Covid-19 vaccines and vaccinations

COVID vaccine in nasal spray: Israeli researchers help develop needle-free inoculation

Tel Aviv University scientists say peer-reviewed invention can be stored at room temperature, helping to reach remote regions; it can be administered without a nurse or injections

The research was inspired by a decade of research on cancer vaccines, said Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro of Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and Professor Helena Florindo’s lab at the University of Lisbon.
LINK
 
From the latest TWIV video:
Describes the risk of transmission in a household setting from family members who have a)never had covid, b)had a previous infection only, c)had vaccination only or d)both infection and vaccination.
34.18 to 39:44

Would the reduced transmission be due to less viral shedding because of already increased antibodies from previous infection/vaccination? Am I understanding this correctly?
 
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On the BBC news last night John Swinney (First Minister) was filmed being jabbed and encouraging people "to look again at their eligibility for the Covid jab". He qualified as his wife has MS, they said.

Nice of him to show some awareness, but how about opening up eligibility. It may be like last year when in some areas the vaccination teams seemed to be actively looking for reasons to offer Covid jabs. My partner got his on account of me and so did his sister, who was temporarily living with their parents. I didn't but I'll ask when I go for my flu jab (which I've been offered every year from at least the 90s).

(Also posted on the Scotland thread.)
 
No evidence of immune exhaustion after repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in vulnerable and healthy populations, 2024
LINK
Frequent SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in vulnerable populations has raised concerns that this may contribute to T cell exhaustion, which could negatively affect the quality of immune protection. Herein, we examined the impact of repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on T cell phenotypic and functional exhaustion in frail older adults in long-term care, individuals on immunosuppressive drugs, and healthy adults. Spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell levels did not decline in any cohort following repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, nor did the expression of exhaustion markers on spike-specific or total T cells increase. T cell production of multiple cytokines (i.e. polyfunctionality) in response to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 did not decline in any cohort following repeated vaccination.

None of the cohorts displayed elevated levels of terminally differentiated T cells following multiple SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations. Thus, repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was not associated with increased T cell exhaustion in older frail adults, immunosuppressed individuals, or healthy adults.
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tornandfrayed said:
On the BBC news last night John Swinney (First Minister) was filmed being jabbed and encouraging people "to look again at their eligibility for the Covid jab". He qualified as his wife has MS, they said.

Nice of him to show some awareness, but how about opening up eligibility. It may be like last year when in some areas the vaccination teams seemed to be actively looking for reasons to offer Covid jabs. My partner got his on account of me and so did his sister, who was temporarily living with their parents. I didn't but I'll ask when I go for my flu jab.
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It wasn't necesssary - the receptionist said "are you here for both", I said "I hope so", and she said "I'll put you down for both". I didn't hear the entire exchange but she seemed to say the same to a man behind me.

I'm thinking that, although they haven't changed the public guidelines, operationally they want to vax as many as possible. (Caveat - if I'm right, may be Scotland only).

Glad to have it - Moderna - since if Scotland follows the UK I won't be due another till I'm 75. I don't see me surviving that long.

However feeling awful. The Covid site is red, swollen, hard and extremely painful, a red rash 4x6cm has developed at the flu site. Feverish, nauseous, poisonous headache, tingling more active.
 
I'm getting an RSV vaccine tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous about it since in rare cases patients get Guillain-Barré from the vaccine, but I have heard of people here getting very sick from RSV, so I'll take a chance.

I'm also going to ask for a titer test to see if I still have antibodies for measles. When I was a child, I got all the vaccinations at that time, but want to see if my immunity is still good since many people in Texas are getting measles now.

I might as well get a polio titer test, too. I was one of the little kids who got the sugar-cube vaccination. I might still have immunity, but am thinking of how previously eradicated diseases can come back due to the current political climate, and vaccines might become much less available. It's hard to believe we've taken this giant step backward.
 
perchance dreamer said:
I'm getting an RSV vaccine tomorrow.
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I had not heard of RSV:
The RSV vaccine protects against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common virus that can cause serious lung infections. The vaccine is recommended for older adults and pregnant women.

