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Covid News Watch

Feb 16, 2022

Moderna Stock Crash: Losses Top $140 Billion as Insiders Sell Millions of Dollars in Shares + More

Moderna Stock Crash: Losses Top $140 Billion as Insiders Sell Millions of Dollars in Shares

Forbes reported:

Shares of Moderna plummeted Monday as COVID-19 vaccine-makers led a turbulent market decline, pushing the stock to its lowest level in nearly a year after disappointing study results and a slew of sales from the firm’s top executives added to concerns that have made one of last year’s top-performing stocks crash more than 70%.

Moderna stock fell as much as 13% on Monday to a 10-month low of less than $140, pushing shares down more than 30% over the past month amid a sell-off largely centered on technology and healthcare firms that skyrocketed in value during the pandemic.

Moderna’s recent losses also follow a slew of regulatory filings released Friday evening which showed four Moderna executives — including billionaire CEO Stéphane Bancel — sold a combined 23,281 shares for about $3.6 million last week.

Pfizer Director Dr. Scott Gottlieb: Shots for Kids Under 5 Delayed Due to Low COVID Cases in Trial

CNBC reported:

The Food and Drug Administration’s plan to fast-track Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for children under 5 years old was delayed because of a “low number of cases overall in the clinical trial,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Monday.

“Most kids are not getting symptomatic COVID,” said the current Pfizer board member and former head of the FDA. “One case in one direction or another can tip the perception of the vaccine’s overall effectiveness.”

“I suspect there’s only going to be 15% to 20% of parents who go out and get their young kids vaccinated,” should shots for children under 5 get emergency authorization, Gottlieb said.

Gottlieb said he expects the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to institute a “permissive recommendation,” rather than a mandate for children under 5 to get vaccinated.

White House Seeks Another $30 Billion for COVID Battle

Associated Press reported:

The Biden administration is telling Congress that it needs an additional $30 billion to press ahead with the fight against COVID-19, officials said.

Two people familiar with the administration’s plan confirmed key details on Tuesday: $17.9 billion for vaccines and treatments, $4.9 billion for testing, $3 billion to cover coronavirus care for uninsured people, and $3.7 billion to prepare for future variants. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss deliberations between the administration and lawmakers over the supplemental funding.

According to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Congress has already approved $5.8 trillion to battle the pandemic in a series of major bills spanning the Trump and Biden administrations. That’s not counting actions by the Federal Reserve to help keep the economy going.

A State Bill Will Allow Ivermectin Prescriptions, Though It’s Already Legal

Newsweek reported:

A Republican-held state House has passed a bill allowing the antiparasitic drug ivermectin to be prescribed, even though it  was already legal in the state.

Lawmakers in the South Dakota House of Representatives passed House Bill 1267, legalizing the prescription of ivermectin by doctors, according to the Grand Forks Herald, 40 to 28 in favor. Following this vote, it will now head to the state Senate.

Despite the bill passing successfully, it was already legal in South Dakota, and the rest of the country, for doctors to prescribe ivermectin to patients for any reason.

Moderna’s CEO Says It’s ‘Reasonable’ to Suggest the COVID Pandemic Is in Its Final Stages

Business Insider reported:

Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel has said it is “reasonable” to consider the COVID-19 pandemic almost over.

Speaking to CNBC’s Squawk Box Asia on Wednesday about whether he believed that the pandemic was in its final stages, Bancel said: “I think that is a reasonable scenario.”

Bancel said he thinks there was “about an 80% chance” that as the virus evolves, it will become “less and less virulent.” If this were the case, Bancel still expects people older than fifty, and those at high risk of severe illness, to be boosted against COVID-19 each year.

“This virus is going to stay with humans forever, like the flu, and we’d have to live with it,” he said.

39% of Americans Approve of Biden’s Handling of the Pandemic: Poll

The Hill reported:

Only 39% of Americans say they approve of President Biden’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new poll released on Wednesday.

A new Politico-Morning Consult poll found that just 39% of Americans surveyed gave an excellent or good rating for the president’s handling of the pandemic, while 41% gave it a poor rating, and 16% said it was “just fair.”

COVID Booster Shot Uptake Is at All-Time Low in the U.S., CNN Analysis Finds

CNN Health reported:

The pace of people getting COVID-19 vaccine booster shots in the United States has dropped to the lowest it has ever been, and many public health experts are concerned.

As of Monday, about 64% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with at least their initial two-dose series, and 28% have received a booster shot.

