Health

Pfizer begins Covid vaccine trial in young children

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pfizer said Thursday it had begun clinical trials for its Covid vaccine in children under the age of eleven, an early sign of the next stage of the global immunization campaign. “Together with our partner BioNTech, we have dosed the first healthy children in a global Phase 1/2/3 continuous study to further evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,” the company said in a statement […]

Covid-19 vaccines online or in development

    by Paul RICARD and Jean-Philippe CHOGNOT Agence France Presse   With several Covid-19 vaccines either being rolled out or under trial, here is a rundown of the various stages of their development. On the market: PFIZER/BIONTECH The mRNA vaccine developed by US pharma giant Pfizer and German start-up BioNTech is already approved for use in the European Union, the United States, Canada, Britain and several other nations. Clinical trials showed the vaccine — […]

China approves inhaled CanSino vaccine for clinical trials

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s drug authority has approved for clinical trials an inhaled Covid-19 vaccine co-developed by domestic firm CanSino Biologics, the company said in a filing on Tuesday. The move comes after the National Medical Products Administration gave another CanSino vaccine conditional approval last month, allowing it for public use. China currently has five coronavirus vaccines that have been given conditional market approval or allowed for emergency use, but none of these […]

Drinking alcohol, substance use linked to severe COVID-19, hospitalization and death, various studies show

Noting this, WHO recommends restricted access to alcohol, liquor during lockdown   (Eagle News) – Persons who have a history of alcohol, illegal drugs and substance use are more at risk in getting severe COVID-19 and being hospitalized, according to various studies and the World Health Organization. In fact, WHO is urging all countries to restrict alcohol or liquor use during lockdown as this had been found to contribute to severe COVID-19 infection, and even […]

AstraZeneca says vaccine 80% effective for elderly, no blood clot risk

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is 80 percent effective at preventing the disease in the elderly and does not increase the risk of blood clots, the biotech firm said Monday, following its US phase III efficiency trials. It was 79 percent effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 in the overall population and 100 percent effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalization, it said. Several countries had advised against administering the jab to […]

J&J jab effective in countries with variants: WHO experts

  by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO’s expert vaccine advisers on Wednesday recommended Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 jab for use in countries where coronavirus variants of concern are circulating. The World Health Organization gave its seal of approval on Friday to the vaccine, which has the advantages of being a single-shot jab that can be stored at regular refrigeration rather than ultra-cold temperatures. After meeting on Monday, the WHO’s […]

WHO still reviewing safety data on AstraZeneca, but recommends Covid jabs to continue

  GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization said Wednesday its experts were still reviewing safety data on the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine following concerns around blood clots but recommended that injection programmes continue. While millions of doses of the vaccine have been administered, small numbers of people have developed blood clots, prompting countries including the EU’s three largest nations — Germany, France and Italy — to suspend injections. “The WHO Global Advisory Committee on […]

Moderna announces start of Covid-19 vaccine trials for children

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US manufacturer Moderna on Tuesday said it has started Covid-19 vaccine trials for children aged from 6 months to under 12 years old, with plans to enroll about 6,750 participants. “We are pleased to begin this Phase 2/3 study of mRNA-1273 in healthy children in the US and Canada,” said CEO Stephane Bancel in a statement. “This pediatric study will help us assess the potential safety and immunogenicity of […]

Countries halting AstraZeneca vaccine

  PARIS, France (AFP) — More than a dozen countries including France, Italy and Germany have suspended AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 shots because of fears over blood clots and other possible side effects. While the company insists there is no risk, World Health Organization experts are convening on Tuesday to review the vaccine’s safety and the European Medicines Agency will hold a special meeting on Thursday. Here is a recap: – Nordic countries sound alarm – Denmark […]

WHO experts to meet on AstraZeneca shot as virus cases surge

  by Nina Larson with Agence France Presse bureaus GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — WHO safety experts prepared to meet Tuesday over the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine whose rollout has been halted in several European countries over blood clot fears, imperilling the pandemic fight as infection rates surge. The three largest EU nations — Germany, Italy and France — joined others in suspending the shot Monday, dealing a blow to the global immunisation campaign against a disease […]

WHO insists AstraZeneca vaccine safe as jab faces new setbacks

  by Robin Millard, with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization said there was no reason to stop using AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 jab after several countries suspended rollout over blood clot fears, while the hard-hit United States exceeded 100 million doses of vaccine administered to its people. The WHO, which said its vaccines advisory committee was examining the safety data coming in, Friday stressed that no causal link has […]

UK says AstraZeneca vaccine is ‘safe and effective’

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The UK government on Thursday defended the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after Denmark suspended the jab’s use, and insisted it would continue with its own rollout. “We’ve been clear that it’s both safe and effective… and when people are asked to come forward and take it, they should do so in confidence,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman told reporters. “And in fact you’re starting to see the results of […]