Denmark Reports Two Cases of Serious Illness, Including One Death, After AstraZeneca Shot

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Denmark said on Saturday that one person had died and another fell seriously ill with blood clots and cerebral haemorrhage after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination. The two, both hospital staff members, had both received the AstraZeneca vaccine less than 14 days before getting ill, the authority that runs public hospitals in […]

‘We Need Time’: Scandinavian Caution Keeps AstraZeneca Shots on Hold

COPENHAGEN/OSLO/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Denmark, Sweden and Norway said on Friday they needed more time to decide whether to use AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine even though the EU drug watchdog said the benefits outweighed the risks, prompting several countries to resume its use. “We need time to get to the bottom of this,” Soren Brostrom, head of […]

How effective is the first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine?

As the COVID-19 vaccines reach more people across the country, some people have asked: Could we delay the second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to allow more people to be vaccinated more quickly? And, how safe am I after my first dose? As an immunologist, I hear this question frequently. The answer is […]

Factbox: Countries resume use of AstraZeneca vaccine, while some lose confidence

(Reuters) – AstraZeneca said on Monday an independent panel found no higher risks of blood clots from its COVID-19 vaccine in a large U.S. trial, including rare ones in the brain. The shot was 79% effective overall, and 80% effective in the elderly.FILE PHOTO: Vials of the AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine are seen, as […]

Vaccine Withheld From Hospital That Gave Trump Tower Shots

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. The city of Chicago on Thursday decided to withhold first doses of COVID-19 vaccines from a hospital that improperly administered vaccinations to Trump Tower workers. The withholding of vaccines comes as the city conducts a review of actions by Loretto Hospital, […]

New variant may not have changed COVID-19 pandemic course in UK, says study

With the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the world entered a phase of social restrictions which limited routine social and economic activities covering a wide spectrum, accompanied by a soaring and often overwhelming disease and death toll. A new study, released on […]

COVID Relief Law Pumps More Than $100 Billion Into Public Health

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. President Joe Biden signs the American Rescue Plan in the Oval Office. Acknowledging that chronic underfunding of public health contributed significantly to the nation’s fragmented response to the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats included more than $100 billion in the recently enacted relief […]

Landmark Covid relief law pumps more than $100 billion into public health

Acknowledging that chronic underfunding of public health contributed significantly to the nation's fragmented response to the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats included more than $100 billion in the recently enacted relief package to address urgent needs and enhance future efforts. "The pandemic has given us possibly the best chance we've ever had of getting on the right […]

AstraZeneca Vaccine Protection Level Just 10% Against South African COVID-19 Variant

(Reuters Health) – The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine developed with the University of Oxford has an efficacy of only 10.4% against the South African variant of the virus, according to data published online Wednesday by The New England Journal of Medicine. In the test on 2,026 HIV-negative volunteers, mild-to-moderate disease caused by any type of SARS-CoV-2 […]

Canada’s Medicago Begins Late-Stage Study of COVID-19 Vaccine

(Reuters) – Canadian drug developer Medicago said on Tuesday it had started a late-stage study of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine combined with an adjuvant from GlaxoSmithKline. The study plans to eventually enroll 30,000 participants and initially focus on healthy adults, followed by adults over the age of 65 and those with co-morbidities. Medicago, which has […]