But the pace of booster doses going into arms is the lowest it has been in months — since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first recommended boosters for seniors and other at-risk adults in September, according to a CNN analysis of CDC data. The agency expanded its recommendation for booster doses in November to include all adults.

Exclusive: Short AstraZeneca Shelf Life Complicates COVID Vaccine Rollout to World’s Poorest

Reuters reported:

The relatively short shelf life of AstraZeneca Plc’s (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine is complicating the rollout to the world’s poorest nations, according to officials and internal World Health Organization documents reviewed by Reuters.

It is the latest headache to plague the COVAX vaccine-sharing project, co-led by the WHO and aimed at getting shots to the world’s neediest people.

WHO: New COVID Cases Drop by 19% Globally, Deaths Stable

Associated Press reported:

The number of new coronavirus cases globally fell by 19% in the last week while the number of deaths remained stable, according to the World Health Organization.

WHO said that all other coronavirus variants, including Alpha, Beta and Delta, continue to decline globally as Omicron crowds them out. Among the more than 400,000 COVID-19 virus sequences uploaded to the world’s biggest virus database in the last week, more than 98% were Omicron.

Merck Struggles to Win European Approval for COVID Antiviral Pill

The Irish Times reported:

The European Medicines Agency is unlikely to grant conditional marketing authorization to Merck’s COVID-19 antiviral pill this month as it grapples with “problematic” data, according to people familiar with the approval process.

It is “possible” the oral COVID drug Molnupiravir will not receive approval at all, one of the people said. The EMA declined to comment on its ongoing review.

According to European officials, national healthcare systems in Europe are favoring Pfizer’s Paxlovid, another COVID antiviral pill, whose efficacy in reducing death and hospitalisation has been confirmed at 89%.

UK to Offer COVID Vaccine to All Children 5 to 11

Associated Press reported:

British authorities will offer a coronavirus vaccine to almost six million children from age 5 to 11, officials said Wednesday. The government said young children will be offered a low-dose COVID-19 shot on a “non-urgent” basis beginning in April in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also announced similar measures.

“Parents can, if they want, take up the offer to increase protection against potential future waves of COVID-19 as we learn to live with this virus,” Health Secretary Sajid Javid said.

The government’s independent vaccine advisory committee said while the virus does not pose a threat to most children, a very small number who are infected will develop serious disease.

Feb 11, 2022

Court Orders Anti-Vaxxer Dad to Stop Sharing COVID Vaccine Info With Son + More

Court Orders Anti-Vaxxer Dad to Stop Sharing COVID Vaccine Info With Son

International Business Times reported:

A court in the Canadian province of British Columbia has ordered a local man to stop sharing any information about COVID-19 vaccines with his 11-year-old son after he claimed the jabs were “experimental” and objected to having his child vaccinated.

Kelowna provincial court Judge Cathaline Heinrichs, in a decision released this week, sided with the boy’s mother, who wished to have the child vaccinated, CBC reported.

Both of the unnamed parents have guardianship over the boy following their separation in 2016, but the mother asked the court to allow the immediate vaccination of her son and to place limits on her former husband’s contact with their child until he has received the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Penticton Herald.

Doctor Who Helped Discover Omicron Says She Was Pressured Not to Reveal It’s Mild

The Epoch Times reported:

The doctor who helped discover the Omicron COVID-19 variant claimed that she was pressured by several government officials not to reveal that it was a milder strain.

Speaking to Germany’s Welt newspaper, Dr. Angelique Coetzee, who is currently the head of the South African Medical Association, said that during discussions with European officials, she was told not to say that Omicron patients presented milder symptoms than prior COVID-19 variants.

“I was told not to publicly state that it was a mild illness. I have been asked to refrain from making such statements and to say that it is a serious illness. I declined,” she told Welt in response to a question about her initial discussions about Omicron with European officials.

Pfizer, BioNTech Delay FDA Request for Vaccines for Children Under 5

The Hill reported:

Pfizer and BioNTech on Friday said they are delaying their request for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize their coronavirus vaccine for children under five years old, because there’s not enough data on the efficacy of a third dose.

An FDA advisory panel meeting scheduled for next week has been postponed, the FDA said.

The companies said they don’t expect to have three-dose protection data available until early April.

Meanwhile, federal officials had already been planning how to distribute the vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week told state and local health officials they could receive their first shipments by Feb. 21.

Fact Check: Did Player Collapse in Juniors Tennis Final Because of Vaccine?