Older adults are more likely to experience serious complications from RSV.
In some cases, people may experience serious neurologic conditions, including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), after receiving the vaccine.

Generated by Google Search AI.
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I hope all goes well with the vaccination.
 
Belgium, Austria, and Switzerland researchers review shows age weakens immune responses but not uniformly. Adjuvants and mRNA vaccines improve vaccine effectiveness in older adults, with adjuvants showing the most consistent success.

Age-related changes in the immune system and challenges for the development of age-specific vaccines, 2025,

Abstract
Background
A better understanding of how the immune system evolves with age and how vaccines work in older people has led to increasing focus on the development of vaccines aimed specifically at older age groups. We discuss strategies used to improve vaccine immunogenicity for older adults, focusing on licensed adjuvants.

Findings
With age-related immune decline (immunosenescence), older adults face increased vulnerability to infections and severe complications. Immunosenescence affects T-cell and B-cell populations and innate immunity, leading to reduced chemotaxis, cytotoxicity, and altered cytokine production. This contributes to inflammaging—low-grade, chronic inflammation linked to aging. However, immune responses vary due to genetics and life-long exposures, making chronological age an imperfect indicator of immune health. Vaccination remains key to prevention, yet immune dysfunction complicates vaccine efficacy.

Strategies to enhance responses in older adults include mRNA vaccines, high-antigen content vaccines, intradermal administration, and adjuvants. mRNA COVID-19 vaccines generated strong immune responses in older adults, though lower than in younger groups. High-antigen content influenza vaccines have shown superior efficacy compared to standard vaccination. Adjuvants offer a well-established approach to boosting vaccine responses by enhancing innate immunity.

Conclusions
Of various strategies used to improve immunogenicity of vaccines for older adults, adjuvants have been the most consistently effective and practical. More recently, mRNA vaccines have also shown great promise.
LINK
 
I got an RSV vaccine last week. The only side effects I experienced were increased fatigue and brainfog for 2 or 3 days. I'm 67, and although the FDA recommends RSV for people 75 and older, people 60-74 can also get it if they have weakened immune systems or other types of problems. RSV is highly contagious, mostly transmitted through aerosols. My doctor recommended getting it given my health history even though I've had a lot of improvements these past years.

This isn't high RSV season, but so far it's a one-time vaccine, so I thought I might as well get it since I'm going to be traveling soon.
 
Just had my invite (UK) for the spring Covid booster. I'd half expected for there to be no more updates—it feels as if Covid's officially considered history now.

The vaccines haven't stopped me getting infected but might have reduced the severity, so I've booked in.
 
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Longitudinal study on immunologic, lipoproteomic, and inflammatory responses indicates the safety of sequential COVID-19 vaccination
Lang, Jurissa; Bernal, Andres; Wist, Julien; Egan, Siobhon; Bong, Sze How; Millet, Oscar; Ryan, Monique; Lee, Aude-Claire; Hall, Drew; Nitschke, Philipp; Masuda, Reika; Imrie, Allison; Holmes, Elaine; Nicholson, Jeremy; Loo, Ruey Leng

COVID-19 vaccines are crucial in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission and severe health outcomes. Despite widespread administration, their long-term systemic effects on human metabolism remain inadequately understood.

This longitudinal study aims to evaluate IgG responses, 34 cytokines, 112 lipoproteins, and 21 low-molecular-weight metabolites in 33 individuals receiving two to four COVID-19 vaccine doses. Changes in metabolic profiles for the first 16 days post each dose of vaccine, and up to 480 days post-initial dose, were compared to baseline (before vaccination). Additionally, metabolic profiles of vaccinated participants were compared to a reference cohort of unvaccinated individuals without prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection (controls) and SARS-CoV-2 cases.

Positive IgG responses were observed in 78.8% (N = 26) of participants after the first dose, reaching 100% with subsequent doses. The most common side effects were localized pain at the injection site and “flu-like” symptoms, reported by > 50% of participants.

