CureVac and GSK’s second-generation vaccine candidate targeting two recent COVID-19 variants has been shown to be highly effective in preclinical studies on mice, CureVac said, as the biotech firm seeks to catch up with rivals’ development work.
WHO analyzing two new Omicron COVID sub-variants
B.1.1.7 "Kent" strain (United Kingdom), B.1.1.7 Variant (UK), Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 Origins, COVID-19 recommendations, COVID-19 transmission, COVID-19 Variant B.1.1.7, Covid-19 Variants, Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), Omicron BA.2, R&DThe World Health Organization said on April 11 it is tracking a few dozen cases of two new sub-variants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain of the coronavirus to assess whether they are more infectious or dangerous.
Risk from virus variants remains after first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, UK study finds
B Cells, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Coronavirus Vaccines, Covid-19 asymptomatic infections, COVID-19 Studies, COVID-19 Variant B.1.1.7, Covid-19 Variants, Immune Response, Medical Journals, Pfizer, R&D, Science, T-Cells, United KingdomA single dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine may not generate a sufficient immune response to protect against dominant new variants, except in people who have already been infected with Covid-19, according to a UK study published on April 30.
Blood type not a Covid-19 risk factor in U.S.; inhaled asthma drug may keep mild illness from worsening
Asthma, Blood Type, COVID-19 cytokine storm, COVID-19 Studies, COVID-19 Variant B.1.1.7, Covid-19 Variants, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Novel Coronavirus, Researchers, Therapeutics, United States, WearablesAccording to separate studies, blood type does not affect susceptibility to Covid-19 in U.S. patients and an inhaled steroid commonly used to treat asthma can help keep patients with mild Covid-19 from getting sicker.
UK Variant Not as Lethal as Originally Reported
Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs), Breast Cancer, Brown Fat Cells, Cancer Immunology Research, COVID-19 Deaths, COVID-19 Variant B.1.1.7, Covid-19 Variants, Fat Cells, Harvard Medical School, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients, Immune Cells, Lancet Infectious Diseases, Lancet Public Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Osteosarcoma, SARS-CoV-2 virus, Skin Cancer, T-Cells, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Tumors, WuhanA new study by researchers at the University College London (UCL) published in Lancet Infectious Diseases finds that although the U.K. variant of SARS-CoV-2 known as B.1.1.7 is more transmissible than the wild-type, original Wuhan strain, it is likely not more deadly.
Shares of Inovio climbed in trading after the company announced its DNA vaccine candidate for Covid-19 induced a robust T-cell response against multiple variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Pfizer-BioNTech: Covid-19 Vaccine “100% Effective” in Adolescents
Adolescents, Antibody Response, AstraZeneca, BioNTech, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Children, Clinical Trials, Covid-19 Data, COVID-19 Origins, COVID-19 Vaccines, COVID-19 Variant B.1.1.7, Covid-19 Variants, Pfizer, R&D, Surveys, World Health OrganizationPfizer and BioNTech on March 31 announced data from a Phase III study which showed 100 percent efficacy and robust antibody responses in patients ages 12-15 years old who received the BNT162b2 vaccine.
U.S. Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations log biggest weekly drops since pandemic started
California, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, COVID Tracking Project, COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 Deaths, COVID-19 Variant B.1.1.7, Covid-19 Variants, Health Officials, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients, Reuters Analysis, United StatesThe United States reported a 25% drop in new cases of Covid-19 to about 825,000 during the week ended Feb. 7, the biggest fall since the pandemic started, although health officials said they were worried new variants of the virus could slow or reverse this progress.
Moderna Developing Booster COVID-19 Shot to Quell Tide of New Variants
Business, CNBC, COVID-19 shots, COVID-19 Variant B.1.1.7, Data, Messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccines, Moderna, mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Research, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, Shares, South Africa, Studies, United KingdomModerna started development on a booster to the company’s Covid-19 vaccine, which is hoped to work against the recently discovered (and more transmissible) SARS-CoV-2 variant from South Africa.
The Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is likely to protect against a more infectious variant of the virus discovered in Britain which has spread around the world, according to results of further lab tests.