces a robust and rapid antibody response. The significant correlation between receptor-binding domain IgG antibodies and neutralisation titres suggests that IgG antibodies might serve...
Peer review article CoronaVac (Sinovac Biotech) has high efficacy (83.5%) against PCR-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 with a good safety and tolerability profile.
Peer review article Aerosolised Ad5-nCoV vaccine (CanSino Biologics) is well tolerated, and two doses of aerosolised Ad5-nCoV elicited neutralising antibody responses, similar to one dose of intramuscular injection. An aerosolised...
COVID-19 booster vaccinations should be offered in England from September 2021, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised. But some experts have questioned the necessity and the practicalities...
Two doses of the new CoronaVac vaccine made in China have an efficacy of 83.5% against symptomatic Covid-19, an interim analysis has shown. The vaccine, developed by the Chinese company...
The US, the UK, and the Netherlands face throwing away tens of thousands of covid-19 vaccine doses that are due to expire. Over 3.5 billion vaccines have been distributed globally,...
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine’s efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 peaked at 96.2% at seven days to two months after the second dose and then declined to 83.7% at four months, a preprint from...
Report on 5 peer review articles Prevention efforts need to focus on highly impacted older age groups and also on Hispanic/Latino, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic AI/AN, and non-Hispanic populations, where a...
Report on 8 peer review articles It is unknown how neutralising antibody production correlates with protection from infection. BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) has been found to prevent symptomatic COVID-19 in persons ≥80...
Report on 4 peer review articles Coincident with rising prevalence and transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, positive cases continue to increase in England, with younger populations experiencing the largest...
CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine resume in the United States, after a temporary pause.
Report on 7 peer review articles The Black/White COVID-19 mortality ratio (in the US) has been declining and the driving force for the observed mortality convergence appears to be changes...
Report on 5 peer review articles Peer review Transplant patients on specific therapies may not be protected following 2 SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine doses. These individuals should continue to follow current...
Strong political commitments were made to drive momentum for the African Union’s bold vision to manufacture about 60% of its vaccines on the continent by 2040, an initiative that will...
There is concern that vaccine delivery schedules and contracts for COVAX, AVAT, and low and low-middle income countries are delayed or too slow. Less than 5% of vaccine doses that...
WHO today validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing. The...
The Secretariat highlighted factors driving the current situation including: variants of concern, inconsistent application of public health and social measures, increased social mobility, and highly susceptible populations due to lack...
This interim guidance was initially issued in October 2020, based on advice from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization; it has been updated following the discussions at...
These WHO interim recommendations on the use of the Astra Zeneca – Oxford University AZD1222 vaccine against Covid-19 were developed on the basis of advice issued by the Strategic Advisory...
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), Afrigen Biologics (PTY) Limited, the Biologicals and Vaccines Institute of Southern Africa (Biovac), the South African Medical Research Council...
Africa marked its worst pandemic week ever, surpassing the second wave peak during the seven days ending on 4 July 2021. Yet, as the COVID-19 cases climb sharply, there are...
COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Africa are rapidly ramping up from multiple sources after a near-halt to deliveries in recent months. Nearly 4 million doses from COVAX arrived in Africa last...
One hundred and fifty-one thousand, two hundred (151,200) doses of the Johnson and Jonson (J&J) vaccine arrived in Gambia under the COVAX facility on 20 July.
The beneficial lessons identified so far are categorized into four areas. They are early planning, delivering vaccines across the life-course, digital platforms and risk communications strategies. Key early challenges include...
“Good preparation, including around staffing and training needs, cold-chain logistics and getting the regulations right, were just some of the reasons why Angola was one of Africa’s first countries to...
Kenya received a further 180,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine on 6 August 2021 in a boost to ongoing vaccination efforts amid increased Covid-19 cases across the country. The latest consignment,...
Report on peer review article The efficacy study was conducted primarily in young, healthy persons, raising questions about generalization (especially regarding older patients and those with underlying illnesses). The effectiveness...
Report on peer review article These findings provide reassurance that the mRNA-based BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and the adenovirus-based ChAdOx1 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) vaccines both have very good effectiveness against the Delta variant (although...
Infections in vaccinated people do not mean that vaccines do not work Although the effectiveness of all COVID-19 vaccines authorised in the EU/EEA is very high, no vaccine is 100%...
Peer review article Data suggests that antibody production after a first COVID-19 vaccination is delayed in older patients on specific immunosuppressive drugs, but that second or repeated exposure to SARS-CoV-2,...
Peer review article Mixing ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, (AstraZeneca) and an mRNA vaccine (NT162b2, (Pfizer–BioNTech) as the first and second dose appears to not affect the safety of vaccinations. The results from...
Peer review article Vaccine induced blood clotting (VITT) is specifically associated with adenovirus vector vaccines against COVID-19 and urgent work is needed to elucidate the trigger for this reaction, in...
Rather than negotiating with pharmaceutical giants or the Covax vaccine sharing initiative, Cuba bet everything on its prestigious biotech sector coming up with its own vaccine against Covid-19. And though...
Opinion piece New English law will make vaccination a condition of employment for eligible care home workers, following similar moves in Italy, France, and Greece for healthcare staff. This is...
The World Health Organization has called for a moratorium on Covid-19 booster shots until the end of September to help vaccines reach poorer nations facing shortages. Wealthier countries with widespread...
Report on pre-release peer-review article. Mild local and systemic reactions are common among adolescents following Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and serious adverse events are rare. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices conducted...
Report on pre-release peer-review article. Among people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in 2020, the vaccination status of those reinfected during May–June 2021 was compared with that of residents who were not...
On August 5, the first monthly shipments will arrive through the African Vaccine Acquisition Fund (AVAT), in several member states and will continue to reach a total of 6.4 million...
Report on pre-release peer-review article. Among adults aged 65–74 years, the effectiveness of full vaccination for preventing hospitalization was 96% for Pfizer-BioNTech, 96% for Moderna, and 84% for Janssen COVID-19...
All countries and areas of the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region have now secured sufficient doses of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine to protect all of their healthcare...
AVAT is pleased to announce the shipment of 108,000 of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccines (JNJ-78436735/Ad26.COV2.S) to Mauritius on the 7th of August. This is part of a total...
Sierra Leone has today received the second batch of 96,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine donated by France and delivered by UNICEF through the COVAX Facility, a partnership between...
This is a story of a caseworker. Asmera confirms that although the work put her at high risk of contracting the disease, she was still very happy to be part...
A social media post on Instagram claims that the World Health Organization recently flipped its policy recommendation about children receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. This is based on the misinterpretation of...
Claim: Airlines in Spain and Russia have warned people vaccinated against Covid-19 not to fly. Verdict; This is not true.
Claim: In the summer of 2021, COVID-19 vaccination killed four British Airways pilots. Rating: False.
Claim: Nearly 4,000 fully vaccinated people in Massachusetts tested positive for COVID-19. Rating: True. The CDC stated in the past that such breakthrough cases (where the vaccine does not provide...
People who had been vaccinated were likely to be less severely symptomatic and might have been less infectious than those who were unvaccinated.
This study showed that administration of a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to solid-organ transplant recipients significantly improved the immunogenicity of the vaccine, with no cases of Covid-19 reported...
Viral variants of concern may emerge with dangerous resistance to the immunity generated by the current vaccines to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
The Serum Institute of India has suspended exports of the vaccine in order to combat the huge surge in domestic cases of COVID-19. The quickest way to achieve greater output...
One dose of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca resulted in substantial risk reductions of COVID-19-related hospitalisation in people aged at least 80 years.
Single-dose vaccination with Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines provide substantial protection against infection in older adults from 4–7 weeks after vaccination and might reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Critique of the article published (26/06/2021): It is sad to see that the Editors are keen to give a verdict on the Indian COVID-19 emergency and the so-called botched vaccination...
The public is acutely aware of how their country, state, or province stacks up relative to others. Countries should also be evaluated on metrics that correspond to the actual public...
Heterologous vaccination regimens against COVID-19 provide an opportunity to speed up vaccination campaigns worldwide, maximising their impact on the control of the pandemic.
