Travel Vaccine Breaking News

SK bioscience today announced the company has received the WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) of its COVID-19 vaccine, SKYCovione™ (SKYCovion™, GBP510).

This COVID-19 vaccine was developed with the Institute for Protein Design (IPD) at the University of Washington SCHOOL OF MEDICINE and uses GSK's pandemic adjuvant.

SKYCovione is also the world's first medicine developed using computational protein design, an approach that uses Rosetta software to engineer protein structures with enough precision to place individual atoms exactly where desired.

Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience, commented in a press release on June 19, 2023, "Based on the immunogenicity and safety profile, SKYCovione has become the first Korean vaccine to be granted to the WHO EUL."

"We will be committed to developing more vaccines not just to strengthen Korea's vaccine sovereignty but also to enable equitable access to the vaccine."

The development of SKYCovione has been supported by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations with support from the European Horizon 2020 Programme.

SKYCovione (known as SKYCovion in the UK) was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for adults in May 2023.

SKYCovione is a self-assembled nanoparticle vaccine targeting the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein for SARS-CoV-2. 

The vaccine can be stored between 2-8 °C, making it suitable for use in countries where ultra-low cold chain storage facilities are unavailable. The ease of distribution helps to achieve greater access to vaccines in low-income countries.

Other COVID-19 vaccine news is posted by Precision Vaccinations.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report indicated minimal flu activity in the U.S.

Based on the National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Surveillance data available on June 15, 2023, 6.3% of the deaths during week #23 were due to pneumonia, influenza, and/or COVID-19 (PIC).

Among the 1,295 PIC deaths reported for last week, ten listed influenza.

Furthermore, in the southern hemisphere, Australia's Department of Health and Aged Care published report No. 4, which stated there is not enough information to assess the potential severity of the 2023 influenza season.

Since seasonal surveillance commenced in Australia in April 2023, there have been only 518 sentinel hospital admissions with confirmed influenza as of June 2, 2023.

As of June 18, 2023, various flu shots are available worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published Influenza Update N° 447, which presented data on the current respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seasonality.

In the U.S., the 2022–23 RSV season it started later than during 2021–2022 but earlier than the prepandemic seasons, suggesting a return toward prepandemic seasonality. 

Across both prepandemic and pandemic years, RSV circulation in the U.S. began in Florida.

Globally, RSV activity was generally low except in Australia, and a few countries in the Region of the Americas reported the WHO on June 12, 2023.

RSV activity decreased to low levels in Central America and the Caribbeans while increasing in a few countries in tropical and temperate South America.

In South Africa, the RSV detection rate among children under five years of age in pneumonia surveillance remained at a low level.

As of June 17, 2023, RSV vaccines for adults and antibody therapy for infants are authorized in various countries.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced today London had reported 11 new mpox cases within the past few weeks.

Most of these cases were in unvaccinated individuals. However, three were in those who had only received one dose of Bavarian Nordic's JYNNEOS® (MVA-BN) vaccine.

In response to London's mpox outbreak, the UKHSA vaccinations would be offer in London to qualifying men beyond July 2023.

After the end of July, people who regularly travel to London or abroad to have sex and are eligible for the JYNNEOS vaccine are empowered to schedule a London-based appointment using the vaccine finder.

Dr. Claire Dewsnap, President of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, commented in a related press release, "We strongly encourage all those eligible to book an appointment to receive a mpox vaccination, especially given the worrying recent spike in cases."

"One dose of the vaccine protects against the virus, and the second dose can further prevent severe symptoms and transmission."

"This is particularly important as we move into the summer months, during which festivals and events are more common, increasing the likelihood for people to have multiple sexual partners."

As of June 16, 2023, 21 mpox cases have been reported in the UK.

Other mpox outbreaks are posted by Vax-Before-Travel.

Novavax, Inc. today announced it participated in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee's (VRBPAC) meeting.

This VRBPAC meeting resulted in a unanimous vote recommending updating the current COVID vaccine composition to a monovalent XBB-lineage.

"Novavax expects to be ready for the commercial delivery of a protein-based monovalent XBB COVID vaccine this fall in line with today's VRBPAC recommendation," said John C. Jacobs, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax, in a press release on June 15, 2023.

"In partnership with regulators and public health authorities, Novavax has been developing and manufacturing this vaccine candidate, and now that we are nearing harmonization on guidance from the FDA, the World Health Organization, and European Medicines Agency, we believe we are in a better position to offer an alternative vaccine choice for individuals worldwide."

Novavax presented data at the VRBPAC meeting that supports the recommendation to vaccinate this fall (2023) with a monovalent XBB strain.

Novavax data showed that its XBB.1.5 COVID vaccine candidate induced functional immune responses for XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, and XBB.2.3 variants, indicating a broad response that could be applicable for forward-drift variants.

The journal Vaccine published study results on June 2, 2023 that found correlates of protection imply a fourth (5 µg SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein + 50 µg Matrix-M™ adjuvant) post-boost efficacy of ≥ 82% for Omicron variants and did not increase local/systemic reactogenicity in those aged 18–84 years.

Novavax COVID-19 vaccine brands include Nuvaxovid, CovoVax, NVX-CoV2373, and TAK-019, and are available in about 40 markets globally.

The U.S. Department of State today announced it had issued a Level 3: Reconsider Travel for the Republic of Uganda.

As of June 12, 2023, the State Department suggested reconsidering visiting Uganda due to civil unrest and anti-LGBTQI+ legislation.

Violent crime, such as armed robbery, home invasion, and sexual assault, presents a serious, random threat to those visiting and residing in Uganda, especially in larger cities, including Kampala and Entebbe, in the Karamoja region, and along Uganda’s western and northern borders.

And the May 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act raises the risk that LGBTQI+ persons, and those perceived to be LGBTQI+, could be prosecuted and subjected to life imprisonment or death based on provisions in the law and may be subject to mandatory reporting to the police if they are suspected of committing or intending to commit acts in violation of the law, and could face harassment or attacks by vigilantes.

From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC suggests various travel vaccines before visiting Uganda. Furthermore, proof of a yellow fever vaccination is required for most people visiting Uganda in 2023.