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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated recommendations for fully vaccinated travelers on April 27, 2021. The CDC says, 'When you are eligible, get vaccinated for COVID-19 at least two weeks before your trip.'
There are benefits to following this COVID-19 vaccination advice.
Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to get tested before travel or test or self-quarantine after travel unless their destination requires it.
And if you are not fully vaccinated and must travel, take the following steps to protect yourself and others from COVID-19: Get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before your trip.
And make sure you understand and follow all airline and destination requirements related to travel, testing, or quarantine, which may differ from U.S. requirements. If you do not follow your destination’s requirements, you may be denied entry and required to return to the USA.
The CDC lists various destination statuses on this webpage. And travel vaccines are listed here.
Furthermore, before you arrive in the USA, air passengers, including U.S. citizens and fully vaccinated people, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 3 days before travel or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 3 months before they board a flight to the USA.
As of May 4, 2021, the U.S. TSA airport checkpoint data indicates overall travel in the USA has been consistent for several weeks.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced via Twitter on May 3, 2021, We’re launching our “Shot and a Beer” program to encourage eligible New Jerseyans ages 21+ to get vaccinated, with a COVID-19 vaccine.
Any New Jerseyan who gets their first COVID-19 vaccine dose in May 2021 and takes their vaccination card to a participating brewery will receive a free beer. The bars include the Hackensack Brewing Company, Gaslight Brewery, and Restaurant, Battle River Brewing, and others.
"We need that push," Dr. Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, told ABC News. "You have to find a way to motivate people. This is one way to do it."
In New Jersey, there are several ways to find vaccination providers, such as:
- Visit Vaccines.gov to find vaccination providers near you. In some states, information may be limited while more vaccination providers and pharmacies are being added. Learn more about COVID-19 Vaccination Locations on Vaccines.gov.
- Check your local pharmacy’s website to see if vaccination appointments are available. Find out which pharmacies are participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
New Jersey Department of Health news releases are posted to our website. You may unsubscribe at any time. Visit our Subscribe page.
A clinical-stage immunotherapy company based in The Netherlands dedicated to developing immunotherapeutics for oncology and infectious diseases announced the publication in Nature Reviews Cancer on May 4, 2021, a review of therapeutic cancer vaccines.
The Nature Reviews Cancer paper summarizes key insights gleaned from previous successful and non-successful therapeutic vaccine trials. It provides an overview of the numerous mechanisms cancer cells use to evade treatment and strategies that can significantly enhance the clinical efficacy of immunotherapies.
The paper is co-authored by ISA's Chief Scientific Officer, Prof. Cornelis "Kees" Melief, in collaboration with key opinion leaders at international institutions, including the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
Prof. Kees Melief, ISA Pharmaceuticals, said in a press release, "Therapeutic cancer vaccines have undergone a resurgence in the past years. This paper highlights key cancer vaccine trials with clinical impact and provides insight on how to improve crucial T cell immune responses and co-treatment for clinical success."
"Our Synthetic Long Peptide (SLP®) technology is amongst the most successful platforms."
"We have safely completed multiple human clinical studies in hundreds of patients, showing a consistently positive correlation between the size of the vaccine-induced immune response and the clinical response."
ISA Pharma is an immunotherapy company developing treatments for various cancers and infectious diseases.
According to a press statement issued by the Hon Greg Hunt MP, the Australian Government implemented a temporary pause on travelers from India entering Australian territory if the person has been in India within 14 days of the person’s departure time.
An estimated 9,000 Australians are in India, 600 of whom are classed as vulnerable, reported the BBC.
The pause came into effect on Monday, May 3, 2021, in reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak in India. The temporary pause will be reconsidered on May 15th by the Government following advice from the Chief Medical Officer.
The risk assessment that informed the decision was based on the proportion of overseas travelers in quarantine in Australia who has acquired a COVID-19 infection in India.
