China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Research and Development for COVID-19 Vaccines
Published in Srijan Goswami, Chiranjeeb Dey, COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2, 2022
Srijan Goswami, Ushmita Gupta Bakshi
The FDA authorized Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 (also known as COMIRNATY: COVID-19 mRNA vaccine) has been implemented under EUA. COMIRNATY is the brand name for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech with no change in formulation or mechanism of action (CDC, 2021). The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 has been authorized to be administered in individuals of 16 years of age and older in two separate doses, and for individuals from 12 years to 15 years of age in two separate doses. The booster dose of the same vaccine may be applicable for individuals above 65 years of age or having a high risk of susceptibility to COVID-19. It is not recommended for individuals who had severe allergic reactions after the first dose of the vaccine and/or are allergic to any ingredients of the vaccine. After receiving the first dose, it is recommended that the second dose must be completed within the given time period. Individuals with conditions such as allergy or autoimmune conditions, inflammatory cardiovascular disorders, tendency of fever, bleeding disorders, using blood thinning medications, compromised immune system, using immunosuppressive treatments, are pregnant or planning to conceive, are breastfeeding, or have received a different COVID-19 vaccine, or other underlying conditions should consult their physician before taking the vaccines. During ongoing clinical trials, ~23,000 candidates of 12 years of age and above received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech. The mentioned vaccine was reported to be able to prevent COVID-19 during clinical trials. But the researchers do not guarantee full protection, and the duration of protection provided by the vaccine is yet to be determined. According to the FDA, the possible range of adverse vaccine reactions is still not completely known and there is a possibility of unknown unexpected adverse reactions. The adverse vaccine reactions documented during clinical trials included severe allergic reactions such as difficulty breathing, swelling of the face and throat, tachycardia, skin rashes, dizziness, severe weakness, myocarditis, and pericarditis as recorded during clinical trials. Also, some common side effects include injection site reactions, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, lymphadenopathy, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and fever. In case any individual experiences unknown unexpected adverse reactions after receiving the vaccine, they should seek emergency medical attention at the nearest emergency healthcare facility. There are no prominent data to confirm or deny the impact of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on pregnant or breastfeeding mothers (Pfizer-BioNTech, 2021; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2021).
The impact of asthma on COVID-19 disease severity in children and adolescents
Published in Journal of Asthma, 2023
Emily Robbins, Steven Daoud, Seleshi Demissie, Pushpom James
A retrospective chart analysis was performed on patients, ages 6–20 years, from March 1, 2020, through January 31, 2021, presenting to every ED in the Northwell hospital system with a positive COVID-19 PCR or antigen test or who tested antibody positive for COVID-19. The patients’ age range was designed to include the pediatric and adolescent population but excluded children less than 6 years. We chose to conduct this study between March 1, 2020 and January 31, 2021, during the alpha wave, as our New York City based health system was one of the most severely affected in the country. Though the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine was approved initially December 12th, 2020 for patients above age 16 years of age, this was not generally available to patients in our study age group during the study period.
COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among children less than 12 years of age in the United States
Published in Journal of Medical Economics, 2022
Manuela Di Fusco, Shailja Vaghela, Mary M. Moran, Jay Lin, Jessica E. Atwell, Deepa Malhotra, Thomas Scassellati Sforzolini, Alejandro Cane, Jennifer L. Nguyen, Leah J. McGrath
With the reopening of schools and the predominance of the delta variant from mid-July through December 2021 in the US8, more detailed data on health outcomes and the hospital economic burden of pediatric COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among different pediatric age groups is warranted. Furthermore, readmission outcomes of pediatric populations with COVID-19-associated hospitalizations remain undescribed in the scientific literature. On October 29, 2021, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine received emergency use authorization for children 5–11 years of age in the US9. Further safety and efficacy data in children 6 months to 5 years of age from the phase 2/3 study10 are forthcoming11. Specific data on health outcomes and the hospital economic burden of pediatric populations hospitalized with COVID-19 may be useful for decision-makers as they plan policy implementations and future investments in COVID-19 prevention and treatments for children.
Acute Unilateral Central Serous Chorioretinopathy after Immunization with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: A Case Report and Literature Review
Published in Seminars in Ophthalmology, 2022
Palaniraj Rama Raj, Paul A Adler, Rajeev Chalasani, Sue Ling Wan
The common side-effect profile of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is characterized by minor short-term local and systemic responses (i.e. pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache and myalgia).3 However, serious systemic reactions, including anaphylaxis, are rare with overall incidences of 0.003–0.011%.4,5 In the current published literature, there are only a handful of reports describing intraocular complications associated with the novel COVID-19 recombinant mRNA vaccines, namely the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 and Moderna COVID‑19 vaccines. This case report seeks to expand our current knowledge by presenting a rare case of unilateral central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) in a healthy Caucasian male after immunization with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. This appears to be only the second reported case of CSCR, temporally associated with a recombinant COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Informed consent was obtained for publication purposes. All information presented in the case report has been de-identified.