Vaccines Tailored For Omicron Coming Soon Who Will Need One
Pfizer announced that by March it may have a new covid vaccine ready that is modified specifically to protect against the omicron variant. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson also said their variation is in development. Some health experts say it’s unclear if one will even be needed by that timeframe though.
CBS News:Pfizer Says Its Vaccine Targeting Omicron Will Be Ready In March Pfizer will have a COVID-19 vaccine that specifically targets the Omicron variant ready by March, the pharmaceutical company’s chief executive said Monday. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the company has already begun manufacturing a new version of its COVID-19 vaccine that aims to protect recipients against Omicron. “This vaccine will be ready in March,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday. “We already starting manufacturing some of these quantities at risk.”
NBC News:Omicron-Specific Vaccines Could Be Ready By March. Will We Need Them?Its unclear if omicron-specific shots, or additional doses, will even be necessary by the time they are ready, health experts say. John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the Weill Cornell Medical College, said by the time the new shots are ready to be deployed, “omicron will almost certainly have come and gone.”
In other news about Pfizer’s covid vaccine
Also
Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Joins Covid
Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center is participating in a clinical trial for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 6 months to less than 12 years.
The KidCOVE study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine , which is the same vaccine that was given Emergency Use Authorization in December 2020 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in adults 18 years old and older.
We know the vaccine is safe and prevents COVID-19 infection in adults, both from prior clinical trials and after being used in millions of patients under the EUA. The next important step is to study it in children. said William Towner, MD, site principal investigator for the study and physician director of clinical trials for Kaiser Permanente Southern California.
This is the second COVID-19 vaccine trial that Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center has participated in. Dr. Towner was the site principal investigator for the Pfizer-BioNTech trial at conducted there last summer.
Although children seem to be at less risk from COVID-19 than adults, expanding the availability of safe and effective vaccines to younger populations is vital, said Jerry Cheng, MD, chief of pediatrics at the Los Angeles Medical Center, and a co-investigator on the study.
Trial seeks to find appropriate doses, assess efficacy
All children participating in the first part of the studythe dosing phasewill receive 2 doses of the study vaccine about 28 days apart.
Covid Vaccine: Kaiser Permanente Hosting Clinic At Oakland Tech
OAKLAND — Kaiser Permanente announced Thursday that it’s offering free COVID-19 vaccinations Friday at Oakland Technical High School for people ages 12 and up.
Kaiser and Oakland Technical High School are co-hosting the vaccination clinic in advance of the upcoming school year in an effort to ensure that underserved parts of Oakland have easy access to vaccinations.
The clinic will provide the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, according to Kaiser. Appointments will not be necessary and walk-ins will be accepted.
Residents between the ages of 12 and 17 will require consent from a parent or guardian, according to Kaiser.
The vaccination clinic is scheduled from 3:30-6 p.m. at the school located at 4351 Broadway. More information on the vaccine can be found at www.kp.org/covidvaccine.
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Other Federal Vaccine Safety Monitoring
The weekly VSD analyses are one part of the federal governments effort to monitor the safety of the new COVID-19 vaccines as they are rolled out into general use. The CDC and Food and Drug Administration also maintain the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, a database to which physicians and others can report potential vaccine adverse reactions.
The 2 agencies said they will also monitor vaccine safety in other ways, such as through the Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense medical systems. The CDC also devised the new V-safe mobile app which allows vaccinated people to use their mobile phones to report any reactions to a COVID-19 vaccine.
Kaiser Permanentes Vaccine Study Centers COVID-19 work also includes participation in a clinical trial of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which is being given to 343 patients aged 18 to 85 and 200 patients aged 12 to 18 at 2 Kaiser Permanente medical centers. They will be followed for 2 years.
Dr. Klein was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, which reviews safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the FDA on behalf of California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada. The panel recommended distribution of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in December 2020, soon after they were authorized by the FDA.
Blue Shield Kaiser Permanente To Take Over California Covid
LOS ANGELES As California struggles to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, they’ve turned to health insurance giant Blue Shield of California to create and administrate a statewide vaccine provider network, officials said Wednesday.
Officials say Blue Shield of California will create and manage a statewide administration network to distribute vaccines directly to healthcare providers. Kaiser Permanente will also be part of the effort by distributing vaccines to its network of providers. Both health insurance companies are California-based non-profits, state officials said.
The COVID-19 vaccine had up until now been distributed by county public health departments. But across the state, eligible people have had trouble getting appointments to get the vaccine, and sites have been hampered by dwindling supplies and a shortage of medically-trained volunteers and workers.
“The vaccine was supposed to go to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and group homes, and we’ve been behind,” said Dr. Mike Wasserman of the state’s vaccine advisory committee.
The distribution changeover is expected to take place sometime in mid-February. Dr. Wasserman said he is hopeful the shift to distributing the vaccine by a third-party administrator will make the process more efficient.
