An extra J. & J. shot substantially boosts protection against Covid, the company reports.

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

The New York Times, September 21, 2021

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A second dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine substantially increased its protection against Covid-19, the company announced Tuesday morning.

In a clinical trial, researchers found that two doses of the vaccine delivered 94 percent efficacy against mild to severe Covid-19 in the United States, up from 74 percent conferred with a single shot, the company reported. And two shots showed 100 percent efficacy against severe disease, although that estimate had a wide range of uncertainty.

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A New Company With a Wild Mission: Bring Back the Woolly Mammoth

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

The New York Times, September 13, 2021

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A team of scientists and entrepreneurs announced on Monday that they have started a new company to genetically resurrect the woolly mammoth.

The company, named Colossal, aims to place thousands of these magnificent beasts back on the Siberian tundra, thousands of years after they went extinct.

“This is a major milestone for us,” said George Church, a biologist at Harvard Medical School, who for eight years has been leading a small team of moonlighting researchers developing the tools for reviving mammoths. “It’s going to make all the difference in the world.”

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Extra Shots from J. & J. and Pfizer Give Immune Boost, Companies Report

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

The New York Times, August 25, 2021 (with Sharon LaFraniere)

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As vaccine makers set their sights on boosters, new studies unveiled on Wednesday from Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer-BioNTech demonstrated that extra shots can dramatically raise antibodies against the coronavirus.

The companies said they were submitting the new data to the Food and Drug Administration for evaluation, and Pfizer has formally asked the agency to authorize a booster shot. The Biden administration said last week that it wants to provide booster shots for all Americans eight months after vaccination.

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Friday’s Elk, August 13, 2021

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Last month, in an appearance on the Daily podcast, I warned against assuming that the pandemic was over. The Delta variant was poised to potentially sweep across the United States. It might create a surge that might even require that the country return to masking and other measures to slow it down.

I sensed that the Daily host Michael Barbaro did not welcome the news. And I could sympathize. After months of mass vaccination and crashing cases, it was easy to believe that the coronavirus was now behind us. But by early July, there was plenty of evidence that the Delta variant might well push back those gains. It bore mutations allowing it to multiply quickly inside a host and then swiftly spread to new victims. It had already overwhelmed countries like India and the United Kingdom. Vaccines work well against Delta–especially against hospitalization from Covid-19–but only after both doses. Only about half of Americans are fully vaccinated, leaving the rest easy targets for the variant.  Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, August 13, 2021” →

Novavax is still struggling to produce its vaccine

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

The New York Times, August 5, 2021

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Novavax, the Maryland company that won $1.6 billion from the U.S. government last year to develop a Covid vaccine, on Thursday announced that continued production problems would delay the vaccine’s use in the United States until the end of the year.

But the two-shot vaccine, which performed well against the virus in clinical trials, might soon be used in other parts of the world. In partnership with the Serum Institute of India, Novavax has applied for emergency authorization in India, Indonesia and the Philippines, the company announced on an earnings call.

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