Pfizer given as a second dose in individuals prime vaccinated with AstraZeneca induced a robust immune response, with an acceptable and manageable profile of COVID-19 like symptoms.
The American Medical Association emphasised that the side effect was “extremely rare” and that most cases were mild.
Instead of vaccines being administered by age groups, as it was in the beginning, vaccine centres could allow family groups to be vaccinated together to promote a family orientated thought...
Report on 6 peer review articles and 4 pre-release peer review articles
Report on 7 peer review articles and 1 pre-release peer review articles
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of local manufacturing as a key component of pandemic response by reducing reliance on global markets and imported products.
This landmark initiative is a major advance in the international effort to build vaccine development and manufacturing capacity that will put Africa on a path to self-determination
A one-stop shop that will make available the full range of expertise on access, IP and trade matters provided by our organizations, and other partners, in a coordinated and systematic...
Antibody dependant enhancement is a rare but genuine risk when it comes to creating new vaccines. There is good evidence that this does not occur with the current COVID-19 vaccines...
Researchers reporting to the health ministry in Israel have found a possible link between mild myocarditis in young men and the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Opinion piece: Delayed large local reactions may be less commonly recognized or reported in non-white vaccine recipients than in white recipients.
Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 remains critical for control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rapid identification of the rare syndrome of uncontrolled blood clot after administration of AstraZeneca is important because of the...
The use of high-dose intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) plus anticoagulation is recommended for the treatment of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), a rare side effect of adenoviral vector vaccines against...
Whether at present the children of high-income countries should be prioritised for vaccination over vulnerable adults in low and middle-income countries is a matter for serious ethical and practical debate.
Reported adjusted rate reductions of 75% on all SARS-CoV-2 infections and 85% in symptomatic COVID-19 during days 15–28 after the first dose of Pfizer.
Opinion piece: Estimate efficacy against asymptomatic COVID-19 cases to be 61·9% which is much higher than the reported estimate of 22·2%.
Opinion piece: mRNA vaccines might prove to be the better option for patients with IBD using immunosuppressants than adenovirus vector vaccines for two reasons
The autoimmune bleeding disorder is characterised by a decrease in the number of platelets, which can cause minor bruising in some patients and excessive bleeding and long term illness in...
Report on 6 peer review articles and 4 pre-release peer review articles.
This partnership for COVID-19 vaccination will support Member States in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic through large-scale vaccination with safe and efficacious vaccines against the disease.
The funds will be used to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Africa and hasten the economic recovery of the continent.
Emerging data on effectiveness indicates that licenced COVID-19 vaccines are contributing to controlling the spread of the disease. Vaccines are monitored on many levels including efficacy, quality and safety. There...
The new global targets were announced recently at the World Health Assembly, and at today’s pace, only seven African countries are set to meet them.
Angola has reached the milestone of more than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered after receiving the first doses from COVAX.
Africa has the highest global mortality rate among critically ill COVID-19 patients despite having the world’s lowest COVID-19 infections and deaths overall, a recent study published by the Lancet found.
Actions include strengthening disease surveillance at all levels to swiftly detect cases for isolation and monitoring, and expanded vaccination as much as possible.
A story of a 69-year-old from Kumasi in the Ashanti Region reflecting on how the vaccine affected her and her family.
Antibody dependant enhancement is a rare but genuine risk when it comes to creating new vaccines. There is good evidence that this does not occur with the current COVID-19 vaccines...
Researchers reporting to the health ministry in Israel have found a possible link between mild myocarditis in young men and the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 remains critical for control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rapid identification of the rare syndrome of uncontrolled blood clot after administration of AstraZeneca is important because of the...
Opinion piece: Delayed large local reactions may be less commonly recognized or reported in non-white vaccine recipients than in white recipients.
The use of high-dose intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) plus anticoagulation is recommended for the treatment of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), a rare side effect of adenoviral vector vaccines against...
Whether at present the children of high-income countries should be prioritised for vaccination over vulnerable adults in low and middle-income countries is a matter for serious ethical and practical debate.
Opinion piece: Estimate efficacy against asymptomatic COVID-19 cases to be 61·9% which is much higher than the reported estimate of 22·2%.
Reported adjusted rate reductions of 75% on all SARS-CoV-2 infections and 85% in symptomatic COVID-19 during days 15–28 after the first dose of Pfizer.
Opinion piece: mRNA vaccines might prove to be the better option for patients with IBD using immunosuppressants than adenovirus vector vaccines for two reasons
The autoimmune bleeding disorder is characterised by a decrease in the number of platelets, which can cause minor bruising in some patients and excessive bleeding and long term illness in...
The funds will be used to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Africa and hasten the economic recovery of the continent.
This partnership for COVID-19 vaccination will support Member States in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic through large-scale vaccination with safe and efficacious vaccines against the disease.
Report on 6 peer review articles and 4 pre-release peer review articles.
Emerging data on effectiveness indicates that licenced COVID-19 vaccines are contributing to controlling the spread of the disease. Vaccines are monitored on many levels including efficacy, quality and safety. There...
Angola has reached the milestone of more than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered after receiving the first doses from COVAX.
The new global targets were announced recently at the World Health Assembly, and at today’s pace, only seven African countries are set to meet them.
Actions include strengthening disease surveillance at all levels to swiftly detect cases for isolation and monitoring, and expanded vaccination as much as possible.
Africa has the highest global mortality rate among critically ill COVID-19 patients despite having the world’s lowest COVID-19 infections and deaths overall, a recent study published by the Lancet found.
A story of a 69-year-old from Kumasi in the Ashanti Region reflecting on how the vaccine affected her and her family.
Mass vaccination exercise in the middle of a pandemic has the potential to become a super-spreader event with reports of overcrowding in centres administering vaccines.
Bhutan started its COVID-19 vaccination rollout on March 27, 2021. In two weeks, it had reached more than 90% of the adult population eligible for vaccination.
South Asian policymakers need to seriously plan for universal healthcare and consider universal basic income, if they are going to improve healthcare for the vast majority of people in the...
Claim: Covid-19 vaccines cause vaccine enhancement syndrome which makes you even more vulnerable to the disease. Verdict: This is not true.
Report on 6 peer review articles and 3 pre-release peer review articles.
Opinion piece: Young people have been largely spared from severe COVID-19 so far and the value of childhood vaccination against respiratory viruses, in general, remains an open question.
Incarcerated individuals are at high risk for Covid-19 transmission and severe disease. Congregate living settings, including jails and prisons, facilitate the rapid spread of infection.
Only reducing the infection rate with a full suppression strategy via stringent lockdown will act quickly within days to reduce the daily death toll.
The efficacy of different COVID-19 vaccines against variants of concern, including those first identified in the UK and South Africa, will be assessed by Public Health England after a funding...
A Lancet paper seems to have given other countries confidence before the publication of the phase III trial (demonstrating the safety and effectiveness) 16 countries had authorised Sputnik V for...
While SARS-CoV-2 can circulate freely in Brazil, India, and elsewhere, new variants may undermine any nation’s vaccination strategy.
This study has been able to give a better understanding of how many people in the population have died from COVID-19, after AstraZeneca vaccine.
Peer review article Research into the ChAdOx1-S/AZD1222 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) vaccine show risks of venous thromboembolic (blood clotting) events were, however, small, and the findings should be interpreted in the light of...
CDC and FDA recommend use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine resume in the United States, after a temporary pause.
WHO listed the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA 1273) for emergency use, making it the fifth vaccine to receive emergency validation from WHO.
Sweden announced that they will share 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with the COVAX Facility to provide vaccines to people at risk in low-income countries.
During the largest global vaccine deployment in history, COVID-19 vaccination rollout must reach women, men, and gender-diverse people quickly and efficiently.
WHO Director-General praised the commitment by the United States administration to end the pandemic as quickly as possible.
Partnership cities in low- and middle-income countries were eligible to apply for this assistance and get grants of up to $50,000 to help promote or administer vaccinations.
WHO today listed the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally.
