RNA vaccines

The pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced it was seeking authorization for usage in US of a medicine related to the treatment from coronavirus infection. The medicine is aimed to prevent Covid-19 for people who respond poorly or do not respond at all to vaccines because of a weakened immune system, Reuters reported.

Vaccination with two doses of the Pfizer jab stays highly effective against severe COVID - including the Delta variant - for at least six months, an analysis of U.S. patients said on Oct. 4.

While previous data from clinical trials have shown jabs protect against hospitalization, the study published in the Lancet measures one vaccine's effectiveness over time in a real-world setting.

A new formulation is likely to be needed by the middle of next year to protect against COVID-19 as it mutates, Uğur Şahin, the chief executive of BioNTech that is behind one of the first mRNA vaccines against the coronavirus, has told the Financial Times.

The Germany-based BioNTech developed the COVID-19 vaccine jointly with the U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

The number of COVID-19 vaccine jabs given in Turkey has topped 110 million since an immunization campaign was launched in January, official figures showed on Oct. 2. 

Nearly 54 million people have received their first shots, while more than 44.8 million have been fully vaccinated, according to the Health Ministry.

Vaccination point at Sofia's St. Anna Hospital is one of the places where those wishing to be immunized can receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This has been possible for several days now, and it will be open also on weekends.

More than 100 people have passed through the vaccination centre in three days.

Sanofi is dropping plans to develop its mRNA Covid-19 vaccine despite positive results in phases 1 and 2 because of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna's dominance in the market, the French pharma corporation announced on Tuesday.

Pfizer announced today it has started a mid-to-late-stage study testing its oral antiviral drug for the prevention of Covid-19 infection among those who have been exposed to the virus, news wires reported. The company and its rivals, such as US-based Merck and Swiss Roche, have been racing to develop the first antiviral pill for Covid-19.

In 2022, adapted vaccines according to current variants of the coronavirus are expected to be approved. Currently, the third dose uses vaccines that we have, but a combination is allowed - in the first and second dose of vector vaccine to be given an mRNA vaccine.

Israel is pressing ahead with its aggressive campaign of offering coronavirus boosters to almost anyone over 12 and says its approach was further vindicated by a U.S. decision to give the shots to older patients or those at higher risk.

It will be applied voluntarily to five groups of people

An order for the approval of a third booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine in Bulgaria is expected to be officially issued today. Yesterday, an expert council at the Ministry of Health approved the booster dose.