Newsweek reported:

Czech tennis starlet Jakub Menšík collapsed to the ground and was taken off court in a wheelchair after an exhausting three-set final lasting nearly four hours.

The video of the final moments of the tournament, showing the Czech player falling to the ground and twitching with what seemed to be cramps or spasms, was shared widely online, with some speculating that it was caused by drugs or a bad reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Some of the claims were based on the assumption that Menšík was vaccinated against COVID. A post on the r/Conspiracy subreddit also blamed the vaccine, while dismissing the idea that the fall was because of a cramp.

It is true that all Australian Open participants were required to be vaccinated, as stated in the tournament’s official guidelines.

How Eisenhower Predicted Fauci

Newsweek reported:

If it wasn’t obvious before, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that science has become thoroughly politicized. Though normally focused on observable and verifiable causes and effects in the natural world, many scientists, especially government employed ones, have taken on a political role and have shaped scientific findings in the service of those political ends. President Dwight Eisenhower foresaw this abuse by government scientists, and he shows us the way out.

Some of the federal government’s top scientists made a concerted effort to stifle debate. Dr. Francis Collins, the former head of the National Institutes of Health, requested a “devastating takedown” of those who disagreed with his insistence on lockdowns, referring to dissenting scholars from Harvard, Oxford and Stanford as “fringe.” He and other public health officials selectively ignored real data.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and chief medical adviser to the president, declared that “attacks on me, quite frankly, are attacks on science.”

Novavax Says Protein Vaccine Works for Kids as Young as 12

Associated Press reported:

Novavax announced Thursday that its COVID-19 vaccine proved safe and effective in a study of 12- to 17-year-olds. It makes a protein-based vaccine — a different type than the most widely used shots — that’s a late arrival to the COVID-19 arsenal.

Its shots have been cleared for use in adults by regulators in Britain, Europe and elsewhere and by the World Health Organization, and are under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Armed with the new data, Novavax plans to soon seek expanded use of its shots down to age 12. Later this year, it plans to begin testing in younger children.

The latest study enrolled 2,247 U.S. kids ages 12 to 17 last summer and found the two-dose vaccine was 80% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection.

What Are Taxpayers Spending for Those ‘Free’ COVID Tests? The Government Won’t Say.

Kaiser Health News reported:

The four free COVID-19 rapid tests President Joe Biden promised in December for every American household have begun arriving in earnest in mailboxes and on doorsteps.

The Defense Department organized the bidding and announced in mid-January, after a limited competitive process, that three companies were awarded contracts totaling nearly $2 billion for 380 million over-the-counter antigen tests, all to be delivered by March 14.

The much-touted purchase was the latest tranche in trillions of dollars in public spending in response to the pandemic. How much is the government paying for each test? And what were the terms of the agreements? The government won’t yet say, even though, by law, this information should be available.

Biden Administration Purchases 600K Doses of New COVID Antibody Drug

The Hill reported:

The Biden administration on Thursday said it purchased 600,000 treatments worth of a new COVID-19 antibody drug that officials said works against the Omicron variant.

The drug from Eli Lilly has not yet been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. But the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said if the authorization occurs, the treatment will be made available to states immediately, free of charge.

Under the contract, HHS said it would receive approximately 300,000 treatment courses of the monoclonal antibody in February and about another 300,000 treatment courses in March. They would be ready to ship immediately following authorization.

Denmark Aims to End COVID Vaccine Campaign, Won’t Give Boosters to Children

Newsweek reported:

Denmark is considering scaling back the country’s vaccination program in the coming months, and health authorities also say they see no reason to give children booster shots as the latest coronavirus surge begins to subside.

This past November the country expanded its vaccination program to include children between 5 and 11. Authorities also considered a booster shot for children, as well as a fourth shot for older adults and other vulnerable citizens amid last month’s Omicron wave.

But on Friday, the health authorities said that there was no need for children to get a booster shot and that they “plan to round off the current vaccination program for all target groups, including the program for children aged 5-11.”

Feb 10, 2022

Early ‘Lab-Grown’ COVID Virus Found in Sample Lends Weight to Wuhan Theory + More

Early ‘Lab-Grown’ COVID Virus Found in Sample Lends Weight to Wuhan Theory

The Telegraph reported:

An early version of COVID-19 that appears to have been grown in a laboratory has been discovered in samples from a Chinese biotechnology firm. The finding lends weight to claims that the virus may have started life as a lab experiment that accidentally leaked out.

