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Moderna Says Vaccine Nonetheless Protects In opposition to Virus Variants

Moderna Says Vaccine Still Protects Against Virus Variants

Moderna’s vaccine is effective against new variants of the coronavirus that have emerged in the UK and South Africa, the company said on Monday. However, it appears to be less protective against the variant discovered in South Africa, so the company is developing a new form of the vaccine that could be used as a booster shot against this virus.

“We’re doing it today to be ahead of the curve if we have to,” said Dr. Tal Zaks, Chief Medical Officer of Moderna, in an interview. “I consider it an insurance policy.”

He added, “I don’t know if we need it and I hope we don’t.”

Moderna reported results from a study using blood samples from eight people who had received two doses of the vaccine and two monkeys who had also been immunized.

The British variant did not affect the amount of neutralizing antibodies – the type that can deactivate the virus – produced after vaccination. But with the South African form there was a six-fold decrease in those levels.

Even so, the company said, these antibodies remain “above levels expected to be protective”.

Moderna collaborated on the study with the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

The results have not yet been published or peer-reviewed but have been submitted to bioRxiv, which publishes preliminary studies online.

The company’s action is part of a race to fight a changing virus that has already wreaked havoc around the world and is now threatening to mutate in ways that make the fight even more difficult.

Several new variants of the virus have emerged, with mutations that are worrying scientists. A form first discovered in the UK is about twice as contagious as the virus identified in China a year ago, and researchers have begun to suspect it could be more deadly too.

Other variants with different mutations have emerged in South Africa and Brazil, and preliminary laboratory studies suggested that these forms may have some level of resistance to the immunity that people develop after recovering from infection or with Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinated were vaccinated.

The British variant has been found in at least 20 states, but the Brazilian and South African versions were not discovered in the United States.

Dr. Zaks said the new version of the Moderna vaccine, which targets the South African variant, could be used as a booster if needed a year after receiving the original vaccine.

The need for such a booster can be determined by doing blood tests to measure antibody levels or by observing the population of vaccinated people to see if they will develop the new variant.

“We don’t have any data on the Brazilian variant yet,” said Dr. Zaks. “We expect it to come close to the South African, if at all. This is the one with the greatest overlap. New tribes will continue to emerge and we will continue to evaluate them. “

Noting that it took Moderna 42 days to make the original vaccine, he said the company could make a new vaccine, “hopefully a little faster this time, but not by much”.

Talks with regulators about what would be required to make a new version of the vaccine available to the public were just beginning.

“It’s early,” said Dr. Zaks.

This evolving story will be updated.

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Moderna engaged on booster pictures for South African pressure

Moderna working on booster shots for South African strain

Moderna said Monday it was speeding up work on a Covid-19 booster shot to protect against the recently discovered variant in South Africa.

The researchers said that the current coronavirus vaccine appears to work against the two highly communicable strains found in the UK and South Africa, although it may be less effective against the latter.

The two-dose vaccine produced an antibody response against several variants, including B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, which were first identified in the UK and South Africa, respectively. This was the result of a Moderna study carried out in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.

The vaccine produced a weaker immune response against the South African tribe, but the antibodies remained above levels expected to protect against the virus, the company said, adding that the results may indicate a “potential risk of previous weight loss of immunity to the new “indicate B.1.351 strains.

“Out of caution and taking advantage of the flexibility of our mRNA platform, we are bringing an ambitious variant booster candidate against the variant first identified in the Republic of South Africa to the clinic in order to determine whether it is more effective to increase the titre against it.” these and possibly future variants, “said Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, in a statement.

Moderna shares rose nearly 4% in premarket trading after the announcement.

Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, said he was glad Moderna is preparing for the possibility that the virus could mutate enough to evade the protection of current vaccines.

“This is not yet a problem,” said Offit, also a member of the FDA’s Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Related Biological Products. “Prepare for it. Sequencing these viruses. Be ready in case a variant appears that is resistance to the vaccine.”

On Thursday, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, new data showed that the Covid-19 vaccines currently on the market may not be as effective against new, more contagious strains of the coronavirus. Some early results posted on the bioRxiv preprint server indicate that the South African variant can evade the antibodies of some coronavirus treatments.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Moderna’s vaccine for people aged 18 and over in December.