Africa’s vaccination coverage is the lowest for any region of the world. Low vaccination coverage places African countries at higher risk of a massive upsurge in cases.
There’s no evidence DMX had a Covid-19 vaccine just before his heart attack and no evidence that Covid-19 vaccines cause heart attacks.
The authors defined 12 days after the first vaccine dose as the time when protective immunity develops. They also indicate that immunization results in lower viral burden and lower risk...
The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines do not appear to pose any higher risk for facial paralysis than other viral vaccines, according to an analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine.
These data suggest that continuing to rapidly vaccinate U.S. adults ... will likely have a marked impact on COVID-19 hospitalization and might lead to commensurate reductions in post-COVID conditions and...
Vaccination campaigns must not only address concerns about product safety but must also provide clear guidance about vaccine benefits.
The European Medical Agency and European Centre for Disease Control will jointly coordinate and oversee a number of observational studies which will be funded from the EU budget and conducted...
This document provides an overview of the possible goals of vaccination against COVID-19 and reflects on potential implications.
This app is a community-led initiative designed to capture longitudinal data relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 4·5 million contributors.
Systemic and local side-effects after Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccination in the UK occur at frequencies lower than reported in phase 3 trials.
In patients with cancer, one dose of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine yields poor efficacy. Immunogenicity (the ability of a vaccine to provoke an immune response) increased significantly in patients with...
There is clear evidence of the benefits of all the approved COVID-19 vaccines, including AstraZeneca, for preventing serious COVID-19 and helping nations control the disease.
FDA has concluded that the known and potential benefit of the . . . vaccine outweigh[s] its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older.
This highlightes the importance of maintaining social distancing and understanding that immunity develops over time, researchers have said
The Biden administration has announced that the US will send as many as 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to countries in need.
Adults infected with Covid-19 three weeks after receiving one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine were 38-49% less likely to pass the virus on to their household contacts than...
The UK will roll out a Covid-19 booster vaccine at the beginning of autumn in order to protect the most vulnerable ahead of winter.
In a multistate network of U.S. hospitals during January March 2021, receipt of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines was 94% effective against COVID-19 hospitalization among fully vaccinated adults and 64%...
A diagram showing which activities are more or less safe based on whether someone has been vaccinated or not.
CDC and FDA recommend use of J&J COVID-19 vaccine in the United States after a temporary pause.
Vaccine providers should be aware of anxiety-related events after vaccination and observe all COVID-19 vaccine recipients for at least 15 minutes after administration.
A review of safety monitoring data found that 97% of reported reactions after the Jansen COVID-19 vaccine receipt were nonserious, consistent with preauthorization clinical trials data.
World Immunization Week highlighted the urgent need for a renewed global commitment to improving vaccination access and uptake.
WHO shine a light on key lessons emerging from African countries that have made strong progress, including Angola, Ghana, Mauritius and Rwanda.
Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has said the government was pursuing the acquisition of one million doses of vaccines each from Pfizer as well as Johnson and Johnson respectively...
In a statement, the Kenyan Ministry of Health’s National Taskforce for Vaccine Development clarifies some confusion over variance in Covishield vaccine dose administration.
EU said on Tuesday that the J&J vaccine should come with a warning about the rare risk for thrombosis with thrombocytopenia.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine data results indicate that COVID-19 vaccination appears to be safe in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Almost all patients with VITT had anti–platelet factor 4 antibodies, which activly disrupt the normal clotting process, counterintuitively.
2 women out of a cohort of 417 persons who had received the second dose of Pfizer–BioNTech or Moderna vaccine identified with vaccine breakthrough infection.
A single dose of Ad26.COV2.S protected against symptomatic COVID-19 and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and was effective against severe–critical disease.
Preliminary findings did not show obvious safety signals among pregnant persons who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. al, pregnancy, and infant outcomes.
It is not unusual for vaccine development programmes to encounter difficulties, or have a need to revisit the vaccine design or dosing regimen.
Because individuals are not equally susceptible and contagious, current target to vaccinate 65–70% of the population for herd immunity might be an overestimate.
This first-in-human trial shows that vaccine comprising MF59-adjuvanted (a chemical that helps create an emulsion of the active parts of the vaccine), spike protein all generated using mamalian cells, generates...
Vaccine efficacy is generally reported as a relative risk reduction (RRR).
The most direct pathway to population immunity is known as sterilising immunity. New study indicates the vaccine Pfizer-BioNTech provides substantial protection against infection
The Immunization Agenda 2030 provides a new global vision and strategy for vaccines for the next decade.
Risk-benefit assessments for different groups should be redefined as safety data on rare events emerge.
In a trial of a new vaccine produced by Sanofi Pasteur, the lower than expected immune responses, especially in the older age groups, and the high generation of expected side...
Findings show that Pfizer-BioNTech can prevent both symptomatic and asymptomatic infection in working-age adults.
Mass roll-out of first doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccines was associated with substantial reductions in the risk of hospital admission due to COVID-19 in Scotland.
The EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee has reviewed all available evidence including eight cases reported in the US, one of which had a fatal outcome. As of 13 April 2021...
Pregnant women should be offered the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, with priority based on age and clinical risk...
Infections of SARS-CoV-2 fell by 65% after a first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, preliminary results from a large UK surveillance study indicate.
Africa CDC released a statement of a safety signal for the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine following reports of extremely rare and unusual blood clots in combination with low platelets.
In mid-March, AVATT shipped 925,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to 13 African Union Member States.
US CDC comic strip about COVID-19 Vaccines
Weekly highlight of the WHO’s activities in regions and countries with the support of Gavi, ECHO, Canada, USAID and other partners.
TTS involving unusual and severe blood clotting events associated with low platelet counts reported after vaccination with COVID-19 Vaccines Vaxzevria and Covishield.
WHO continues to support the conclusion that the benefits of these vaccines outweigh the risks even after risk of Thrombosis has been added.
These studies provide evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine can induce unusual autoantibodies that promote both thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (blood clotting event); however, incidence appears extremely low (
Study can be utilized by clinicians to encourage hesitant pregnant women to receive vaccines. Optimal vaccine timing in these cases require further study.
Report on peer review article
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices decided on Wednesday to continue recommending that vaccine providers pause use of J&J adenovirus-vectored COVID-19 vaccine.
Findings provide reassurance that, despite a drop-off in neutralizing antibody titers, the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine continues to protect from infection by B.1.1.7 (UK) variant.
In patients with COVID-19, the absolute risk for cerebral venous thrombosis (blood clots affecting the brain) in the 2 weeks after diagnosis was 39 events per million people — significantly...
Protection conferred by the mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine against the P.1 (Brazilian), B.1.427/B.1.429 (Californian), and B.1.351 (South African) variants remains to be determined.
Whether or not persons who have already been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) should be vaccinated is unclear.
Case study of a women who suffered extreme thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (types of blood clotting events) after receiving the Janssen vaccine.
Vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCov-19 (Oxford AstraZeneca) can result in the rare development of immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (type of blood clotting event) mediated by platelet-activating antibodies against PF4, which clinically mimics...
A 48-year-old White woman with an unremarkable medical history presented to the emergency department with a 3-day history of malaise and abdominal pain. The initial evaluation at another hospital showed...
Evidence is insufficient to establish a causal relationship between cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) (blood clotting event) and the Ad26.COV2.S (Oxford AstraZeneca) vaccine.
Neutralisation activity in 24 serum samples from participants in two clinical trials, 12 who had been vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV and 12 who had been vaccinated with ZF2001 (two COVID-19 vaccines...
Reducing cases is not only beneficial for decreasing the pressure on health-care systems, but also for lowering the vaccine escape risk.
A 51-year-old woman attended our emergency department with a 3-day history of dyspnoea, fatigue, and cough and was found to have severe thrombocytopenia (abnormally low level of platelets. 11 days...
Two teams of researchers have published detailed observations of patients who developed thrombotic thrombocytopenia (a rare blood clotting disorder) after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine and have speculated about a possible...
The EU is investigating four reported cases of unusual blood clots with low platelets in people who have received the J&J COVID-19 vaccine.
