Article Notes
- Analysis of 927 confirmed symptomatic cases of COVID-19 demonstrates BNT162b2 is highly effective with 91.3% vaccine efficacy observed against COVID-19, measured seven days through up to six months after the second dose.
- Vaccine was 100% effective in preventing severe disease as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 95.3% effective in preventing severe disease as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- Vaccine was 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 cases in South Africa, where the B.1.351 lineage is prevalent.
- Vaccine safety now evaluated in more than 44,000 participants 16 years of age and older, with more than 12,000 vaccinated participants having at least six months follow-up after their second dose.
This interesting prospective simulation & equipment study is by way of the University of Freiburg. Schmutz et al. investigated how effective five different second generation supraglottic airway devices (SADs) performed in two common airway manikins: the TruCorp AirSim® and the crowd favourite, Laerdal's Resusci Anne® Airway Trainer™.
While ventilation was achieved in all SAD-manikin combinations, the Resusci Anne® Airway Trainer™ was associated with better and more consistent performance for SAD position, participant subjective assessment and ease of gastric tube insertion for most of the SADs. The TruCorp AirSim® did however achieve better leak pressures across most of the SADs (LMA® Supreme™, Ambu® AuraGain™, i-gel®, KOO™-SGA & LTS-D™).
But then, what are the implications for airway simulation training? The researchers correctly note that:
The most important quality of a manikin is the ability to simulate the real-world conditions and thus to give the trainee an authentic feedback.
The bottom line for SAD manikins?
While considering how manikin choice and SAD availability match with your aims for simulation training, the bigger picture is that the primary goal of any manikin-SAD coupling is real-life fidelity – and for that reason, participant subjective assessment is king. And so in this study at least, the Resusci Anne® Airway Trainer™ wins.
Daniel Jolley
This reassuring study published in Nature by researchers from Wash U Med investigated persisting COVID immunity following the Pfizer mRNA vaccination (BNT162b2). Turner et al. looked at the presence of not only circulating antibody-secreting B cells, but also germinal centre B cells found in the axillary lymph nodes of 14 study volunteers.
While the persistence of mRNA-vaccine induced immunity to SARS-CoV-2 has already been demonstrated to last at least 6 months, and likely 12 months, we just do not yet have the data to know if or when vaccine boosters will be required beyond that.
Turner's study is particularly exciting because they found spike-protein binding B cells in the germinal centre of draining lymph nodes in all 14 post-immunisation participants for the full 15 weeks of the study. The germinal centre response was so vigorous and persistent that the researchers believe this could represent COVID-protection lasting for years.
"Ellebedy said the immune response observed in his team’s study appears so robust and persistent that he thinks that it could last for years. The researcher based his assessment on the fact that germinal centre reactions that persist for several months or longer usually indicate an extremely vigorous immune response that culminates in the production of large numbers of long-lasting immune cells, called memory B cells. Some memory B cells can survive for years or even decades..." – Dr Francis Collins, NIH Directors Blog
This study builds on the same team's earlier work (Turner 2021 May) looking at bone marrow plasma cells in those who have recovered from mild COVID infection, also showing a long-lived immune response.
COVID persistent immunity takeaway:
Although COVID-19 and developed vaccines have been circulating for only 12-18 months, these immune-response studies give some hope that the miracle of mRNA vaccines may not only be in their efficacy, but also in the longevity of protection.
Daniel Jolley
Pfizer and BioNTech reported that phase 3 trials of their mRNA SARS-COV-2 vaccine showed:
Daniel Jolley