It is time for my next recommendation for a book! The great influenza is a beautiful narrative of the pandemic of 1918 and many lives that it affected. John Berry masterfully describes the characters of physicians and scientists who dedicated their lives to the pursuit of discovery and cure of the influenza virus. It is the biography of ambitious, altruistic, eccentric, and willful men and women who were on a mission to win the battle
What are the Appropriate animal models for the COVID-19 vaccine? In order to study a vaccine, you have to have an animal model of the disease. Many animals do not get infected with COVID-19 and do not suffer any disease so it would be useless to study them. There are a few models available: Mice – They lose weight and can develop pneumonia Hamsters – The disease is fatal in hamsters Ferrets – They get
Type of Vaccine? Traditional approach of the inactivated Virus Advantages? This group of scientists have a track record with SARS-1. In 2002 they successfully created a vaccine and studied
Phase I trial mostly uneventful. What is next ? Phase II trial How many volunteers? 600 What does it entail? Actual efficacy of the vaccine and whether the volunteers make neutralizing antibodies. (Phase I was only 8 patients studied) What are neutralizing antibodies? Antibodies that bind the virus in such a way that the virus can’t attach to host cells and cause disease Is there any risks? Potentially. The
The Moderna Company which got some publicity in the news never actually published their data in the medical literature but did a press release. What did they test? Low, intermediate and high dose What kind of vaccine? RNA What is good about an RNA vaccine? It is not the whole
Up-to-date information regarding the widening distribution plans for the COVID-19 vaccine in our region!
