Category: Vaccines

Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine is Good to Go Again

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Last night, after two scientific meetings and a lengthy discussion of the risks and benefits, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended lifting the temporary “pause” on use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine. After watching their public meetings and reviewing the data they discussed, I agree with lifting the pause and believe that the FDA’s and CDC’s actions illustrate how seriously they take vaccine safety.

As I’ve said before, physicians make decisions by balancing potential risks against potential benefits. Nothing is without risk; even choosing not to act has risks. In this instance, use of the vaccine was initially paused in order to examine risks of a rare blood clotting disorder among young women after receiving the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine. However, the vaccine is highly effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, and the pause carried its own risk of less COVID-19 vaccine available in the U.S., fewer opportunities to vaccinate people against COVID-19 and ultimately, more cases of COVID-19 infection resulting from less vaccination. Read on for an explanation of why the benefits of vaccination (and risks of further pausing vaccination) outweigh the risks from the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.

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Rare Blood Clotting Disorder after J&J Vaccine: What You Need to Know

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Earlier today, the U.S. CDC and FDA jointly recommended a temporary “pause” on use of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. due to reports of a rare clotting disorder among young women who had recently received the J&J vaccine. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet tomorrow, April 14 to further review the data on this condition. Read on for what you need to know about this emerging situation.

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Which COVID-19 Vaccine is Right For You?

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And welcome back! It’s been (checks blog) three months since my last post! Wow! I have no real excuses other than being busy. But, this past week brought some great news for public health that I just had to post about: a third COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for emergency use in the United States!

According to the CDC, over 59 million Americans – nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults – have gotten at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 30 million have gotten 2 doses. That is amazing progress for vaccines that weren’t even available 3 months ago! Still, if you’re one of the majority who haven’t yet started the COVID-19 vaccine, you may be wondering which one is best for you, especially now that there’s another option available.

First and foremost, I stand by my earlier recommendation to get whatever COVID-19 vaccine your doctor, employer, clinic, or pharmacy has in stock. The best COVID-19 vaccine for you is whatever vaccine you can most easily get. But if you’re in the enviable position of being able to choose between more than 1 vaccine, then read on for my thoughts.

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What to Do if You Want to Get to the Front of the COVID-19 Vaccine Line

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COVID-19 vaccines are out, but how soon will you get able to get yours? According to the CDC, 13 million doses have shipped and 4.2 million Americans have been vaccinated so far. However, 24 million healthcare workers and long-term care residents are eligible in Phase 1a, 49 million frontline essential workers persons age 75 and older in Phase 1b, and 129 people with high-risk medical conditions, age 65 million or older or other essential workers are eligible in Phase 1c before healthy young and middle-aged non-essential workers will be eligible. Don’t like those numbers? Here’s my advice if you want to get yourself to the front of the COVID-19 vaccine line.

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Which COVID-19 Vaccine Should You Get?

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Sorry for not posting last week; it was a pretty big week for public health! The first doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the United States, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a second COVID-19 vaccine for use in the U.S. There are now two COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. If you’re one of the lucky few eligible to get COVID-19 vaccine during Phase 1a – or when it’s time for your priority group – which COVID-19 vaccine should you get? Read on for my thoughts.

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COVID-19 Vaccines Coming Soon – When Will You Get Yours?

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The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet this Thursday to discuss Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Next Thursday, they will meet again to discuss Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. It is very likely that at least one COVID-19 vaccine will be available this month, and probably two. Should you get a COVID-19 vaccine, and if so, how long will it be until you can get one? Read on for my thoughts.

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What Does a 95% Effective COVID-19 Vaccine Mean?

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Hopefully you’ve heard the exciting news by now: Last week, both Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their COVID-19 vaccines are about 95% effective! This is groundbreaking news that had changed the way that many physicians and public health professionals – including myself – think about these vaccines. But, you may be wondering what does “95% effective” really mean, both for the vaccines themselves and the pandemic? Read on for an explanation.

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5 Reasons COVID-19 Vaccine Research Can Happen in Record Time

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“How soon will a COVID-19 vaccine come out?” That’s one of the top questions I’ve been asked over the last several months. It’s usually followed with “Is it being rushed?” Unfortunately, the answer to the first question is still unclear. However, there are real, evidence-based reasons why and how scientists are achieving the seemingly-impossible: developing a vaccine against COVID-19 within months of the first identified cases. This post will discuss those reasons and whether the vaccine is being rushed.

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Second COVID-19 Vaccine Study Paused: Should You Worry?

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Last week Johnson & Johnson announced that they were temporarily pausing their COVID-19 vaccine clinical studies in order to review and evaluate an unexpected illness in an individual participating in their study, less than 3 weeks after their Phase 3 study had started. Another COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, also had its clinical studies paused in July and September for similar reasons. Read on for my thoughts on what this may mean for potential COVID-19 vaccines and their safety.

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This October, Don’t Throw Away Your Flu Shot!

My Shot (Vaccine Version) educational parody by Science Rap Academy, located at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEX80FNMOfE

October is here, and that means it’s the perfect time to get your flu shot if you haven’t gotten one already!

You may have some questions about flu shots during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, I’ll address frequently asked questions about the flu shot but if I miss your question, let me know in the comments!

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