COVID Update: Deaths Rising in Europe, Moderna vs. Pfizer, and Vaccine Mandates

 

Global cases and deaths from COVID-19 increased for the first time in two months, primarily driven by surges in Europe. For that and other COVID-19 news, read on.

Moderna Versus Pfizer-BioNTech: Which is the Better Vaccine?

Before any vaccines were authorized to prevent COVID-19, the FDA had set the efficacy bar at 50%. In clinical trials, both the Moderna and Pfizer–BioNTech vaccines demonstrated efficacy right around 95%, far exceeding the threshold the agency was applying. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine demonstrated an efficacy of about 66%. All three of them are very close to 100% at preventing death from COVID-19, as well as mechanical ventilation, even against the more virulent strains, such as Delta.

However, in the face of Delta, the actual efficacy of the vaccines in a real-world setting has come into question even if they still appear to be very close to 100% at preventing death or severe disease, which is the primary goal of a vaccine. Studies are suggesting that Moderna’s vaccine appears better than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in terms of antibody count and prevention of hospitalizations, and both were significantly more effective than J&J’s

While all three protect those vaccinated, researchers wonder why the difference, particularly for the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, both mRNA vaccines. The primary difference between those two is that Moderna provided 100 micrograms to adults in each of the two shots compared to 30 micrograms for the Pfizer-BioNTech. Moderna’s two shots are given 28 days apart, while the Pfizer-BioNTech shots were 21 days apart.

The reason Moderna seems to have an edge is the higher doses. But it’s not that simple. “More vaccine” is a gross oversimplification. Doses of the two mRNA vaccines are measured by the mass of mRNA lipid nanoparticles. The J&J vaccine is measured by the number of adenovirus particles each contains, about 50 billion. You can’t compare lipid nanoparticles to viral particles, and a 50-billion-particle dose of J&J will vary from dose to dose.

Dr. Michael Arand of the University of Zurich’s Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology told The Atlantic he didn’t think it would even be possible to develop a standard measurement across different vaccine platforms.

Another potential reason why Moderna seems a little bit more efficacious is the longer gap between shots. This might allow the immune system more time to develop immunity. (And the J&J shot is a single jab.)

And some virologists are pointing out that the number of vaccinations is more important than the actual size of the doses. Dr. Mark Slifka, an immunologist at Oregon Health and Science University, said that more than one dose “is actually the greater equalizer among vaccinations,” because it teaches the immune system that it should take the virus seriously.

And those some immunologists and vaccine experts are suggest that the J&J vaccine might be just as efficacious as the two mRNA vaccines if it had been a two-shot regimen.

Determining all this isn’t a top priority when half of the world is still unvaccinated. Determining which vaccine is “best” is a luxury in a country like the U.S., which has plenty of supplies available at almost every pharmacy and is safe and effective.

“If last year hadn’t been such a shitstorm,” said John Moore, Ph.D., a microbiology and immunology professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, “all of these issues would have been ironed out.”

1.5 Million Americans Received Booster Jabs in 5 Days

The White House reported that in the first five days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorized booster shots of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines, 1.5 million Americans got the jabs.

“Our booster program is off to a very strong start,” said Jeff Zients, White House coronavirus response coordinator.

The agencies are expected to approve a smaller dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, possibly next week.

COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Rise for the First Time in 2 Months

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths increased globally for the first time in two months. They cite surges across Europe. For the week that ended October 24, 3 million new cases were reported worldwide, an increase of 4% from the previous week. Cases in Europe grew 18% over the last week alone.

Cases in Czechia and Hungary grew more than 100% from the previous week, as of Wednesday, October 27. Croatia, Denmark, Norway, and Poland each grew by an average of more than 70% by the same date. Russia noted a record-high seven-day average of 35,800+ new cases this week, a jump of 10% from the previous week. Ukraine’s seven-day average was 21,900 new cases, an increase of 43%.

“It’s another reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Approximately 5% of Unvaccinated Adults Quit Jobs Over Vaccine Mandates

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) estimates that 5% of unvaccinated adults have quit their jobs over COVID-19 mandates. About a quarter of workers surveyed by KFF in October reported their employer required vaccinations, an increase from 9% in June to 19% in September. The KFF survey did not ask if workers quit when their employer offered a testing option, only if they quit over a vaccine mandate.

In September, the Biden administration issued a mandate for businesses with 100 or more staffers, but it is still under review. It has yet to be officially implemented by the Department of Labor.

According to the survey, more than one-third of unvaccinated workers claimed they would quit before complying with a vaccine or testing mandate. That jumps to 72% if there is no testing option.

“Right now only a quarter of workers say that their employer has required them to get a vaccine, so it’s still quite hypothetical for these workers who say they would leave their jobs,” said Lunna Lopes, a senior survey analyst at KFF.

Cancer and COVID-19 Associated with Increased Mortality

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center evaluated COVID-19 mortality and outcomes in patients with and without cancer. Perhaps not surprisingly, the study found that people who had received treatment for cancer within three months of a COVID-19 diagnosis were at increased risk of death, admission to an ICU, and hospitalization. They also had generally worse outcomes than people without cancer.

The study looked at medical records of 507,307 patients with COVID-19 from January 1 to December 31, 2020.