Fauci: 'You cannot abandon public health measures' even with COVID-19 vaccine

Dr. Fauci: Only way we could have stopped explosion of COVID-19 infections was to have physical separation Sen. Rand Paul questions Dr. Anthony Fauci at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus restrictions will need to remain in place in some form even after a vaccine becomes available, […]

All seniors could get COVID-19 vaccine by end of January, HHS head says

All seniors, health care workers, first responders and vulnerable individuals could be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of January, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar told reporters Wednesday (Oct. 21) during a news briefing.  But this ambitious timeline rests on a critical factor: enough data to know that […]

Q&A: How to make and distribute a vaccine

A number of vaccines to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, are currently undergoing various testing regimens. NC State’s Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) helps train the next generation of pharmaceutical workers. The Abstract spoke with BTEC’s Dr. Jennifer Pancorbo, director of industry programs and research and an expert on […]

Q&A: A COVID-19 vaccine is coming—will it be safe?

In March, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a consensus among health care providers and public health officials that a vaccine that provided complete immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, would effectively end the pandemic. At the time, experts suggested that the development of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine […]

New vaccine could help halt Alzheimer’s progression, preclinical study finds

Our immune system’s capacity to mount a well-regulated defense against foreign substances, including toxins, weakens with age and makes vaccines less effective in people over age 65. At the same time, research has shown that immunotherapy targeting neurotoxic forms of the peptide amyloid beta (oligomeric Aβ) may halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, the most […]

UK to infect volunteers with coronavirus in bid to speed up vaccine development

Experts predict COVID pandemic will ‘get worse before it gets better’ Cases increasing across much of US; Fox News correspondent Jonathan Serrie has the latest on ‘Special Report.’ Researchers in the U.K. are looking for healthy volunteers who are willing to be infected with the novel coronavirus in a bid to speed up vaccination development. […]

Training our immune systems: Why we should insist on a high-quality COVID-19 vaccine

Athletes understand that there are two very different approaches that can be taken when training their bodies. For example, lifting heavy weights is a great way to achieve maximum strength. In contrast, low-load high-repetition training is ideal for developing the stamina required for endurance sports. Remarkably, our immune system can be trained in a somewhat […]

‘Inside-the-box’ technology solves organ and vaccine transport issue

Following a fatal car crash, a registered organ donor could save the lives of many patients awaiting heart, kidney, liver, lung or pancreas transplantation. Once doctors successfully remove vital organs, they are carefully placed in what are essentially beverage coolers in an attempt to synchronize temperature with the ice cubes also packed within. Yet these […]

Expert opinion: COVID-19 vaccine rollout unlikely before fall 2021

Experts working in the field of vaccine development tend to believe that an effective vaccine is not likely to be available for the general public before the fall of 2021. In a paper published this week in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, a McGill-led team published the results of a recent survey of 28 […]

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine won’t be ready by US election: report

US biotech firm Moderna won’t seek an emergency use authorization for its coronavirus vaccine before November 25, its CEO told the Financial Times on Wednesday. The news deals a blow to President Donald Trump’s hopes of having an injection ready before the election to give his campaign a much-needed boost. Stephane Bancel told the newspaper: […]