Why did Germany and France advise to avoid giving the “Moderna” vaccine against corona to people under 30 years old?
What are the latest data on Corona drugs and their effectiveness?
Can catching a cold offer protection from COVID-19?
The answers are in this report.
Why did Germany and France advise to avoid giving Moderna's anti-Corona vaccine to people under 30 years old?
The answer is that the side effects of myocarditis are more common if the Moderna vaccine is given to young patients.
On Wednesday, the German Vaccine Advisory Board recommended that people under the age of 30 be vaccinated against the Corona virus with the “Pfizer” vaccine only.
According to the results of the analysis conducted by the Standing Committee on Immunization (SITCO), the Pfizer vaccine showed a decrease in the incidence of cases of myocarditis for this age group compared to the Moderna vaccine.
The recommendation to use the Pfizer vaccine applies to this age group also in the case of booster doses, even if the previous doses they received were from the development of other companies, and the committee also recommended that pregnant women, regardless of age, be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine.
And in France, the Supreme Health Authority advised last Monday not to give the Moderna vaccine against Covid-19 to those under 30 years old, in a directive issued after a large French study showed that vaccines working with messenger RNA technology (mRNA) slightly increase the risk of developing myocarditis and atherosclerosis. Heart (pericardium) (pericarditis) in young people.
The study, which was supervised by the "Epi-Far" Foundation for Studies and Research that brings together the Medicines Agency "INSM" (INSM) and the French National Health Insurance Fund - was carried out on people between the ages of 12 and 50 years who were admitted to hospitals in France due to myocarditis or Heart cover between May 15th and August 31st.
As indicated by pharmacovigilance reports, the results of the French study confirm that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines increase the risk of these two diseases within 7 days after receiving the vaccine.
Each case was compared with 10 people of the same age, sex and residence, but who did not have myocarditis.
Hospitalizations due to myocarditis or pericarditis were also compared between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated in other similar cases.
Hospitalizations were more pronounced in men under the age of 30, especially after the second dose of Moderna;
Thus, immunization caused 132 cases of myocarditis for every million doses administered.
In women under 30 years of age, myocarditis from the second dose of Moderna developed about 37 per million doses.
As for the risk of developing pericarditis, it became more clear after the administration of the Moderna vaccine to those under the age of 30, especially after the second dose, which caused about 18 cases per million doses in young people.
No deaths were reported among people who were hospitalized due to these cases while completing vaccination.
"When we balance the effectiveness of vaccines against severe forms of Covid-19 (estimated at 90%) and these risks that exist, but they are rare, and with the positive development, we do not doubt the usefulness of vaccines," said Mahmoud Zureik, director of "Epi-Far", told AFP.
In light of the results of this study, the High Authority of Health in France advised against using the Moderna vaccine for those under 30 years old.
The authority said that it "recommends the population under the age of 30 - and until this is available - to use the Pfizer vaccine, whether it is a primary or a booster vaccination."
She added that, on the other hand, she recommends that "Moderna's vaccine, whose efficacy seems to be slightly better, can be given to those over 30 years old" in its first two doses, as well as in a third booster dose, provided that the caliber of the third dose is half the caliber of the first dose.
On October 15, the authority advised the use of the Pfizer vaccine exclusively in booster doses.
What is the latest data on Corona drugs and their effectiveness?
1- Molnopiravir
Molnupiravir approved by Britain last week;
To become the first country in the world to agree to use a drug to treat the Corona virus at home.
The drug, which is taken orally, was developed by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck Pharmaceutical Industries.
And the British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that the drug is "safe and effective in reducing the risk of transportation to hospitals and reducing death in people with corona with mild to moderate symptoms and candidates for their condition to become severe."
And the agency added, "Based on clinical trial data, we recommend using the drug as soon as possible, after obtaining a positive result for a corona examination and within 5 days of symptoms appearing."
The agency stated that, "The drug has been approved for use in patients with corona with mild to moderate symptoms, who have at least one risk factor for developing a serious condition, including obesity, over 60 years of age, diabetes and heart disease."
2- Baxeloid
"Paxlovid" is produced by Pfizer, which announced last week that its experimental pills to treat the Corona virus reduce the risk of hospitalization rates and death rates together by 89%.
The company said - in a statement - that it "will ask the US Food and Drug Administration and international regulators to approve its anti-Corona drug as soon as possible."
She added that she conducted her study on 1,219 adults, and its preliminary results recorded a decrease in the risk of death and hospital admissions after a month, by 89%, among patients who took its drug pills, compared to those who did not take it.
The statement indicated that "no death was recorded among the patients who took the drug "Pfizer", while less than 1% of them needed to receive hospital treatment."
The study participants did not receive a vaccination against the Corona virus, and they were infected with the virus with mild to moderate symptoms, according to the statement.
3- Ronabrev
Ronapreve, a monoclonal antidote, was developed jointly by Swiss drug giant Roche and US biotech company Regeneron.
4- Reggirona
Regkirona, developed by the South Korean company Celtrion, is a monoclonal antibody drug.
The European Medicines Agency gave the green light today, Thursday, to the use of Ronaprev and Regkerona, which are based on antibodies and will help prevent the emergence of severe symptoms in those infected with the epidemic.
And the European Medicines Agency - based in Amsterdam - said in a statement that "Ronaprive and Regkerona are the first monoclonal antibody drugs to receive a positive opinion of Covid-19."
The monoclonal antibodies produced in the laboratory are Y-shaped proteins that bind to the bulges that spread on the surface of the virus, preventing the pathogen from invading human cells.
Can catching a cold offer protection from COVID-19?
A study conducted by University College London and published in the journal Nature found that a previous infection with colds can provide internal protection for some people against the Corona virus, according to a report published in the British newspaper Telegraph.
And she explained in a report written by her science reporter, Joe Pinkston, that the study tracked more than 750 health care workers who worked closely with Covid-19 patients last year, and subjected them to regular tests.
They found a subgroup of 58 people who had never tested positive for the virus and showed a significant increase in T-cells, an important component of the immune system.
The report indicated that the immune system has several ways to fight infection;
While antibodies can target specific threats, T cells can provide protection against a wide range of coronaviruses, including the coronavirus.
Study author Dr. Leo Swadling said that when scientists looked at some individuals who had tested negative for COVID-19 despite repeated exposure to it;
Their T-cell responses turned out to be stronger and broader than expected, compared to those infected with the coronavirus.
He added that the previous infection history of these health care workers may explain the link;
Previous exposure to the common cold may have given these individuals an advantage in the face of the virus, tipping the balance in favor of their immune system, which eliminates the virus before it begins to multiply.
Scientists emphasized that not all colds provide protection;
About 1 in 10 colds are caused by coronaviruses.
But they said that in such cases the explanation is that these individuals were able to control the virus before it was detected, that is, these pre-existing T cells are ready to recognize the Corona virus.