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Covid News Watch
As COVID Cases Rise, U.S. Health Officials Mull Widening Additional Booster Eligibility + More
As COVID Cases Rise, U.S. Health Officials Mull Widening Additional Booster Eligibility
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.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had in late March authorized a second booster dose of the Moderna (MRNA.O) and Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) vaccines for people aged 50 and older, citing data showing waning immunity and the risks posed by Omicron variants of the virus.
“With regard to a fourth dose for those under the age of 50, that is going to require action from the FDA, and we’re in conversations there,” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walenksy said on Wednesday.
PM Dismisses Need for More Measures to Limit COVID Deaths, Suggesting Australians Are Dying With, Not of, the Virus
Scott Morrison brushed off the need for further measures to curtail Australia’s ongoing high rates of COVID-19 transmission and deaths and suggested many Australians are dying with, not of, COVID.
Morrison told reporters on Wednesday that medical advice does not currently support a fourth COVID vaccine for the general population and asserted, without evidence, that Labor under Anthony Albanese may return to lockdowns to combat COVID.
Morrison has leaned heavily on Australia’s record combating COVID in his campaign for re-election by citing low deaths in the first two years of the pandemic when the country’s borders were shut to the world.
“What you see when you have case numbers of that level is that people, when they pass away from many other causes, they will die with COVID, and their deaths are recorded as COVID deaths — but that doesn’t necessarily mean … that they passed away because of COVID, that’s a very different proposition,” said Morrison, who added that the premiers, chief medical officer and health authorities also recognized that distinction.
Does Paxlovid Help People Who Have Been Vaccinated Against COVID? Show Us the Data!
As a primary care doctor in New York City, I am grateful to drug companies for providing effective COVID-19 therapies for my patients. But I am also frustrated that these companies appear to be completely running the show, and believe that Americans could get more from Big Pharma if only our regulators dared to ask for it.
This dynamic is on display with Paxlovid, which was approved based on a study that seems designed to exaggerate the benefit most Americans can expect from this drug rather than provide us with relevant information about it.
Among antiviral agents for COVID-19, Pfizer’s Paxlovid has emerged as the clear winner for two reasons: First, as a pill, Paxlovid is easy to administer, compared to the infusions required for monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir. Second, Paxlovid appears to be highly effective, with a clinical trial showing an 89% relative reduction in hospitalizations or death among high-risk patients who receive it.
I say “appears to be” because there’s a problem: The single trial supporting the FDA’s emergency use authorization of Paxlovid included only unvaccinated people who had never previously had COVID-19. Since 76% of U.S. adults are now vaccinated, and an estimated 58% of Americans have already had COVID, the trial supporting Paxlovid is not directly applicable to a majority of Americans.
Convicted Killer Charged With Heading COVID Fraud Scam
A woman who is serving a life sentence for murder in California is charged with masterminding a $2 million fraud scheme involving COVID-19 unemployment money from behind bars, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Natalie Le Demola, 37, is among 13 people charged with using stolen identities to apply online for — and receive — benefits from the California Employment Development Department, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.
Most of the money had been earmarked for relief for people suffering from business lockdowns and restrictions aimed at reducing the deadly spread of COVID-19 and most of the fraud occurred in the second half of 2020 when infections were rising rapidly.
Some of the personal identifying information used — such as names, birth dates and Social Security numbers — was provided by a state prison official who wasn’t named, the indictment alleged.
As U.S. COVID Cases Rise, so Does Demand for Antivirals
Rising COVID-19 cases are driving up the use of therapeutics, with Pfizer Inc’s (PFE.N) oral antiviral treatment Paxlovid seeing a 315% jump over the past four weeks, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday.
The increase in U.S. cases and hospitalizations is starting to affect recommendations on behavior, with New York City, the nation’s most populous city, advising stricter mask usage but stopping short of new mandates. Apple (AAPL.O) has scrapped return to office plans.
Nearly 43,000 Traffic Deaths Last Year, Most in 16 Years, U.S. Agency Says
The U.S. saw almost 43,000 traffic deaths in 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The estimated 42,915 fatalities represent a 10.5% increase over the year prior when 38,824 deaths were reported and was the biggest percentage jump since the agency began tracking the data in 1975.
The NHTSA said 44 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, are projected to have increased traffic deaths in 2022, with Texas, California and Florida making up the top three.
“An increase in dangerous driving — speeding, distracted driving, drug- and alcohol-impaired driving, not buckling up — during the pandemic, combined with roads designed for speed instead of safety, has wiped out a decade and a half of progress in reducing traffic crashes, injuries and deaths,” Russ Martin, senior director of policy and government relations for the Governors Highway Safety Association, said.
