06/12/2022

Transmission reduction tests in clinical trials, focus on the Pfizer COVID19 vaccine 

Summary: Reduction of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is a major goal in the management of outbreaks and pandemics. Initial Pfizer/BioNTech clinical trials did not evaluate SARS-CoV-2 transmission but followed EMA’s recommendations. Clinical trials of vaccines do not usually study transmission. Instead, the reduction of infections is employed as a standard outcome. Recently, the lack of testing for the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 transmission […]

Konstanty Cieśliński COVID19 0 4 min read
22/06/2022

Delivering COVID-19 vaccines related news: a case-study

Summary: Scientific observations need to be extensively tested before they can be translated into a solid conclusion. A recent scientific publication has opened up again the discussion about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Because of the system used in the mentioned study, the relative findings cannot be directly transferred to healthy systems or living organisms. Other experts in the field […]

Sara Carmignani COVID19 0 5 min read
11/11/2021

What can the latest surge in SARS-CoV-2 infections in Israel tell us about the vaccine’s effectiveness?

Summary: High numbers of infection with the Delta virus variant have been reported in Israel despite the vaccination rate of over 50%. The number of hospitalized people was smaller than in the previous wave. The vaccines are highly effective against infections and hospitalizations but the effectiveness against infection wanes over time. Since the approval of the vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, multiple […]

Konstanty Cieśliński COVID19 0 4 min read
31/05/2021

The connection between AstraZeneca SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and blood clots

Summary: Multiple countries have suspended the rollout of AstraZeneca’s vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 due to possible adverse reactions. The embolic and thrombotic events after vaccination are very rare. EMA (European Medicines Agency) safety committee has concluded that the link is possibly based on the consistency of the clinical picture. The committee has made recommendations to update the Vaxzevria side-effect information to […]

Konstanty Cieśliński COVID19 0 4 min read
05/04/2021

Is ivermectin a solution for COVID-19?

Summary: Research to find effective medication for COVID-19 is still ongoing. Ivermectin is a very potent drug against certain parasites. At the moment, there is not enough evidence to state if ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. Medication should only be used if it is approved for specific treatment. For a few weeks, it looked like the number of cases of […]

Kamil Wolanin COVID19 0 3 min read
25/01/2021

What is known about the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy and breastfeeding?

Summary: Official recommendations are not clear. A potential vaccination during  pregnancy needs to be discussed with a healthcare professional based on individual medical history and pregnancy status. Data on the impact of a vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 on pregnancy are very limited. The available resources do not indicate negative effects of the vaccine on the mother and child during and after […]

Konstanty Cieśliński COVID19 0 4 min read
10/08/2020

Could Lactoferrin be a miracle solution against COVID-19?

Summary: Lactoferrin has various antimicrobial activities as presented in vitro. There is no data from human patients showing the effectiveness of lactoferrin against COVID-19 or any other disease. There is very little evidence showing the influence of lactoferrin on the immune system. Drastic dietary changes and intake of medication without proven effectiveness might bring momentary peace of mind but might […]

Kamil Wolanin COVID19 7 6 min read