Tag: Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

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UK Researchers Study the Efficacy of Vaccination Using Doses from 2 Different Vaccines

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Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security researchers in the UK are initiating a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of vaccination using doses from 2 different vaccines. Allowing (or potentially recommending) individuals to receive 1 dose each from 2 different vaccines could introduce flexibility into vaccination programs and potentially even increase the degree of protection from the vaccination. The UK government has allocated approximately £7 million (US$9.6 million) to fund the study, and early data could be available by this summer. The study aims to include more than 800 participants aged 50 years and older who have not yet been vaccinated.

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New Study Sheds Light into COVID Transmission on Airlines

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Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, a new study published in the US CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal describes in-flight transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among passengers on a flight from Dubai, UAE, to Auckland, New Zealand—with a stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Upon arrival in New Zealand, all passengers were subjected to mandatory 14-day quarantine, with testing conducted at approximately Day 3 and Day 12. Testing identified 7 SARS-CoV-2 infections among the passengers, including 5 that tested negative prior to their departure. Genomic analysis of specimens collected from each passenger found that the viral genome in 6 of the 7 passengers was identical, with 1 mutation present in the seventh passenger. Combined with the timeline of symptoms and positive tests, this suggests that the infection was transmitted among the passengers, rather than from multiple sources prior to travel. While testing negative prior to travel will likely decrease the number of imported cases, by denying travel for those who are already infectious, negative tests only indicate the current state of infection and cannot detect individuals who will be infectious after that point. Travel screening can mitigate the risk of importing cases or transmission during travel, but it cannot prevent them.

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CDC updates its COVID-19 quarantine guidance allowing individuals to shorten their 14-day quarantine period

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Ridgewood NJ, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in December 2020, the US CDC updated its COVID-19 quarantine guidance to offer several options that allow individuals to shorten their 14-day quarantine period following a known exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, individuals who are unable to quarantine for the full 14 days can end their quarantine after 10 days if they exhibit no symptoms or after 7 days if they test negative on Day 5 or later. The CDC’s MMWR published 2 recent studies that provide analysis of the transmission risk associated with shorter quarantine periods.

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CDC emphasizes that individuals who were previously infected and recovered should still get vaccinated 

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Ridgewood NJ , according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ,since the onset of the pandemic, health experts and officials have studied the role of immunity conferred by natural infection. While reports of are relatively rare, the potential for reinfection does exist. In light of this risk, the US CDC emphasizes that individuals who were previously infected and recovered should still get vaccinated due to the “severe health risks” and uncertainty regarding the duration of natural immunity. Additionally, the degree of natural immunity “varies from person to person.” The duration of the immunity conferred by vaccination remains uncertain as well, but research is still ongoing via clinical trials. Depending on the duration of immunity following vaccination, it may be necessary for individuals to receive regular boosters to provide longer-term protection.

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Individuals with Diabetes Face Significantly Higher Risks of Dying from COVID-19

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Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ,a study published in The Lancet: Diabetes & Endocrinology evaluated the risk of COVID-19 disease and death among patients with diabetes. The researchers collected data on the entire population of Scotland, and focused on the country’s “first wave” of COVID-19 (March-July 2020). The researchers compared the cumulative COVID-19 mortality and the incidence of COVID-19 cases that required critical care among individuals with and without diabetes. The combined odds of requiring critical care or dying from COVID-19 (in or outside of a hospital) was significantly higher among individuals with diabetes (aOR=1.4). The odds of requiring critical care or dying was even higher for patients with Type 1 diabetes (aOR=2.4). Diabetes has been previously identified as a preexisting condition associated with elevated risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death, and this study provides further quantitative data to support that association.

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A New COVID Variant Featuring Increased Transmissibility Strikes the UK

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Ridgewood NJ, according to  Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security a new SARS-CoV-2 variant has come to prominence in the UK, and there are concerns that it has increased transmissibility compared to other variants. The new variant was originally labeled as VUI-202012/01—variant under investigation; the first VUI in December 2020— and subsequently updated to VOC-202012/01—variant of concern. Other analysis labels the variant B.1.1.7. The variant is characterized by at least 17 specific mutations, including 8 for the spike protein, which attaches to the ACE2 receptor and allows the virus to enter cells. Preliminary research indicates that the change could make the virus more transmissible. UK researchers identified the mutations in specimens from as far back as September based on analysis of genetic sequencing data, and the variant “circulated at very low levels…until mid-November.” UK health officials began investigating the new variant in November, after increasing social distancing restrictions were not having the intended effect in Kent County in southeast England. Health officials subsequently identified widespread community transmission of the variant in nearby London and Essex County.

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Delivery for Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-vaccine has Proven Challenging

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Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security the complex cold chain logistics required for the Pfizer/BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine have proven challenging in certain settings in the first week of the United States’ vaccination operations. While the principal concern in planning for the distribution of this vaccine has been ensuring that the vaccine remains cold enough, incidents in Alabama and California demonstrate that allowing the vaccines to get too cold could also be a risk. Reportedly, several thousand doses of the vaccine shipped to Alabama and California were exposed to temperatures below the acceptable threshold of -112°F (-80°C) while en route to the state distribution centers. The issue was identified before the doses were unloaded from the truck, and the doses were “quarantined” while Pfizer and federal health and regulatory officials determine whether they remain viable. Pfizer shipped replacement doses to both states. These incidents highlight how challenges in implementing cold chain logistics can lead to wastage of vaccine doses, which could be particularly impactful when supply and production capacity are limited.

