Health

Coronavirus vaccines in Britain expected to be ‘widely available’ come spring: Oxford official

Coronavirus vaccines are slated to be widely available by spring in Britain, an Oxford official said Monday.

Adrian Hill, the director of Oxford University’s Jenner Institute, said that following news Oxford University and AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine candidate reached up to 90% in clinical trials, COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be widely available come spring.

The news comes as AstraZeneca and Oxford said Monday their vaccine was as much as 90% effective in preventing COVID-19. (iStock)

“I think we are on track for the timeline … to start getting this vaccine rolled out from December,” Hill told Reuters.

Hill noted that high-risk groups would likely be the first before they were made available to the general public come spring.

WHY IS OXFORD’S HALF-DOSE CORONAVIRUS VACCINE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE FULL DOSE?

“I think that could be done. It’s going to be an enormous effort … hopefully there will be vaccine available for all adults, but that’s likely to be springtime rather than in January,” Hill said.

The country, according to the outlet, has secured 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 40 million of the Pfizer vaccine and 5 million of the Moderna vaccine.

Separately, AstraZeneca executive Pam Cheng told Reuters that 20 million doses of the vaccine are expected to be available in Britain by the end of the year, and 70 million are expected to be provided by late March. That equals “4 million finished doses this year and 40 million by the end of March,” she told the outlet.

ASTRAZENECA CORONAVIRUS VACCINE LATEST TO SHOW PROMISE: HERE’S HOW IT COMPARES

The news comes as AstraZeneca and Oxford said Monday their vaccine was as much as 90% effective in preventing COVID-19, marking the latest candidate to inch closer toward approval. In a press release posted early Monday, the companies said there were no hospitalizations or severe cases of disease in trial participants who received the vaccine.

In the trial, the one-dosing regimen of AZD1222 got promising results when it was split into two jabs dated one month apart. The efficacy went from 90% down to 62% when two full doses were given one month apart.

“We are excited to see 90% efficacy from the half dose: full-dose regimen,” Brendan McEvoy, AstraZeneca spokesperson, told Fox News. “We see a lot of merit in this regimen and we will now start discussions with regulators into incorporating this dose combination for further clinical investigation. We will continue to follow the science to better understand these data.”

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The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine does not use mRNA technology and instead involves an inactivated common cold virus isolated from chimpanzees, altered with genes to express the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Fox News’ Alexandria Hein and Kayla Rivas contributed to this report.

AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine latest to show promise: Here’s how it compares

AstraZeneca and Oxford said Monday their vaccine was as much as 90% effective in preventing COVID-19, marking the latest candidate to inch closer toward approval. In a press release posted early Monday, the companies said there were no hospitalizations or severe cases of disease in trial participants who received the vaccine.

“An Independent Data Safety Monitoring Board determined that the analysis met its primary endpoint showing protection from COVID-19 occurring 14 days or more after receiving two doses of the vaccine,” the firms said in the press release. “No serious safety events related to the vaccine have been confirmed AZD1222 was well tolerated across both dosing regimens.”

WHEN WILL PFIZER’S VACCINE BE READY TO SHIP?

The companies will now prepare to submit the data for emergency approval so that the vaccine can be used to combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This marks the third such company to do so.

JOHNSON & JOHNSON EXPECTS CORONAVIRUS VACCINE TO BE READY FOR APPROVAL BY FEBRUARY

Here’s a look at the potential coronavirus vaccine candidates inching toward emergency use authorization.

AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford’s AZD1222

Showed to be 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease in large clinical trials
Given in a two-jab regimen
Developed using replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened version of adenovirus that causes infections in chimpanzees and contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein
Vaccine can be stored at 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit for at least six months
Companies project to make up to 3 billion doses of the vaccine in 2021
Status: Preparing to submit data for emergency use authorization

Pfizer and BioNTech’s BNT162b2

Showed to be 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease in large clinical trials
Given in a two-jab regimen
Developed using mRNA technology
Vaccine must be stored at 94 degrees Fahrenheit
Companies project to make up to 50 million doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.
Status: Awaiting possible emergency use authorization

Moderna Inc.’s mRNA-1273

Showed to be 94.5% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease in large clinical trials
Given in two-jab regimen
Developed using mRNA technology
Vaccine can be stored at 28 degrees Fahrenheit for up to one month
Company projects to make 20 million doses in 2020 and up to 1 billion doses in 2021
Status: Preparing to submit data for emergency use authorization

Why is Oxford’s half-dose coronavirus vaccine more effective than the full dose?

