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The Republic of Estonian Government announced it had gone live with VaccineGuard to support the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and extend its vaccination program with secure and internationally verifiable certificates ensuring the attestation of reliable vaccination with authentic vaccines.

VaccineGuard vaccination certificates, issued through the national patient portal, will comply with the EU's proposed Green Certificate program.

However, the platform provides the capabilities to extend the functionality by linking the full supply chain of each vaccine to the certificate, enabling rapid root cause analysis in adverse reactions.

In the next phase of the launch, COVID-19 test results and recovery confirmation will be issued from the platform.

Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia, commented in a press release issued on April 29, 2021, “As one of the most digitally advanced nations in the world, we are very excited to offer our citizens a trustworthy COVID-19 vaccine certificate, providing another major step on our road back to normality."

"Along with Guardtime, Estonia is keen to share our experience in managing our vaccination program and the development of our certificate initiative with all interested parties.”

On April 30, 2021, the Estonian-Latvian border will open for work or study purposes if a person will have received negative COVID-19 test results in the preceding seven-day period, according to a decision by the Estonian government, reported local media.

The current regulations require a 10-day self-quarantine period, which can be shortened.

Estonia is located in northeastern Europe, the northernmost of the three Baltic states. Estonia's area includes some 1,500 islands and islets.

Vaccine Treats: 
COVID-19
Image: 
Live Blog Update Author: 
Karen McClorey Hackett
Reviewer: 
Danielle Reiter, RN
Location Tags: 
Estonia
young couple sitting n the lawn looking at large buildings

Can mRNA Vaccines Defeat Herpes?

UPenn HSV2 vaccine candidate embraces mRNA technology
April 29, 2021

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We are committed to publishing information on various immunization topics. However, we rely on you, our reader, to choose the most appropriate information for your needs. Therefore, information on PVax should not be used as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.

2 min read
Reviewer: 
Holly Lutmer PharmD
Last Reviewed: 
Friday, May 2, 2025 - 13:40
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The Lancet published a study on April 27, 2021, that found 'systemic and local side-effects after Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations occur at frequencies lower than reported in phase 3 trials.

Furthermore, both experimental COVID-19 vaccines decrease the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection after 12 days.

In a commentary in the same journal, Ruth Drury, M.D., and Daniel O'Connor, DPhil, both of the University of Oxford, stated the differences in side effects between the new study and phase 3 trials could be due to differences in populations, psychological differences in symptom reporting between those receiving an authorized vaccine and clinical trial participants, and study dropout data.

"Overall, this study provides valuable information to healthcare professionals and the general public on vaccine reactogenicity and effectiveness in the community setting," they sad.

"In this era of rapid dissemination of information, good science communication has a crucial role to play in strengthening public confidence in vaccines and thus maximizing vaccine uptake."

"As a final point, this study is also a great example of the fruitfulness of engaging the public—as major stakeholders—in scientific research."

Funding for this study was provided by ZOE Global, National Institute for Health Research, Chronic Disease Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health, UK Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, UK Research and Innovation, American Gastroenterological Association.

Vaccine Treats: 
COVID-19
Image: 
Live Blog Update Author: 
Karen McClorey Hackett
Reviewer: 
Danielle Reiter, RN
Location Tags: 
England
Vaccine: 
AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine (Vaxzevria)
0 min read

The Acting Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Janet Woodcock M.D. issued a statement, saying, 'Being transparent about the results of completed clinical trials enables important advances in the development of medical products and helps ensure a safe, effective, and efficient clinical research enterprise.'

Excerpts from Dr. Woodcock's statement are inserted below:

'US Federal law requires that responsible parties, typically trial sponsors, register applicable clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov within 21 days after the first human subject is enrolled and submit certain summary result information for those trials, generally no later than one year after the study’s completion date unless a deadline extension is obtained.

The FDA determines whether responsible parties are complying with legal requirements for submitting information to ClinicalTrials.gov for applicable clinical trials. When these legal requirements are not met, the FDA has the authority to take enforcement action.

For example, the FDA issued on April 28, 2021, its first Notice of Noncompliance to Acceleron Pharma, Inc. (Acceleron) for failing to submit required summary results information ClinicalTrials.gov. The FDA is authorized to seek civil money penalties for Acceleron’s violation, including additional civil money penalties if Acceleron fails to submit the required information within the 30-day period.

The FDA takes its role in enforcing the ClinicalTrials.gov registration and results information submission requirements extremely seriously,' concluded Dr. Woodcok's comments.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines, and other biological products for human use and medical devices. 

