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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

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

Nevada health officials reported Monday that about 1 in 6 people statewide has received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine since shots became available in mid-December...“I do think progress is starting to finally click and continue to increase,” said James English, COVID-19 response operations chief in Washoe County, where state statistics show 16.8% of residents have received their first shot and 9.8% have been fully vaccinated...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

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

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

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

Abbott announced the formation of the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, a first-of-its-kind global scientific and public health partnership dedicated to the early detection of, and rapid response to, future pandemic threats. By connecting global centers of excellence in laboratory testing, genetic sequencing and public health research, the program will identify new pathogens, analyze potential risk level, rapidly develop and deploy new diagnostic testing and assess public health impact in real time...READ MORE

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is facing a wave of mistrust in Europe—but that's a striking difference from its stellar reputation in the U.K...A recent survey from YouGov found that 81% of Britons believe the AZ vaccine is safe, on par with a similar 79% of U.K. citizens who trust the Pfizer vaccine. However, in Germany only 43% think the AZ vaccine is safe, and in France, just 33% consider it safe...READ MORE