Moderna’s vaccine, like Pfizer’s, uses messenger RNA or mRNA technology. It’s a new approach to vaccines that uses genetic material to trigger an immune response. Late-stage clinical trial data released in November shows that Moderna Covid’s vaccine is more than 94% effective at preventing, safe and appearing to ward off serious illness. For maximum effectiveness, the vaccine requires two doses four weeks apart.

Bancel told CNBC that Moderna’s vaccine will protect against the South African tribe in the short term, but the company doesn’t know how long that protection could last.

“What is currently unknown is what will happen in six months, twelve months, especially in the elderly because, as you know, they have weaker immune systems,” he said during an interview with Squawk Box. “Because of this unknown … we decided, out of caution, to bring a new vaccine to the clinic.”

“We cannot lag behind. We cannot fall behind this virus,” he said, adding that the virus “will continue to mutate”.

–CNBC’s Noah Higgins-Dunn contributed to this report.

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CDC modifications Covid vaccine steerage to OK mixing Pfizer and Moderna pictures

CDC changes Covid vaccine guidance to OK mixing Pfizer and Moderna shots

Syringe containers for the Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer BioNtech and Moderna Inc. in Tucson, Arizona, USA, on Friday, January 15, 2021.

Cherry Orr | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have tacitly changed their guidelines for Covid-19 vaccine shots, stating that it is now okay to mix Pfizer and Moderna shots in “exceptional situations” and that it is in Okay, wait up to six weeks to get the second shot. Two-dose immunization from both companies.

While Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines, both of which use messenger RNA technology, were approved 21 and 28 days apart, the agency now says that under new guidelines, you can get both shots as long as they’re at least apart 28 days administered will be published on its website Thursday.

Although “every effort” should be made to ensure that a patient receives the same vaccine, in rare situations “any available mRNA COVID-19 vaccine can be administered with a minimum of 28 days between doses” – if supply Is limited or the patient does not know what vaccine they originally received, the CDC says in new guidelines.

The CDC says the two products are not interchangeable, admitting that they hadn’t yet investigated whether their new recommendations would alter the safety or effectiveness of either vaccine.

The agency said health care providers should give patients a vaccination card detailing when they received their first shot and what type of shot it was to ensure patients know which shot to receive the second time. The agency also recommends providers to record the patient’s vaccination information on their medical records and on the government vaccination information system.

Both companies need two doses to achieve maximum protection against the coronavirus. While both shots should be administered according to the guidelines originally recommended, the CDC said the second dose of both companies’ vaccine could be delayed for up to six weeks if necessary.

The updated guidelines come as some cities and counties across the country cancel vaccination appointments because they don’t have as many doses as they originally expected.

Wayne County, Michigan, for example, said last week it would be a priority to make sure people who got their first shot get their second shot on time. But the county said it had to cancel nearly 1,400 appointments for people to get their first shot.

“The intent is not to suggest people do something else, but rather to give clinicians flexibility in exceptional circumstances,” said Jason McDonald, a CDC spokesman, in an email to CNBC.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, was asked on Friday about the interval at which the two shots should be administered.

“The data we have is of a two-dose vaccine on the recommended schedule of 21 or 28 days,” she said at a virtual event hosted by Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and National Public Radio . “At this point in time, we at CDC agree with what the FDA says, and the FDA has made it very clear that we should be using the approved regimen.”

“It’s firmly ingrained in science and the evidence available, and doing anything else would not follow science and possibly not allow us to really get the full potential of these vaccines,” she added. “For now, from the CDC’s point of view, we think it has to be two doses on the recommended schedule.”

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Moderna seems to be to check Covid-19 booster photographs a yr after preliminary vaccination

Moderna looks to test Covid-19 booster shots a year after initial vaccination

One of the boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is prepared for shipment at the McKesson distribution center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, USA, on December 20, 2020.

Paul Sancya | Reuters

Moderna plans to test a booster shot of its Covid-19 vaccine a year after the first two-dose immunization, as the duration of protection from the new vaccines is still unclear.

The biotech company plans to start the study in July. This emerges from a company presentation at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on Monday. According to an email shared by one of those people, employees at the clinical trial sites have already started contacting participants in previous trials.

“From what we’ve seen so far, we’re assuming the vaccination will take at least a year,” said Dr. Tal Zaks, Moderna’s Chief Medical Officer, told investors and analysts at the conference. “To the extent that you need a booster shot, we make a data-based recommendation, and for that we need to pull the data.”

