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Viral infections

COVID-19 Roundup: Vaccine Passports, Vaccine Hesitancy, WHO Virus Report Concerns

Vaccine Passports1

In a press briefing on March 29, 2021, Andrew Slavitt, senior advisor to the COVID-19 Response Coordinator, spoke about the creation of a vaccine passport. Slavitt stated that, while the government will play a role in recommendations regarding a vaccine passport, they do not see it as their role to create the passport or collect health data of those utilizing the passport. The government will work with the private sector to ensure that the needed criteria are met with the developed credentials. Slavitt also stressed the importance of equitable access, as not all individuals have access to technology and not all Americans may have had the opportunity to receive a vaccine yet when vaccination passports begin to roll out. Some have questioned the government’s stance on the vaccine passport, stating that the federal government would be best equipped to create such a program. However, Slavitt stated that, given the lingering distrust of the vaccine and the involvement of the government in vaccine mandates and monitoring, he believes a vaccine passport would be better accepted coming from the private sector.

Vaccine Hesitancy Waning2

New findings reported by the Kaiser Family Foundation from its COVID-19 vaccine monitor shows that vaccine hesitancy is waning. In the results, published March 30, 2021, 32% of adults have already received their vaccine and 30% report they will get their vaccine as soon as possible. The number of individuals who were hesitant about the vaccine and have stated that they would “wait and see” has decreased from 22% in February 2021 to 17% in March 2021. The percentage of individuals who will get vaccinated only if required or refuse to get vaccinated remains consistent around 7% to 9% and 13% to 15%, respectively, over the last 4 months. With 3 COVID-19 vaccines now available on the market, about 50% of individuals surveyed reported that they did not have a preference regarding which vaccine they receive. Individuals who reported they wanted to “wait and see” before getting vaccinated reported they would be more likely to get the 1-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine (16%) compared with either of the 2-dose series vaccines (8% with Pfizer, 7% with Moderna).

Pfizer and BioNTech Vaccine in Adolescents3

On March 31, 2021, Pfizer announced positive results regarding administration of their vaccine in adolescents. The phase 3 clinical trial demonstrated that, in 2260 adolescents aged 12 to 15 years, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has 100% efficacy. The vaccine was well tolerated throughout the course of the study, and the most reported adverse effects were consistent those observed in other studies. During the study, there were 18 cases of COVID-19 in participants who received placebo and no cases of COVID-19 in participants who received the vaccine. One month after the second dose, antibody titers demonstrated strong immunogenicity. Pfizer and BioNTech will request an amendment to its currently issued Emergency Use Authorization to expand use of the vaccine to adolescents aged 12 to 15 years.

WHO Virus Report Concerns4

On March 30, 2021, the US Department of State released a joint statement with the governments of Australia, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom regarding the World Health Organization-convened COVID-19 origins study. The countries developed and issued the statement regarding concern of the WHO-convened study in China, which aimed to determine the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The joint statement voiced concerns that the study was significantly delayed and that it lacked access to complete, original data and samples. The countries recognized the importance of WHO and the value of its work but stress that going forward, WHO needs to commit to transparency and timeliness, particularly in light of a pandemic.

—Audrey Amos, PharmD

References

  1. Press briefing by white house COVID-19 response team and public health officials. The White House. Press Briefings. March 29, 2021. Accessed March 31, 2021. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/29/press-briefing-by-white-house-covid-19-response-team-and-public-health-officials-21/
  2. Hamel L, Lopes L, Kearney A, Brodie M. KFF COVID-19 vaccine monitor: March 2021. Kaiser Family Foundation. March 30, 2021. Accessed March 31, 2021. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-march-2021/
  3. Pfizer-BioNTech announce positive topline results of pivotal COVID-19 vaccine study in adolescents. Pfizer. News Release. March 31, 2021. Accessed March 31, 2021. https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-biontech-announce-positive-topline-results-pivotal
  4. Joint statement on the WHO-convened COVID-19 origins study. U.S. Department of State. Press Release. March 30, 2021. Accessed March 31, 2021. https://www.state.gov/joint-statement-on-the-who-convened-covid-19-origins-study/