Coronavirus News Explained

Pfizer Vaccine Efficacy Against the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 Variants     According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , or CDC, as of May 17, 2021, 274 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the United States. Of these 274 million doses, 147 million doses are the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine has been the most popular vaccine choice among U.S. citizens and is the only COVID-19 vaccine available for those aged under 18. With the fast-spreading B.1.1.7 and B.1351 variants now dominating COVID-19 cases in the U.S., many vaccine recipients are wondering how effective, if at all, the Pfizer vaccine is against these variants. A correspondence article published in the New England Journal of Medicine  on May 5, 2021, addresses the effectiveness of the vaccine against the aforementioned virus strains using data from a study conducted in Qatar. About the Variants     The B.1.1.7 variant originated in the United Kingdom and is found to be more t

How the COVID-19 Vaccine Affects Organ Transplant Recipients      According to the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 143.7 million individuals, or 43.3% of the total U.S. population, received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of April 29, 2021. About 99.7 million people, or 30% of the total U.S. population, have been fully vaccinated. As a result of the tremendous vaccination efforts, the 7-day average of daily COVID-19 cases have decreased by 79.0% compared to January 2021. With cases going down and an increasing number of people receiving protection from the vaccine, things are starting to look up. However, not everyone who receives the vaccine is guaranteed a form of protection against the coronavirus. One community in particular is especially susceptible to severe COVID-19 infection and has been excluded from the majority of COVID-19 vaccine studies: the immunocompromised.  About the Immunocompromised     Millions of Americans are immunocompromised, meaning th