Bioinformatics experts from the University of Veterinary Medicine and Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary, made the discovery by accident while examining genetic data from soil samples collected from Antarctica in late 2018 and early 2019.

The samples were sent to Sangon Biotech in Shanghai for sequencing in Dec 2019, where they became contaminated with a previously unknown variant of COVID-19.

Viscount Ridley, author of Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19, said: “The unique mutations hint at it being an ancestral variant. So if it was sequenced in say mid-December, before anybody had identified the virus in people and started trying to grow it in labs, then it points to secret samples in labs in 2019.”

Mexico City Gave Ivermectin to Thousands of COVID Patients. Officials Face an Ethics Backlash.

The Washington Post reported:

As the coronavirus coursed through Mexico City early last year, ravaging neighborhoods and overwhelming hospitals, local officials made an unusual decision. They gave out tens of thousands of medical kits to COVID-19 patients containing ivermectin, an anti-parasitic medication.

Mexico City officials eventually declared their effort a success. They issued an academic paper last spring saying the medical kits had significantly reduced hospitalization rates. That finding, they said, “supports ivermectin-based interventions” to ease the coronavirus pandemic’s burden on health systems.

Now city authorities are facing a backlash. A U.S.-based academic site that had posted their paper, SocArXiv, withdrew it last Friday, charging it was “promoting an unproved medical treatment in the midst of a global pandemic.” The site accused city officials of bad science and unethical behavior — in effect, of using citizens like rats in a giant laboratory experiment, without their consent.

‘Natural Immunity’ Holds up Against Severe Omicron Cases in Qatar Study — ‘Robust’ Protection From Previous Infection Against Hospitalization, Death by Reinfection

MedPage Today reported:

Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection was estimated to be less effective at preventing reinfection with the Omicron variant compared to prior variants, though it did appear to hold up against severe disease, researchers in Qatar found.

The effectiveness of previous infection in preventing reinfection was estimated at 56.0% (95% CI 50.6-60.9) against the Omicron variant, as compared to 90.2% (95% CI 60.2-97.6) against the Alpha variant, 85.7% (95% CI 75.8-91.7) against the Beta variant, and 92.0% (95% CI 87.9-94.7) against the Delta variant, reported Laith Abu-Raddad, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar in Doha, and colleagues.

However, no reinfections resulted in death, and effectiveness of natural infection against “severe, critical or fatal” COVID from the Omicron variant was 87.8% (95% CI 47.5-97.1), they wrote in a correspondence in the New England Journal of Medicine.

More College Students Are Dropping out During COVID. It Could Get Worse.

The Guardian reported:

After Omicron forced classes back online late in the semester, Izzy, 18, who was living with her parents, felt overwhelmed by loneliness; she struggled to focus on her schoolwork and enjoy life.

As she seriously considered suicide, Izzy sought help and moved into her grandparents’ home in Wyoming to be closer to her extended family. And she stopped attending school.

Thousands of other students around the country are leaving college — some because of mental health issues, others for financial or family reasons. Educators worry that many have left for good.

New York City Might Have Rat COVID, but It’s Probably Fine

New York Magazine reported:

Over the past year, scientists keep seeing a COVID-19 oddity showing up in New York City’s sewer system: bits and pieces of virus in the wastewater that suggest there’s a mysterious new variant in the city. Thankfully, there’s no evidence that it’s particularly infectious or deadly.

But scientists aren’t sure where the “cryptic lineages,” as researchers call the fragments, are coming from. One theory is that the virus is coming from people whose strains have yet to be sequenced. But another is totally and utterly alarming: that this variant could be courtesy of the city’s rats.

Last Responders: Mental Health Damage From COVID Could Last a Generation, Professionals Say

CNBC reported:

Aside from the obvious physical impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, health professionals have told CNBC that many people are struggling with the immense emotional and societal changes it has brought. What’s more, they’re finding it hard to adapt to a “new normal” now that lockdowns are starting to ease.

Many psychologists and psychiatrists have reported an influx of people seeking mental health support during the pandemic, with the unprecedented global health crisis causing an increase in anxiety and depression as well as exacerbating existing mental health conditions.

Numerous studies on the impact of COVID on mental health have been carried out. One study, published in The Lancet medical journal in October, looked at the global prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.

Lander Held on to Vaccine Maker Stock Months Into Tenure

Politico reported:

Serving as Biden’s top science adviser, Eric Lander, the head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, publicly promoted COVID-19 vaccination efforts while having a significant financial investment in one of the vaccine makers, according to financial disclosures.