China may need to replace its coronavirus vaccines or change the way they are administered in order to make them sufficiently effective against the SARS-Cov2 virus.
US regulators have paused the rollout of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine after reports of a small number of blood clot cases in those who had been vaccinated.
The Moderna and Novavax COVID-19 vaccines will be added to a trial that is investigating the effect of mixing vaccines.
The low rate of new infections in the US gives reassurance that the promising results seen in clinical studies of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which account for the overwhelming...
At the time of writing, six cases of serious thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (a blood clotting event) had been reported after the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine....
India’s regulators authorised the Russian made Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use, making it the third COVID-19 vaccine to be made available.
COVID-19 is associated with a far greater risk of cerebral venous thrombosis (blood clot of a cerebral vein in the brain) than the vaccinations that protect against it, early research...
A small study looking at people over 80 has found that a single dose of the Pfizer or Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine produces equivalent antibody responses five weeks after vaccination.
Vaccination remains a source of great hope, and in the UK the programme has showcased what the NHS can do when given the remit and resources. But, despite its early...
Survey in the UK illustrates a drop in confidence in the safety of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine compared with two weeks previously.
JCVI advises that it’s preferable for pregnant women in the UK to be offered the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines where available.
CEPI aims to work with low-income and middle-income countries to develop the infrastructure and expertise to undertake the epidemiological and clinical studies needed to advance vaccine development, support technology transfer,...
The Africa Regulatory Taskforce has endorsed the Emergency Use Authorization for the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. In African member states, the Janseen vaccine is currently only in use in South Africa,...
African Union Heads of State and over 40,000 participants attended a virtual summit on Expanding Africa’s Vaccine Manufacturing for Health Security.
Data from the UK suggest the risk is approximately1 case per 250 000 who receive the vaccine, while the rate is estimated to be approximately 1 per 100 000 in...
More than 13.6 million, including 12 million AstraZeneca, vaccine doses have been administered in Africa. Side effects reported range from mild to moderate.
Claim: Deaths in care homes are up 81% since the start of the Covid-19 vaccination rollout. Verdict: Deaths in care homes are up considerably, although we haven’t been able to...
Claim: COVID-19 vaccines are for sale on the dark web. Verdict: On some dark web marketplaces, there are listings for COVID-19 vaccines. These listings are almost always — if not...
Very detailed report on reasons and circumstances to withhold vaccines (contraindications) from certain patients. Appendix B has a triage chart for vaccination and Appendix C has a full list of...
Discussion of research articles A new vaccine, in development, that mimics the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 is looking promising. Original paper published 29th Jan in the Lancet
This document provides the background evidence related to the Interim recommendations for use of the AZD1222 (ChAdOx1-S [recombinant]) vaccine against COVID-19 developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
The WHO on Wednesday issued an interim recommendation in favor of the AstraZeneca-Oxford adenovirus-vectored COVID-19 vaccine. The agency advises that adults aged 18 and older receive two doses, spaced 8...
Pre release of research article Ensuring high and equitable vaccination coverage among all populations, including by addressing reasons for not intending to receive vaccination, is critical to prevent the spread...
Report on Research article The proportion of Americans who said they were "absolutely certain" or "very likely" to be vaccinated against COVID-19 if a vaccine were available rose from 39%...
Report from New York times Out of 31 million people who've received at least one vaccine dose, nearly 40 cases of thrombocytopenia (low level of platelets in the bloodstream reducing...
On Feb 2, 2021, in Dodoma, Tanzania's capital, the health minister announced that the country “has no plans in place to accept COVID-19 vaccines”. The message follows days after President...
Opinion piece Unprecedented as the COVID-19 pandemic might have been, more variants of SARS-CoV-2 will enter circulation and zoonotic pathogens (diseases that have crossed the species barrier) will arise. Fast-tracking...
Opinion piece Reporting information from single anonymous sources that turns out to be false could erode public confidence in the vaccines that are crucial to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Handelsblatt...
For countries that have NOT reported the circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 N501Y.V2 (or B.1.351), we recommend proceeding with the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine. For countries that HAVE reported the...
The WHO gave Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine an emergency use listing, meaning it can be administered through its COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) program.
Comment on pre-release The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines show reduced effectiveness in neutralizing the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.351 that was first identified in South Africa, according to serum...
Report on research article In a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving approximately 44,000 participants, immunization conferred 95% efficacy against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). It is unclear what the effect of...
Report on research article The mRNA-1273 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 elicited high neutralizing-antibody titers in phase 1 trial participants and has been shown to be highly efficacious in preventing symptomatic COVID-19...
This risk assessment provides an overall update on the COVID-19 situation in the EU/EEA, including latest data on the situation with SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern covered by previous targeted risk...
Opinion piece It means that in a population such as the one enrolled in the trials, with a cumulated COVID-19 attack rate over a period of 3 months of about...
Opinion piece Experts agree that although signs are encouraging better data are needed. Duncan Robertson, an analyst from Loughborough University’s School of Business and Economics, said, “The vaccination rollout data...
Opinion piece There is “absolutely no evidence” that COVID-19 vaccines can affect the fertility of women or men, says new expert guidance. “We’ve seen a lot of blatant misinformation that...
Results from monitoring efforts are reassuring. Some people have no side effects. Many people have reported only mild side effects after COVID-19 vaccination.
Millions of people have safely received a COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
An overview of the studies being carried out by the CDC in studying the effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines
You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. These side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should...
Pre-release paper Expanding capacity for genetic epidemiology in Africa will help strengthen surveillance for the B.1.351 variant as well as early detection of emerging variants that might affect the implementation...
The risk of severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age. This is why CDC recommends that adults 65 years and older are one of the first groups to receive COVID-19...
Two resource packs available for communicating to the public about vaccination and also a social media toolkit.
Pre-release paper Health care providers and vaccine recipients can be reassured about the safety of Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Counselling vaccine recipients to expect minor discomfort (e.g. swelling)...
This article provides answers to commonly asked questions about COVID-19 vaccination. CDC also has information for busting common vaccine myths available as facts about COVID-19 vaccines.
Commitments made at today’s Virtual G7 leaders meeting hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and at the Munich Security Conference later in the day, signalled significant progress in the...
This article is part six in a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. This document outlines the next part of the vaccine journey: how countries are getting ready...
This article provides a summary of the interim recommendations for use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine with links to the full guidance document While vaccine supplies are limited, it is...
Africa marked the move from planning to action in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines at a World Health Organization (WHO)-hosted African Health Ministers meeting on 17 February. A rapid vaccine...
Claim: Reports to the Yellow Card scheme suggest that the Covid vaccine from AstraZeneca is not safe. Verdict: This is not true. The Yellow Card scheme has collected reports of...
Claim: Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is designed to change people’s DNA. Verdict: False. mRNA vaccines like Moderna’s instruct cells in the body to make proteins. They do not change their DNA.
Claim COVID-19 mRNA vaccines will become deadly a few months after administration because the antibodies they create have been shown to cause deadly immune reactions resulting in damage to the...
Kenya’s Principal Secretary Ms Susan Mochache launched the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign at the Kenyatta National Hospital. During the event, the Ministry’s Director General Dr Patrick Amoth led the health...
Health Cabinet Secretary Senator Mutahi Kagwe received a consignment of 1.2 million doses of Astrazeneca COVID-19 Vaccines at the JomoKenyatta International Airport.
Report on peer reviewed article Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 lasted for at least 7 months in the vast majority of convalescents, comparing nicely with the effectiveness of the Moderna and Pfizer...
One dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine offers substantial protection against COVID-19, according to a preprint study posted online. The CDC's recommendations for use of the J&J adenovirus-vectored COVID-19...
Investigators utilized data from Clalit Health Services, which provides healthcare to 53% of Israel's population, to determine the effectiveness of the two-dose Pfizer BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in preventing COVID-19. Each...
This week, NEJM Journal Watch covered COVID-19–related topics including real-world performance of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine, household air contamination with SARS-CoV-2, enduring protective immunity after COVID-19, secondary infections in patients...