The first participants in Moderna’s human clinical trials received their recordings in mid-March. a second was given four weeks later. Since multiple doses of the vaccine were tested in previous studies, those with doses lower than the ultimately approved – 100 micrograms – would get their booster sooner, while those with 100 micrograms or higher would get their booster at the end of the year, according to an email to the Attendees.

The booster that is now planned is the same version of the vaccine that is on the market, but Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said it might be necessary to adapt the vaccine in the coming years to cover new variants.

“I think this is going to be a market like the flu,” he told CNBC. Moderna also recently started a seasonal flu vaccination program.

The booster study for Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine will assess both safety and the immune response that an additional shot generates a year later, Bancel said at the conference.

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UK regulator approves Moderna Covid vaccine

AstraZeneca to work on vaccine with Russia's Gamaleya

CSL staff will be working in the laboratory on November 08, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia, where they will begin manufacturing the AstraZeneca-Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Darrian Traynor | Getty Images

The UK regulator has approved Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for use in the country, the Ministry of Health said on Friday.

It is the third Covid shot approved for use in the UK following previous vaccine approvals from Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as Oxford and AstraZeneca universities.

In a press release, the department announced that the Moderna vaccine met the “stringent standards for safety, efficacy and quality” set by the drug and health product regulator.

It added that the UK had ordered an additional 10 million doses of the vaccine, bringing the total to 17 million. They are expected to be available from spring.

This is a developing story and will be updated shortly.

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Moderna will increase minimal 2021 Covid vaccine manufacturing by 20% to 600 million doses

Moderna increases minimum 2021 Covid vaccine production by 20% to 600 million doses

A health worker holds a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine bottle on the first day Orange County residents 65 and older can be vaccinated on December 29, 2020 at a drive through at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Paul Hennessy | NurPhoto | Getty Images

Moderna is increasing its Covid-19 vaccine production this year, increasing the expected minimum dose by 20% to 600 million, the company said on Monday.

The company says it is working to produce up to 1 billion doses of its Covid vaccine this year. The U.S. is well on its way to securing 100 million shots of Moderna’s vaccine by the end of March and an additional 100 million by June, the Massachusetts-based company said in a statement.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Moderna’s emergency coronavirus vaccine approval to anyone age 18 and older in the U.S. in December and started the drug’s first launch.

The federal government has agreed to buy 200 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, with an option to secure an additional 300 million, the company said.

Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, which uses the new mRNA technology and requires two doses four weeks apart, has also been approved in Canada for people aged 18 and over. The company has agreed to supply this country with 40 million doses of its vaccine, with the option to provide an additional 16 million.

“Our effectiveness in delivering early supplies to the US and Canadian governments, as well as our ability to increase baseline production estimates for 2021, are both signals that our increase in mRNA vaccine production is a success,” said Juan Andres, director made a statement to Moderna’s technical department.

The U.S. government, under the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed, said it would distribute close to 6 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine in an emergency once FDA approved.

The introduction of the vaccine in the nation has been slower than originally planned. So far, the US has only distributed more than 13 million doses of vaccine, but given only 4.2 million “shots in the arms,” ​​according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last updated on Saturday. By the end of December, officials wanted to vaccinate 20 million people with Pfizers and Moderna’s two-dose vaccines against Covid-19.

Minister of Health and Human Services Alex Azar defended the operation’s vaccine distribution Monday on ABC’s Good Morning America. He said there was a delay in getting the cans first made available, ordered by the states, and then delivered, all of which was slowed down by the holidays.

However, the US has seen a “rapid uptake” of vaccines in the past few days, Azar said.

“We said our goal is to actually have 20 million first doses available by December. Those are available,” said Azar. It is unclear what Azar meant when he said the cans were “available” as only 13 million were distributed in the US on Saturday morning.

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U.S. may ramp up sluggish Covid vaccinations by giving two half doses of Moderna shot

New York Mayor de Blasio wants to immunize 1 million residents in January

A FDNY EMS Fire Department employee receives a COVID-19 Moderna vaccine amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, United States. December 23, 2020.

Carlo Allegri | Reuters

The head of the federal government’s Covid-19 vaccination program said Sunday that health officials are considering the idea of ​​giving a large group of Americans half-volume doses of a vaccine to speed up adoption.

Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that one way to speed up immunization against Covid-19 is to give some people two half-volume doses of the Moderna vaccine.