Under the White House’s ethics agreement Lander signed, he had 90 days to divest his stocks after he was confirmed by the Senate on May 28. While Lander shed the bulk of that stock in June — including shares of BioNTech SE, the German biotechnology company and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine partner — he waited until Aug. 5 to sell the remaining $500,000 to $1 million worth of stock he held in that company.

Lander, the richest man in Biden’s cabinet with over $45 million in assets when he was nominated, did not disclose his stock holdings in a Boston Globe article or in The Washington Post op-ed.

Frustrated Democrats Amp up Pressure on Biden Over Global Vaccinations

The Hill reported:

Congressional Democrats are increasing pressure on the Biden administration to step up its efforts to vaccinate the world, arguing more needs to be done to prevent a new COVID-19 variant from emerging to threaten the United States after Omicron.

A group of more than 80 Democratic lawmakers is pushing for $17 billion to support global vaccinations in a coming government funding package, but there is no certainty yet on what will be provided.

The Biden administration has touted its pledge of 1.2 billion doses for other countries, of which 400 million have been delivered so far, more than any other country in the world has provided.

AstraZeneca Sees $4 Billion in COVID Vaccine Sales as Revenue Soars

Associated Press reported:

AstraZeneca recorded a big jump in revenue on Thursday as it begins to take a profit from its coronavirus vaccine for the first time.

The company recorded full-year revenues of $37.4 billion, an increase of 38% from the year before at constant exchange rates. Part of the boost came from $4 billion in sales of its COVID-19 vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford.

The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said in November it would begin to take a “modest” profit from the COVID-19 shot, which it had been providing “at cost” — around $2 to $3 — following an agreement with Oxford. Other COVID-19 vaccine producers, such as Pfizer and Moderna, have been booking hefty profits on their shots all along.

Australians Will Require Three COVID Vaccine Doses to Be Considered Fully Vaccinated

The Guardian reported:

Australians will now need three COVID vaccine doses to be considered “up to date” with their shots, but it will be left to individual states to set their own rules on booster mandates.

On Thursday, the federal health minister, Greg Hunt, announced the government’s immunization advisory body had updated its guidance.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization’s new guidance states a third dose is required for someone to be considered “up to date” with their vaccinations.

Feb 09, 2022

CDC Still Needs to Approve Young Kids’ COVID Shots, but It’s Telling Health Agencies to Expect Delivery by Feb. 21 + More

The CDC Still Needs to Approve Young Kids’ COVID Shots, but It’s Telling Health Agencies to Expect Delivery by Feb. 21

CNBC reported:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t yet approved COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5, but it’s laying the groundwork to distribute the shots, telling state and local health officials they could receive their first shipments by Feb. 21.

The CDC plans to roll out 10 million doses in three phases as soon as the Food and Drug Administration authorizes the lower-dose, 3-microgram Pfizer and BioNTech shot for children 6 months to 4 years old, according to a new planning document quietly issued Sunday.

State and local health officials could start pre-ordering the first doses Monday and will start receiving vaccine shipments on Presidents Day, according to the CDC.

The FDA’s panel of outside vaccine experts is scheduled to meet on the shots Tuesday.

Pandemic’s Impact on Youth Mental Health ‘Devastating’: Surgeon General

ABC News reported:

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told lawmakers on Tuesday that the pandemic has had a “devastating” impact on the mental health of America’s young people.

“I’m deeply concerned as a parent and as a doctor that the obstacles this generation of young people face are unprecedented and uniquely hard to navigate and the impact that’s having on their mental health is devastating,” Murthy told the Senate Finance Committee.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last year that emergency department visits for suicide attempts among teen girls were up more than 50% at the beginning of the pandemic, compared to the same period in 2019.

COVID Pandemic Causes ‘Broken Heart’ Syndrome Cases to Surge: Researchers

Fox News reported:

Research has reportedly identified a spike in cases of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or “broken heart syndrome,” over the course of the coronavirus pandemic. Experts said the potentially fatal stress-induced heart condition is disproportionately affecting women.

According to Harvard University, citing the American Heart Journal, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the left ventricle — the heart’s main pumping chamber — usually due to severe emotional or physical stress.

The main symptoms of broken heart syndrome include chest pain and shortness of breath, and the Mayo Clinic notes that it can mimic a heart attack.

Complications from it include low blood pressure, heart failure, blood clots in the heart, arrhythmias and pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs.