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CDC plans to issue COVID-19 vaccination cards so that individuals can verify their vaccination status

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security is reporting that according to multiple reports, the US CDC plans to issue COVID-19 vaccination cards so that individuals can verify their vaccination status, much like cards used for other vaccinations, such as the ICVP “yellow card” for yellow fever. Additionally, the CDC is reportedly designing templates for buttons and stickers that health departments and providers can provide to vaccinated individuals, similar to the “I Voted” stickers handed out to many voters on election day. These templates will be included in the CDC’s SARS-CoV-2 vaccination toolkit to “educate and promote vaccination.”

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AstraZeneca Faces Hurdles to Regulatory Approval of COVID19 Vaccine

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Ridgewood NJ, previously reported on the Ridgewood blog that AstraZeneca issued a press release regarding preliminary results from the Phase 3 clinical trials of its candidate SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, developed in collaboration with Oxford University (UK). According to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ,the press release indicates that the vaccine demonstrated 90% efficacy when administered as an initial half-dose followed by a full dose a month later. Interestingly, however, the vaccine was 62% efficacious in participants who received 2 full doses over the same period of time, resulting in an overall efficacy of 70%. No serious adverse events were identified in the trials. In total, the Phase 3 portion of the trials included more than 11,000 participants, and the researchers identified 131 COVID-19 cases. As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the data published via press release have not yet been peer reviewed, although the researchers reportedly intend to publish the full data in the near future.

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FDA to Convene on Pfizer and BioNTech COVID Vaccine December 10th

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Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , the US FDA announced that its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will convene on December 10 to review the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) requests submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech for their candidate SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn emphasized that while the advisory board “will review the request as expeditiously as possible,” it is unclear how long the review process will take. That being said, this represents another major step toward authorization for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The FDA intends to livestream the meeting via its YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter accounts as well as from the FDA website.

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Regeneron COVID Antibody Treatment Gets Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA

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Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , the US FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for another monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19. The newest EUA is for a combination therapy using casirivimab and imdevimab, developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which are monoclonal antibodies that target the receptor binding domain for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Similar to the previous FDA EUA for the Eli Lilly monoclonal antibody treatment, this combination is authorized for use in mild or moderate COVID-19 patients (aged 12 years and older) who are not currently hospitalized but who are at high risk of progressing to severe disease. It is not authorized for patients who are currently hospitalized or receiving supplemental oxygen therapy for COVID-19 or an underlying health condition. The 2 products must be administered together.

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Researchers Say COVID Reinfections possible but tend to be milder compared to the original infection

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Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology published (preprint) results from a study on longer-term immunity against SARS-CoV-2 conferred by natural infection. The study evaluated 185 individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. All participants, and the majority experienced COVID-19 disease but were not hospitalized. Most of the participants provided a single blood sample between 6 and 240 days after symptom onset, with 41 collected at least 6 months after symptom onset. A subset of 38 participants provided multiple samples over a period of several months. The researchers found that antibodies against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 were relatively stable and memory B cells were abundant after 6 months, leading to optimism that immunity against the virus could mitigate the risk of severe COVID-19 disease for “many years.”

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FDA Approves Home Test Kits for COVID

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Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security the US FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization to the first fully at-home SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test kit. The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit must be prescribed by a healthcare provider, but it can be performed by individuals at home. The manufacturer recommends that children under 14 years old should have the test performed by a healthcare provider in order to maximize the chances of obtaining a valid result. The kit comes with a nasal swab, a test tube with detection reagents, and a small test machine. Once the used nasal swab is swirled around the test tube for the requisite amount of time, the user inserts the tube into the machine, which will automatically process the sample and provide visual indication of the results. The test kit will light up as positive, negative, or inconclusive results in around 30 minutes.

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Farmed Minks Capable of Transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to humans

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Copenhagen Denmark, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced this week that Denmark will cull all mink at farms across the country, including those used for breeding, in order to mitigate the risk of zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Mink have been identified as animals capable of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to humans, and there have been multiple examples of outbreaks among mink populations in Denmark and elsewhere. Mink are bred in Denmark and other countries for their pelts.

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Grocery Store Essential Workers whose jobs involved direct interaction with customers were 5 times more likely to test positive for COVID

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Ridgewood  NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , researchers from Harvard and Boston Universities (Massachusetts, US) analyzed exposure and infection risks among 104 employees at a Boston-area grocery store. The study, published in BMJ, also evaluated the employees’ mental health, specifically evaluating for signs of anxiety and depression. As part of a testing program mandated by the local government, all employees underwent PCR-based diagnostic testing, and 21 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Notably, 76% of the positive employees were not symptomatic at the time of testing. Employees whose jobs involved direct interaction with customers were 5 times more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 than those without direct customer contact. Among 99 participants who completed the mental health assessments, 24 reported “at least mild anxiety” and 8 “screened positive for at least mild depression.” Individuals who were able to practice effective social distancing at work were less likely to experience both anxiety and depression. Additionally, those who were able to commute to work without using public transportation (e.g., walk, bicycle, private vehicle) exhibited a 90% reduction in the risk depression.