Coronavirus / COVID

After voting against recommendation of a booster dose for people 16 years and older, the committee created a new question to vote on an EUA for a booster dose for people 65 years and older and those at high risk of COVID-19. They voted 18-0 in favor.

The VRBPAC voted 16-2 on Friday afternoon on the question they were presented.

A new study addressed the clinical outcomes in young adults who were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the United States.

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee will discuss this topic as it pertains to the potential approval of a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The results of this meeting could have ramifications for the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 health policy.

The emergency authorization granted to combination bamlanivimab and etesevimab is the second indicated in this last year.

Based on recent studies, the company sees benefits in administering booster doses.

Recent data shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the United States are showing high rates of vaccine effectiveness (VE).

Though efficacy waned over months, protection from symptomatic and severe COVID-19 remained significant, with no new adverse event risks observed.

In a recent speech, Pfizer’s CFO says it might be a matter of weeks for submitting an application for children 6 months to 5 years old.

A study from Mexico shows that maternal mortality increased nearly 60 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and reaffirms the importance of both COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations for pregnant women.

Greatest risk for infection among vaccinated may be at home rather than at work, researchers say.

This decision is in spite of the government’s vaccine group saying that vaccines only marginally benefit this age group.

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines provoke different levels of antibody response within and between age groups.

Even with the Delta variant as the predominant strain now, a group scientists concluded that vaccine efficacy against severe COVID-19 is so high that booster doses for the general population are not appropriate at this stage in the pandemic.

The antibody profile in the blood of patients who have had the virus is extremely variable and this may modify the response to the treatment.

In a large study looking at incidence rates for hospitalization and mortality, results changed relatively little in terms of vaccine effectiveness, even after the Delta variant became the dominant strain.

The co-founders of BioNTech said they expect to present US and European regulators with data soon for children 5-11 years old.

With a noticeable frustration, President Joe Biden laid out a plan last night to combat the pandemic with employer mandates and other initiatives.

In a move that is going to be announced, the administration is going to look to mandate vaccines for any companies with 100 employees or more

The shot will be its NanoFlu/NVX-CoV2373 vaccine using the company’s Matrix-M adjuvant platform.

A new study looked at the naturally-acquired spike immunoglobin (Ig) G antibodies, and how they hold up against neutralization and protect us against future infection.

As school districts nationwide begin the fall semester in person, questions about keeping children and staff safe as the delta variant romps across the country consume parents, pediatricians, and administrators.

A neighborhood-level assessment of major cities show areas impacted the most by historic COVID-19 deaths are significantly less vaccinated.

Although the risk of contracting COVID-19 remains low post full vaccination, investigators found there was a 49% less risk with developing long COVID.

The STOP Spillover project is aiming to prevent remerging infectious disease outbreaks.

JAMA study highlights more reluctance among communities of color.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports on a newly classified variant of interest (VOI) and information about another South African strain is made public. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prepares for meetings on COVID-19 booster doses.

The company reported its third shot induced antibody responses of more than 40 times against the Delta variant.

This virtual meeting of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will be held on September 17.

The European Council decides to remove the United States from the list of safe countries for non-essential travelers to come into the European Union (EU).