Pfizer CEO Says Chances Are ‘Very High’ FDA Will Approve Low-Dose COVID Shots for Kids Under 5

CNBC reported:

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Tuesday said he believes the Food and Drug Administration will authorize the company’s COVID vaccine for children under 5 years old under a fast-track process that allows the agency to review the data as soon as researchers compile it in real time.

“I think the chances are very high for the FDA to approve it,” Bourla told CNBC’s Meg Tirrell, while noting that the regulatory process still has to play out. “I think that they will be pleased with the data and they will approve,” he said.

Data on Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine for kids under 5 years old is expected on Friday when briefing documents for the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee are published. The committee has a meeting scheduled for Feb. 15 to discuss the shots for young kids.

Fauci Says U.S. Approaching COVID Endemic Phase, End to Restrictions

Newsweek reported:

Dr. Anthony Fauci estimates that COVID-19 restrictions could end as soon as this year as coronavirus cases drop and the nation moves into an endemic phase.

He said as the U.S. transitions out of the pandemic phase the decision to lift restrictions will happen on a local level, as opposed to actions by the federal government, the Financial Times reported.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to the president, said he doesn’t believe the virus will be eradicated. Instead, the health crisis will reach a state of “equilibrium” where people can learn to live with the virus.

Bill Gates’ New Book Will Discuss His Views on How to Prevent the Next Pandemic and How He Became the Subject of Conspiracy Theories

Business Insider reported:

Bill Gates is optimistic that “COVID-19 can be the last pandemic.” So much so that he’s dedicated his next book to it.

In a post on his long-running GatesNotes blog, the Microsoft cofounder revealed that the title of his new book will be “How to Prevent the Next Pandemic.” It will be published in May 2022.

We’re not as close to the end of this pandemic as we would like but we have learned a lot about how to stop this happening again,” Gates said in a video accompanying the announcement.

It will also include lessons from his conversations with public health leaders, including Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to the President, and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the leader of the United Nations Health Agency.

COVID Vaccines for Babies and Toddlers Will Pose New Logistical Challenges for the Philly Area

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported:

With children under 5 likely to be cleared for the coronavirus vaccine in the coming weeks, local officials are making plans for how the vaccine will be distributed to babies and toddlers — but the rollout will pose extra logistical hurdles, including the need for more doctors to enroll as vaccine providers.

Pharmacies, which have been a major part of the vaccine distribution process, can only vaccinate kids 3 and up under federal rules. But many doctors, who immunize babies and toddlers against other illnesses, aren’t signed up to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

As Case Counts Fall, WHO Chief Warns ‘COVID Isn’t Finished’

Associated Press reported:

The head of the World Health Organization insisted Wednesday that “COVID isn’t finished with us,” appealing for more support to fight the pandemic after his agency reported that case counts and deaths fell worldwide over the past week.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, launching a new $23 billion campaign to fund WHO’s efforts to lead a fair rollout of COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines around the world, cautioned that “diseases know no borders” and the highly-transmissible Omicron variant has shown that “any feeling of safety can change in a moment.”

WHO’s weekly epidemiological report, released late Tuesday, showed that case counts fell 17% worldwide over the last week, including a 50% decline in the United States, while deaths globally declined 7%.

CVS Forecasts 80% Drop in COVID Vaccine Sales for 2022

New York Post reported:

CVS on Wednesday said it expected a 70% to 80% drop in the number of COVID-19 vaccines its drugstores will administer this year and said 2022 profit would be driven by its health insurance and pharmacy benefit management businesses.

Shares of the company fell more than 4% in early trading after the company left its 2022 earnings forecast unchanged despite beating profit expectations in the fourth quarter. CVS made the comments during a conference call to discuss fourth-quarter results, which exceeded Wall Street estimates for profit and sales.

Demand for COVID-19 vaccines at CVS stores shot up to more than 20 million during the fourth quarter from around 11 million in the preceding quarter as the U.S. booster shot campaign gathered steam.

Researchers Say They’ve Developed Accurate 4-Minute COVID Test

U.S. News & World Report reported:

A new coronavirus test that provides results within four minutes is as accurate as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) lab test, according to the Chinese scientists who developed it.

The results of a clinical trial of the test, which uses microelectronics to analyze genetic material from nasal swabs, were published Feb. 7 in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

The rapid test results were a perfect match with the PCR tests, according to the peer-reviewed study. The rapid test accurately detected all 33 coronavirus cases and did not give false negatives for any of the uninfected people.