“If this helps speed that up, I’m all for it,” he said.
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Will I Have To Pay For The Covid
A common concern about the COVID-19 vaccine is cost. How much will I have to pay? The answer is nothing whether its your first shot, an additional dose, or a booster. Find out why the COVID-19 vaccine is available at no cost.
The cost is already covered by the U.S. government
No cost, no matter your health care coverage status Whether you have health care coverage or not, you can get the COVID-19 vaccine for free. Vaccine providers cant charge you for the vaccine or for administration fees, copays, or coinsurance. If the only service you get is a COVID-19 vaccination, they cant charge you for an office visit or require you to get more services.2
Here are a few helpful reminders about getting your vaccine based on if you have health coverage or not.
- If you have coverage You can get the vaccine where you normally get care or go to a local vaccination site in your area. Some sites may ask if you have coverage for their records, but they wont charge you for the COVID-19 vaccine.
- If you have Medicare or Medicaid Medicare and state Medicaid programs cover the vaccine at no cost to you.3 Be sure to bring your Medicare card so the vaccine provider can bill Medicare.4
- If you dont have coverage You can still get the vaccine at no cost. Check your state and county public health websites to find out where you can get your vaccine and how to make an appointment.
Why getting your COVID-19 vaccine is important
Next White House Goal: New Generation Of Covid Vaccines To Target Variants
Stat reports that Biden administration officials will hold a “summit” Tuesday with scientists, public health experts and vaccine manufacturers on Tuesday to kick start efforts to develop next-generation vaccinations. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s covid symptoms are improving as he continues to take antiviral medication.
Stat:White House To Launch Effort To Develop Next Generation Of Covid VaccinesThe Biden administration is preparing a sweeping initiative to develop a next generation of Covid-19 immunizations that would thwart future coronavirus variants and dramatically reduce rates of coronavirus infection or transmission, building on current shots whose impact has been mainly to prevent serious illness and death, the White House told STAT. To kick off the effort, the White House is gathering key federal officials, top scientists, and pharmaceutical executives including representatives of Pfizer and Moderna for a Tuesday summit to discuss the new technologies and lay out a road map for developing them.
On the president’s covid infection
Reuters:Vigorous But Coughing, COVID-Postive Biden Appears Virtually At White House MeetingSpeaking remotely at the meeting to discuss White House efforts to lower gas prices, Biden appeared vigorous and in good spirits but with a noticeably deeper voice, hours after his doctor released a statement saying his symptoms had improved.
Meanwhile, as covid continues to pummel nursing homes, second boosters for under-50s are paused
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Kaiser Permanente Big Player In State Vaccine Effort Has Had Trouble Vaccinating Own Members
As managed-care giant Kaiser Permanente assumes a prominent role in Californias new COVID-19 vaccination strategy, it is drawing mixed reviews from members across the country for the way it has run its own vaccine program over the past two months.
Conversations with 10 Kaiser enrollees in five states Colorado, Washington, Virginia, Maryland and California revealed a common frustration: difficulty snagging an appointment. Many also described receiving sporadic and sometimes confusing information from the company, though some said Kaiser has been doing better recently.
All of those who spoke to California Healthline were over age 65. Many were long-standing Kaiser members and, aside from the vaccine rollout, had mostly positive opinions of the health system. Some ended up going elsewhere for their shots others said they would wait for Kaiser because its services were familiar to them and they felt more comfortable going there than to another site.
Kaisers CEO, Greg Adams, acknowledged the frustrations of his companys California patients in a Jan. 30 email, explaining that the health system had received only a small fraction of the vaccine supply it needed.
Members did not blame Kaiser for the lack of vaccines, noting that insufficient supply has been the bane of providers across the country. But Kaiser could have been quicker to administer the vaccines it did receive and should have communicated more clearly about the shortage, they said.
Send us a letter
Very Limited To Start
We expect the initial allocations to be very limited, and we are working to ensure an equitable distribution based on those health care workers in areas with highest risk for exposure. When we receive our vaccine allocations for health care workers, we are prepared to move quickly to vaccinate groups at greatest risk, as required by public health agencies, and based on our infectious disease leaders review of clinical evidence.
CDC and state guidelines have identified health care workers determined to be at greatest risk, along with residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, as groups to receive the first vaccinations. The initial vaccine distribution, which is expected this week, will be under the authority of county public health officials, who will allocate doses to Kaiser Permanente and other approved health care providers.
As supplies become more plentiful, we will vaccinate more health care workers, prioritized by their roles, patient-facing and employee-facing activities, and risk of exposure.
Michelle Gaskill-Hames, Senior Vice President, Health Plan and Hospital Operations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
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Nearly 4000 Kaiser Patients May Have Received Wrong Covid Vaccine Dosage In Bay Area
A Kaiser Permanente hospital is seen in this undated photo.
