The Omicron variant of the coronavirus does not have a negative effect on cardiovascular health in young adults who have been vaccinated, a small study suggests. Additionally, women should not delay routine mammograms after receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, experts now say.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said on May 22 he expects a U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision on authorizing Moderna’s vaccine for children under age five within the next few weeks.
North Korea on May 21 reported more than 200,000 new patients suffering from fever for a fifth consecutive day, as the country fought its first confirmed coronavirus outbreak.
Where we are: Omicron BA.2 persists while vaccines lower risk of long COVID
B.1.1.7 "Kent" strain (United Kingdom), B.1.1.7 Variant (UK), Bebtelovimab (LY-CoV1404; LY3853113), BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), C.1.2 Covid-19 Variant (South Africa), Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, Coronavirus Vaccines, COVID-19 Antibodies, COVID-19 Deaths, COVID-19 Variant B.1.526 (New York), Covid-19 Variants, Etesevimab (Lilly), Evusheld (tixagevimab and cilgavimab; AstraZeneca), Hospitalizations, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients, Molnupiravir, mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), Omicron BA.2, Pandemics, TherapeuticsThere appears to be a rise in COVID-19 illnesses, driven by Omicron subvariants, which may be better able to evade immunity from vaccines and previous infections and lower public health measures by the public such as masking and social distancing.
U.S. advisory panel to weigh in on COVID boosters for children
Advisory Committees, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, Coronavirus Vaccines, COVID-19 booster shots, COVID-19 shots, COVID-19 Vaccinations, COVID-19 Vaccines, FDA, Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine (J&J), mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Pandemics, Therapeutics, Vaccinations, Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca)An advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is meeting on May 19 to discuss whether to recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for children ages 5 to 11, a group that is just 29% vaccinated so far.
Report: Pfizer, NIH Discussing Study of Longer Paxlovid Dosing Regimen
Antivirals, Clinical Trials, COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 Studies, COVID-19 Therapeutics, Dr. Anthony Fauci (Director), Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), National Institutes of Health, Omicron (B.1.1.529) (South Africa), Paxlovid, Pfizer, R&D, TherapeuticsWith increasing concerns about COVID-19 reinfection, Pfizer and the National Institutes of Health are discussing potential studies regarding a longer treatment period with the antiviral medication Paxlovid.
Health officials are considering extending the eligibility for a second COVID-19 vaccine booster dose to people under 50 amid a steady rise in cases, with the United States seeing a threefold increase over the past month.
Why Pfizer May Be Holding Paxlovid Close to the Chest
Antivirals, Bloomberg, Clinical Trials, COVID-19 Therapeutics, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), FDA, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients, Merck, Molnupiravir, Paxlovid, Pfizer, R&D, Symptoms: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), TherapeuticsReportedly, Pfizer is holding the company’s COVID-19 antiviral therapy Paxlovid under tight control. This is a disappointment to numerous investigators who want to test the antiviral combination therapy with other drugs in case the virus develops resistance to the combo.
COVID is rising in the Americas, virus ‘not going away anytime soon’ – PAHO
Brazil, Central America, COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 Deaths, COVID-19 Infections, COVID-19 protocols, COVID-19 vaccination rates, Mask-wearing, North America, Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Social Distancing, World Health OrganizationCOVID-19 is on the rise again in the Americas as many countries have abandoned measures like masking and social distancing and many lag in vaccination rates, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on May 18.
Study: mRNA vaccines perform better against COVID-19 variants of concern
AstraZeneca, BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech), Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, COVID-19 Studies, COVID-19 Vaccines, Covid-19 Variants, Janssen, Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine (J&J), Johnson & Johnson, Messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccines, Moderna, mRNA-1273/Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna), Pandemics, Peer-Reviewed Analysis, Pfizer, PLOS Medicine, R&D, SARS-CoV-2 virus, Therapeutics, Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca)In a peer-reviewed study published May 17 in PLOS Medicine, scientists found that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines were superior to adenovirus vector-based ones across major variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.