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Forged vaccination certificates and fake negative tests are also reportedly available for purchase on the black market...The World Health Organization...issued a warning about counterfeit and stolen COVID-19 vaccines being sold on the dark web...Fake vaccination certificates are also being sold, as well as fake negative tests, aimed at those traveling abroad...The WHO is "aware of vaccines being diverted and reintroduced into the supply chain, with no guarantee that [the] cold chain has been maintained...READ MORE

In an unusual move... officials with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases urged AstraZeneca to ensure it is providing the most recent efficacy data on its coronavirus vaccine. The statement came 1 day after the manufacturer released interim data from its U.S. trials...NIAID...said an independent monitoring board informed it that AstraZeneca's disclosures of the study results may have been based on outdated evidence. The agency's response to the company...READ MORE

People from 55 to 64 with certain medical conditions are now eligible to get COVID-19 vaccinations at Nevada pharmacies, with no proof of medical status required...The state opened up eligibility this week to those in this age group with conditions ranging from cancer to smoking that put them at higher risk for serious disease from COVID-19...Eligibility also has been extended to those with conditions that only potentially put them at higher risk, such as asthma or dementia, as well as to those with disabilities or who are experiencing homelessness...READ MORE

As the COVID-19 caseload continues to dip across the country, at least one regulatory body—the Joint Commission (TJC)—has taken notice by stepping up its enforcement activities. The group is returning to unannounced, on-site surveys beginning March 15...“Over the last nine months, traditional onsite survey activity has been delayed or interrupted due to the restrictions and strain on the health care system caused by COVID-19,”...READ MORE

In their clinical trials, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines did okay, well enough for the FDA to grant emergency use authorization. But in a real-world study, where participants were all on the front lines fighting Covid, the vaccines proved 90% effective against the virus – not just the symptomatic disease. In the clinical studies, Pfizer and Moderna were testing against disease...According to the CDC-sponsored study released today, it didn’t matter which vaccine the participants received. What mattered was that both vaccines were designed using messenger RNA to repel the coronavirus. The results showed that the vaccines were even effective against asymptomatic virus...READ MORE

The United States plans to send roughly 4 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine that it is not using to Mexico and Canada in loan deals with the two countries, yielding to requests to share vaccines with allies...Mexico will receive 2.5 million doses of the vaccine and Canada is to receive 1.5 million doses...The Biden administration has come under pressure from countries around the world to share vaccines, particularly its stock of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is authorized for use elsewhere but not yet in the United States...READ MORE

About a month before Pfizer and BioNTech won an emergency nod for their COVID-19 vaccine in Europe, regulators raised flags about lower-than-expected levels of intact mRNA in commercial batches, the BMJ reports...The European Medicines Agency outlined “a significant difference" in the RNA in clinical batches and the proposed commercial batches, according to information leaked from an EMA cyberattack in December, which the BMJ subsequently reviewed...While the production issue has since been resolved—and Pfizer's vaccine has since won approval in Europe—the leaks show the “complexities of quality assurance” for mRNA vaccines, especially with regards to RNA instability, the BMJ said. It’s an issue that affects all mRNA developers, including Moderna and CureVac. That instability is the reason for the shots’ frigid cold chain requirements and the need to encapsulate mRNA in lipid nanoparticles, BMJ said...READ MORE

AstraZeneca created a COVID-19 vaccine data controversy this week by reportedly selecting the most favorable data to tout on its program, a move independent data monitors publicly flagged in a middle-of-the-night missive. Now, with a speedy data update and analysis, AstraZeneca says it can “confirm” the vaccine’s phase 3 success...In a newly released primary analysis, AstraZeneca says its vaccine was 76% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 and 85% effective against symptomatic disease in people 65 and over. The shot was also 100% effective against severe disease and hospitalization in the phase 3 trial...READ MORE

From the moment Marilyn Jerominski walks into her pharmacy every morning, her time is in demand. As pharmacy manager of a busy 24-hour Walgreens in Palm Desert, California, she is responsible for the safety and accuracy of the thousands of prescriptions the store dispenses every week..."There's so much stress," Jerominski said. "You're not only running to the drive-thru but to the front, to the vaccination station to give a vaccination, then to the phone. ... It's almost impossible for any human to keep that momentum day in and out."...Jerominski is one of an estimated 155,000 pharmacists working at chain drugstores who, over the past decade, have found themselves pushed to do more with less. They're working faster, filling more orders and juggling a wider range of tasks with fewer staff members at a pace that many say is unsustainable and jeopardizes patient safety...READ MORE

A cascading number of European countries — including Germany, France, Italy and Spain — suspended use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine Monday over reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, though the company and international regulators say there is no evidence the shot is to blame...The EU’s drug regulatory agency called a meeting for Thursday to review experts’ findings on the AstraZeneca shot and decide whether action needs to be taken...Germany’s health minister said the decision to suspend AstraZeneca shots was taken on the advice of the country’s vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which called for further investigation into seven cases of clots in the brains of people who had been vaccinated...READ MORE