“We know that for the Moderna vaccine, half the dose is given to people between the ages of 18 and 55 – two doses, half the dose, which is exactly the goal of getting twice the number of people using the doses immunize that we have – we know it induces an identical immune response to the 100 microgram dose, “Slaoui said.

“And that’s why we’re in talks with Moderna and the FDA – of course it will ultimately be a decision of the FDA – to accelerate the injection of half the volume,” he added.

Moncef Slaoui, a former executive director of GlaxoSmithKline, speaks to President Donald J. Trump during a vaccine development event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Friday, May 15, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images

The comments came in response to why the US is not adopting the strategy of giving all available vaccine doses now, even though the approved vaccines require a second round of firing to be fully effective. The UK has taken this approach in the hope that continued production will enable the second recordings in the future.

Slaoui said it was a mistake to make a decision that was not supported by the experimental data. White House Health Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, commented similarly on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, said the strategy “goes against science” and would not solve the problems with the US launch.

“The idea of ​​expanding it so you can get more people is when you don’t have enough vaccine and a lot of people are waiting in line to wait for a vaccine,” Fauci said. “That’s not our problem now. We have a vaccine. We have to get it into people’s arms. It really is the right solution to the wrong problem.”

The FDA and Moderna did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The dispute over different vaccination approaches stems from the fact that the introduction of the vaccine in the US did not achieve the goals of Operation Warp Speed ​​and the pandemic continues to devastate the country. President Donald Trump has blamed states for the slow adoption as the number of vaccinations given lags behind the number of vaccines sent and delivered.

Health officials wanted to inject a vaccine to 20 million Americans by the end of the year. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 4.2 million people had received gunfire by January 2.

The last 7-day average for new cases of the coronavirus in the US is 205,093, according to John Hopkins University. That number has grown by 8% week-to-week, although tests and reports tended to be inconsistent during the holiday season. According to Johns Hopkins, the nation has an average of more than 2,600 deaths a day attributed to the virus.

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Boston Physician Develops Extreme Allergic Response After Getting Moderna Vaccine

Boston Doctor Develops Severe Allergic Reaction After Getting Moderna Vaccine

Moderna’s vaccine, like Pfizer’s, is based on a molecule called messenger RNA, or mRNA, that is injected into the upper arm. Once inside human cells, the mRNA directs the production of a protein called spike, which teaches the immune system to recognize and thwart the coronavirus should it ever enter the body. Each vaccine contains a handful of other ingredients that wrap the fragile mRNA in a protective fat bubble and help keep the prescription stable during transit.

None of the ingredients in any of the vaccines have been identified as common allergens. However, several experts have cautiously pointed to polyethylene glycol or PEG, which appears as a possible culprit in both recipes, albeit in slightly different formulations. PEG is found in a wide variety of pharmaceutical products, including ultrasound gel, laxatives, and injectable steroids, and allergies to it are extremely rare.

Dr. Kuruvilla said it was still possible that something else was responsible and more research was needed to determine the cause of these events.

Dr. Kimberly Blumenthal, an allergist and immunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, noted that anaphylaxis is sometimes difficult to confirm without blood tests looking for an enzyme called tryptase, which is released in allergic reactions. It is important that logs are in place so that similar cases can be investigated further.

Based on data obtained from late-stage clinical trials, Moderna has not reported any associations between vaccine and anaphylaxis. When products from closely monitored studies become widely available, rare side effects may occur.

The recent allergic reactions related to Pfizer’s very similar vaccine sparked heated discussion during the FDA and CDC panel discussions earlier this month. Experts noted that anaphylaxis was becoming unusually common this soon. (Under normal circumstances, allergic reactions to vaccines are believed to occur at the rate of about one in a million.)

Denise Grady and Noah Weiland contributed to the coverage.

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Biden advisor Dr. Atul Gawande was in Moderna trial

Biden advisor Dr. Atul Gawande was in Moderna trial

Dr. Atul Gawande, a coronavirus advisor to President-elect Joe Biden, told CNBC on Wednesday that he had participated in Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine study.

“My mom, 84, said, ‘I want to give something back,’ so she signed up for the trial. I said if my mom can, I’ll sign up for a vaccination trial,” said Gawande at the Squawk Box . “

Massachusetts-based Moderna was eventually the company to offer a study nearby, said Gawande, a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a professor at Harvard University. He said he received his first shot in August and “felt almost nothing”. However, when he received the second dose in late September, it was a different story.

