Japan’s Health Ministry plans to administer booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines six months after an individual has received the second dose. Only messenger RNA vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. or Moderna Inc. will be administered, regardless of the type of first and second doses received. The Pfizer vaccine is currently the only one approved by the Ministry for third shots.

[Sources report a six- to eight-month interval between second and third shots set by the Health Ministry, but local governments will be able to shorten the period by two months if they deem it necessary.]

Booster shots have proven to be effective in preventing the decline of vaccine protection which is seen to decrease with time. Individuals aged 18 and older will be eligible for the booster shots; and those with pre-existing conditions or working in high-risk professions are especially encouraged as well.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare are also considering expanding coverage to children between ages 12 and 17.

According to the government, more than 75% of the country’s population has been fully vaccinated despite several bottlenecks – more than 78% having received at least one shot.

Read: Free COVID-19 vaccines planned for all Japanese; could prompt economic recovery by 2022

A social experiment by Washington State University (WSU) has found that wording of vaccination messages influences people’s attitudes and behaviour. The vaccine concerned, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, has been shown to help prevent cancer – young adults studied were less inclined to learn about the HPV vaccine when they were exposed to negatively-worded or descriptive messages.

The same young adults were, in contrast, more interested in learning about the HPV vaccine when they received messages that were injunctive and normative – meaning statements that implied their friends and family thought they should get the vaccine – versus messages that gave basic information about the vaccine’s benefits.

“We should be careful about using these types of messages,” said Porismita Borah, an associate professor in WSU’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. “Whether you say that 3 out of 10 did not get the vaccine or that 7 out of 10 did get it – that makes a difference. It influences people’s attitudes and behaviour.”

For the study, Borah and colleagues tested messages on nearly 200 young adults between the ages of 18 and 29. The participants were randomly assigned into four groups that each received a different set of messages about the HPV vaccine based on social media posts typically used by health organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).

They found that the negatively-worded normative messaging frequently increased vaccine risk perceptions, compared to the positively-worded normative and basic information messages. The students who were exposed to the injunctive normative messages also had a greater intention to seek vaccine information, which in turn increased their intention to get the HPV vaccine.

“This study implies that using messages that highlight the importance of others’ approval of vaccination, such as parents and peers, may be especially helpful in piquing individuals’ interest to get more information about the vaccination. The information seeking in turn is likely to raise their intention to get vaccinated,” said WSU postgraduate Xizhu Xiao.

More than a decade of research has supported the HPV vaccine’s safety and effectiveness in preventing genital warts and cancers associated with the sexually transmitted infection including cervical, anal and penile cancer. Yet according to the CDC, the HPV vaccine has a low uptake in the US with 48.5% of women and 78.8% of men aged 19 to 26 remaining unvaccinated, pointing to the need for better promotional messaging.

The researchers say these results may have some implications for the promotion of other vaccinations as well, including a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

Read: Antibodies against COVID-19 vary with vaccination vs natural infection

Nursing mothers who are vaccinated against Covid-19 are not advised to stop breastfeeding  but they must discuss the risks  and benefits of the vaccine with their healthcare provider, within the context of their risk of contracting COVID-19 and of developing severe disease, according to the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM).  

ABM, a worldwide organization of medical doctors dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding, stated that (it) is a challenging topic because the vaccine trials excluded lactating women. Thus, there are no clinical data regarding the safety of the Pfizer/BioNtech or the Moderna vaccine in nursing mothers. According to ABM, there is little biological plausibility that the vaccine will cause harm and antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in milk may protect the breastfeeding child.

Dr Alison Stuebe, President of ABM said that phase 3 clinical trials should routinely include pregnant and lactating participants to protect pregnant and breastfeeding individuals through research, not from research.

Biopharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. has applied for emergency approval for use of its coronavirus two-shot vaccine from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). However, there has been no response from the DCGI nor the health ministry.

As of last week, India has reported more than 9.60 million COVID-19 cases with nearly 140,000 deaths. It is the country with the world’s second-highest number of infections, just after the US. Despite the astounding number of infections, India is depending on locally tested vaccines instead of those developed by companies such as Pfizer and Moderna Inc. Among the many concerns cited was that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius (-94 F) or below – a temperature that most Indian cold storages cannot reach.

Even as Pfizer waits for authorisation from DCGI, UK regulators have approved use of its vaccine with Britain slated to become the first country to administer doses sometime this week – the vaccines will initially be available at hospitals before reaching clinics and other medical relief centres.

Read: FDA approves booster dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for US citizens

According to data from the Coronavirus Resource Center, Johns Hopkins University, the US has recorded over 14 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic started early this year. The US is also the fastest country to have added new cases each day – this has not stopped Americans from planning large-scale gatherings over the holiday season.

A survey carried out by Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center showed that, despite the lurking threat, a shocking 40% of US residents plan to meet in groups of 10 or more people during the holidays; almost 33% wouldn’t ask friends or family to wear a mask; while 25% said they wouldn’t practice any form of social distancing.

Small gatherings are believed to be one of the current drivers of the pandemic. We tend to think that gatherings among friends and family are safe, but there’s no real reason why these should be any safer than any other meeting. If anything, we should be more careful to make sure we reduce the risk of passing the virus to someone we love.

“When you’re gathered together around the table, engaged in conversation, sitting less than 6 feet apart with your masks down, even in a small group, that’s when the spread of this virus can really happen,” points out Iahn Gonsenhauser, chief officer, quality and patient safety, OSU Wexner Medical Center.

Since Thanksgiving, several states across the US have moved to enact restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. California’s governor announced yesterday that the state is “pulling the emergency brake” on its reopening and reinstating broad restrictions, while Iowa’s governor announced a mask mandate.

Health experts and state leaders also warn against congregating indoors with large groups of people at this time; they especially mention individuals 65 and older, who should be cautious when attending gatherings. “Even if it’s a very small group, to the extent possible, keep the mask on,” urges Anthony Fauci, the top disease infectious expert in the US.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a set of guidelines regarding Thanksgiving which could be extended into the New Year. They suggest wearing a mask with two or more layers over the nose and mouth, keeping six feet from others, washing hands often with soap and water, and bringing your own food, drinks, plates, cups, and utensils if attending a gathering.

Read: UPDATE: Oxford coronavirus vaccine spells good news for older adults