A series of delayed skin reactions in 12 patients after receiving the Moderna mRNA vaccine are described in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The CDC has updated its interim clinical considerations for use of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States. The CDC also noted that people who've recovered from COVID-19 may...
As of Feb 8, more than 6 million people have been vaccinated in the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign that started on Jan 16 in India. The first vaccine was...
Launched in April 2020, this tracker aims to collate up-to-date information on all COVID-19 vaccine candidates from inception through to deployment, enabling policy makers, researchers, and the public to keep...
A report published in response to a peer reviewed article, finds that a single dose of the CoV-19 vaccine is highly effective in the 90 days after vaccination, and that...
COVAX hopes to deliver more than 2 billion doses of the vaccines in 2021. At least 1.3 billion doses are earmarked for the 92 low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) eligible...
Analysis by Public Health England (PHE), published as a preprint, estimated that a single dose of either vaccine is around 80% effective at preventing hospital admission in people aged over...
Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca are reported to be in discussions regarding updating their vaccines to target new variants. Meanwhile, Moderna has said it is waiting on approval from regulators to start...
Covax is a multilateral initiative aimed at ensuring that all countries have “fair and equitable access” to COVID-19 vaccines. Covax announced on 2 March that Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and India...
The J&J/Janssen vaccine is an important tool in our toolbox to equitably vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. As a one-dose vaccine, people do not have...
A selection of results from monitoring efforts have been found by the CDC to be reassuring. Some people have no side effects. Many people have reported only mild side effects...
Viral vector vaccines use a modified version of a different virus (the vector) to deliver important instructions to our cells. For COVID-19 viral vector vaccines, the vector (not the virus...
Social media resources for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for information on COVID-19 Vaccinations.
Overview of detail of the Janssen COVID-19 (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine. Learn more about how CDC is making COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.
If you are pregnant, you might choose to be vaccinated when a vaccine is available to you. Currently, there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination causes any problems with pregnancy,...
Learn how the body fights infection and how COVID-19 vaccines protect people by producing immunity. Also see the different types of COVID-19 vaccines that currently are available or are undergoing...
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines give instructions for our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the “spike protein.” Our immune systems recognize that the protein doesn’t belong there...
If you had a severe allergic reaction—also known as anaphylaxis—after getting the first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, CDC recommends that you not get a second shot of that vaccine....
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is recommended for people aged 16 years and older. Learn more about how CDC is making COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.
The Moderna vaccine is recommended for people aged 18 years and older. Learn more about how CDC is making COVID-19 vaccine recommendations
An allergic reaction is considered severe when a person needs to be treated with epinephrine or EpiPen© or if the person must go to the hospital. Experts refer to severe...
The J&J/Janssen vaccine is recommended for people aged 18 years and older. Learn more about how CDC is making COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.
All COVID-19 vaccines were tested in clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people to make sure they meet safety standards and protect adults of different races, ethnicities, and ages,...
COVID-19 vaccines may be administered to most people with underlying medical conditions (including HIV, Bell’s Palsy, Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), and issues with the immune system) once a vaccine is available...
COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you from getting COVID-19. You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. These side effects may affect...
A round up of recent scientific research and factual reports.
The campaigns in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire followed deliveries to both countries last week with Ghana taking delivery of 600 000 doses on February 24 and Côte d’Ivoire 504 000...
Following from the publication of an interim distribution forecast, and based on current knowledge of supply availability, this first round of allocations provides information on provision of doses of the...
The AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India and now being distributed in Kenya, has been reviewed and found safe not only by the WHO’s rigorous process but...
Angola today received 624,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine from the Sérum Institute of India as part of the COVAX initiative, which aims to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines...
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo together with his wife, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo received the first shots of the vaccine. He described his decision as an important...
As the global rollout of COVAX vaccines accelerates, the first COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in Africa using COVAX doses began today (1 March) in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. These campaigns are...
Margibi, Liberia, 05 March 2021 - Liberia received 96,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses shipped via the COVAX initiative, a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO.
Report on peer review article People with prior COVID-19 infection show high immune response after only one mRNA vaccine dose, according to data published in the New England Journal of...
Some of the latest news on the COVID-19 vaccines, including Allergic reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines and new findings on vaccination during pregnancy.
Opinion piece In trials of two other alum-adjuvanted inactivated vaccines, the overall efficacy of BBIBP-CorV is approximately 79·3% and of CoronaVac is approximately 50·4%, and both vaccines reportedly provide 100%...
Peer review article In the phase 1 trial, BBV152 induced high antibody responses that remained elevated in all participants at 3 months after the second vaccination. In the phase 2...
Opinion piece There is much ongoing debate and concern regarding access to COVID-19 vaccines and roll-out gaps in low-income and middle-income countries compared with high-income countries. African countries, many of...
Opinion piece As suggested by previous studies, sleep duration at the time of vaccination against viral infections can affect the immune response.
Opinion piece COVAX is unequipped to resolve many of the most pressing threats to its mission. Global vaccination is central to ending the pandemic, yet it has been dealt with...
Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine will also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do...
CDC guidelines on how to protect yourself and others once you have been fully vaccinated, as well as some notes on what we know and what we are still learning...
American CDC guidance on routine medical procedures or screenings that can be performed before or after getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Reported willingness to accept a COVID-19 vaccine was highly variable across the 15 African countries surveyed, with significant regional differences. Intent to accept a COVID-19 vaccine ranges from higher acceptance...
Report on the African Centre for Disease Control’s (CDC) virtual meeting on COVID-19 Vaccine Financing and Deployment Strategy and key points
In order to properly guide Member States, the Africa Regulatory Taskforce has developed a framework for market authorisation of COVID-19 vaccines, which include three scenarios which are outlined in the...
The WHO today listed the COVID-19 vaccine Ad26.COV2.S, developed by Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), for emergency use in all countries and for COVAX roll-out. The decision comes on the back...
In under a year, the ACT Accelerator has driven real progress to accelerate the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has accelerated the development of COVID-19 tests, treatments, vaccines and...
Symptoms of an influenza-like illness may be expected as immune responses following vaccinations in general. The current reports with the COVID-19 vaccines are consistent with the expected side-effect profile of...
COVID-19 vaccine deliveries are picking up speed, the response to the pandemic is getting a much-awaited boost. More than 14.6 million vaccine doses have been delivered to 22 African countries...
The first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccines produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII) arrived in Ethiopia on 6 March 2021 through COVAX, which facilitated the procurement and shipment...
On 02 March 2021, Nigeria received nearly 4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, shipped via the COVAX Facility, a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO. The consignment for...
European fact-checkers are trying to explain the confusing move to pause administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine. They say the lack of scientific evidence justifying the move is giving oxygen to...
There have been relatively few cases of blood clots — a few dozen among the 17 million people who have been vaccinated in Europe and the United Kingdom — and...
Claim: Marvellous Marvin Hagler's death in March 2021 was caused by his receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. Rating: False. This claim has been refuted by Marvellous Marvin Hagler’s wife.
Claim: Seventeen countries have banned the AstraZeneca vaccine outside of the UK. Verdict: This is not the case. At the time of writing, 17 countries in Europe have temporarily stopped...
Claim: Does the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine cause blood clots? We did not apply a traditional truth rating to this claim, as this matter is still under review. The European Medicines...
Claim: The blue blood of horseshoe crabs is required for the production of COVID-19 vaccines. Rating: Partly true. A chemical compound found in the blood of horseshoe crabs is widely...
Claim: Drinking alcohol between COVID-19 doses can impair the effectiveness of the immunization. Verdict: Research In Progress. There is currently no formal recommendations to avoid alcohol before or after receiving...
KEMRI ‘s Acting Director General, Prof. Sam Kariuki received his Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine jab this Tuesday, 16th March 2021 at Mbagathi Hospital. The clinical trials which are on the third...
Health Cabinet Secretary Senator Mutahi Kagwe received 100,000 Astrazeneca vaccine consignments from India at JomoKenyatta International Airport on Thursday evening.
Chief Administrative Secretary Dr Mercy Mwangangi today received her COVID-19 vaccination at Kenyatta National Hospital.
