Tagged: vaccines

Featured image: New Zealand approves Pfizer vaccine for young people from 12 to 15, but they’ll have to wait their turn

New Zealand approves Pfizer vaccine for young people from 12 to 15, but they’ll have to wait their turn - COVID-19

Guest Author • Jun 25, 2021 •

Michael Plank, University of Canterbury   New Zealand’s medicines regulator Medsafe has granted provisional approval of the Pfizer vaccine for youth aged 12 to 15, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expects cabinet approval to follow next week. Once cabinet approves, 12-15-year-olds will become eligible for vaccination towards the end of the year, after older groups have had their … Read More

Featured image: We discovered what’s killing the world’s rarest penguin – and it could help us make a vaccine

We discovered what’s killing the world’s rarest penguin – and it could help us make a vaccine - Hot off the press

Guest Author • Jun 15, 2021 •

Vartul Sangal, Northumbria University, Newcastle   Yellow-eyed penguins are the most endangered penguin species in the world, with just 4,000 left in the wild. Found only in New Zealand and its outlying islands, these birds can grow up to 79cm tall and weigh 8.5kg, which is similar to a one-year-old child. They’re easily identified by the pale-yellow band … Read More

Featured image: From smallpox to polio, vaccine rollouts have always had doubters. But they work in the end

From smallpox to polio, vaccine rollouts have always had doubters. But they work in the end - COVID-19

Guest Author • Jun 08, 2021 •

David Isaacs, University of Sydney   In 2019, before COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten greatest threats to global health. Every year, vaccination saves around 4-5 million lives, although a further 1.5 million lives could be saved annually with improved global vaccine coverage. Now, we are seeing a … Read More

Featured image: HIV/AIDS vaccine: Why don’t we have one after 37 years, when we have several for COVID-19 after a few months?

HIV/AIDS vaccine: Why don’t we have one after 37 years, when we have several for COVID-19 after a few months? - News

Guest Author • May 18, 2021 •

Ronald C. Desrosiers, University of Miami   Smallpox has been eradicated from the face of the Earth following a highly effective, worldwide vaccination campaign. Paralytic poliomyelitis is no longer a problem in the U.S. because of development and use of effective vaccines against the poliovirus. In current times, millions of lives have been saved because of rapid deployment … Read More

Featured image: Vaccine patents

Vaccine patents - The Dismal Science

Eric Crampton • May 12, 2021 •

This week’s Newsroom column covered some of the arguments around increasing vaccination rates in poor countries by voiding patents. It won’t work. A snippet: Fundamentally, voiding patents is an unserious way of dealing with a serious problem. The world needs substantial expansions in vaccine manufacturing capabilities as quickly as possible. Replicating the processes used by successful manufacturers is not … Read More

Featured image: People have had a hard time weighing pandemic risks because they haven’t gotten information they needed when they needed it

People have had a hard time weighing pandemic risks because they haven’t gotten information they needed when they needed it - News

Guest Author • Apr 30, 2021 •

Kathleen H. Pine, Arizona State University; Kathryn Henne, Australian National University, and Myeong Lee, George Mason University The decision to pause and then restart the Johnson & Johnson vaccine underscores how hard it is even for experts to gauge health risks. It’s been still harder for everyday people, most of whom have no medical background and little experience analyzing … Read More

Featured image: evidence vs spin

evidence vs spin - BioBlog

Alison Campbell • Apr 14, 2021 •

A friend of mine pointed me in the direction of this blog post by New Zealand’s “Plan B” group. While initially this group opposed the government’s use of lockdowns to manage covid19 outbreaks in this country, they seem to have since moved on to opposing the rollout of vaccines against SARS-Cov-2. And, while they claim to be “injecting evidence … Read More