Hundreds of patients with a Northern California health care provider may have received an incorrect COVID-19 vaccine dose, the provider announced this week.
Those who received Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations at the Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center between Oct. 25 and Dec. 10 last year roughly 3,900 people may have received a slightly less than recommended dose of vaccine.
In a statement to Nexstar, Kaiser Permanente said affected patients may have received between 0.01 to 0.04 mL less than the recommended 0.30-mL dose. Officials say that once they became aware of the issue, they consulted with infectious diseases and vaccine science experts as well guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All experts agreed the difference between the recommended dose and the dose an individual may have received was not significant and not likely to reduce their protection against COVID-19, the statement reads. Nevertheless, Kaiser Permanente is offering to provide a repeat dose of Pfizer vaccine to any affected individual who wishes to receive it, offering special hours and locations.
This isnt the first case of incorrect doses being given.
Things To Know About Covid
The COVID-19 vaccine is now available to all people age 6 months and older.
During the omicron surge, Kaiser Permanente members who were vaccinated but not boosted were twice as likely to be hospitalized as those who were boosted.
Vaccines and the boosters are a critical part of slowing, and eventually stopping, the spread of COVID-19, and Kaiser Permanente is committed to providing you with vaccine information as its available.
Here are the latest 5 things you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccines and the boosters.
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Tracking Coronavirus Vaccinations In California
Some members said Kaisers performance has improved recently.
For Tom Spradley, an 84-year-old resident of Citrus Heights, Calif., initial frustration with Kaiser gave way to a happy ending. He said he called Kaiser for an appointment about a month ago and was on hold for two hours before giving up. He then started checking Kaisers vaccine page every day for updates, but said none came for several days.
Finally, he was able to get an appointment for himself and his wife at a Kaiser site in Sacramento, about 20 minutes away. The appointment, he said, was a model of efficiency. They got their first shots and were scheduled for second doses March 12.
After a week of bad information on getting a shot, I think they have really come through, and I was really impressed by the job they did, Spradley said.
This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, a national newsroom that provides in-depth coverage of health issues and that is one of the three major operating programs at the Kaiser Family Foundation. KHN is the publisher of California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
The Trial Will Involve 45 Healthy Adults
Study participants must be healthy adults age 18 to 55 years. To be eligible, they cant have certain health conditions that affect the immune system, and they cant be taking medications that affect the immune system.
The initial trial will involve just 45 participants28 at KPWHRI and 17 at Emory University. It is a phase I test of a 3-phase process examining the potential vaccine. In this first phase, researchers are testing the safety of various doses and whether these doses produce an immune response. Phase I trials dont study the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing coronavirus infection. That work comes at a later phase of the vaccine research.
Response to study recruitment efforts has been very positive, so the study teams no longer need to identify potential study participants. Online study recruitment is now closed.
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Northern California Vaccine Delivery
Roseville, CA- After 9 long months of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are encouraged by the approval of vaccines which will serve as vital tools for controlling and eventually ending this public health crisis that has caused so much loss, pain, and disruption around the world. Our goal is to vaccinate people as quickly as possible, following the criteria set forth by national and state public health officials, and as supplies allow.
We anticipate the delivery of the first doses of vaccine to our Kaiser Permanente Northern California medical centers beginning on Wednesday and Thursday, . We have preparations in place to begin vaccinating our frontline health care workers once the vaccine is available.
Kaiser Permanente Cancels Vaccine Appointments For More Than 5000 Seniors In Silicon Valley
A shortage of vaccine has forced Kaiser Permanente to cancel more than 5,000 appointments for seniors to be inoculated in Santa Clara County.
The company, which covers 12.4 million people in the U.S., including 9.3 million Californians, was cited by Cal/OSHA and fined nearly $500,000 for workplace safety violations early in the pandemic.
A memorandum of understanding with the state, released last week, stipulates that Kaiser will be part of a vaccination provider network assembled and overseen by Blue Shield of California, which signed a contract on Feb. 1 to administer the statewide inoculation plan. Kaiser will also serve as an advisor to Blue Shield to help the state meet its goal of expanding vaccine access to the most vulnerable communities, the memorandum says.
Under the agreement, Kaiser will receive no state funds. It will operate two mass vaccination sites one at San Franciscos Moscone Center, the other at Cal Poly Pomona, in Los Angeles County and may consider the establishment of future mass vaccination sites that would target rural Californians and those with historically lower vaccination rates. More important, Kaiser will vaccinate members and nonmembers, as it has already been doing on a smaller scale.
The memorandum acknowledges the supply constraints Kaiser has faced, saying the state shall ensure that Blue Shield understands that Kaiser is dependent on sufficient supply of the vaccine.
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