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COVID-19 UPDATE

Will Flu Shots & COVID

Vaccines Be Combined?

What Would the Future Look Like?

By Alvin Boyd Newman-Caro and Rebecca L. Sanchez, PhD

The idea of combined vaccines is not a new variants could necessitate a modified yearly
one. There are several examples of combined vaccine against it. Therefore, the next logical
vaccines currently utilized, such as Pediarix, step in vaccine development would be the
ProQuad, Kinrix and Pentacel, all which pro- creation of a combined COVID and in-
tect against various combinations of diphthe- fluenza vaccine. In addition, discussions in-
ria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP), hepatitis B volving COVID and influenza combination
virus, poliovirus (IPV), measles, mumps, vaccines make sense right now, especially
rubella (MMR), varicella virus (chickenpox) since the 2021-2022 influenza season is al-
2
and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). ready upon us.
Not only have combination vaccines been During this year’s typical influenza season,
proven effective, they also have the advantage cases of influenza infections were significantly
of being an individually administered shot reduced. In May, the CDC reported on its
that protects against multiple diseases. website that from September 27, 2020,
The severe acute respiratory syndrome through May 15, 2021, only 250 (or 0.05%)
coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has of the 485,637 specimens tested and reported
produced 33,079,543 cases of coronavirus ill- were positive for influenza viruses at U.S. pub-
ness and taken 591,265 lives in the United lic health laboratories, and only 1,874 (or
1
States. When the outbreak began, prompt 0.18%) of the 1,054,101 respiratory speci-
publication of the viral genome sequence al- mens tested and reported were positive for in-
lowed work to begin immediately on a vac- fluenza viruses at U.S. clinical laboratories
6,7
cine solution. In groundbreaking fashion, (compared with 10%-19% in recent years).
vaccines for COVID-19 were created in less However, now that mask and social distanc-
than one year. Up to this point, Pfizer/BioN- ing regulations are becoming more relaxed, a
Tech has reported efficacy of 95%, while rise in both influenza and SARS-CoV-2 cases
3,5
Moderna has set forth an efficacy of 94.5%. is predicted for the 2021-2022 season. Infec-
Nonetheless, it is unknown if current tion with influenza, SARS-CoV-2 or in-
COVID vaccines will be protective against fluenza/SARS-CoV-2 co-infection, presents
future COVID-19 strains. It is possible that a significant future public health threat, mak-
SARS-CoV-2 will persist for some time and ing a combination vaccine desirable.
will potentially become a seasonal epidemic, While many are just starting discussions
like that of past influenza epidemics. Reasons about future combination vaccines, Novavax,
for this are because we have yet to globally a biotechnology company developing a
eliminate earlier strains of SARS-CoV-2, we SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (NVX-CoV2373), re-
are seeing novel viral variants emerge and the leased preclinical data in May 2021 using a
long-term protectiveness of current COVID combination hemagglutinin (HA) quadriva-
vaccines remains unknown — calling into lent nanoparticle influenza vaccine (qNIV)
question the need for booster shots. Similar and their COVID-19 vaccine candidate
4,5
to the influenza virus, the SARS-CoV-2 viral (NVX-CoV2373). The Novavax study

26 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • July 2021