Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what’s new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day’s biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider’s guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Axios on your phone
Get breaking news and scoops on the go with the Axios app.
Download for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
Photo: Justin Tallis/Pool/Getty Images
U.S. health officials have begun a clinical trial with adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19, administering a booster shot of a different vaccine brand to the one they’ve already received, the National Institutes of Health announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: The study will examine immune responses and the safety of mixing different vaccines. Scientists will also measure the shots’ efficacy in staving off emerging variants, according to a statement from the NIH.
- Per a statement from NIAID director Anthony Fauci: “Although the vaccines currently authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offer strong protection against COVID-19, we need to prepare for the possibility of needing booster shots to counter waning immunity and to keep pace with an evolving virus.”
- If booster shots are required, this study could help health officials decide which vaccine combinations are best.
Details: The study will examine 150 volunteers who’ve received one of the three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. — Johnson & Johnson’s, Moderna’s and Pfizer-BioNTech’s.
- Each vaccine group will have enrolled some 25 people between the ages of 18 and 55 and about 25 people in the 56 years and older age group.
- “Twelve to 20 weeks following their initial vaccination regimen, participants will receive a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as part of the trial,” according to the NIH.
- Another aspect of the study will see volunteers who’ve yet to receive a coronavirus vaccine enrolled. Initially, they’ll receive the two-dose Moderna vaccine before receiving a booster dose of a vaccine about 12 to 20 weeks later.
The big picture: Research indicates that all three vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. protect against variants, to varying degrees.
- The Public Health Agency of Canada updated its coronavirus vaccine guidance on Tuesday to permit Canadians to receive a different dose for their second shot, though it still recommends using the same brand.
- Health officials in the United Kingdom are expected to release initial results this summer of a clinical trial testing the effectiveness of mixing COVID-19 vaccines.
Go deeper: Vaccine boosters could be necessary as soon as September
No comments:
Post a Comment