Risk related to spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in the EU/EAA

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This risk assessment presents the latest available information on the recent emergence of two variants of potential concern, VOC 202012/01 discovered in the United Kingdom (UK) and another variant, 501.V2 identified in South Africa. It also assesses the risk of these variants of concern being introduced and spread in the EU/EEA, as well as the increased impact this would have on health systems in the coming weeks. Read more.

Questions about the COVID-19 Vaccines?

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Click below for videos featuring ChristianaCare infection prevention expert and COVID-19 advisor Dr. Marci Drees! What is the COVID Vaccine Approval Process? (video) Have COVID vaccines been tested in minority populations? (video) What are the possible side effects of the COVID vaccine? (video) What are COVID-19 mRNA vaccines? (video) Can you get COVID-19 twice? (video) What is Herd Immunity? (video)

7 Looming Questions About the Rollout of a COVID-19 Vaccine

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Helen Branswell & Ed Silverman | STAT News | October 9, 2020 The race to develop Covid-19 vaccines could well see some Americans vaccinated before the end of 2020 — less than a year after the world first learned a new virus was causing a dangerous new form of pneumonia in China. The design, testing, and mass production of multiple vaccines has never been attempted on this type of timeline, making this moment a turning point in the development of vaccines to respond to new disease threats. But the complexity of that work may pale in comparison to what comes Read More …

DPH Flu Vaccination Campaign

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DPH PARTNERS WITH HEALTH CARE AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO LAUNCH FIGHT FLU DE – ENHANCED FLU VACCINATION CAMPAIGN DOVER (Sept. 29, 2020) – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is partnering with health care, faith-based and community partners to launch an aggressive communications campaign to mobilize all Delawareans to get their flu vaccinations called ‘Fight Flu DE.’  Working to reach diverse audiences through influencers and with messaging that will motivate them to get the flu vaccine, the campaign integrates grassroots outreach with mass-media marketing strategies to make sure people know where they can get a flu vaccine regardless of insurance Read More …

CDC Director says COVID Vaccine Won’t Be Widely Available Until Mid-2021

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CBS News | Audrey McNamara | Sept 16, 2020 The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told lawmakers on Wednesday that he doesn’t expect a potential COVID-19 vaccine to be available for most Americans until the middle of next year, even as the government unveiled plans to begin distributing a vaccine as soon as possible. Read More

COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation

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From the National Academy of Medicine, the discussion draft of the Preliminary Framework for Equitable Allocation of the COVID-19 Vaccine is now available.  Click here

Raccoon in New Castle tests positive for Rabies

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NEW CASTLE (Aug. 26, 2020) – Delaware’s Division of Public Health (DPH) is advising New Castle County residents who live or spend time in the area of Hillview Avenue near the Route 9 corridor in New Castle of a positive case of rabies in a raccoon that came into contact with a human recently. The individual was bitten by the raccoon while getting into their vehicle on their property. Read more

MMWR: Absence of Apparent Transmission after Exposure with Face Masks

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Absence of Apparent Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Two Stylists After Exposure at a Hair Salon with a Universal Face Covering Policy Hendrix, M.J., Walde, C., Findley, K., Trotman, R. (2020, Jul 17). 69(28), 930-932. Among 139 clients exposed to two symptomatic hair stylists with confirmed COVID-19 while both the stylists and the clients wore face masks, no symptomatic secondary cases were reported; among 67 clients tested for SARS-CoV-2, all test results were negative. Adherence to the community’s and company’s face-covering policy likely mitigated spread of SARS-CoV-2. Read more

WHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19

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GENEVA/NEW YORK, 15 July 2020 – The World Health Organization and UNICEF warned today of an alarming decline in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world. This is due to disruptions in the delivery and uptake of immunization services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to new data by WHO and UNICEF, these disruptions threaten to reverse hard-won progress to reach more children and adolescents with a wider range of vaccines, which has already been hampered by a decade of stalling coverage. Read more

An mRNA Vaccine Against SARS-CoV-2 – Preliminary Report

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Jackson, LA, Anderson, EJ, Rouphael, NG, et al. (2020). N Engl J Med, DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2022483 AbstractBackground. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in late 2019 and spread globally, prompting an international effort to accelerate development of a vaccine. The candidate vaccine mRNA-1273 encodes the stabilized prefusion SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.Methods. We conducted a phase 1, dose-escalation, open-label trial including 45 healthy adults, 18 to 55 years of age, who received two vaccinations, 28 days apart, with mRNA-1273 in a dose of 25 μg, 100 μg, or 250 μg. There were 15 participants in each dose group. Results.After the Read More …