“Two days later, I had a fever, chills and had to stay home,” said Gawande, who is also chairman of Haven, the joint healthcare company of Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase. “I haven’t had to take a day out of my practice or public health work in over a year. I barely let anything knock me down, but it knocked me down. Then, about 24 hours later, I was back on my feet and.” I’m fine. “

Gawande’s reflection on his experience comes from Americans being immunized against Covid-19 for the first time outside of clinical trials, starting last week with Pfizer’s vaccine and this week with Modernas. 614,117 doses were administered on Monday morning, according to a tracker from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gawande said he didn’t know if he received the vaccine or was in the study placebo group. While he suspects the side effects he was experiencing were due to the actual vaccine, he said it was possible that it was a psychological reaction to taking the placebo. He added that his mother “had little reaction” to gunfire received in her clinical trial.

Vaccine side effects are not necessarily a cause for concern, Gawande said. “That’s the immune system that comes on and your antibodies are made against the virus,” he said.

Gawande is part of a team of doctors and health professionals advising Biden during the coronavirus pandemic transition. On Monday, Biden was vaccinated on live television in hopes of encouraging other Americans to be ready to receive the shot. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m looking forward to the second shot,” said Biden.

Biden said Tuesday that Americans must remain vigilant about the coronavirus over the holidays, even though the vaccine has begun to spread. “Meanwhile, the pandemic rages on. Experts believe it could get worse before it gets better,” he said.

Gawande gave a similar outlook on Wednesday, saying the current high infection rates in the country will lead to more deaths from Covid-19 in the coming weeks and months.

“We have 300,000 deaths. Already the next 100,000 deaths are branded in, with new infections in the last week or so,” said Gawande. “It’s really about whether we can avoid the 500,000 deaths, which is really just terrible to think about.”

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C.D.C. Panel Endorses Moderna Vaccine for Individuals

C.D.C. Panel Endorses Moderna Vaccine for Americans

Als das Coronavirus in den Vereinigten Staaten weiter anstieg, stimmte eine unabhängige Expertengruppe, die die Zentren für die Kontrolle und Prävention von Krankheiten beriet, am Samstag dafür, einen zweiten Coronavirus-Impfstoff für die Verwendung in den Vereinigten Staaten zu unterstützen.

Die Empfehlung des Ausschusses folgt einer am Freitag von der Food and Drug Administration erteilten Notfallgenehmigung. Die Bestätigung des Komitees wartet nun auf die endgültige Genehmigung durch Dr. Robert R. Redfield, Direktor der CDC, die in Kürze erwartet wird.

Etwa 5,9 Millionen Dosen des Moderna-Impfstoffs sollen ab Sonntag verteilt werden, und die ersten Impfungen werden voraussichtlich irgendwann am Montag beginnen.

Im Gegensatz zum Pfizer-BioNTech-Impfstoff, der zur Anwendung bei Personen ab 16 Jahren zugelassen wurde, ist der Impfstoff von Moderna nur für Personen ab 18 Jahren zugelassen. Während Pfizer im Oktober mit klinischen Studien zu seinem Impfstoff bei Kindern im Alter von 12 Jahren begann, begann Moderna erst in diesem Monat mit seinen pädiatrischen Studien und erwartet erst im nächsten Jahr vollständige Daten zur Sicherheit und Wirksamkeit.

Ein Großteil der Beratungen des Ausschusses konzentrierte sich auf die schweren allergischen Reaktionen, die in mehreren Fällen nach Injektionen des Pfizer-BioNTech-Impfstoffs gemeldet wurden, der ähnliche Inhaltsstoffe wie das Rezept von Moderna enthält.

Sechs Fälle von Anaphylaxie wurden inzwischen in den USA und zwei in Großbritannien dokumentiert. Es sind auch mehrere mildere allergische Reaktionen aufgetreten. Laut CDC wurden bereits am Samstag landesweit mehr als 272.000 Dosen des Pfizer-BioNTech-Impfstoffs verteilt

Allergische Reaktionen auf Impfstoffe treten typischerweise mit einer Rate von etwa einer von einer Million auf. Dr. Grace Lee, Kinderärztin und Impfstoffexpertin an der Stanford University, stellte auf der Ausschusssitzung fest, dass die bisherigen Schätzungen darauf hindeuten, dass das Risiko dieser mit dem Pfizer-BioNTech-Impfstoff verbundenen Ereignisse „qualitativ höher zu sein scheint als bei den meisten typischen Impfstoffen . ”

Dennoch fügte sie hinzu: “Für mich persönlich ändert dies nicht unbedingt das Risiko-Nutzen-Verhältnis des Covid-19-Impfstoffs zu diesem Zeitpunkt.”

