Hey Health Deskers,
Leaders are meeting next week to talk about a global strategy for COVID-19. Meanwhile, vaccine production may be ramping and booster shots are still getting criticism from global health experts. This week, our experts answered your questions about HIV, breakthrough infections and toothbrushes. We also unpack the science behind false rumors about the COVID-19 vaccine and impotence.
Check out our forecasts and explainers and tell us what you think! We love hearing from you. Reach out at health@meedan.com with questions, comments and suggestions for this newsletter and anything else we should cover for you.
Happy reading everyone!
First, a look ahead …
Global Commitment to Fighting COVID-19
During a virtual summit next week, United States President Joe Biden is expected to urge global leaders to recommit to help end the pandemic by vaccinating at least 70% of the global population within the next year. Other shared targets include manufacturing vaccine doses in the short- and long-term, establishing a $2 billion USD "oxygen ecosystem" support mechanism, closing the financing and supply gap, accelerating vaccination in LMICs in 2021 by expediting delivery of 2 billion committed vaccine doses, ensuring at least $10 billion is made available for financing within the next year through a global financial intermediary fund, and enhancing coordination and accountability by creating a new vaccine dashboard this year. The Global COVID-19 Summit: Ending the Pandemic and Building Back Better is scheduled for September 22 during the United Nations General Assembly and will bring together heads of state, global health leaders, and academic experts. We expect to see renewed commitments during this session but it is unlikely any new groundbreaking mechanisms or goals will be established as highly vaccinated nations currently have more than 2 billion doses than they actually need.
Ramping Up Vaccine Distribution
India has reportedly started discussions with the United States government to remove its ban on vaccine exports. As the world's largest producer of vaccines, the Indian government stopped exports of its COVID-19 vaccines earlier this year during the country's massive surge in cases and deaths. This change has especially impacted low-income countries, because many are reliant on COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility. Indonesia has also started to discuss the possibility of becoming a global vaccine hub during this crucial moment, as 11 billion doses are needed to fully vaccinate the target of 70% of the world's population. We are hopeful for expanded vaccine access and distribution soon.
More Pushback on Boosters
With nations like the United Kingdom and United States considering vaccine booster campaigns and nations like Israel having already rolled them out, global pushback on these plans continues as data shows the vaccines are still effective at preventing severe COVID-19 symptoms, hospitalizations, and deaths in fully vaccinated populations. In recent studies, booster shots have been shown to significantly improve immune system responses, helping potential waning protection against severe infections six months after the second dose of mRNA vaccines. In an Israeli trial, infection rates were shown to be 11 times lower after booster shots were given. The rate of severe COVID-19 infections was 19.5 times lower with booster shots. But, with global vaccine shortages continuing and populations with high rates of vaccination holding onto their established vaccine agreements, experts are calling for a redistribution of these shots so the global population has as least a baseline of immune protection. We do not expect booster campaigns to stop in high-income countries, which will further exacerbate the unequal recovery times between richer and poorer nations.
And now: you asked, we answered. Here are the latest topics our scientists are unpacking for you:
What do we know about breakthrough infections and waning immunity with COVID-19 vaccines?
Breakthrough infections of COVID-19 are possible, but relatively rare, in people who have been fully vaccinated against the disease. Some scientists estimate that breakthrough infections of COVID-19 may be as uncommon as 1 out of 5,000-10,000 vaccinated people, based on numbers in the United States. While there is an ongoing scientific debate about COVID-19 vaccine booster doses, particularly in the context of limited global resources for vaccination, many scientists agree that there needs to be clear evidence of significant benefit from booster shots before recommending them to the general population.
“As more countries begin considering and offering vaccine booster doses for COVID-19, confusion as well as misinformation have been spreading around how fast the protection from vaccination may decline. False information about the vaccines being ineffective or losing effectiveness quickly can lead to unnecessary fear and vaccine hesitancy. While more research is being done into how long protection lasts from the COVID-19 vaccines, scientists agree that vaccination saves lives by effectively protecting against severe symptoms, hospitalization, and death for multiple months at minimum.”
The three COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use in the United States have been rigorously studied, tested, and deemed safe and effective in preventing serious illness due to COVID-19. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has additionally received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), adding an even more thorough layer of review to the safety and efficacy of the shot. Studies to date have not found any documented links between the COVID-19 vaccine and impotence or testicle swelling.
“There is no evidence to suggest a link between the COVID-19 vaccines and impotence or swollen testicles. There has been some evidence to suggest a link between COVID-19 infection and erectile dysfunction or impotence, but there have been no documented links with any of the vaccines and these symptoms.”
How does COVID-19 spread through utensils and toothbrushes?
COVID-19 can be easily transmitted between individuals who share the same personal tools. When researchers monitored hundreds of families with COVID-19-positive members for 15 days, they found that 55 percent of them passed the virus on to someone they share a toothbrush with in the same household.
“Another published study done in 2020 discovered that two in three COVID-positive people, who did not share their toothbrush with a family member, passed the virus to someone with whom they shared a toothbrush container. Furthermore, sharing the same tube of toothpaste increased the risk of transmission within the same household by 30 per cent. Additionally, more than half of individuals who did not replace their toothbrush after having had COVID-19 infection passed the virus on to a family member.”
What do individuals with HIV need to know before they get vaccinated against COVID-19?
Individuals living with HIV can safely be vaccinated against COVID-19. As part of the authorization process that the available vaccines go through before being available for mass vaccination, clinical trials allow researchers to establish the safety of a vaccine. The clinical trials used to test the safety of the authorized Covid-19 vaccines included people with HIV infection, and were deemed safe.
“For people diagnosed with HIV, regular treatment can keep immune systems healthy. There is no evidence that the authorized vaccines interfere with the effect of medical treatment for HIV. Vaccines are recommended for everyone with HIV, regardless of their disease stage, and strength of their immune system.”
That’s all for this time folks, have a good week and we’ll be back soon with more science to share!