In reporting that its coronavirus vaccine reached up to 90% efficacy in clinical trials, AstraZeneca and Oxford University also noted that the jab was more effective when given in a half-dose regimen as opposed to a full.

AstraZeneca elaborated on the findings in a press release posted Monday.

“One dosing regimen showed vaccine efficacy of 90% when AZD1222 [the vaccine] was given as a half dose, followed by a full dose at least one month apart, and another dosing regimen showed 62% efficacy when given as two full doses at least one month apart,” the press release stated.

“The combined analysis from both dosing regimens resulted in an average efficacy of 70%,” it said.

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When pressed on the implications of these findings, an AstraZeneca spokesperson told Fox News that the company is still investigating.

“We are excited to see 90% efficacy from the half dose: full-dose regimen,” Brendan McEvoy, AstraZeneca spokesperson, said. “We see a lot of merit in this regimen and we will now start discussions with regulators into incorporating this dose combination for further clinical investigation. We will continue to follow the science to better understand these data.”

Oxford University did not immediately return Fox News’ request for comment.

Findings from the phase 2 trial, published in The Lancet on November 19, included that the vaccine was safe, boosted immune response, and was better tolerated among older adults. The trial was designed to administer different doses to participants.

Interestingly, Pfizer and Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine candidates (which both use a new messenger RNA, or mRNA, platform) work in a dose-dependent manner, or in other words, neutralizing antibodies are ramped up after the second dose, “showing clear benefit of a 2-dose regimen,” per an earlier statement from Pfizer.

“Dose-dependent increases in immunogenicity were seen across the three dose levels, and between prime and boost within the 25 µg and 100 µg dose levels,” per Moderna’s phase 1 data.

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While the Oxford-AstraZeneca team works to better understand the data, the Monday announcement disclosed that full results from the interim analysis were submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Live Updates: Americans flying for Thanksgiving holiday as protesters in California bash Newsom’s orders

Millions of Americans bought plane tickets to travel somewhere for the Thanksgiving holiday before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged many not to do so.

The CDC and Dr. Anthony Fauci had advised Americans to skip Thanksgiving travel and not spend the holiday with people from outside their household amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, has told Oregon‘s residents to call the cops if they see coronavirus violations as the nation cracks down on group activities so close to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Protesters across California also took to the streets in defiance of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest nighttime curfew orders that went into effect Saturday night to clamp down on resurging coronavirus cases.

Follow below for more coronavirus updates. Mobile users click here.

LIVE UPDATES: Southern California protesters demonstrate against coronavirus curfew

Protesters in Hungtington Beach, Calif., rallied against Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s 10 p.m. curfew Saturday night.

The curfew, put in place in 41 of the state’s 59 counties where COVID-19 cases have spiked, is aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

Fast Facts on the coronavirus

Cases have exploded across the country with Democratic and Republican governors putting restrictions in place slow the spread
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has urged Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving as the country topped 253,000 deaths by early Sunday.

Cases have exploded across the country with Democratic and Republican governors putting restrictions in place slow the spread

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has urged Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving as the country topped 253,000 deaths by early Sunday.

Cases have exploded in other states as well and governors in some states have instituted virus restrictions like mask mandates and curfews.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving as the country topped 253,000 deaths by early Sunday.

Follow below for the latest updates on the pandemic. Mobile users click here.

LIVE UPDATES: Trump celebrates coronavirus vaccine progress

President Trump said Friday that the U.S. was “way ahead on vaccines” days after Pfizer and partner BioNTech SE announced clinical trial data showed their coronavirus vaccine was 95% effective with no serious side effects for any of the trial patients.