Dr. Thomas Clark, Epidemiologe am CDC, stellte fest, dass Personen, bei denen nach einem Schuss eine Anaphylaxie auftritt, keine zweite Dosis erhalten sollten. Es ist immer noch unklar, ob ein Inhaltsstoff in Pfizers Impfstoff die direkte Ursache für die Reaktionen war.

Einige Experten haben auf Polyethylenglykol oder PEG hingewiesen, eine Chemikalie, die in vielen pharmazeutischen Produkten, einschließlich Abführmitteln wie Miralax, enthalten ist und die sehr selten allergische Reaktionen hervorruft. Sowohl die Pfizer-BioNTech- als auch die Moderna-Impfstoffe enthalten PEG, allerdings in leicht unterschiedlichen Formulierungen.

Dr. Sarah Mbaeyi, eine Ärztin bei der CDC, sagte, die Agentur empfehle Menschen, die wissen, dass sie schwere Allergien gegen einen der Inhaltsstoffe der Impfstoffe haben, vorerst auf die Aufnahme zu verzichten.

Personen mit einer Anaphylaxie in der Vorgeschichte gegenüber anderen Impfstoffen oder injizierbaren Therapien sollten ihren Arzt konsultieren und nach der Inokulation 30 Minuten vor Ort bleiben, um sich zu überwachen, falls sie sich krank fühlen. (Alle anderen – einschließlich Personen, die stark auf andere Substanzen wie Lebensmittel, Pollen oder Hautschuppen reagieren, und Personen mit leichten Allergien jeglicher Art – können nach 15 Minuten gehen.)

In den klinischen Studien von Moderna wurden drei schwere allergische Reaktionen berichtet, an denen mehr als 30.000 Erwachsene teilnahmen, von denen die Hälfte anstelle des Impfstoffs ein Placebo erhielt. Es wurde angenommen, dass keiner mit dem Impfstoff in Verbindung steht.

Covid19 Impfungen >

Antworten auf Ihre Impfstofffragen

Mit der Verbreitung eines Coronavirus-Impfstoffs ab den USA finden Sie hier Antworten auf einige Fragen, über die Sie sich möglicherweise wundern:

