Publications by authors named "Beth P Bell"
Article Synopsis
- - COVID-19 vaccines have been a significant success in reducing hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S., with over 675 million doses given and over 80% of the population receiving at least one dose.
- - The vaccines are estimated to have prevented more than 18 million hospitalizations and 3 million deaths, despite over one million fatalities from COVID-19 during the pandemic.
- - The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has actively reviewed data and made recommendations on COVID-19 vaccines, emphasizing their safety and effectiveness as key tools in combating serious illness from the virus.
Article Synopsis
- COVID-19 vaccines are crucial for preventing severe outcomes, like hospitalization and death, but their effectiveness has been impacted by evolving variants.
- Since September 2022, bivalent mRNA vaccines were recommended, but they were tailored to variants that are no longer prevalent.
- As of September and October 2023, the FDA approved updated vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Novavax to enhance immunity against currently circulating variants, with vaccination recommended for everyone aged 6 months and older.
Article Synopsis
- - The FDA has approved four COVID-19 vaccines for primary series vaccination in the U.S., including options from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax, with dosage recommendations based on age and health status.
- - To enhance protection amid decreasing vaccine effectiveness against the Omicron variant, the FDA authorized bivalent booster doses for individuals aged 5 and older who completed a primary vaccination series.
- - The bivalent vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna contain equal mRNA from both the original virus and the Omicron strains, and health authorities recommend that eligible individuals receive the booster at least two months after their last vaccination.
Article Synopsis
- - The NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax) COVID-19 vaccine uses a recombinant spike protein nanoparticle combined with a Matrix-M adjuvant, aiming to protect adults aged 18 and older from COVID-19, with two doses administered three weeks apart.
- - The FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization for this vaccine on July 13, 2022, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issued an interim recommendation shortly after its authorization.
- - The vaccine demonstrated a notable efficacy of 89.6% against symptomatic COVID-19, although rare cases of myocarditis or pericarditis were reported, and further updates on its use are expected as more data emerges.
Interim Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines in Children Aged 6 Months-5 Years - United States, June 2022.
Katherine E Fleming-Dutra Megan Wallace Danielle L Moulia Evelyn Twentyman Lauren E Roper Beth P Bell
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
July 2022
Article Synopsis
- The FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization for the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for young children, allowing 2 doses of Moderna for kids 6 months-5 years and 3 doses of Pfizer for those 6 months-4 years.
- The ACIP issued interim recommendations for vaccination to help prevent COVID-19, confirming both vaccines met immunobridging criteria by comparing antibody responses in children to those in adults.
- No significant safety issues were found in the vaccines, and the ACIP noted that the recommendations are provisional and will be updated with new data; vaccination is essential for protecting this age group.
Certain laboratorians and health care personnel can be exposed to orthopoxviruses through occupational activities. Because orthopoxvirus infections resulting from occupational exposures can be serious, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has continued to recommend preexposure vaccination for these persons since 1980 (1), when smallpox was eradicated (2). In 2015, ACIP made recommendations for the use of ACAM2000, the only orthopoxvirus vaccine available in the United States at that time (3).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' Recommendation for Use of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine in Adults Aged ≥18 Years and Considerations for Extended Intervals for Administration of Primary Series Doses of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines - United States, February 2022.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
March 2022
Article Synopsis
- The mRNA-1273 (Moderna) COVID-19 vaccine, developed from a stabilized form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, was granted Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA in December 2020 for adults aged 18 and older.
- Over 204 million doses were given in the U.S. between December 2020 and January 2022, using a two-dose regimen administered four weeks apart.
- The vaccine received full FDA approval on January 31, 2022, and subsequent guidance from ACIP and CDC explored the effectiveness of longer intervals between doses, recommending an 8-week period based on updated data.
On December 19, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP Ebola vaccine (ERVEBO, Merck) for the prevention of Ebola virus disease (EVD) caused by infection with Ebola virus, species Zaire ebolavirus, in adults aged ≥18 years. In February 2020, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended preexposure vaccination with ERVEBO for adults aged ≥18 years in the United States who are at highest risk for potential occupational exposure to Ebola virus because they are responding to an outbreak of EVD, work as health care personnel at federally designated Ebola treatment centers in the United States, or work as laboratorians or other staff members at biosafety level 4 facilities in the United States (1).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * A pause in vaccine use was recommended by the CDC and FDA on April 13, 2021, due to rare reports of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), leading to emergency meetings by ACIP to assess safety.
