Vaccine News

As the Maldives continue to reopen resorts, hotels, and transit facilities, the U.S. CDC has not revised its Level 3 Alert, Avoid Non-Essential Travel, which was last updated on September 1, 2020. The CDC recommends travelers avoid all non-essential international travel to the Maldives, as travelers are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and should consider postponing all travel, including essential travel.

Separately, the Maldives Ministry of Tourism stated effective September 10, 2020, all tourists and short term visitors must present a Negative PCR certificate on arrival. The test must be conducted within 72-hours of the departure to the Maldives.

As of September 8, 2020, the Maldives Ministry of Health confirmed 29 fatalities related to COVID-19 have been reported this year. This data indicates a 0.33% mortality rate.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its policy statement on September 8, 2020: “Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2020–2021."

“As a pediatrician, I am very concerned about the health of children and their families this fall if these two potentially deadly viruses are circulating in the community at the same time,” said Flor Munoz, M.D., FAAP, lead author of the recommendations, developed by the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, in a press statement. “Children play a pivotal role in the transmission of influenza to others in their household. They can also get seriously ill from influenza without a vaccination.”

 Dr. Munoz added: “Besides getting our vaccine to prevent influenza, we can be vigilant in making sure we and our children continue to maintain COVID-19 precautions, including social distancing, face coverings, and frequent handwashing.”

Influenza vaccine options for the 2020-2021 flu season are list on this page.

The Lancet published a new study on September 3, 2020, reporting on a phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating a vaccine composed of capsular polysaccharide conjugated to cross-reactive material 197 (CRM197) and directed against 6 capsular polysaccharide serotypes of group B streptococcus (GBS). These serotypes (Ia, Ib, II, III, IV, and V) account for the vast majority of isolates causing invasive GBS disease worldwide.... in neonates, as well as in adults.

These authors report that 3 different doses of this Pfizer hexavalent vaccine candidate formulated with or without aluminum phosphate as its adjuvant were safe and well-tolerated in healthy, non-pregnant, adult volunteers. And, the vaccine elicited a robust immune response for at least 6-months.

France based Valneva SE announced on September 8, 2020, the initiation of a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for its differentiated, single-shot chikungunya vaccine candidate VLA1553, the first chikungunya vaccine to be eligible to receive an FDA Priority Review Voucher. This vaccine candidate is designed for prophylactic, active, single-dose immunization against chikungunya. As a live-attenuated vaccine, VLA1553 is particularly well suited to target long-lasting protection. 

The safety profile is anticipated to be similar to licensed vaccines for active immunization in adults and children.

Wolfgang Bender, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Valneva, commented in a press statement, “Developing a vaccine against chikungunya is critical as the virus represents a major public health threat and there are currently no preventive vaccines or effective treatments available."

The Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board approved a trial on August 18, 2020, of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes on the Florida Keys. The board voted 4-1 in favor of the agreement with Oxitec, the British-based company that makes the mosquitoes.

The genetic modification means only male mosquitoes — which do not bite — survive. The released male mosquitoes breed with wild females, passing along that self-limiting gene.

Keys resident, Anna Davis, said during the August meeting: "I understand this is a trial because they don't know what's going to happen. So we're literally going to become an experiment here and I absolutely do not give my consent for that," reported public media.

These actions are related to the Florida Department of Health issuing a mosquito-borne illness alert following the detection of locally-acquired dengue fever cases in Monroe County, the jurisdiction that includes the Florida Keys.

This is important news since about 5 million people visit the Florida Keys each year.

The Lancet reported the early-stage vaccine candidate BPZE1 was found safe, induced a high colonization rate in an adult population, and was immunogenic at all doses. 'These findings justify further clinical development of the live attenuated, intranasal pertussis vaccine BPZE1, to ultimately be used as a priming vaccine for newborn children, or a booster vaccine for adolescents and adults, or both,' concluded this study.

The BPZE1 strain was developed at the Institute Pasteur de Lille and Inserm by a team of scientists led by Dr. Camille Locht. BPZE1 contains genetic modifications to eliminate, attenuate, or inactivate (3) different B. pertussis toxins. BPZE1 is an investigational vaccine that has not been approved by the U.S. FDA.

A women's doubles team was suddenly withdrawn from the 2020 U.S. Open women's doubles tournament located in New York City (NYC), on September 5, 2020. These pro tennis women players were issued a quarantine notice by Nassau County officials earlier in the day. This Long Island county is located to the east of NYC.

Nassau County's Health Department determined these women could have been exposed to COVID-19 by a French male player, who tested positive with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus over 1-week ago.

Mary Ellen Laurain, a spokeswoman for the Nassau County Department of Health, said medical privacy rules prevented her from discussing the cases of individual players. But she said 14-day quarantine orders are issued for any person living or staying in the county, including at hotels, who have had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, reported Brandento.com. 

The U.S. Tennis Association announced during a TV statement, it was “obligated to adhere to government guidance...  since the women players were temporarily staying in Nassau County, which is located just a few miles from the US Open tournament facility in Queens.

However, on Friday, September 4, 2020, a male tennis player was allowed to compete even after the New York (NY) Department of Health had inquired about COVID-19 'bubble' violations at the US Open, reported the New York Post. NY's Interim Guidance for Sports and Recreation during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency was published online on August 15, 2020.