February 12, 2021 Epidemiology Who/what priority group is next in line with limited vaccine supply once those most at risk are vaccinated? Gut-wrenching decisions & no easy solutions considering Minorities, socioecon status, work environment, med hx, and other interconnected factors.
February 4, 2021 Allergy/Immunology Lancet posts Oxford Vaccine Group preprint study on how the timing of the booster dose of its Oxford-AZ vaccine affects the immune response and efficacy for people 18-55 years of age.
February 3, 2021 Bioengineering Excellent review of myths of enlisting more companies to make mRNA vaccine by @DerekLowe. Bespoke machines, processes & tech, multiple supply chains, a myriad of Sci & Eng expertise & steps needed before mass production. Many pharma companies can’t do it.
February 1, 2021 Health Policy Vaccine/Variant Whack-a-Mole: Concerns raised that slow vaccine rollout, combined with incomplete strategies to prevent infection and spread can lead to a greater risk of further coronavirus mutations and reduced vaccine efficacy.
January 29, 2021 Epidemiology The variant is to model outcome predictions as Asimov’s Foundation series’ Mule was in Hari Seldon’s Psychohistory projections. Extracting six doses per vial instead of five is like Jean Luc Picard being told there are five lights when there are four.
January 26, 2021 Geriatrics Vaccine shortage has led to Ontario’s plan to delay health care provider’s second dose for some and redirect them to long-term care residents so that by Feb. 5 all will have had at least one dose.
January 21, 2021 Clinical Research Israeli real-world Pfizer vaccine study reports infection rates dropped by 33% in treatment group of 200K people >60 y.o vs 200K controls after 21 days, less than predicted by proponents of delaying 2nd dose. Stay on schedule until proven otherwise.
January 20, 2021 Allergy/Immunology California investigating why less than 10 people at one specific vaccination site (but not anywhere else) developed possible allergic reactions from specific lot of Moderna vaccine. Was it the vaccine or some other source?
January 19, 2021 Health Policy Too many assumptions and unknowns about about post-infection immunity duration combined with circulating and more virulent strain makes it risky to not vaccinate people who have had COVID-19.
January 8, 2021 Infectious Disease A post hoc ergo propter hoc moment: Quebec City care home outbreak after COVID-19 vaccination was not because vaccine did not work; it did not have enough time to do so. It also did not cause the outbreak; you cannot get Covid-19 from the vaccine.