Fast Facts about the coronavirus

Pfizer and partner BioNTech SE announced they applied for emergency authorization use of its vaccine on Friday
More than 251,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus as of early Saturday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“You wouldn’t have a vaccine if it weren’t for me for another four years,” Trump said at a news conference, referring to Operation Warp Speed — through which the administration coordinated and invested in the accelerated development of a vaccine.

Moderna announced earlier this week that its vaccine candidate was just shy of 95% effective, and the company was expected to apply for emergency use authorization soon. Pfizer and BioNTech SE announced they applied for emergency authorization use Friday.

More than 251,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus as of early Saturday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Follow below for updates on the coronavirus. Mobile users click here.

Swedish health authority not advising coronavirus face masks on public transport: Report

Although the spread of the novel coronavirus in increasing, Swedish health officials are balking at mandates requiring them in some public spaces, according to reports.

“We don’t see that we are at a point where we might recommend general use of face masks on public transport,” Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of the Public Health Agency in Stockholm, told reporters on Thursday, according to Bloomberg. “Face masks shouldn’t be used as an excuse not to keep a distance.”

The stance directly conflicts with a statement by The Swedish Academy of Sciences issued the same day.

The experts said adequate ventilation and face masks are “important measures” to tamp down virus spread indoors and on public transport.

Staffan Normark, professor of microbiology and chairman of the expert group, cited new evidence that face masks lower the risk of airborne infection, or in other words, when tiny, virus-laden particles remain suspended in the air with potential for infection if inhaled.

CDC UPDATES CORONAVIRUS AIRBORNE TRANSMISSION GUIDANCE AFTER DELETING EARLIER REVISION

“It is equally important to follow the recommendations made by the Swedish Public Health Agency,” the statement continues. “But in order to quickly reduce the infection, we need to use all the tools in the toolbox, and that includes [face] protection and ventilation.”

There have been 201,055 total infections in Sweden and more than 6,300 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University which ahs been tracking infections global infections and deaths. During the past month, Sweden has recorded more than 94,000 new cases, according to Johns Hopkins.

As much of the world sputtered to a standstill as the novel coronavirus took hold in early Spring, Sweden controversially adopted a different approach in a bid to balance the health crisis with salvaging its economy.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

The country’s government “departed from the prevailing wisdom” and did not impose widespread lockdowns, did not close schools and restaurants and did not restrict people’s movements, Doug Badger, a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News.

The government’s approach also centered on empowering its citizens to adopt sensible practices to evade the superspreader, issuing advice – as opposed to decrees – on issues such as social distancing and limiting mass gatherings. Schools never fully closed, staying open for those under the age of 16, and gyms, bars, and restaurants remained open.

Fox News’ Hollie McKay contributed to this report.

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Teen cancer survivor dies after coronavirus diagnosis as Kentucky sees surge in illnesses

A 15-year-old cancer survivor who was born with Down syndrome died on Sunday, just weeks after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Alexis Rose Veit, of Ballard County, began feeling ill on Oct. 26, according to a Facebook post written by Travis Holder, director of Ballard County Emergency Management, and was diagnosed after a routine COVID-19 test taken ahead of an upcoming procedure.

Veit’s mother was diagnosed with the virus hours after the teen, and her older sister had recently recovered from it. At some point during her diagnosis, the teen’s grandparents also were diagnosed with the virus. Veit’s mother was hospitalized shortly after their diagnosis and placed on a ventilator, only for the teen to follow days later, according to Holder. She was then flown to Nashville after developing pneumonia.

“As Alexa was hospitalized in Nashville, with her older sister Kelley by her side, who just recently recovered from COVID-19 herself, Alexa’s health continued to decline and was eventually placed on a ventilator to help her breathe,” Holder wrote, in part. “It was then determined that the doctors had done all that they could do for Alexa and the decision was made that they needed to get her mother to Nashville.”

Her mother was released from the hospital and taken to Nashville on Nov. 14, and the teen died the next day.