    • Wenn ich in den USA lebe, wann kann ich den Impfstoff bekommen? Während die genaue Reihenfolge der Impfstoffempfänger von Staat zu Staat unterschiedlich sein kann, werden die meisten Ärzte und Bewohner von Langzeitpflegeeinrichtungen an erster Stelle stehen. Wenn Sie verstehen möchten, wie diese Entscheidung getroffen wird, hilft dieser Artikel.
    • Wann kann ich nach der Impfung wieder zum normalen Leben zurückkehren? Das Leben wird erst wieder normal, wenn die Gesellschaft als Ganzes ausreichend Schutz gegen das Coronavirus erhält. Sobald die Länder einen Impfstoff zugelassen haben, können sie in den ersten Monaten höchstens einige Prozent ihrer Bürger impfen. Die nicht geimpfte Mehrheit bleibt weiterhin anfällig für Infektionen. Eine wachsende Anzahl von Coronavirus-Impfstoffen zeigt einen robusten Schutz vor Krankheit. Es ist aber auch möglich, dass Menschen das Virus verbreiten, ohne zu wissen, dass sie infiziert sind, weil sie nur leichte oder gar keine Symptome haben. Wissenschaftler wissen noch nicht, ob die Impfstoffe auch die Übertragung des Coronavirus blockieren. Selbst geimpfte Menschen müssen vorerst Masken tragen, Menschenmassen in Innenräumen meiden und so weiter. Sobald genügend Menschen geimpft sind, wird es für das Coronavirus sehr schwierig, gefährdete Personen zu finden, die infiziert werden können. Je nachdem, wie schnell wir als Gesellschaft dieses Ziel erreichen, könnte sich das Leben im Herbst 2021 einem normalen Zustand nähern.
    • Muss ich nach der Impfung noch eine Maske tragen? Ja, aber nicht für immer. Hier ist der Grund. Die Coronavirus-Impfstoffe werden tief in die Muskeln injiziert und stimulieren das Immunsystem zur Produktion von Antikörpern. Dies scheint ein ausreichender Schutz zu sein, um die geimpfte Person vor einer Krankheit zu bewahren. Was jedoch nicht klar ist, ist, ob es möglich ist, dass das Virus in der Nase blüht – und geniest oder ausgeatmet wird, um andere zu infizieren -, selbst wenn Antikörper an anderer Stelle im Körper mobilisiert wurden, um zu verhindern, dass die geimpfte Person krank wird. Die klinischen Impfstoffstudien sollten feststellen, ob geimpfte Menschen vor Krankheiten geschützt sind – und nicht herausfinden, ob sie das Coronavirus noch verbreiten können. Basierend auf Studien zu Grippeimpfstoffen und sogar mit Covid-19 infizierten Patienten haben Forscher Grund zu der Hoffnung, dass geimpfte Menschen das Virus nicht verbreiten, aber weitere Forschung ist erforderlich. In der Zwischenzeit müssen sich alle – auch geimpfte Menschen – als mögliche stille Streuer vorstellen und weiterhin eine Maske tragen. Lesen Sie hier mehr.
    • Wird es wehtun? Was sind die Nebenwirkungen? Der Impfstoff gegen Pfizer und BioNTech wird wie andere typische Impfstoffe als Schuss in den Arm abgegeben. Die Injektion in Ihren Arm fühlt sich nicht anders an als bei jedem anderen Impfstoff, aber die Rate kurzlebiger Nebenwirkungen scheint höher zu sein als bei einer Grippeschutzimpfung. Zehntausende Menschen haben die Impfstoffe bereits erhalten, und keiner von ihnen hat ernsthafte gesundheitliche Probleme gemeldet. Die Nebenwirkungen, die den Symptomen von Covid-19 ähneln können, dauern etwa einen Tag und treten nach der zweiten Dosis wahrscheinlicher auf. Frühe Berichte aus Impfstoffversuchen deuten darauf hin, dass einige Menschen möglicherweise einen Tag frei nehmen müssen, weil sie sich nach Erhalt der zweiten Dosis mies fühlen. In der Pfizer-Studie entwickelte etwa die Hälfte Müdigkeit. Andere Nebenwirkungen traten bei mindestens 25 bis 33 Prozent der Patienten auf, manchmal mehr, einschließlich Kopfschmerzen, Schüttelfrost und Muskelschmerzen. Obwohl diese Erfahrungen nicht angenehm sind, sind sie ein gutes Zeichen dafür, dass Ihr eigenes Immunsystem eine starke Reaktion auf den Impfstoff zeigt, die eine dauerhafte Immunität bietet.
    • Werden mRNA-Impfstoffe meine Gene verändern? Nein. Die Impfstoffe von Moderna und Pfizer verwenden ein genetisches Molekül, um das Immunsystem zu stärken. Dieses als mRNA bekannte Molekül wird schließlich vom Körper zerstört. Die mRNA ist in einer öligen Blase verpackt, die mit einer Zelle verschmelzen kann, so dass das Molekül hineinrutschen kann. Die Zelle verwendet die mRNA, um Proteine ​​aus dem Coronavirus herzustellen, die das Immunsystem stimulieren können. Zu jedem Zeitpunkt kann jede unserer Zellen Hunderttausende von mRNA-Molekülen enthalten, die sie produzieren, um eigene Proteine ​​herzustellen. Sobald diese Proteine ​​hergestellt sind, zerkleinern unsere Zellen die mRNA mit speziellen Enzymen. Die mRNA-Moleküle, die unsere Zellen herstellen, können nur wenige Minuten überleben. Die mRNA in Impfstoffen ist so konstruiert, dass sie den Enzymen der Zelle etwas länger standhält, sodass die Zellen zusätzliche Virusproteine ​​bilden und eine stärkere Immunantwort auslösen können. Die mRNA kann jedoch höchstens einige Tage halten, bevor sie zerstört wird.

Während des Treffens äußerten Experten auch Bedenken hinsichtlich vier Fällen einer vorübergehenden Gesichtslähmung namens Bell-Lähmung, von denen drei in der Impfstoffgruppe in der Moderna-Studie auftraten. (Vier Fälle von Bell-Lähmung traten auch in Pfizers Studien auf, alle in der Impfstoffgruppe.)