Failure to comply with an emergency determination under the Biosecurity Act 2015 may incur a civil penalty of 300 penalty units, five years’ imprisonment, or both.
The Australian Govt. confirmed on May 1, 2021, offered to supply India with a significant package of personal protective equipment, including one million surgical masks, 500,000 P2/N95 masks, and 100,000 surgical gowns, 100,000 goggles, 100,000 pairs of gloves, and 20,000 face shields. And more than 1,000 non-invasive ventilators, with a capacity to deploy up to a total of 3,000 ventilators.
Vancouver-based BioVaxys Technology Corp. announced today that it had signed the definitive exclusive bioproduction agreement with BioElpida S.A.S. of Lyon, France, to begin the clinical-grade bioproduction and aseptic packaging for BXV-0918A, BioVaxys' vaccine candidate for Stage III/Stage IV ovarian cancer.
BioVaxys expects to prepare its regulatory submission for a Phase I study of BVX-0918A in Stage III/Stage IV ovarian cancer near the end of 2021, with vaccine supply for the planned clinical study available in May 2022.
Kenneth Kovan, Co-Founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer of BioVaxys, commented in a press release, "BioElpida's technical experience and previous work on early generations of our cancer vaccine platform will be a significant advantage in our efforts to provide hope to those who have advanced ovarian cancer."
BioVaxys is also collaborating on the ovarian cancer vaccine clinical program with Spanish biopharma company ProCare Health Iberia S.A.S., which plans to submit a clinical trial application BVX-0918A to the European Medicines Agency later this year for a compassionate use approval in Stage III & Stage IV ovarian cancer.
Worldwide, over 300,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancy in the USA.
BioVaxys Technology Corp. is a British Columbia-registered, an early-stage biotechnology company that is developing viral and oncology vaccine platforms, as well as immuno-diagnostics.
Separate cases of variant influenza viruses have been found in two unrelated individuals in different communities in southern Manitoba, Canada. One is a case of human influenza A(H1N2)v and one is a case of human influenza A(H1N1)v, reported the Manitoba Government on April 30, 2021.
The cases are the result of two different viruses and based on the case investigations, they are not linked. These cases have been reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada in accordance with international health regulations.
These two flu viruses are related to influenza viruses that circulate in pigs. Influenza viruses from pigs (swine flu) do not normally infect humans.
However, sporadic human infections with influenza viruses that normally circulate in pigs have occurred. When this happens, these viruses are called ‘variant viruses’.
Human influenza A(H1N1)v is rarely seen in humans. This is the second-ever case reported in Canada; the first was reported in Ontario in September 2012. Two human influenza A(H1N1)v cases were detected in the U.S. during the 2020-21 season.
In most cases, variant flu viruses have not shown the ability to spread easily and sustainably from person to person.
Sporadic human cases of variant influenza have been reported over the past decade in North America. Human influenza A(H1N2)v is rarely seen in humans, with only 29 cases reported globally since 2005, and no cases in Canada until one was reported in Alberta in October 2020.
The same influenza antiviral drugs used to treat seasonal flu can be used to treat variant virus infections. Seasonal flu shots are not protective against 'swine flu,' stated Health Canada on April 30, 2021. Vaccines to protect against 2009 H1N1 are widely available, says the U.S. CDC.
Situated in the Arabian Sea a few hundred miles southwest of India, the Republic of Maldives has something to offer every vacationer, including plenty of island adventures.
Effective May 3, 2021, to ensure the safety of all, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has made it a mandatory requirement for all tourists (including those who have completed the prescribed dose(s) of a Covid-19 vaccine) to present a negative result for a Nucleic Acid Test (PCR test) for Covid-19 on arrival.
The sample for the PCR test must be taken not more than 96 hours prior to the scheduled time of departure from the first port of embarkation en route to the Maldives.
Additionally, everyone traveling to and from the Maldives must submit a self-declarative health declaration within 24 hours before their departure to the Maldives. The test result needs to be submitted through the IMUGA portal.