Several European countries have temporarily halted use of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine after reports of blood clots in people recently vaccinated, news outlets report. The European Medicines Agency said that...
Report on peer reviewed article The Moderna (mRNA-1273) vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) elicited high neutralizing-antibody titers in phase 1 trial participants and has been...
AstraZeneca issued a statement on Sunday to reassure the public about the safety of its COVID-19 vaccine after several European Union countries halted its use over concerns about blood clots....
Report on peer reviewed article AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine does not appear to prevent infection from the B.1.351 variant, according to a study. Moderna says it has begun testing its mRNA...
Report on peer reviewed article Two reports reaffirm the low incidence of severe reactions to either mRNA vaccine — although we still need clarity about the mechanisms of anaphylactoid reactions...
Report on peer reviewed article Pooled analysis showed vaccine efficacies of 76.0% after a single dose of AZD1222 and 81.3% after a booster given ≥12 weeks after the first dose.
The WHO on Wednesday officially recommended Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine for adults aged 18 years and older. The agency also said that it considers the benefits of the...
Report on peer reviewed article In a trial in South Africa, the AZD1222 vaccine did not protect against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 caused by the B.1.351 variant. These findings reinforce the need...
The regulatory agency said that while the vaccine is not associated with overall risk for thromboembolic events, it could not rule out an increased risk for "very rare cases of...
Opinion piece Ideally, an agreement could be reached with the patent holders to make the relevant intellectual property available. However, if this agreement is not possible, compulsory licensing is possible...
Peer review article Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 offer a potential exit strategy for the pandemic, success is highly contingent on the precise vaccine properties and population uptake, both of which need...
Experts have called for stronger health warnings for people being vaccinated against COVID-19 after observing a rise in COVID-19 infections shortly after vaccination, suggesting that many people are letting their...
The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is not linked to an increased risk of blood clots and is both safe and effective, an investigation by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) has concluded....
Opinion piece Suspension of the vaccine will have serious implications for vaccine confidence in general and, in particular, for global vaccination programmes. It has already heightened anxiety levels and affected...
Opinion piece When a vaccine safety signal is detected, countries face a dilemma: suspend the programme now while investigations establish a causal link, or proceed with vaccinating people amidst fears...
The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is not linked to an increased risk of blood clots and is both safe and effective, an investigation by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) has concluded....
While the global rollout of vaccines to adults continues apace, with more than 359 million doses of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 administered as of 15 March, health leaders and researchers have...
Interim results (based on data so far from 14 964 participants in the vaccine group and 4902 in the placebo group) indicate that the vaccine is 91.6% effective, based on its...
The WHO and the European Medicines Agency have said that there does not seem to be an increased risk of blood clots with the vaccine and have advised that vaccinations...
To date, there has been no causal link established between the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the events reported. Most importantly, the number of blood clots and bleeding disorders...
WHO is in regular contact with the European Medicines Agency and regulators around the world for the latest information on COVID-19 vaccine safety. At this time, WHO considers that the...
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (including Covishield) continues to have a positive benefit-risk profile, with tremendous potential to prevent infections and reduce deaths across the world. The available data do not...
The WHO handed over medical supplies to the Ministry of Health of the Gambia, at Central Medical Stores, Banjul on the 16th March, 2021. The medical supplies donated on the...
Altogether, 38 African countries have received more than 25 million COVID-19 vaccines and 30 have started vaccination campaigns. Through the COVAX initiative – which is co-led by the Coalition for...
The first phase of Nigeria’ national vaccination campaign targets healthcare workers and support staff, first responders and security agencies. Nigeria is slated to receive 84 million doses of the COVID-19...
COVID-19 vaccination in Africa is gathering pace, with more than 7 million doses so far administered. But the continent received vaccines later than other regions of the world and in...
Opinion piece From December 16, 2020, through February 9, 2021, a total of 36,659 health care workers received the first dose of vaccine, and 28,184 of these persons (77%) received...
WHO named vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten threats to global health in 2019; they identified complacency, convenience, and lack of confidence as key reasons underlying vaccine hesitancy....
Open access article In showing safety and efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and preparing companies for large-scale manufacturing, the US programme called Operation Warp Speed (OWS) has, by accident or design,...
Opinion piece With COVID-19 vaccination programmes now underway in many countries, patients' concerns have shifted toward questions about the vaccines and whether they are safe for them to receive. The...
Opinion piece According to this Occupation Safety and Health, Abu Dhabi health services policy, a person with generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depression, or even stable psychosis could not be...
Officials from the monitoring board overseeing AstraZeneca’s latest covid-19 vaccine trial expressed concern that data released by the company this week may have been out of date and “provided an...
Opinion piece Ensuring effective access to vaccinations for people experiencing homelessness is essential to protecting public health and safeguarding the health of a vulnerable, yet often overlooked population. Achieving this...
SARS-CoV-2 has been in the human population for more than a year now, causing severe disease in some and resulting in a pandemic that continues to put severe strain on...
Preliminary findings from University College London’s Virus Watch study suggest that 86% of those who were unsure about having the vaccine or planned to refuse it in December 2020 have...
This document provides a problem-solving framework, best practice, and practical guidance for implementing a range of interventions to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination and drive uptake in underserved communities.
If you receive a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you will need 2 shots to get the most protection. You should get your second shot even if you have side...
COVAX vaccine shipments are beginning to reach countries in need, WHO celebrated International Women’s Day and telemedicine is showing promise for chronic conditions during COVID-19.
Seafarers and aircrew need to be protected through vaccination as soon as possible, to facilitate their safe movement across borders. WHO also calls on governments to identify and prepare for...
The COVAX Facility has notified participating economies that deliveries of doses from the Serum Institute of India (SII) will be delayed in March and April. Separately, participating economies in the...
This WHO Medical Product Alert reports on a falsified COVID-19 Vaccine identified as “BNT162b2” detected in Mexico in February 2021 and recently confirmed as falsified to the WHO. This falsified...
Africa urgently needs more COVID-19 vaccine supplies as deliveries begin to slow down and initial batches are nearly exhausted in some countries. The continent has so far administered 7.7 million...
Report on a phase 3 clinical trial of the mRNA-1273 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, providing information on immediate injection-site reactions, which were observed in 84.2% of the participants after the first...
Opinion piece Concerns regarding access to Covid-19 vaccines in Africa are reminiscent of concerns raised about responding to the HIV pandemic in the mid-1990s and early 2000s, when highly active...
Report on peer reviewed article While no safety issues arose, only 17% of transplant recipients developed detectable antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein after immunisation. Immunosuppressed patients generally respond less...
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine already in use among adults has shown "100% efficacy and robust antibody responses" in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15, the manufacturers announced on...
Report on peer reviewed article The studies from Israel, Texas, and California illustrate the dramatic reductions in SARS-CoV-2 infections among health care workers following vaccination (and the results are congruent...
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has 91.3% efficacy against symptomatic illness diagnosed from 1 week to 6 months after the second dose of vaccine, the companies reported on Thursday. A version...
The most effective vaccination strategy for reducing mortality due to COVID-19 depends on the time course of the pandemic in the population. For later vaccination start dates, use of SARS-CoV-2...
People aged 16 or over who live with immunosuppressed adults should be prioritised for covid-19 vaccination alongside priority group 6 (people aged 16 to 65 who have a clinical condition...
The Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine has shown 100% efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 in 12 to 15 year olds in the preliminary results of a phase III trial.
The Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is facing a further wave of scepticism and restrictions as Canada and Germany halt its use in younger patients, citing reports of clotting disorders in...
Vaccination with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine reduces infections by 90%, while a single dose confers 80% protection, shows a study led by the US Center for Disease Control and...
Advice that adult household contacts of adults (over 16 years of age) with severe immunosuppression should be offered access to COVID-19 vaccination alongside priority group 6 (people aged 16 to...
An overview of the Johnson and Johnson’s, Janseen Covid-19 Vaccine.
Pre-release peer review article Under real-world conditions, mRNA vaccine effectiveness of full immunization (≥14 days after second dose) was 90% against SARS-CoV-2 infections regardless of symptom status; vaccine effectiveness of...
