Older Americans struggle to discuss vaccinations online
Evelyn Mellman, 82, of Studio City, is trying to stay warm while waiting with others in the only appointment to get vaccinations to protect the coronavirus at the Balboa sports complex in Encino.
Mel Melcon | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Older Americans in the U.S. who are now eligible for Covid-19 vaccines are struggling to book an appointment for the life-saving drug online. Some have recruited younger family members or friends who can move quickly through the registration process before gaining all the places.
However, the amount of doses of Pfizer and Moderna is still limited, which has raised the question of what far exceeded supply.
“I wanted to throw my computer out the window. It was so frustrating,” said Jane Heller, a 70-year-old Florida writer and screenwriter.
Angela Abruzzino, from Buffalo County, New York, said she has been trying for days to book appointments for her parents, over 80 years old. The process was a full-time endeavor and so far it has been fruitless, she said.
“My parents would not be able to do this on their own,” Abruzzino said.
—Noa Higgins-Dunn, Will Feuer
According to Vaxart, the oral vaccine yielded promising results in the early trial
Vaxart oral vaccine
Source: Wax species
The biotech firm Vaxart said the experimental oral coronavirus vaccine showed promising results at an early stage in 35 healthy adults.
The vaccine in a small tablet contains a type of T cell that is responsible for the destruction of virus-infected cells in about 75% of the volunteers who received a single low or high dose. as seen in the vaccines of Moderna and Pfizer.
However, neutralizing antibodies were not detected in volunteers after a single dose, Vaxart said. Researchers believe the antibodies play an important role in defending cells against the virus.
The company also said no serious adverse events were reported in the phase one trial. The side effects are generally mild.
‘The most exciting thing of the [phase one data] “We can get a very, very, very strong T-cell response even after one dose,” Vaxart scientific chief Sean Tucker told CNBC in a telephone interview, adding that T-cells are likely to be “undervalued” in comparison with antibodies around the virus.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr.
Private jobs increase in January
Private companies in the US added 174,000 new jobs in January, blowing up the 50,000 profit expected by Wall Street economists, CNBC’s Jeff Cox reports.
The national labor market is still recovering from widespread coronavirus closures and historic unemployment. This rebound was late from the start as communities are threatened by virus transmission and more contagious variants.
—Sara Salinas
GlaxoSmithKline and CureVac strike agreement to develop vaccine targeting Covid variants
Vaccination against AstraZeneca may reduce the spread of viruses, delayed second dose is effective, the study finds
The dose of the Oxford / AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be displayed on 2 January 2021 at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, UK.
Gareth Fuller | Reuters
According to the results of a new study, the UK’s decision to delay the second shot of the AstraZeneca University of Oxford coronavirus vaccine is an effective strategy, according to the results of a new study, which also concludes that one shot can reduce the transmission of the virus.
Researchers at the University of Oxford found that the Covid-19 vaccine was 76% effective in preventing symptomatic infection for three months after a single dose, and in fact found that its effectiveness with a longer interval between the first and second dose increased.
The efficacy rate increased to 82.4% when there was an interval of at least 12 weeks before the second dose. When the second dose was given less than six weeks after the first dose, the efficacy rate was 54.9%.
The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, also found a 67% decrease in transmission after the first dose of the vaccine. The British health secretary said on Wednesday the findings of the study were “absolutely excellent”.
–Holly Ellyatt