And new visitors should expect to undergo thermal screening upon arrival in the Maldives and are encouraged to download the contact tracing app "TraceEkee."
Scheduling an all-day flight from the USA to the Maldives is getting easier when using the Google Flights tool to filter flight options based on your needs.
Upon returning to the USA, the latest U.S. CDC requirements say Americans age 2 and up will need to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of departure of their return flight to gain re-entry into the USA.
Moreover, since the Maldives offers visitors plenty of island fun, the CDC suggests routine vaccinations before every trip. Some of these vaccines include Chickenpox, Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis, Influenza, Measles-Mumps-Rubella, and Polio.
Carnival Breeze and Carnival Vista arrived at the Port of Galveston on May 2, 2021, anticipating a 'cruise rally' to discuss the economic impact of the 14-month pause in operations in Texas. Galveston port and community officials, as well as local business leaders, will be in attendance.
Carnival President Christine Duffy and Galveston Mayor Dr. Craig Brown will be among the event speakers hosted by the Federal Maritime Commission, which will be represented by Commissioners Louis E. Sola and Carl W. Bentzel.
“Everybody’s ready,” Wharves Board of Trustees Chairman Albert Shannon commented on April 28, 2021. “We’ve got a lot of people ready to go back to work.”
The Port of Galveston is the fourth most popular cruise homeport in North America and the only cruise port in Texas.
Carnival Cruise Line launched the first year-round cruise program from Galveston in 2000 and is the only cruise operator with three year-round ships based at the Port of Galveston, carrying roughly 750,000 guests annually. Galveston’s cruise business generates $1.6 billion in expenditures annually and 27,000 jobs statewide.
However, new guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate the ships won’t be there to pick up passengers anytime soon.
On April 2, 2021, CDC released a new Framework for Conditional Sailing Order for cruise ships operating or seeking to operate in U.S. waters.
A new study published by The Lancet on April 30, 2021, reviewed data comparing the effects of fractional Vs. Full-dose inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) vaccination to determine when seroconversion proportions with each strategy become similar in children aged 5 years and younger.
In this systematic review and meta-analysis from 16 databases, these researchers concluded 'There is no substantial difference in seroconversion between three doses of fractional-IPV and three doses of full-dose IPV.
However, the full dosage empowers higher titers of antibodies for poliovirus type 1, 2, and 3.
On April 28, 2021, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported additional African, Middle East, and Asia countries are confirming new polio cases during 2021.
Since 2000, IPV is most often given in the USA, which seldom confirms local polio cases.
New Jersey-based Seqirus-US announced Phase 3 clinical data demonstrating that the company's cell-based quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine (QIVc) was as safe and immunogenic as a standard quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine (QIV) in children six months through <4 years of age during the U.S. 2019/20 influenza season.
This Phase 3 clinical study was designed to support an application currently under review with the U.S. FDA for an expanded age indication for people six months of age and above for QIVc, marketed as FLUCELVAX® QUADRIVALENT in the USA.
QIVc (FlucelVax) utilizes a cell-based influenza vaccine manufacturing process, an alternative to traditional egg-based manufacturing. Cell-based influenza vaccines are designed to produce an exact match to those selected by the World Health Organization each year.
"As COVID-19 mitigation tactics like social distancing relax, influenza vaccination remains of critical importance," said Jonathan Edelman, M.D., VP of Clinical Development at Seqirus and study author.
Several factors can impact seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness, including vaccine recipient characteristics such as age and health or a mismatch between circulating strains and the influenza strains contained within the seasonal influenza vaccine. Traditional egg-based vaccine production can cause the strain to mutate, leading to an antigenic mismatch between the circulating strains and the inactivated influenza strains contained within the seasonal influenza vaccine, says Seqirus.
In the U.S., Seqirus operates a state-of-the-art cell-based manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, purpose-built in partnership with the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