When Africans Asked for COVID Shots, They Didn’t Get Them. Now They Don’t Want Them.
It’s noisy inside the Mamprobi clinic in Accra as kids clamber over their mothers while they wait to get their measles vaccines. Outside, an area reserved for COVID-19 shots is empty. A health worker leans back in his chair and scrolls on a tablet.
One woman, waiting to get her daughter inoculated, is fully aware of the dangers of measles: the high fever, the rash, the risk to eyesight. But COVID-19? She has never heard of a single case.
The perception that COVID-19 doesn’t pose a significant threat is common in Ghana’s capital and elsewhere in Africa, whose youthful populace has suffered a fraction of the casualties that have driven vaccine uptake in places like Europe and America, where the disease tore through elderly populations.
Germany OKs More COVID Vaccine Spending for This Fall
Germany plans to spend another 830 million euros ($872 million) to buy new coronavirus vaccines that will allow the country to deal with a series of possible variants this fall, the health minister said Wednesday.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said that the government, via the European Union, already has ordered enough of the existing vaccines and of one that has been developed by Germany’s BioNTech to counter the Omicron variant. He said the new funding is earmarked for a vaccine being developed by Moderna to tackle both Omicron and other variants.
FDA Rejects Antidepressant Seen as Possible COVID Treatment + More
FDA Rejects Antidepressant Seen as Possible COVID Treatment
The Food and Drug Administration declined Monday to authorize a 30-year-old generic antidepressant as a treatment for COVID-19, dealing a major blow to a small group of doctors who have organized around the pill for months, arguing that it could provide a cheap and accessible way to prevent hospitalizations and deaths both in the U.S. and around the world.
In an unusual two-page summary — the FDA does not generally disclose the reasoning behind rejections — regulators said that the doctors failed to provide adequate evidence of the effectiveness of the drug, called fluvoxamine.
In a detailed rebuttal submitted last week and shared with STAT, David Boulware, the University of Minnesota infectious disease physician who has led the push to get fluvoxamine authorized as a COVID-19 treatment, said the FDA’s logic was “inconsistent.”
FDA Clears COVID Booster Shot for Healthy Kids Ages 5 to 11
U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized a COVID-19 booster shot for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds, hoping an extra vaccine dose will enhance their protection as infections once again creep upward.
The Food and Drug Administration’s authorization now opens a third shot to elementary-age kids, too — at least five months after their last dose.
There is one more hurdle: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must decide whether to formally recommend the booster for this age group. The CDC’s scientific advisers are scheduled to meet on Thursday.
Pfizer’s shot is the only COVID-19 vaccine available for children of any age in the U.S. Those ages 5 to 11 receive one-third of the dose given to everyone 12 and older.
Coronavirus May Be Linked to Cases of Severe Hepatitis in Children
The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review.
SARS-CoV-2 could be at the root of mysterious hepatitis in kids. A chain of events possibly triggered by unrecognized infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus could be causing the mysterious cases of severe hepatitis reported in hundreds of young children around the world, researchers suggest.
Children with COVID-19 are at significantly increased risk for liver dysfunction afterward, according to a report posted on Saturday on medRxiv ahead of peer review. But most of the children with acute hepatitis — which is generally rare in that age group — do not report a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.
It is possible that the affected children, many of whom are too young to be vaccinated, may have had mild or asymptomatic COVID infections that went unnoticed, a separate team of researchers suggest in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
NYC Elevates to ‘High’ COVID Alert Level, Indoor Masks Urged
New York City entered the “high” COVID-19 alert level Tuesday, and health officials are strongly recommending wearing masks in public indoor settings.
Health officials say there is high community spread, and pressure on the healthcare system is increasing.
Despite the steady increase in COVID-19 infections across the state, New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted on Monday that the city is not yet ready to reinstate its indoor mask mandate.
How Fast Omicron’s BA.2 Variant Is Spreading Around the World
In a pattern the world has seen twice over the past year, a new version of the coronavirus is sweeping across the globe. Omicron’s BA.2 subvariant is already by far the world’s dominant form of the coronavirus, as recorded in the GISAID international repository of coronavirus genetic sequences analyzed by The Washington Post.
The impact of the BA.2 subvariant is unclear. An uptick in coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe is attributed to the new version of the virus. Some experts say a new wave could hit the United States amid relaxed safety protocols in the same way that Delta hit last summer when many thought the coronavirus was finished.
COVID Remains a Public Health Emergency in U.S., Administration Says
The Biden administration is continuing the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration beyond July 15, two administration officials told CNN, as coronavirus cases are rising again across the U.S.