While some prevention measures will continue to be necessary regardless of vaccination status, fully vaccinated people without immunocompromising conditions that may reduce their response to vaccination may be able to...
The listing explains how current WHO written standards may provide useful guidance and information for the development, production and evaluation of candidate COVID-19 vaccines.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunisation has issued Interim recommendations for the use of the Janssen Ad26.CoV2.S vaccine against COVID-19. The vaccine is safe and effective...
COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and getting vaccinated will help protect you against developing severe COVID-19 disease and dying from COVID-19. You may experience some mild side effects after getting vaccinated,...
Vaccines are a critical tool in the battle against COVID-19, and getting vaccinated is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Getting vaccinated is safer...
This article is part of a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. Vaccine safety is one of WHO’s highest priorities, and we’re working closely with national authorities to...
In the period up until 31 March, 20.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been given in the UK, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) received...
The answer is that both types of death are assessed by a doctor, and they are quite different.
Claim: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla refused to take the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Rating: False. Bourla has taken the vaccine.
During the briefing the Health Cabinet Secretary announced that National Emergency Response Committee on Coronavirus have decided to terminate licenses for importation and administration of COVID-19 vaccinations by the private...
Report on peer review article It is recommended to administer SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for pregnant people to protect both mother and neonate. We know that, during pregnancy, vaccines against infections such...
Two patients who required treatment for hypersensitivity reactions to the first dose of the Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccine were able to receive their second dose without major complications when it...
The European Medicines Agency stated that the occurrence of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (blood clots) should be considered a very rare side effect of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Report on peer review article Just as bacterial pathogens can develop antimicrobial resistance necessitating continued evolution of drugs to keep pace, and the dynamics of influenza require annual vaccine modifications,...
This research found that 501Y.V2 (also known as B.1.351) elicits robust neutralizing antibody responses against both the original variant and 501Y.V3, which indicates high levels of cross-reactivity. The data indicate...
Opinion Piece As the global community faces scarce supply, we confront a distressing reality: our current global vaccination rates of roughly 6.7 million doses per day translate to achieving herd immunity...
Ongoing studies are monitoring immune responses beyond 6 months as well as determining the effect of a booster dose to extend the duration and breadth of activity against emerging viral...
A single dose of mRNA vaccine elicited rapid immune responses in seropositive participants, with post vaccination antibody titers that were similar to or exceeded titers found in seronegative participants who...
The BNT162b2 vaccine was shown to have 95% efficacy against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).1 To date, the two-dose vaccine protocol has not been approved in Israel for persons previously infected...
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant B.1.429 (also called CAL.20C or 452R.V1), first identified in California. The results of this study, and the high efficacy shown by...
Peer review article Although rare, vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a new phenomenon with devastating effects for otherwise healthy young adults and requires a thorough risk–benefit analysis. The findings...
Peer review article Vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCov-19 can result in the rare development of immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia mediated by platelet-activating antibodies against PF4, which clinically mimics autoimmune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.
Emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 can evade neutralising antibodies induced by previous infection or vaccination through mutations in the spike protein, including the receptor-binding domain. Vaccinations should induce the highest neutralisation...
Opinion piece Ramadan fasts require Muslims to abstain from food and drink during daylight hours (exemptions include ill-health). Fasting during Ramadan also requires “refraining from anything entering the body cavities”....
Report on peer review article The findings of the authors suggest that infection and the development of an antibody response provides protection similar to or even better than currently used...
The acting head of the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave reassurances on 5 April that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was safe, after a mix-up at a...
Opinion piece In light of recent concerns about the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, sustained and clear communication from trusted sources is needed to maintain uptake as the evidence evolves.
Among more than 20 million people who have been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK so far, 79 cases of rare blood clots with low platelets have been...
There are about a dozen Chinese vaccine candidates for COVID-19, but five front runners have received emergency use approval in China as well as several other countries. At the time...
Opinion piece The COVID-19 vaccine race has highlighted the importance of the equitable distribution of resources worldwide for ethical and epidemiological reasons. Letting the virus run free in low and...
The COVAX Facility has now delivered life-saving vaccines to over 100 economies since making its first international delivery to Ghana on 24 February 2021. So far, more than 38 million...
Less than 2% of the 690 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered to date globally have been in Africa, where most countries received vaccines only five weeks ago and in small...
This correspondence provides follow-up data on the immune response triggered by the Moderna vaccine (mRNA-1273) 119 days after the first vaccine dose (and 3 months after the second dose). The...
This paper describes results of phase 3 clinical trials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1273), which uses mRNA technology targeting the spike protein. Over 30,000 participants were enrolled, receiving two...
This paper describes the results of phase 2/3 trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. In this case, the trial primarily assessed vaccine safety, with a particular focus on those aged 70+....
This page contains details of the SAGE meeting held on 05/01/2021, where the Pfizer-BioNTech and other COVID-19 vaccines were discussed. As of 04/01/2021, there are a total of 291 vaccine...
This paper describes results of four clinical trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222)). These clinical trials spanned multiple phases across three countries. This study looks at both...
There were 58 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in clinical trials in 2020. Trial data for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine were published in December describing results from four randomised controlled trials in South Africa,...
This paper describes results of phase 1/2a trials of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine (Ad26.COV2.S). This vaccine targets the spike protein using a viral vector. The main objective of this trial...
This paper describes the results of the phase 1 trials of two Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine candidate (BNT162b1 and BNT162b2). BNT162b1 targets the receptor-binding domain, whereas the BNT162b2 targets the spike...
This paper describes the results of phase 2/3 trials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2). Around 40,000 people participated in these trials - half of which received the vaccine (two...
This paper describes results of phase 1/2 trials of two vaccine candidates developed by Gamaleya in the Russian Federation. Both vaccines target the spike protein using a viral vector, one...
This paper describes the results of phase 1/2 trials of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine (CoronaVac), which contains an inactivated form of SARS-CoV-2. Over 700 participants were enrolled on these trials,...
The WHO has granted Emergency Use Listing to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and has issue policy recommendations on how best to use it. This includes a recommendation that the vaccine...
The UK government has announced that the second doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be administered around 12 weeks after the first, rather than 3-4 weeks which was recommended. This is...
Doctors in Norway are being asked to more thoroughly evaluate the conditions of very frail, elderly patients who have yet to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. This request comes after 23 people...
This update provides a summary of the latest developments in scientific knowledge and public health policy from around the world. Highlights on vaccines are summarised below: - Bharat Biotech announced...
Vaccine development and trials were identified as a key research priority for COVID-19 in Africa. The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) Clinical Trials Community has said that globally, only 2%...
This presentation gives a brief general overview of vaccine technologies, steps in vaccine development and timelines (both of traditional and accelerated development), and the COVID-19 vaccine candidates in Phase 3...
This update provides a summary of the latest developments in scientific knowledge and public health policy from around the world. Highlights on vaccines are summarised below: - The UK government...
This document summarises the COVID-19 vaccine candidate landscape, including stages of development and clinical trial data where available. It is updated every Tuesday and Friday. As of 19/01/2021, 64 vaccines...
Claim: Aluminium in vaccines can cause Alzheimer’s disease. Finding: False No link between Alzheimer’s disease and the small amount of aluminium found in some vaccines has been established. Small amounts...
Claim: New Covid-19 vaccines contain levels of mercury that cause brain damage. Finding: False Most commonly given vaccines in the UK do not contain the mercury-based chemical thiomersal. We don’t...
Claim: The formation of “non-neutralizing antibodies” can lead to an exaggerated immune reaction to vaccines, especially when the person is confronted with the real, “wild” virus after vaccination. This so-called...
Claim: The Pfizer vaccine contains syncytin-1 which is vital for the formation of human placenta, so could lead to infertility. Finding: Mixture The vaccine contains instructions on how to build...
Claim: Four volunteers developed Bell's palsy after receiving Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine. Finding: Mixture Whilst this is true, the figure is roughly the level anticipated in a group of this size....
