Center for American Progress: A Comprehensive COVID-19 Vaccine Plan. “Several COVID-19 vaccines have shown promising results in early stages of development. This summer and fall, several vaccines will enter Phase III clinical trials to determine their efficacy and safety. Some experts believe the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could authorize a vaccine within six months. But this time frame is not when most Americans can expect to be vaccinated. The time between FDA authorization of a vaccine and widespread availability can take many months. For example, in 2009, the first doses of the H1N1 vaccine were administered on October 5. Only 124 million doses were available by the end of January 2010, four months later.”
vaccines
Coronavirus: Russia plans mass vaccination campaign in October (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: Russia plans mass vaccination campaign in October. “Russian health authorities are preparing to start a mass vaccination campaign against coronavirus in October, the health minister has said. Russian media quoted Mikhail Murashko as saying that doctors and teachers would be the first to receive the vaccine. Reuters, citing anonymous sources, said Russia’s first potential vaccine would be approved by regulators this month. However, some experts are concerned at Russia’s fast-track approach.”
Arab News: Philippine president pledges free coronavirus vaccines for poorest 20 million citizens
Arab News: Philippine president pledges free coronavirus vaccines for poorest 20 million citizens. “Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday announced that 20 million of the country’s poorest citizens will receive free COVID-19 vaccines, which he hoped would happen by December.”
Washington Post: Two coronavirus vaccines begin the last phase of testing: 30,000-person trials
Washington Post: Two coronavirus vaccines begin the last phase of testing: 30,000-person trials. “At 6:45 a.m. Monday, a volunteer in Savannah, Ga., received a shot in the arm and became the first participant in a massive human experiment that will test the effectiveness of an experimental coronavirus vaccine candidate. The vaccine is being developed by the biotechnology company Moderna in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health.”
Houston Chronicle: J&J vaccine protects monkeys from Covid with single shot
Houston Chronicle: J&J vaccine protects monkeys from Covid with single shot. “Johnson & Johnson’s experimental coronavirus vaccine protected a group of macaques with a single shot in an early study, prompting the U.S. drugmaker to start trials in humans this month. All of the animals that were exposed to the pandemic-causing pathogen six weeks after the injection were immune except one, who showed low levels of the virus, according to a study published in the medical journal Nature. The health-care behemoth kick-started human trials on July 22 in Belgium and in the U.S. earlier this week.”
Associated Press: Trump seeks political shot in the arm in vaccine push
Associated Press: Trump seeks political shot in the arm in vaccine push. “President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic put his political fate in grave jeopardy. Now he’s hoping to get credit for his administration’s aggressive push for a vaccine -– and crossing his fingers that one gets approved before Election Day.”
New York Times: Corporate Insiders Pocket $1 Billion in Rush for Coronavirus Vaccine
New York Times: Corporate Insiders Pocket $1 Billion in Rush for Coronavirus Vaccine. “On June 26, a small South San Francisco company called Vaxart made a surprise announcement: A coronavirus vaccine it was working on had been selected by the U.S. government to be part of Operation Warp Speed, the flagship federal initiative to quickly develop drugs to combat Covid-19. Vaxart’s shares soared. Company insiders, who weeks earlier had received stock options worth a few million dollars, saw the value of those awards increase sixfold. And a hedge fund that partly controlled the company walked away with more than $200 million in instant profits.”
CNN: US gets reality checks on Covid-19 vaccine, duration of symptoms
CNN: US gets reality checks on Covid-19 vaccine, duration of symptoms. “The United States on Friday got two reality checks on the coronavirus pandemic as the number of cases around the world set another high. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, reminded Americans that even if a vaccine candidate gets through the testing process and is successful by the end of the year, it will be several months before vaccination is widespread across the US.”
BuzzFeed: Here’s What We Do And Don’t Know About Coronavirus Immunity
BuzzFeed News: Here’s What We Do And Don’t Know About Coronavirus Immunity. “Although the novel coronavirus pandemic still defies prediction, medical experts are expressing increasing optimism about the human immune system’s ability to fight the virus. Doomsday headlines followed a recent study of recovered COVID-19 patients reporting that antibodies, the hallmark of the immune system responding to an infection, may only last a few months. But in the last month, promising vaccine results and new findings analyzing the immune response of people who survived the disease are giving scientists more encouragement. Experts caution this is only provisional given that we are still in the early months of a pandemic that has so far killed more than 600,000 people.”
NBC News: What’s the backup plan if there’s no COVID-19 vaccine?
NBC News: What’s the backup plan if there’s no COVID-19 vaccine?. “It’s a heartening thought that even as the country has failed to contain the virus or implement the kinds of public health measures experts have called for, there’s a deus ex machina coming to rescue us if we can just hold out long enough. But some experts are worried about Americans getting too used to the idea that a miracle vaccine or treatment is around the corner. While there’s broad agreement the latest news is promising, some are concerned that the prospect of future relief could breed complacency amid raging outbreaks that are killing hundreds of people each day.”
CNN: Even once a vaccine gets approved, big hurdles remain for distribution
CNN: Even once a vaccine gets approved, big hurdles remain for distribution. “After months of missteps and criticism across the political spectrum on everything from testing to personal protective equipment, the Trump administration is aiming to prove it can roll out a coronavirus vaccine quickly and fairly to millions of Americans as soon as one is ready. That means tackling thorny challenges like deciding who is first in line for vaccination, securing millions of glass vials and syringes and convincing Americans to get inoculated.”
Coronavirus: Oxford vaccine triggers immune response (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: Oxford vaccine triggers immune response. “A coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford appears safe and triggers an immune response. Trials involving 1,077 people showed the injection led to them making antibodies and T-cells that can fight coronavirus. The findings are hugely promising, but it is still too soon to know if this is enough to offer protection and larger trials are under way.”
BBC: Russia’s UK ambassador rejects coronavirus vaccine hacking allegations
BBC: Russia’s UK ambassador rejects coronavirus vaccine hacking allegations. “Russia’s ambassador to the UK has rejected allegations that his country’s intelligence services tried to steal coronavirus vaccine research. ‘I don’t believe in this story at all, there is no sense in it,’ Andrei Kelin told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.”
Rappler: Full coronavirus vaccine unlikely by next year – expert
Rappler: Full coronavirus vaccine unlikely by next year – expert. “There is little chance of a 100% effective coronavirus vaccine by 2021, a French expert warned Sunday, July 12, urging people to take social distancing measures more seriously.”
New York Times: How a Struggling Company Won $1.6 Billion to Make a Coronavirus Vaccine
New York Times: How a Struggling Company Won $1.6 Billion to Make a Coronavirus Vaccine. “Novavax just received the Trump administration’s largest vaccine contract. In the Maryland company’s 33-year history, it has never brought a vaccine to market.”
