Moderna booster on the way?
“Preliminary Analysis of Safety and Immunogenicity of a SARS-CoV-2 Variant Vaccine Booster,” medRxiv preprint
Authors: Kai Wu1*, Angela Choi1*, Matthew Koch1*, LingZhi Ma1 , Anna Hill1 , Naveen Nunna1 , Wenmei Huang1 , Judy Oestreicher1 , Tonya Colpitts1 , Hamilton Bennett1 , Holly Legault1 , Yamuna Paila1 , Biliana Nestorova1 , Baoyu Ding 1 , Rolando Pajon1 , Jacqueline M Miller1 , Brett Leav1 , Andrea Carfi1 , Roderick McPhee1#, Darin K Edwards1#
Affiliations: 1Moderna Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Prof. Joel Eissenberg, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Joel participated in the early trials of the Moderna mRNA vaccines for Covid-19. He was inoculated with the true vaccine as determined by testing for anti-bodies.
Joel: I’m still awaiting approval of the Moderna booster. But this preprint suggests that approval may be forthcoming soon. From the abstract:
“Antibody neutralization titers against B.1.351 and P.1 variants measured by SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus neutralization (PsVN) assays before the booster vaccinations, approximately 6 to 8 months after the primary series, were low or below the assay limit of quantification,
although geometric mean titers versus the wild-type strain remained above levels likely to be protective. Two weeks after the booster vaccinations, titers against the wild-type original strain, B.1.351, and P.1 variants increased to levels similar to or higher than peak titers after the primary series vaccinations.”
From the Discussion: “Prior to the booster, neutralization titers of 198 and 304 in the Part B and Part C cohorts remained significant, at levels predicted to be protective against the original Wuhan-Hu-1 isolate . . . all trial participants, including those that had undetectable titers against the variant viruses, had robust neutralization titers in both the wild-type and variant assays two weeks after the booster.”
Just to be clear, I’m *still* in the Moderna trial, which lasts two years. I’ve heard a rumor from a nurse at Emory who is in the trial that boosters for trial subjects will be available soon.
Hopefully, it happens soon. I am getting the Pfizer booster tomorrow. Wife got Moderna, so she is waiting.
I read it will be soon. Too much is being passed as factual over the decreased impact of the vaccines. Even the citations are being miscited by some. I know one person who was in the trials was told the Moderna boosters are ready for them. Soon, I expect.
Got the call yesterday and scheduled my Moderna booster for next week. Since I’m in the trial, they’ll also take a blood draw and there’s some paperwork.
Joel:
Some reading for you which popped up in my inbox from NEJM. Both of these I would say have an understanding ratio of about 80% with another 15% being picked up by a little research (in other words some work).
Efficacy of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine at Completion of Blinded Phase
In Gratitude for mRNA Vaccines
I put this out here thinking someone else may read both pieces. The second is an almost laymen’s article explaining mRNA technology and why the the modified version was brought into being. Not terribly long and replete with a couple of pictures depicting its functionality.
The NEJM article was reassuring. The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in the vaccine cohort was over an order of magnitude smaller than in the placebo arm, almost certainly because most of the infected vaccinated people had inapparent infections and thus went untested. Any healthy person who rejects the vaccine is either ignorant or deranged.
Joel:
Or are being misled by political (Republican, etc.) interests. The gratitude articles was mostly an easy read for people at AB. I May post some of it with the hope they do read it.
The other one is a deeper dive and still readable.
Joel:
In Mesa and we need to find a place for the 3rd dose of Pfizer. If my daughter was around, we could probably have her administer it. It has been 8 months.
Wahlgreen’s. CVS. should do it.
https://www.cvs.com/vaccine/intake/store/cvd-store-select/bstronly-dose-select