- * By December 2021, after ongoing evaluations of safety data, ACIP recommended preferring mRNA vaccines over the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for those 18 and older, while noting that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine might be suitable in certain
Article Synopsis
- - The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty) is a genetically engineered mRNA vaccine approved by the FDA for individuals aged 16 and older, with an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) available for adolescents aged 12-15.
- - As of November 2021, over 248 million doses have been administered in the U.S., and an EUA for a pediatric formulation was issued for children aged 5-11, requiring two doses with a lower dosage than older age groups.
- - The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends the vaccine for 5-11-year-olds, citing high efficacy (>90%) and emphasizing its importance for protecting children and reducing the spread
Article Synopsis
- - Three COVID-19 vaccines are approved or authorized in the U.S.: the 2-dose Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna vaccines, and the single-dose Janssen vaccine, with recommendations for primary vaccination provided by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
- - In August and September-October 2021, the FDA updated emergency use authorizations to include additional primary doses for immunocompromised individuals and booster doses for those at increased risk of severe COVID-19 after initial vaccination.
- - Health care professionals are essential in administering COVID-19 vaccinations, including primary, additional, and booster doses, to protect vulnerable patients from severe illness and complications.
Article Synopsis
- The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is an mRNA vaccine designed to protect against SARS-CoV-2, requiring two doses administered three weeks apart.
- The FDA granted an Emergency Use Authorization for the vaccine on December 11, 2020, for individuals aged 16 and older, later expanding to adolescents aged 12-15 on May 10, 2021.
- As of May 12, 2021, over 141.6 million doses had been administered, with ongoing recommendations being evaluated by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) using a structured Evidence to Recommendation framework.
Article Synopsis
- The FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization for the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine on February 27, 2021, with recommendations for adults 18 and older following shortly after.
- On April 13, 2021, a pause in its use was recommended due to rare cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) occurring among vaccine recipients.
- After reviewing risks and benefits, ACIP resumed the vaccine's use on April 23, 2021, while advising caution regarding potential rare clotting events, especially in women under 50, and stressed the importance of patient education and awareness of alternative vaccines.
Article Synopsis
- - The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends the rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP Ebola vaccine (Ervebo) for use in the U.S., specifically for adults aged 18 and older who are at high risk of exposure to the Ebola virus.
- - Ervebo is the first and only FDA-approved vaccine for preventing Ebola virus disease (EVD), but individuals with a severe allergic reaction to rice protein should not receive it.
- - Future guidelines will adapt as new data emerges or as new vaccines are approved, with ACIP planning to discuss Ervebo's use for other at-risk populations.
Article Synopsis
- On December 18, 2020, the FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, marking it as the second authorized vaccine for COVID-19 in the U.S.
- The vaccine is administered in two doses (100 μg each) one month apart and is intended for adults aged 18 and older.
- The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended its use based on an Evidence to Recommendation (EtR) Framework and emphasized that the recommendation is provisional and may evolve with new data.
Article Synopsis
- The FDA authorized the first COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in December 2020, with recommendations from the ACIP for priority groups.
- Initial phases of vaccination focus on health care workers and long-term care residents (Phase 1a), followed by individuals aged 75+ and essential frontline workers (Phase 1b), and then people aged 65-74 and high-risk individuals (Phase 1c).
- The ACIP's recommendations for vaccine distribution are provisional and may change based on new data or vaccine availability.
On December 11, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 (BNT162b2) vaccine (Pfizer, Inc; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), a lipid nanoparticle-formulated, nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine encoding the prefusion spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (1). Vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine consists of 2 doses (30 μg, 0.3 mL each) administered intramuscularly, 3 weeks apart.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has triggered a worldwide pandemic and significant disruptions across society, prompting a rapid response in vaccine development.
- - An Emergency Use Authorization application for a COVID-19 vaccine was submitted to the FDA less than a year after the virus was sequenced, but initial demand is expected to exceed supply during the early vaccination phase.
- - The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended prioritizing health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities for vaccination in the first phase, while future recommendations may evolve based on new data from clinical trials.
To reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its associated impacts on health and society, COVID-19 vaccines are essential. The U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring 2014-2016, CDC, working with U.S. and international partners, mounted a concerted response to end the unprecedented epidemic of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in West Africa.
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