EU drugs regulator says data supports vaccine boosters after three months

In major shift, EU says vaccine boosters should be considered for all adults EU agency says people above 40 years should be prioritised Boosters should be given at least six months after vaccination Guidance not binding but likely to inform changes to COVID pass BRUSSELS, Nov 24 (Reuters) – The head of the European Union’s …

Pfizer: 3 vaccine doses neutralize Omicron

Pfizer: 3 vaccine doses neutralize Omicron

Preliminary laboratory studies demonstrate that three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine neutralize the Omicron variant, while two doses appear to be significantly less effective, Pfizer said in a statement on Wednesday. The ability of a vaccine to protect against infection can be examined in two ways: in the laboratory to see if antibodies found …

Vaccine mandates ‘absolute last resort’, WHO Europe head says

Vaccine mandates ‘absolute last resort’, WHO Europe head says

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Mandatory vaccinations against the coronavirus are an “absolute last resort”, head of the World Health Organization’s Europe division, Hans Kluge, told reporters on Tuesday. “Mandates around vaccination are an absolute last resort and only applicable when all feasible options to improve vaccination uptake have been exhausted,” Kluge said. NN: you could have …

France now has 25 Omicron Covid variant cases…. England has community transmission of Omicron variant, health minister says

France now has 25 Omicron Covid variant cases…. England has community transmission of Omicron variant, health minister says

PARIS, Dec 6 (Reuters) – Frace now has identified 25 positive cases of the Omicron COVID-19 virus variant, of which 21 were imported from people returning from Southern Africa, and four who were the result of local infection, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Monday. Veran said the Omicron variant seems much more contagious than …

Next pandemic could be more lethal than COVID, Oxford vaccine creator says

Next pandemic could be more lethal than COVID, Oxford vaccine creator says

LONDON (Reuters) – Future pandemics could be even more lethal than COVID-19 so the lessons learned from the pandemic must not be squandered, one of the creators of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine said. “This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods,” Sarah Gilbert said in the Richard Dimbleby Lecture, …