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Live Blog Update Author: 
Staff Review
Reviewer: 
Danielle Reiter, RN
Location Tags: 
Maryland
college students studying together

College Men Need HPV Vaccination Too

Oropharyngeal cancer surpassed cervical cancer as leading HPV cancer
April 28, 2021
0 min read

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expressed deep frustration on April 28, 2021, with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) decision allowing Heathrow Airport to extract higher passenger charges.

'Consumers will pay millions more to travel, to the benefit of Heathrow’s shareholders,' stated Willie Walsh, IATA´s Director General, in a press statement.

'Heathrow’s landing charges are already the highest in the world, damaging UK competitiveness and burdening travelers.'

'This is the time when everyone in aviation should be pulling together to reduce costs and rebuild an important sector of the economy, not seeking to cover losses on the tab of its customers.'

'Irrespective of our next steps to counter the damage of this decision, we do agree with the finding of the CAA that Heathrow must invest in better services for airlines and travelers. We expect the CAA to hold Heathrow to these obligations,” added Walsh.

During 2018, about 80 million air passengers flew on 84 airlines to 203 destinations in 84 countries from Heathrow Airport. The most popular destinations were New York and Dubai.

Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited (formerly BAA) owns and runs London Heathrow Airport, Britain's aviation hub. Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited is in turn owned by FGP Topco Limited.

Image: 
Live Blog Update Author: 
Karen McClorey Hackett
Location Tags: 
England
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France's COVID-19 tracing app has been upgraded with new functions to include SARS-CoV-2 test results and COVID-19 vaccination records. It is being deployed on short-haul services between Paris and the Mediterranean island of Corsica, according to French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari.

On April 27, 2021, Bloomberg News reported that France is the first country in the European Union (EU) to have an operational digital system to introduce "digital green certificates" by June 2021.

On March 17, 2021, the European Commission presented a proposal to create a Digital Green Certificate to facilitate the safe free movement of EU citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Digital Green Certificate is digital proof that a person has either been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result, or recovered from COVID-19.

National authorities are in charge of issuing the certificate. It could, for example, be issued by hospitals, test centers, health authorities.

On April 27th, the European Medicines Agency had authorized these COVID-19 vaccines: Comirnaty, COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), and COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen.

Digital Green Certificates will be accepted in all EU Member States. They will help to ensure that restrictions currently in place can be lifted in a coordinated manner. When traveling, every EU citizen or third-country national legally staying or residing in the EU, who holds a Digital Green Certificate, should be exempted from free movement restrictions in the same way as citizens from the visited Member State.

Vaccine Treats: 
COVID-19
Image: 
Live Blog Update Author: 
Karen McClorey Hackett
Location Tags: 
Europe
osaka japan city street

Japan Issues Third State of Emergency: Closes Down Travel

US CDC says travelers should avoid all nonessential travel to Japan
April 27, 2021
0 min read

The Government of Japan reimposed a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, and Kyoto prefectures effective April 25, 2021, This declaration is scheduled to terminate on May 11 but could be extended further, stated the US Embassy in Japan's Health Alert.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to increase in many parts of Japan, not just those included in the recent state of emergency declaration. The third state of emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic urges residents to take all possible precautions against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

On April 26, 2021, the U.S. Embassy strongly urged U.S. citizens to monitor local news for updates to guidance for their area and comply with all local and national COVID-19 mitigation measures.

The Government of Japan continues to enforce strict travel regulations that prohibit most new foreigners from entering Japan. Foreign tourists and non-resident foreign business travelers remain prohibited from entering Japan.

Japanese citizens and foreign residents with a reentry permit are generally allowed to reenter Japan. Still, they must comply with strict pre-and post-travel testing requirements and self-quarantine upon arrival.

Regardless of the international point of origin, all travelers entering Japan remain subject to a 14-day self-quarantine upon arrival and are prohibited from using public transportation to include domestic flights, taxis, and rail.

Travelers arriving from certain areas or without proof of pre-departure COVID-19 testing may be required to quarantine for a period of time in a government-designated location. U.S. military and SOFA status personnel should speak with their command about upcoming travel, COVID-19 testing, and any restriction of movement (ROM)/quarantine requirements.

All travelers inbound to Japan must receive a negative PCR test within 72 hours of flight departure. These tests must be presented in the prescribed format and must comply with rigorous requirements. For information, please see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

The U.S. Embassy and consulates are open for routine services, but appointment availability remains limited. Availability will be even more limited during Japan’s Golden Week celebrations. To schedule an appointment, visit this website for instructions.

Vaccine Treats: 
COVID-19
Image: 
Live Blog Update Author: 
Karen McClorey Hackett
Reviewer: 
Robert Carlson, MD
Location Tags: 
Japan