Claim: that Tiffany Dover, a nurse from Tennessee in the United States, fainted and died after receiving her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Finding: False The nurse did...
Claim: “Australia abandons vaccine attempt, after the shot wrongly gave some people positive HIV test results", from the website, Business Insider Finding: True The vaccine did give people false positive...
Claim: Twenty-three people in Norway died as a result of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Finding: Unproven 23 people across Norway died since the vaccination programme began; they were vaccinated with...
Claim: A rapidly approved drug known as thalidomide was not rigorously tested before being prescribed to pregnant women, ultimately leading to “malformations in newborns” to women who were prescribed the...
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said, “In the Pfizer contract it's very clear: 'we're not responsible for any side effects.' If you turn into a crocodile, it's your problem.” Finding: Correct...
Claim: Pfizer vaccine "page 132" warns not to have unprotected sex for 28 days after the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine because "genetic manipulation" may cause birth defects. Finding:...
Claim: Two scientific studies found that men should inject the COVID-19 vaccine into the penis, and that the vaccine increased penis size among some men. Finding: False The pictures shared...
Claim: A Portuguese nurse named Sonia Azevedo died from adverse side effects from the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This was first published by India-based news-outlet WION (World Is One News) and...
WHAT WAS CLAIMED The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine contains viruses from chimpanzees. OUR VERDICT The vaccine uses a modified virus which was originally created from a virus found in chimpanzees.
WHAT WAS CLAIMED Vaccines don’t stop you getting COVID-19 or spreading it. OUR VERDICT The Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines reduce your chances of getting sick with Covid-19. There’s some...
A CDC analysis of adverse event data during the first month of COVID-19 vaccination in the U.S. offers reassurance on use of the two authorized mRNA vaccines. A New York...
The FDA has published guidance regarding SARS-CoV-2 variants for companies making vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tests.
Report on research article These findings suggest that the B.1.351 variant (and others harbouring similar mutations) is less sensitive to vaccine-induced antibodies than earlier SARS-CoV-2 lineages, including B.1.117. However, vaccines...
Pfizer and BioNTech said on Thursday that they will begin studying whether a third dose of their authorized mRNA vaccine is safe and effective against currently circulating and emerging strains...
Peer reviewed article This study estimates a high effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine for preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in a non-controlled setting, similar to the vaccine efficacy reported in the randomized...
Opinion piece The global north has started immunising large numbers of people against SARS-CoV-2 before the global south, Africans concerned about COVID-19 vaccine safety might be reassured by this track...
Opinion piece There have been many studies around the influenza vaccine and Bell's palsy. There is a call for robust surveillance for potential mRNA vaccine-associated Bell's palsy, we also note...
Response to peer reviewed article Further evidence that the vaccine still generates a strong immune response in people who have previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Opinion piece Migrant and displaced communities—regardless of their legal status—urgently need to be explicitly and proactively included in vaccination plans. This action not only recognises the interdependence between migrant health...
Opinion piece Most countries have a mandatory vaccination programme for childhood vaccinations, with varying strategies for enforcement that might establish precedent. If strategies of persuasion do not achieve adequate vaccination...
Opinion piece Digital tools for side-effect surveillance emphasise data collection over providing user feedback, and public misperceptions might influence what is reported and the causal attributions. Preliminary evidence shows that...
Peer reviewed article Peter English, consultant in communicable disease control and past chair of the BMA’s Public Health Medicine Committee, said, “This is more great news, confirming that the vaccine...
Opinion piece New pledges by leaders of the G7 group of richest countries to intensify cooperation on COVID-19 and commit $7.5bn (£5.3bn; €6.2bn) to sharing supplies of vaccine around the...
COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you from getting COVID-19. You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection, and this article explains them.
Answers to commonly asked questions about COVID-19 vaccination. CDC also has information for busting common vaccine myths available in facts about COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Rare adverse events described on this page have been reported
If you had a severe allergic reaction after getting the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, CDC recommends that you should not get the second dose. If you had...
A video explaining how to grow confidence and trust in the vaccine.
Pre release article Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in a controlled setting. Israel initiated a national vaccination campaign in December 2020, prioritizing persons aged >60 years...
COVID-9 vaccines have been developed within less than a year after the vi1rus was first detected. Several vaccines that have become available have shown different levels of efficacy, this article...
Claim: The World Health Organisation warned that pregnant women should avoid the COVID-19 vaccination. Partly true As of January 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the use of...
The article provides details of the trial of the ChAdOx1 vaccine for COVID-19 currently being conducted in Kenya. The trial aims to assess whether the ChAdOx1 vaccine is safe, effective...
. A vaccine targeting a new part of the SARS CoV-2 spike protein (the protrusions that give the virus the name coronavirus as they look like a crown) have proved...
Opinion piece by Anna K Blakney, Michael Smith Laboratories, and Paul F McKay, Imperial College London, The continued development and use of new technology used to create the RNA (genetic...
Opinion Piece by Thomas C Williams, University of Edinburgh and Wendy A Burges, University of Cape Town Most vaccines work by getting our body to recognise and react to a...
Claim: Researchers warned in The Lancet that a form of COVID-19 vaccine in development (and approved for limited use in China) could potentially increase the risk of acquiring HIV. Mostly...
The new, more transmissible variant of SARS-CoV-2 found in England is just one of many variations of the virus being detected around the world. These include variant P.1 or VOC202101/02,...
The development and approval of safe and effective vaccines less than a year after the emergence of COVID-19 is a stunning achievement. However, in Africa, Guinea is the sole low-income...
More than 2,800 scientists from 130 countries gathered on Friday (January 15) in a virtual forum hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify knowledge gaps and set research...
Claim: We don’t know the Covid-19 vaccines are safe because trials are still underway and won’t finish until 2023. Anyone getting the vaccine is being experimented on. Verdict: Multiple phases...
Summary article A Russian vaccine against COVID-19 — Gam-COVID-Vac (dubbed "Sputnik V") — shows 92% efficacy in interim results from a phase 3 trial reported in The Lancet. The two-dose...
This report provides an updated overview of national COVID-19 vaccination rollout across the EU/EEA, including new insights into some of the critical aspects and challenges Member States are experiencing with...
The ECDC, together with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, organised a stress test of the logistical aspects of COVID-19 vaccination deployment plans. Twelve EU/EEA Member States...
A heterologous recombinant adenovirus (rAd)-based vaccine, Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V), showed a good safety profile and induced strong humoral and cellular immune responses in participants in phase 1/2 clinical trials. This...
Opinion piece The WHO International Non-proprietary Names Programme would like to highlight that international non-proprietary names (INNs), assigned to well defined pharmaceutical substances, including those used in vaccines, ensure that...
COVID-19 vaccine acceptance depends on the characteristics of new vaccines and the national vaccination strategy, among various other factors, in the working-age population in France.
Opinion piece by Pierre Verger, Patrick Peretti-Watel This study shows that most people are probably not absolutely for or against COVID-19 vaccines. Depending on their own profile and preferences, and...
Opinion piece This article discusses the difficulties of the final processes when delivering vaccines. It questions why, -given prefilled syringes are the safest and standard recommended delivery device for most...
News article The SARS-CoV-2 vaccine produced by the US biotechnology company Novavax is 95.6% effective against the original variant of SARS-CoV-2 but also provides protection against the newer variants B.1.1.7...
News Article The European Medicines Agency authorised Astra Zeneca’s SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for use in all adults aged over 18 on 29 January. Amid reports that the vaccine had lower efficacy...
A news article reporting a preprint paper currently under review at the Lancet. The paper is an analysis of data from vaccine trials involving 17,177 participants in the UK, Brazil,...
Clinical trials and vaccine safety monitoring are being conducted to evaluate additional COVID-19 vaccines in many thousands of study participants. These trials will generate scientific data and other information that...
COVAX has notified countries in Africa of the estimated dose allocation for the first phase of COVID-19 vaccine delivery. The global initiative led by the WHO, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance...
Article by freelance journalist Kamala Thiagarajan. On 3 January, India’s top drug regulator issued emergency approval for two vaccines for restricted use against Covid-19, even though phase III clinical trials...