The declaration is now expected to be renewed for up to another 90 days.
The public health emergency declaration allows many Americans to obtain free COVID-19 testing, therapeutic treatment and vaccines.
FDA Authorizes First Non-Prescription Test for COVID, Flu, RSV
The Food and Drug Administration authorized the first non-prescription COVID-19 test that can also detect the flu and RSV, the agency announced on Monday.
In addition to COVID-19, the test can detect other respiratory viruses, including influenza A and B, commonly known as the flu, and respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV.
With the newly authorized test from Labcorp, individuals can collect their own nasal swabs at home and send the sample to Labcorp for testing. They can then access their results through an online portal, with a healthcare provider following up about positive or invalid results.
Third Round of Free COVID Tests Now Available
The federal government started taking orders Monday for a third round of COVID-19 test kits to be mailed to any U.S. household.
A Department of Health and Human Services website said Monday that all U.S. households were eligible to order a third round of tests. Each order now contains eight rapid antigen tests, the U.S. Postal Service website says. Previously, four tests were sent out at a time.
Dogs Accurately Sniff out COVID at Airports
U.S. News & World Report reported:
Dogs’ ultra-sensitive noses can detect illegal drugs and even cancer, and a new study suggests they may also be able to sniff out COVID-19 in airline passengers.
Not only that, these trained canines can do so with an accuracy comparable to a PCR nose and throat swab test, the researchers noted.
In this study, four dogs previously trained to detect illicit drugs, dangerous goods or cancers were trained over a few weeks to sniff out SARS-CoV-2.
Overall, the dogs were 92% successful at detecting infected people and 91% successful at detecting uninfected people. Of the samples from the 28 infected people without symptoms, the dogs were just over 89% successful at identifying them as positive, the investigators found.
White House Admits It Lied About Vaccines + More
White House Admits It Lied About Vaccines
As rampant inflation continues to kick Americans in the teeth, the Biden administration can’t stop doing victory laps over how much they’ve “accomplished” — by taking credit for things that were already in motion.
On Thursday, the White House patted itself on the back once again — bragging about “8.3 million jobs” and “the fastest decline in unemployment to start a President’s term” in history — the natural reaction to the government’s job-killing pandemic restrictions being lifted.
But wait, they also lied — claiming that when Biden took office, “millions were unemployed and there was no vaccine available,” which is categorically false. For starters, Biden himself was vaccinated before taking office. In fact, more than one million doses per day were being administered when Biden took office under the Trump administration’s “Operation Warp Speed.”
And while the admin can count on Twitter not to label their tweet “false or misleading” — as they so frequently did during the last administration, the lie was so blatant that CNN even called them out on it — and they issued a correction the next day (it wasn’t a lie, they simply “misstated” a fact).
CDC: No Documents Supporting Claim Vaccines Don’t Cause Variants
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it does not have documents backing its claim that COVID-19 vaccines do not cause variants of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The CDC’s website calls it a myth that the vaccines cause variants. “FACT: COVID-19 vaccines do not create or cause variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. Instead, COVID-19 vaccines can help prevent new variants from emerging,” the website states.
The Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), a nonprofit, asked the CDC in Freedom of Information Act requests for documentation supporting the claim.
The CDC has now responded to both requests, saying a search “found no records responsive” to them.
COVID Concerns Fade as 57% Say They Don’t Fear Getting the Virus: Poll
America is so over it. A majority of Americans say they are not worried about “experiencing” the symptoms of COVID-19, according to a new poll.
“Taking into consideration both your risk of contracting it and the seriousness of the illness, how worried are you personally about experiencing COVID-19?” the survey by YouGov and The Economist asked.
Some 57% said they are not worried, with 30% saying they are “not too worried” and 27% saying they are “not worried at all.” On the other side, 43% said they are worried, with 23% “somewhat worried” but just 15% “very worried.”
Only 7% of 5- to 11-Year-Olds in England Have Had COVID Jab as Parents Hesitate
Only 7% of primary school children in England have received a first dose of the COVID vaccine six weeks after it was rolled out to all 5- to 11-year-olds, as parents grapple with the decision about whether to take up the offer.
That rate compares with 24% of 12- to 15-year-olds who had received the first dose in the first six weeks after they became eligible in September 2021.
Scientists say the lower take-up among primary school children is due to a perception that COVID poses little risk to younger children.
“It’s a vaccination that probably isn’t particularly beneficial for this age group,” said Professor Russell Viner of University College London, who was part of the now-disbanded Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
A New COVID Wave? Be Less Alarmed, More Prepared.
