October 22, 2021

The California Biotechnology Foundation is committed to keeping you up to date about COVID-19 testing, treatment and prevention advancements. The following resources track what progress has been made as of October 22, 2021. Notable advancements include:

• The booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was found to have a 95.6% efficacy according to a Phase 3 trial that included more than 10,000 people.
• Moderna and Johnson & Johnson received Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for their COVID-19 booster shots and noted that any of the three authorized vaccines could be used as a booster in a “mix and match” approach.
• AstraZeneca released results from a Phase 3 clinical trial showing that its new COVID-19 antibody treatment effectively reduces severe disease or death in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

​Recent News

• Booster dose of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shows 95.6% efficacy in Phase 3 trial
  CNN Health – October 21, 2021
  A booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was found to have a high efficacy — 95.6% — against Covid-19 in a Phase 3 trial, the companies announced. They noted that “efficacy was consistent irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity or comorbid conditions.” The trial included more than 10,000 fully vaccinated people, age 16 and older, who randomly received either the 30-microgram booster dose of vaccine or a placebo.
• How well do Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines protect kids from hospitalization? CDC has good news
  Modesto Bee – October 20, 2021
  Early controlled clinical trials showed the two-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine offered strong protection against COVID-19 hospitalization in children. A new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers more good news. Research on more than 460 hospitalized people between 12 and 18 years old found that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were 93% effective against COVID-19 hospitalization.
• The U.S. is ready to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine once it’s approved for kids age 5-11
  USA Today – October 20, 2021
  The White House said that it is ready to quickly roll out COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11, if the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for that age group is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The administration has bought enough doses for all 28 million children in that age group and will provide it in smaller packages with essential supplies like smaller needles to make it easier to get to physicians, pediatricians and community health centers, Biden administration officials said.
• New antibody treatment could offer up to 18 months’ protection against severe COVID-19
  The Conversation – October 20, 2021
  A new treatment could soon help protect people from developing severe COVID-19. AstraZeneca has just released results from a phase 3 clinical trial – the final stage of testing before a drug is authorised – that suggest its new COVID treatment is effective at reducing severe disease or death in non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients.
• What to know about the COVID-19 treatment molnupiravir
  Washington Post – October 20, 2021
  The world could soon be armed with another tool to fight the coronavirus pandemic: a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people infected with the coronavirus. The drug, molnupiravir, offers another tool alongside vaccines for countries to manage the coronavirus pandemic.
• FDA authorizes booster doses of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, says mix and match OK
  CNN Health – October 20, 2021
  The US Food and Drug Administration authorized booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson and also said any of the three authorized vaccines could be used as a booster in a “mix and match” approach.
• What Scientists Know About the Risk of Breakthrough COVID-19 Deaths
  New York Times – October 18, 2021
  Among the more than 187 million Americans who have been fully vaccinated, there have been 7,178 deaths, according to the C.D.C. Eighty-five percent of those deaths have been in people 65 or older. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has been clear that older adults are the most likely to develop severe COVID-19. They also have less robust immune systems in general and mount a weaker immune response to the vaccines.
• From COVID to SARS to MERS, scientists believe they can create a “universal” coronavirus vaccine
  Salon – October 18, 2021
  One of the trickiest parts of containing the COVID-19 pandemic with vaccines has been keeping up with mutations. Variants from the virulent and deadly delta to the mercifully short-lived mu proved to be able to evade some of the existing vaccines’ defenses, as current vaccines were created to fight against earlier iterations of the virus.

Rely on California Biotechnology Foundation to monitor breaking news and provide updates on the latest advancements in COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines and treatments.

Stay informed on the latest news and trends on the economic and health benefits of this industry by visiting the new CABiotech.org

If you have any questions about informational briefings contact California Biotechnology Foundation Executive Director Patty Cooper at (916)764-2434 or [email protected].