Systemic side effects, e.g., sore lymph nodes, fatigue, and brain fog, were reported but showed no significant correlations to IgG responses. Transient temporal changes were observed for cytokine IP10 (CXCL10) and glutamic acid around the third vaccine dose. Compared to the reference cohort, 497 vaccinated samples (95.0%) had profiles similar to the controls, while the remaining 26 samples with prior infection exposures were similar to mild cases of SARS-CooV-2 infection.

In conclusion, COVID-19 vaccination did not induce lasting changes in inflammatory and metabolic responses, nor did it induce changes similar to mild cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This supports the metabolic safety of the vaccine and contributes to increased vaccine confidence.

KEY MESSAGES
Minimal changes in inflammatory/metabolic markers up to 480 days post-vaccination. Transient increase in IP10 (CXCL10) and glutamic acid around the third dose. Post-vaccination IgG response did not alter metabolic profiles like SARS-CoV-2 cases. Our findings provide insights into the safety of repeated COVID-19 vaccinations.

Link | PDF (Journal of Molecular Medicine) [Open Access]
 
I received an email last week to update my spring Covid vaccine. I'll skip the spring shot and get them all in October/November.
 
Latest update on U.S FDA BLA for Novavax's COVID-19 Vaccine

April 28, 2025
Last week, Novavax responded to the formal communication received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for our Biologics License Application (BLA) and our response addresses the request for a postmarketing commitment (PMC) for a clinical trial. PMCs by their nature are completed after BLA approval. PMCs are not unusual with many approved drugs and/or biologics having at least one PMC or requirement. We believe our application is approvable upon alignment on the details of the PMC. We look forward to continued engagement with the FDA.
 
Moved from USA news

From Medscape Today:

FDA Will Prioritize COVID Vaccine Approval for 65 and Older and High Risk

I'm not sure exactly what this means for people in the USA who are under 65 and aren't on the "high risk" list. (I'd bet money that people ME/CFS won't be on that list)

Does it mean that the COVID-19 vaccine is not recommended for anyone outside this group and won't be covered by insurance? (which is bad enough, this will make it expensive and maybe harder to find, more hoops to jump through vs. being available at most pharmacies)

Or does it mean that this vaccine will not be allowed at all if you're not in this group? (can't even have your doctor get an exception for you)

This quote makes it seem like it's the second option:
Peter Hotez, MD, professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, said that the FDA’s policy doesn’t seem to “consider the benefits of vaccinating vs long COVID,” and that there was “no clarity who determines risk factors such as ‘physical inactivity’.” And on choosing whether a healthy individual wants to be vaccinated, “now the decision is no longer between you and your doctor,” he wrote.
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And what if I'm a healthy person who is a caregiver to someone who is at high risk?
 
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ahimsa said:
From Medscape Today:

FDA Will Prioritize COVID Vaccine Approval for 65 and Older and High Risk

I'm not sure exactly what this means for people in the USA who are under 65 and aren't on the "high risk" list. (I'd bet money that people ME/CFS won't be on that list)

Does it mean that the COVID-19 vaccine is not recommended for anyone outside this group and won't be covered by insurance? (which is bad enough, this will make it expensive and maybe harder to find, more hoops to jump through vs. being available at most pharmacies)

Or does it mean that this vaccine will not be allowed at all if you're not in this group? (can't even have your doctor get an exception for you)

This quote makes it seem like it's the second option:


And what if I'm a healthy person who is a caregiver to someone who is at high risk?
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This is disturbing news. Pediatric deaths in the US from Covid are overwhelmingly in the unvaccinated. These include half (as I recall from Dr. Daniel Griffin's TWIV episodes) of the peds deaths in previously healthy kids.

This is the dismantling of vaccines in action. Reprehensible. I guess long covid doesn't exist either in children. I hope there is sufficient backlash to at least everyone have access to covid vaccines who want them, and at a reduced cost.
 
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