OAK CITY, NC (WITN) – Oak City Fire Chief Butch Beach on Thursday examined a stack of sympathy cards from all over the United States while thinking of the three EMS personnel they lost at cause of COVID-19 in 2021, including former mayor William Stalls.

“When the mayor walked in he would slam the door so everyone would know he was coming if he was here,” Beach said. “It was very sad, we had a difficult year. “

Stalls died about a day before the department lost another of their own, Lt. Willie Bunch. Stalls and Bunch were both on a ventilator in the COVID intensive care unit at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville.

The city’s losses follow hundreds of others nationwide whose deaths in the line of duty have been linked to COVID-19.

Firefighters Close Call was created by selected members of the fire service personnel to provide information, data and share experiences relating to the safety, health, well-being and survivability of the service community ‘fire.

But what the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has achieved is the growing number of public safety officers who have contracted COVID-19 while on duty and died from complications.

“What neither of us expected was to see this number of deaths from COVID,” said Ron Siarnicki. “181 firefighters have died since the start of the pandemic, 78 emergency medical providers, 525 police officers and 18 communication personnel from public safety response points. That makes a total of 802 people have died from complications from COVID. “

Siarnicki added that they saw a significant number of cases among firefighters in August and September 2021, equal only to December and January 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Close calls from firefighters will determine how many of the mentioned reported deaths have contracted COVID-19 while on duty.

In Maryland, they will pay tribute to 14 firefighters who were considered dead in the line of duty COVID in October.

“Number one, these people probably died helping someone else,” Beach said. “Number two, not only does it affect them, it affects their family and the fire department is also their family. EMS is their family.

The risk message can be clear to most people in the department without having to enforce a vaccination mandate.

Beach highlighted the difference between those who have died and those who have recovered from COVID-19 in the department.

“Two died and two recovered fairly quickly, and the two who recovered fairly quickly had been vaccinated.”

Yet more can be done to help protect public safety officers. Beach encouraged people to let EMS staff know if you feel sick or have symptoms of COVID-19.

“We really insist that people be very, very careful and let us know when they are sick or when they think they are sick. This helps us keep our firefighters and EMS safe. “

Copyright 2021 WITN. All rights reserved.

GAITHERSBURG, MD., September 23, 2021 / CNW / – Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a biotechnology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of next-generation vaccines against serious infectious diseases, with its partner, the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (SII), today announced a regulatory submission to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Emergency Use List (EUL) of Novavax’s recombinant protein nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine candidate with Matrix-M ™ adjuvant. The submission to WHO is based on the previous regulatory submission of companies to the Comptroller General of Medicines of India (DCGI).

“Today’s submission of our protein-based COVID-19 vaccine to WHO for emergency use is an important step on the road to accelerated access and distribution fairer to the countries in great need of it in the world ”, declared Stanley C. erck, President and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax. “It represents another important step in the transformation of Novavax into a global commercial vaccine company and reinforces the value of global collaboration and the need for multiple approaches to help control the pandemic. “

The granting of EUL by WHO is a prerequisite for exports to many countries participating in the COVAX Facility, which was established to allocate and distribute vaccines equitably to participating countries and economies. In addition to the submission for the WHO EUL, SII and Novavax last month completed the submission of modules required by regulatory bodies in India, Indonesia and The Philippines for the initiation of the vaccine review, including preclinical, clinical and chemical, manufacturing and control (CMC) data.

About NVX-CoV2373
NVX-CoV2373 is being evaluated in two pivotal Phase 3 trials: a UK trial that demonstrated 96.4% efficacy against the original viral strain, 86.3% against the Alpha variant (B.1.1 .7) and an overall efficiency of 89.7%; and the PREVENT-19 trial in the United States and Mexico which demonstrated 100% protection against moderate and severe disease and an overall efficacy of 90.4%. It was generally well tolerated and elicited a strong antibody response.

The story continues

NVX-CoV2373 is a protein-based vaccine candidate designed from the genetic sequence of the first strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. NVX-CoV2373 was created using Novavax’s recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate an antigen derived from the coronavirus spike (S) protein and is formulated with the patented Matrix-M ™ adjuvant based on saponin from Novavax to improve the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies. NVX-CoV2373 contains purified protein antigen and cannot replicate or cause COVID-19.

Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is packaged as a ready-to-use liquid formulation in a vial containing ten doses. The vaccination schedule requires two doses of 0.5 ml (5 micrograms of antigen and 50 micrograms of Matrix-M adjuvant) administered intramuscularly 21 days apart. The vaccine is stored between 2 ° and 8 ° Celsius, which allows the use of the vaccine supply and existing cold chain channels.

About Matrix-M ™ Adjuvant
Novavax’s patented saponin-based Matrix-M ™ adjuvant has been shown to have a potent and well-tolerated effect by stimulating entry of antigen-presenting cells into the injection site and improving antigen presentation in the injection site. local lymph nodes, thereby strengthening the immune response.

