AstraZeneca Plc will file for Japanese approval of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine as early as mid-February, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, marking the second vaccine maker to seek approval in Japan.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stepping up efforts to track coronavirus mutations and keep vaccines and treatments effective against new variants until collective immunity is reached, the agency’s chief said.
The U.S. coronavirus death toll topped 400,000 on Jan. 19, according to a Reuters tally, as the country hardest hit by the pandemic struggled to meet the demand for vaccines to stem the spread of infection.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden said he would order increased production of syringes and other supplies to ramp up vaccinations against Covid-19 and improve upon the Trump administration rollout that he called a “dismal failure.”
Pfizer will temporarily reduce deliveries to Europe of the company’s vaccine against Covid-19 while upgrading production capacity.
More than 10 million Americans had received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as of Jan. 13, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the year-old pandemic roared on unchecked.
Johnson & Johnson is on track to roll out a single-shot coronavirus vaccine in March, and plans to have clear data on how effective it is by the end of January or early February, the U.S. healthcare company’s chief science officer said.
EU countries could begin rolling out Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine as soon as next week after authorities approved the region’s second shot on Jan. 6, with more infectious variants of the virus adding extra urgency to inoculation efforts.
As millions of people await their turn to get a Covid-19 vaccine that could be months away, online scammers via emails and messaging apps are luring victims with claims they can deliver shots within days for as little as $150.
Patient communications are no longer fit for purpose, and although Covid has brought this to the fore, the problems will continue for a long time after the vaccine roll-out if they are not resolved.