Es gibt noch keine Beweise, die die Lähmung direkt mit einem der beiden Impfstoffe in Verbindung bringen, und Dr. Jacqueline Miller, Senior Vice President bei Moderna, sagte, ihr Unternehmen habe die Impfstoffempfänger weiterhin auf Nebenwirkungen überwacht.

Mehr als die Hälfte der Personen, die den Moderna-Impfstoff in klinischen Studien erhielten, berichteten nach ihrem zweiten Schuss, der etwa vier Wochen nach dem ersten gegeben wurde, über unangenehme Symptome wie Müdigkeit, Kopfschmerzen und Schmerzen. Einige Freiwillige entwickelten auch Fieber oder Hautausschlag an der Injektionsstelle.

Vorfälle wie diese scheinen bei Modernas Impfstoff weitaus häufiger zu sein als bei Pfizer, der eine geringere Dosis der Wirkstoffe enthält. Die meisten Nebenwirkungen verschwanden jedoch innerhalb eines Tages nach der Impfung.

Vorübergehende Symptome nach der Impfung sind relativ häufig. Oft sind sie die äußeren Anzeichen eines hart arbeitenden Immunsystems, das den Körper darauf vorbereitet, Krankheiten in Zukunft abzuwehren.

Weder Moderna noch Pfizer haben bisher Daten zu schwangeren oder stillenden Personen erhoben. Aber keine der 13 Freiwilligen, die während der Teilnahme an den klinischen Studien von Moderna schwanger wurden, von denen sechs den Impfstoff erhielten, berichtete über schädliche Wirkungen.

Mehr als 500 Amerikaner, die eine Dosis Pfizers Impfstoff erhalten haben, waren zum Zeitpunkt ihrer Injektion schwanger.

Viele Wissenschaftler glauben, dass das Coronavirus ein weitaus größeres Risiko für schwangere oder stillende Menschen darstellt als der Impfstoff. Stephanie Langel, eine Immunologin und Virologin an der Duke University, die seit Juli ihren neugeborenen Sohn stillt, sagte am Donnerstag, dass sie beabsichtige, so bald wie möglich geimpft zu werden.

Sie wurde priorisiert, um den Schuss zu erhalten, weil sie das Coronavirus erforscht. Wenn es darum geht, sich impfen zu lassen, “ist es für mich nur ein Kinderspiel”, sagte sie, weil sie häufig dem Virus ausgesetzt war. “Es geht um Ihre Risikobewertung.”

Während des Treffens unterstrichen Wissenschaftler und Kliniker, wie wichtig es ist, Impfungen in Gemeinden zu bringen, die von der Pandemie überproportional betroffen sind, einschließlich Menschen in Justizvollzugsanstalten.

Experten haben wiederholt darauf hingewiesen, wie wichtig es ist, mit Vertretern von Farbgemeinschaften zusammenzuarbeiten, um die Sicherheit und Wirksamkeit des Impfstoffs für Menschen zu bestätigen, die zögern oder skeptisch gegenüber den Aufnahmen sind. (Überaus wenige Personen, die sich als Indianer, Ureinwohner Alaskas, Ureinwohner Hawaiis oder Inselbewohner im Pazifik identifizierten, nahmen an Modernas Versuchen teil.)

Dionne Brown, die Leiterin der Krankenpflege bei Summit Rehabilitation and Care Community in Aurora, Colorado, sagte der New York Times, sie sei “ein wenig besorgt über die Nebenwirkungen” gewesen. Nach langwierigen Gesprächen mit ihren Kollegen darüber, wie sicher und wirksam die Impfstoffe sind, sagte sie: „Ich fühle mich wohl mit der Einnahme“.

Frau Brown, Mutter von sechs Kindern, hofft, ein Vorbild für ihre Familie und Gemeinde sowie für die anderen Mitarbeiter und älteren Bewohner ihrer Langzeitpflegeeinrichtung sein zu können.

“Das ist mein Ziel”, sagte sie. “Dass sie sehen, wie ich es bekomme und mich hoffentlich wohl fühle.”

In einer zweiten Sitzung am Sonntag werden CDC-Beamte und Wissenschaftler mehr Leitlinien für die Zuteilung der neu zugelassenen Impfstoffe liefern und über die Priorisierung von Personen abstimmen, die Impfungen erhalten sollen.