All COVID-19 – Page 12 – BIDMC’s COVID-19 Initiatives

Mixing COVID-19 vaccines appears to boost immune responses

Early data suggest mixing COVID-19 vaccines may actually be beneficial to boost immune responses. In three recent studies, researchers have found that following one dose of the vaccine made by AstraZeneca with a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine produces strong immune responses, as measured by blood tests. Dan Barouch, MD, PhD (Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, BIDMC) said two different vaccines may be more potent than either vaccine alone.

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U.S. Moves Closer To Biden’s July 4 COVID-19 Vaccination Goal

s President Biden aims to have 70% of adults vaccinated with at least one shot by July 4, NPR’s Allison Aubrey discussed with experts their thoughts on if the country is on track to meet the target and answered questions including the need for vaccine booster shots. Aubrey also spoke with Dan Barouch, MD, PhD (Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, BIDMC) about why it's just too soon to determine any specific booster strategy.

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Studies Confirm COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Safe, Effective for Pregnant Women

Two new studies show that the two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines now available in the U.S. appear to be completely safe for pregnant women. In one study, published in JAMA, an NIH-supported team led by Dan Barouch, MD, PhD (Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, BIDMC), wanted to learn whether vaccines would protect mother and baby. To find out, they enrolled 103 women, aged 18 to 45, who chose to get either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines from December 2020 through March 2021. After vaccination, women in all groups produced antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The researchers also found those antibodies in infant cord blood and breast milk, suggesting that they were passed on to afford some protection to infants early in life.

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US health agencies will decide if COVID-19 booster shots are needed – not vaccine companies

The CDC’s independent group of scientists, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Processes, will meet and make a recommendation to CDC on booster shots, in the same way it has done with previously authorized coronavirus vaccines. Medical experts interviewed by ABC News concurred that booster shots are likely, but not necessarily inevitable, at least for this fall. Dan Barouch, MD, PhD (Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, BIDMC) said that it is not yet clear whether we will need a booster shot this fall, winter, and if so, what that booster shot should be, but that the decision needs to be made based on public health solely and not on economic incentives of the vaccine developing companies.

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Video: Boston doctor discusses COVID-19 vaccination progress in Massachusetts, Northeast

Preeti Mehrotra, MD (Infection Control, BIDMC) spoke about the state’s COVID-19 vaccination rates, which outpace that of other parts of the country, and what it means to individual families. Mehrotra also noted that her sense of comfort is slowly growing but that there is still work to do.

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Scientists zero in on long-sought marker of COVID-vaccine efficacy

According to a modeling study, the presence of even small quantities of infection-blocking antibodies in vaccinated people’s blood indicates that a vaccine is effective at protecting against COVID-19. Dan Barouch, MD, PhD (Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, BIDMC) noted that more studies are needed to pin down which cells or molecules determine the level of protection

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Mix-and-match COVID vaccines trigger potent immune response

Researchers conducting a study in Spain have found that vaccinating people with both the Oxford–AstraZeneca and Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines produces a potent immune response against the virus which researchers hoped for and expected from mixing different vaccines, a strategy known as a heterologous prime and boost. Dan Barouch, MD, PhD (Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, BIDMC) said the responses look promising and show the potential of heterologous prime–boost regimens.

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As More COVID Variants Emerge, Experts Urge Faster Vaccine Sharing

As the virus surges in countries like India, where there aren’t enough vaccines, experts like Dan Barouch, MD, PhD (Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, BIDMC) are focused on various COVID-19 variants to see if they pose a challenge to current vaccines, including one he helped develop for Johnson & Johnson.

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11 Health Issues Doctors Are Seeing More Of Due To The COVID-19 Pandemic

Medical providers are seeing an increase in health problems as a direct result of pandemic-era living. Some of the health conditions doctors are seeing more of now include hair loss. Alexa Kimball, MD, MPH (President & CEO, Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians and Dermatology, BIDMC) said that the fall of 2020, primary care physicians and dermatologists started to notice a substantial increase in the number of people, particularly women, who were reporting that their hair was falling out in clumps. This phenomenon, called telogen effluvium, is typically caused by stress, illness or pregnancy.

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