Here we go again. The United States and many other nations appear to be starting another COVID wave due to an Omicron subvariant that is more transmissible than the last. But this time looks different. Cases are going up, but so far without the accompanying serious disease and death that characterized earlier waves. That should not lead to complacency.
The spread is being propelled by subvariant BA.2.12.1, which is 25% more transmissible than was the previous BA.2, which was 30% more transmissible than the original Omicron.
Omicron had a quick spike and decline in South Africa, and again in the United States. But there’s no clarity on the shape or duration of a coming wave, except that cases are rising, centered now on the Northeast.
What the End of America’s Public Health Emergency Could Mean
The Biden administration is expected to signal this week whether it’s ready to end the COVID-19 public health emergency — which would affect a host of healthcare policies, including vaccines for kids.
Ending the emergency would allow a president who campaigned on ending the pandemic to declare victory over the virus. But the complex series of policy changes — and the continued threat of more COVID waves — could leave the government ill-prepared for whatever comes next.
The Department of Health and Human Services in April extended the emergency declaration through July 15, and has said it would give states and health providers 60 days’ notice before it ends.
That makes Tuesday the decision deadline.
Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and CKD Face Poor COVID Outcomes — Severity of Kidney Disease Ups Risk of ICU Time, in-Hospital Mortality and More
Certain factors were highly predictive of severe COVID illness in hospitalized patients who had type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), a researcher reported.
In a single-center study of patients with T2D and CKD hospitalized with COVID-19 infection, having hyperglycemia upon admission was tied with more than a 10 times higher risk of severe COVID illness (OR 10.49, 95% CI 3.09-35.60), according to Ella Burguera-Couce, an MD candidate at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Also, patients with stage 5 CKD, or who were on dialysis at the time of hospitalization, had over four times higher risk for a severe course of COVID illness (OR 4.67, 95% CI 2.25-9.71), she reported in a presentation at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) annual meeting.
Valneva Shares Slump After COVID Vaccine Deal With EU Falls Apart
Valneva (VLS.PA) lost nearly a fifth of its value on Monday after the French drugmaker said its COVID-19 vaccine agreement with the European Commission was likely to be scrapped and it might have to rethink its financial guidance.
Valneva said the European Commission had informed the company of its intent to terminate an advance purchase agreement (APA) for its COVID vaccine, which is currently under regulatory review by the European health regulator.
Valneva signed a deal with the EC last November to supply up to 60 million doses of vaccine over two years, including 24.3 million doses in 2022. The APA gave the European Commission the right to cancel the deal if the vaccine was not cleared for use by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) by the end of April.
South Africa in New Surge of COVID From Versions of Omicron
South Africa is experiencing a surge of new COVID-19 cases driven by two Omicron sub-variants, according to health experts.
For about three weeks the country has seen increasing numbers of new cases and somewhat higher hospitalizations, but no increases in severe cases and deaths, said Professor Marta Nunes, a researcher at Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Analytics at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto.
“We’re still very early in this increase period, so I don’t want to really call it a wave,” Nunes said. “We are seeing a slight, a small increase in hospitalizations and really very few deaths.”
South Africa’s new surge is from two variations of Omicron, BA.4 and BA.5, which appear to be very much like the original strain of Omicron that was first identified in South Africa and Botswana late last year and swept around the globe.
Missouri University Agrees to $1.65 Million Settlement in COVID Lawsuit From Students + More
Missouri University Agrees to $1.65 Million Settlement in COVID Lawsuit From Students
Lindenwood University agreed to a $1.65 million settlement on Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by a group of students who felt that the switch to online learning during COVID-19 was “subpar.”
Under the settlement, the students’ attorneys will receive $550,000 and the nearly 6,000 Lindenwood University students will receive about $185 each, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The students filed the lawsuit in August 2020 and claimed that Lindenwood University breached its contract with them when the switch to online learning was made at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When compared to in-person learning, the students claimed that online learning was “subpar in practically every aspect,” adding that they overpaid for tuition since online instruction was cheaper, according to the report.
Pfizer’s COVID Vaccine Protection Against Omicron Fades Just Weeks After Second and Third Doses, Study Finds
Immunity against the Omicron coronavirus variant fades rapidly after a second and third dose of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to peer-reviewed research published in JAMA Network Open on Friday, a finding that could support rolling out additional booster shots to vulnerable people as the variant drives an uptick in new cases across the country.
Levels of Omicron-specific “neutralizing” antibodies — which can target the virus and stop it from replicating — decline rapidly after a second and third dose of Pfizer’s shot, according to the Danish study of 128 people who had received two or three doses.
Antibody levels, which are associated with protection against infection and disease, fell within weeks of getting the shots and were much lower than the level of antibodies specific to the original and Delta coronavirus variants, the researchers said.
