Reference: Tareq, A. M., Bin Emran, T., Dhama, K., Dhawan, M., & Tallei, T. E. (2021). Impact of SARS-CoV-2 delta variant (B.1.617.2) in surging second wave of COVID-19 and efficacy of vaccines in tackling the ongoing pandemic. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 17(11), 4126–4127. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2021.1963601 Summary: The article examines the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant […]
Reference: Brosh-Nissimov, T. et al. (2021). BNT162b2 vaccine breakthrough: clinical characteristics of 152 fully-vaccinated hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Israel. Clinical Microbiology and Infection. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2021.06.036 Summary: A study conducted in Israel examined breakthrough infections in fully-vaccinated patients who were hospitalised with COVID-19. Out of 152 patients, 40% were immunocompromised, and the study revealed that despite the
Reference: Benn, C. S., & Aaby, P. (2021). Should COVID-19 be a vaccine disease or a childhood disease? The BMJ, 374, n1687. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1687 Summary: The article discusses the implications of COVID-19 vaccination for children, highlighting concerns over the safety and necessity of such measures. It critiques the small sample size of the Pfizer phase 3
Reference: Public Health England. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England: Technical briefing 17 (25 June 2021). Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/phe Summary: The Technical Briefing 17 from Public Health England, dated 25 June 2021, reports on the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants in England. As of that date, there are four variants of
Reference: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021). Fact sheet for recipients and caregivers: Emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in individuals 12 years of age and older. Retrieved from www.cvdvaccine.com Summary: The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is offered under emergency use authorization (EUA) to prevent
Reference: Sadoff, J., Gray, G., Vandebosch, A., Cárdenas, V., Shukarev, G., Grinsztejn, B., Goepfert, P. A., Truyers, C., Fennema, H., Spiessens, B., Offergeld, K., Scheper, G., Taylor, K. L., Robb, M. L., Treanor, J., Barouch, D. H., Stoddard, J., Ryser, M. F., Marovich, M. A., Neuzil, K. M., Corey, L., Cauwenberghs, N., Tanner, T., Hardt,
Reference: Shinde, V., Bhikha, S., Hoosain, Z., Archary, M., Bhorat, Q., Fairlie, L., … & Madhi, S. A. (2021). Efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 Covid-19 Vaccine against the B.1.351 Variant. The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(20), 1899-1909. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2103055 Summary: The NVX-CoV2373 nanoparticle vaccine was evaluated in a phase 2 trial in South Africa during the B.1.351
Reference: Nakagami, H. (2021). Development of COVID-19 vaccines utilizing gene therapy technology. International Immunology, 33(10), 521–527. https://doi.org/10.1093/intimm/dxab013 Summary: The article discusses the urgent development of COVID-19 vaccines in response to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Various vaccine technologies are being explored, categorised into four main groups: intact target viruses, proteins, viral vectors, and nucleic acids. RNA and
Reference: Seneff, S., & Nigh, G. (2021). Worse than the disease? Reviewing some possible unintended consequences of the mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research, 2(1), 38-58. Summary: The article by Seneff and Nigh reviews the mRNA vaccines developed for COVID-19, primarily focusing on the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. While
Reference: Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, March 4). Understanding mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html Summary: mRNA vaccines represent a novel approach to immunisation against infectious diseases, including COVID-19. They work by instructing cells to produce a harmless piece of the virus’s spike protein, eliciting an immune response without introducing the live virus. This process