GET A CORONAVIRUS TEST BEFORE HEADING HOME FOR HOLIDAY, COLLEGES SAY

“Alexa was 15 years old, granted she did have pre-existing health conditions, but she was 15 years old,” Holder wrote. “I am telling you this because we have got to come to the realization that this is real. This is not political, it’s nothing that has ‘always been here,’ it is real. We must start taking the precautions seriously. There is not anything that we can do to get rid of COVID-19, but it is our duty as citizens to do everything that we can to reduce the spread to our fellow man.”

The teen, who entered remission from leukemia in August 2019, is being remembered as a “social butterfly.” Her death marks the first school-aged fatality in the state, according to Holder.

“Alexa was and is a beautiful child of God,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted on Friday. “This is such a heartbreaking loss, and we are so sorry it happened to her and her family. Our commitment is to do better. So today and every day, I wear my mask for Alexa and I hope you will, too. #MaskUpky”

CDC DIRECTOR SAYS SCHOOLS ARE AMONG ‘SAFEST PLACES’ KIDS CAN BE

Veit’s death comes amid a surge in coronavirus illnesses and hospitalizations in Kentucky. Beshear asked religious leaders on Thursday to move to virtual services for the coming weeks, and has mandated additional restrictions such as closing many schools until the New Year, limiting social gatherings and ridding of indoor dining.

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

The state currently has a positivity rate of 9.18%, and has seen over 148,390 cases and 1,742 deaths. Officials reported more than 3,600 new cases and 30 deaths on Thursday alone.

New coronavirus breathalyzer test in the works at University of Miami

MIAMI – Researchers at the University of Miami are working on a new COVID-19 test that they say will be quick, easy and painless.

“This is a totally non-invasive test that you just blow three times into a little breathalyzer. It’s like a kazoo and the breath is then caught into this apparatus and in 40 seconds it can be analyzed in order to tell whether or not the SARS-CoV-2 virus is in the exhaled air,” Dr. Roy Weiss, the COVID-19 chief medical officer of the University of Miami health system, said. “It can also distinguish whether or not there are other viral particles, such as the influenza virus.”

The university is the first college in the nation to participate in this research. It’s running trials with its patients and students, but it hopes the test will be available to the general public soon.

Depending on the results, the new testing method may receive emergency authorization from the FDA to use across the country.
(Elina Shirazi)

“Right now, we are planning to do around 1,000 participants at the University of Miami and compare it with the gold standard testing to get a high accuracy rate. I think that would provide us with strong data to go further and see its potential approval in the near future,” said Khemraj Hirani, a Miller School of Medicine researcher at the University of Miami.

Besides giving results much faster, the new test will also cost less. Weiss said a standard nasal swab test costs upward of $100 to process in a laboratory. The new breath test will cost about $4.

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“If you can imagine before going into a football stadium, everyone is going to get tested so that you feel comfortable that all the people surrounding you are not going to infect you with the virus, or before you go on an airplane or a movie theatre. This is really an opportunity for us to affect the way in which we can behave in society and coexist with this virus,” said Weiss.

Researchers at the University of Miami are working on a new COVID-19 test that they say will be quick, easy and painless.
(Elina Shirazi)

Depending on the results, the new testing method could potentially receive emergency authorization from the FDA for use across the country.

Weiss said it could be just a matter of months until machines are readily available and approved by the FDA.

“The virus is very smart, but it will not outsmart the human mind,” Weiss said.

LIVE UPDATES: Pfizer files coronavirus vaccine emergency approval request, when will it be ready to ship?

Video

Pfizer will apply for FDA approval after announcing vaccine’s 95% percent effectiveness

Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel with Pfizer vaccine analysis and his take on when emergency authorization will likely take place.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech plan filed for FDA emergency approval for its coronavirus vaccine on Friday.

The two companies confirmed their intention to file on Friday in a statement released hours earlier.

Pfizer and BioNTech are currently in Phase 3 trials on the vaccine as is fellow pharmaceutical giant, Moderna.

In the press release, the companies said that their vaccine would be ready to ship “within hours” of approval.

Follow below for updates on the coronavirus. Mobile users click here.

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