Novavax Confident COVID Vaccine Will Receive FDA Authorization in June After Delays
Novavax is confident its COVID-19 vaccine will receive the endorsement of the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee early this summer, executives said this week.
The FDA committee is scheduled to meet on June 7 to review Novavax’s submission. An endorsement from the committee, which is made up of independent experts, would mean the drug regulator is almost certain to quickly authorize the two-dose vaccine for use in the U.S.
If Novavax’s vaccine is authorized by the FDA, it will be the first new shot to hit the market in the U.S. in more than a year. Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are the three vaccines currently used in the U.S., and the FDA last week limited the use of J&J’s shots.
Democrats Silent as Republicans Rip Into Secret Royalty Checks to Fauci, Hundreds of NIH Scientists
Top Democratic leaders with oversight of the National Institutes for Health (NIH) are keeping quiet about the $350 million in secret payments to agency leaders like Dr. Anthony Fauci and hundreds of its scientists.
The Epoch Times received no responses from multiple requests to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) for comment on a report by a non-profit government watchdog estimating that Fauci, former NIH director Francis Collins, and hundreds of NIH scientists got as much as $350 million in undisclosed royalty payments from pharmaceutical and other private firms between 2010 and 2020.
Mayors Tackle Mental Health
New programs in cities like New York, Chicago and London aim to combat the rising loneliness, anxiety and unhappiness that COVID-19 has caused.
Pandemic-related emotional problems have been linked to everything from higher crime to a rising teen suicide rate. While it’s not clear how much a municipal mental health program can move the needle, a growing number of mayors — flush with pandemic relief funds — are willing to try.
Alarmed by what they see from their front-row seats, “mayors are making investments and working with local nonprofits, businesses and community groups to create new initiatives that will help residents access mental health services and reduce the stigma,” Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, writes in Medium.
White House Prepares to Ration Vaccines as COVID Funding Impasse Looms
A painful and foreboding reality is setting in for the White House as it enters a potentially dangerous stretch of the COVID fight: It may soon need to run its sprawling pandemic response on a shoestring budget.
Just two months after the administration unveiled a nearly 100-page roadmap out of the crisis, doubts are growing about Congress’ willingness to fund the nation’s fight. It has forced Biden officials to debate deep cuts to their COVID operation and game out ways to keep the federal effort afloat on a month-by-month basis.
Among the sacrifices being weighed are limiting access to its next generation of vaccines to only the highest-risk Americans — rationing that would have been unthinkable just a year ago, when the White House touted the development and widespread availability of vaccines as the clearest way out of the pandemic.
Switzerland Authorizes Moderna’s COVID Vaccine for 6- to 11-Year-Olds
Moderna Inc. (MRNA.O) said on Friday that Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic had authorized the use of its COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 to 11 years.
The approval is for the vaccine’s two-dose series of 50 micrograms per dose, Moderna added.
U.S. and World Leaders Pledge More Than $3 Billion to Fight Pandemic Globally
The U.S. and other world leaders pledged Thursday more than $3 billion in new funding to fight the pandemic globally at the Biden administration’s second Global COVID-19 Summit.
“This includes over $2 billion for immediate COVID-19 response and $962 million in commitments toward a new pandemic preparedness and global health security fund at the World Bank,” the White House said.
The U.S. on Thursday also committed an additional $200 million to the financial intermediary fund at the World Bank, a fund designed to prepare for the next pandemic, according to the White House.
COVID Cases Show Rise in New Mexico, but Doctors See a New Ballgame
Sante Fe New Mexican reported:
The new coronavirus is becoming a different beast from the menace it once was, New Mexico physicians said Wednesday.
The numbers remain disconcerting. State COVID-19 cases and deaths have edged up recently, and hospitalizations at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe also have ticked upward this week.
Regardless, doctors said Wednesday, the disease is transforming into an “endemic,” or a more regular, part of life — troublesome, but more like the flu than the terror that has afflicted the world.
Gonzales said learning how COVID-19 behaves as an endemic disease will take a few years. For instance, she said, will it be seasonal or year-round?
Danish Farmers Turn Their Backs on Mink After COVID Mutation Cull
Danish mink breeders have turned their backs on the industry en masse after being forced to cull their animals over fears a COVID-19 mutation could pose a risk to human health.
In November 2020, Denmark, at that point the world’s largest mink producer, controversially announced it would cull approximately 15 million animals due to fears a COVID-19 mutation moving from mink to humans could jeopardize future vaccines.
The Danish government temporarily banned mink farming and the breeding of animals for their fur, later extending the ban until 2023.