About Novavax
Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) is a biotechnology company that promotes improved health globally through the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases. The company’s proprietary recombinant technology platform combines the power and speed of genetic engineering to efficiently produce highly immunogenic nanoparticles designed to meet urgent global health needs. Novavax is conducting advanced clinical trials for NVX-CoV2373, its vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. NanoFlu ™, its quadrivalent nanoparticle influenza vaccine, has met all of the primary goals of its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in the elderly and will be advanced for regulatory submission. Both vaccine candidates incorporate Novavax’s proprietary saponin-based Matrix-M ™ adjuvant to enhance immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies.

For more information, visit www.novavax.com and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Forward-looking statements
These statements regarding the future of Novavax, its operating plans and prospects, the ongoing development of NVX-CoV2373 and other Novavax vaccine candidates, the timing of future filings and regulatory actions, and the role that Novavax may playing to help control the COVID-19 pandemic are forward-looking statements. Novavax cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include the challenges of meeting, alone or with partners, various safety, efficacy and product characterization requirements, including those related to process qualification and test validation, necessary to meet applicable regulatory authorities; difficulty in obtaining scarce raw materials and supplies; resource constraints, including human capital and manufacturing capacity, on Novavax’s ability to follow planned regulatory pathways; challenges in meeting contractual requirements under agreements with multiple commercial, government and other entities; and the other risk factors identified in the “Risk factors” and “Management’s analysis and analysis of the financial position and operating results” sections of Novavax’s annual report on Form 10-K for the financial year ended December 31, 2020 and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We caution investors not to place significant reliance on any forward-looking statements contained in this press release. We encourage you to read our SEC filings, available at www.sec.gov and www.novavax.com, for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date of this document, and we assume no obligation to update or revise any such statements. Our business is subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including those mentioned above. Investors, potential investors and others should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties.

Contacts:
Investors
Novavax, Inc.
Erika Schultz | 240-268-2022
[email protected]

Solebury Trout
Alexandra Roy | 617-221-9197
[email protected]

Media
Alison Chartan | 240-720-7804
Laura Keenan Lindsey | 202-709-7521
[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novavax-and-serum-institute-of-india-announce-submission-to-world-health-organization-for-emergency -use-list-of-novavax-covid-19-vaccine-301384019.html

SOURCE Novavax, Inc.

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2021/23/c2445.html

POINT EAST, Georgia. – An organization called “Atlanta for Haiti” is working to provide supplies to those affected by last month’s devastating earthquake.

Founder Meagan Henry said she worked with the community to collect essential items, such as water, clothing, tarpaulins, tents and hygiene items.

“These are emergency supplies that go directly to Haiti. It leaves Atlanta in the coming days. It will go to Miami then on a boat, it goes to Haiti and we distribute in the areas that have been affected,” a said Henry.

Over 2,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake and over 130,000 homes were destroyed. Livestock and crops have been damaged by landslides and many do not have access to safe drinking water.

GET FOX 5 NEWS EMAIL ALERTS

The scope of the organization goes beyond collecting and shipping supplies. The group is also working with Haitians to get supplies to areas that need them most.

“We actually created jobs, so they work with us and we have them. First, they need the money. Second, they’re awesome and we love them. It’s a way to create jobs for them in the country, ”said Henry.

Henry’s work with communities in Haiti dates back to 2017, when she made her first trip there.

“My mentor asked me to come to Haiti with her. I didn’t even have a passport at the time. And I said to him, ‘Dr Pat, all go next week. I don’t even have a passport, ‘”said Henri.

But it was this trip that changed the course of his life.

“Immediately I see the need. A huge sanitation problem, huge insecurities in all the important areas that humans need just to be healthy,” she said. Soon after, Atlanta for Haiti was born.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 5 ATLANTA APP FOR NEWS AND WEATHER ALERTS

She emphasizes that every part of this process has been a community effort, starting with the space in which donations are stored.

Jay and Ernestine Morrison are the co-founders of the Legacy Center in East Point.

They said Henry contacted several weeks ago with the request for space to store the donations.

“When we got the phone call saying hey, can we use your space, I was like ‘absolutely, get off’,” said Ernestine Morrison. “Just to see an overflow and an abundance of boxes given, it just shows us that there is so much power in the unit. And when we make the call, the answers come.”

The Morrisons said it was a reminder that even the smallest act can lead to big change.

“When it comes to activism or humanitarianism, do what is within your means. It could just be to donate that old T-shirt, you don’t have to do much. Or come and volunteer. with the fairness of sweat and move boxes, ”Jay Morrison mentioned.

You can find more information about Atlanta for Haiti or how to donate on their website.

Learn more about the Legacy Center by visiting their website.

WATCH: LIVE COVERAGE OF FOX 5 NEWS