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Covid News Watch
We’ll All Be Dead Before FDA Releases Full COVID Pfizer Vaccine Record + More
We’ll All Be Dead Before FDA Releases Full COVID Vaccine Record, Plaintiffs Say
In advance of a court hearing before a federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration has offered by the end of January to make public 12,000 pages of data that it relied on to license Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine.
At first glance, that sounds like a lot of material. Except a group of scientists and doctors who’ve sued the agency under the Freedom of Information Act is seeking an estimated 400,000-plus additional pages of information about the vaccine’s approval.
Under the FDA’s proposed schedule — the agency pledges to release “a minimum” of 500 pages a month after the initial dump — the full trove might not be made public until the year 2097.
NFL Records Highest Number of Single-Day Positive COVID Tests Since Pandemic Began
The NFL’s COVID-19 outbreak hit an all-time high on Monday.
There were 36 players and one staff member across the league that tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, the most ever in a single day since the pandemic began in 2020, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The staff member reportedly tested positive for the Omicron variant, which marks the first known case of that variant in the league.
Pfizer Pill Reduces Risk of COVID Hospitalization and Death by 89% and Should Protect Against Omicron
A new study confirms that Pfizer’s new antiviral pill Paxlovid significantly decreases severe illness in COVID patients, and is also effective against the Omicron variant.
The study, which included 2,246 unvaccinated participants at high risk of developing severe symptoms, reveals that the pill can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID by 89% if taken within three days of the onset of symptoms, the company said Tuesday.
Pfizer CEO: COVID-19 Treatment Pills Are Not a Substitute for Vaccines
While CEO Albert Bourla called it a “game changer,” he cautioned that people should not see the treatment as a replacement or alternative to taking the vaccine.
“I’m afraid that there will be some people that will think like that. It’s a very big mistake. Vaccines are needed. Vaccines are the primary frontier that you should be using to stop the disease,” he told CNN.
The goal is prevention from the disease, which is accomplished by the vaccine, he urged.
Who Says Omicron Is Spreading at a Rate Not Seen With Any Other COVID Variant
The World Health Organization on Tuesday warned the new omicron COVID-19 variant is spreading faster than any previous strain, and it is probably present in every country of the world.
“Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a COVID update in Geneva. “Seventy-seven countries have now reported cases of omicron. And the reality is that omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet.”
Two-Dose Vaccines Induce Lower Antibodies Against Omicron, Study Finds
Two-dose COVID-19 vaccine regimens do not induce enough neutralising antibodies against the Omicron coronavirus variant, British scientists found, indicating that increased infections in those previously infected or vaccinated may be likely.
Researchers from the University of Oxford published results on Monday from a study yet to be peer-reviewed, where they analysed blood samples from participants who were given doses from AstraZeneca-Oxford (AZN.L) or Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE) in a large study looking into mixing of vaccines.
The results come a day after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that two shots will not be enough to contain Omicron, following findings from the UK health agency last week that boosters significantly restore protection against the variant.
UPS Vaccine Logistics Chief Fears More COVID Shots ‘Returned or Destroyed’ Due to Challenges
The next phase of the U.S. COVID vaccination distribution effort will be challenging, the president of UPS Healthcare told CNBC, as Tuesday marks one year since the initial shipments.
“The manufacturers are starting to think about how they change the formulation,” said Wes Wheeler, who leads the vaccine logistics effort for the global carrier. “When that happens, inventory becomes an issue, logistics becomes an issue and basically performance becomes an issue.”
“There will be potentially more vaccines that have to be returned or destroyed because they are not used and they are kept in storage beyond their shelf life,” he added.
Most Reported U.S. Omicron Cases Have Hit the Fully Vaccinated + More
Most Reported U.S. Omicron Cases Have Hit the Fully Vaccinated — CDC
Most of the 43 COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant identified in the United States so far were in people who were fully vaccinated, and a third of them had received a booster dose, according to a U.S. report published on Friday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that of the 43 cases attributed to Omicron variant, 34 people had been fully vaccinated. Fourteen of them had also received a booster, although five of those cases occurred less than 14 days after the additional shot before full protection kicks in.
1 of Every 100 Americans Over 65 Has Died From Coronavirus, CDC Data Shows
One in every 100 Americans over the age of 65 has now died from coronavirus, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.
That same population is also the most vaccinated of any age bracket, according to the Mayo Clinic’s vaccine tracker.
Over 89% of the 65 to 74 population and 84% of the 75 and older group is fully vaccinated, the data shows.
Joyful Moment or Risky Move? Europe Divided Over Kids’ Vaccines
As Europe starts vaccinating younger children, countries are pursuing very different strategies in what will be a major test of parents’ willingness to get their kids inoculated.
One region in Italy is sending in clowns and jugglers to clinics, France and Germany are targeting only the most vulnerable kids, while Denmark has been administering shots even before the specially-designed vials and syringes have arrived.
But a major hurdle will be winning over parents. A lack of data on the effects on children was given as the main reason for the hesitancy, while a third thought that children would be less likely to get infected and 9% worried about long-term side-effects.
Gen Z Is Done With the Pandemic
Taylor Robertson wasn’t expecting his freshman year of college to end at home. The 21-year-old William & Mary junior spent most of 2020 away from his campus after classes went remote in March, and like so many other students, found that the virtual format didn’t work for him.
A year later, Robertson’s classes are entirely in-person. His college has a vaccine and indoor mask mandate, and almost everyone he knows is living a “normal” life. “People don’t want to talk about COVID anymore,” Robertson told me.
Robertson echoes a feeling that has permeated the minds and lifestyles of many young people who have missed out on experiences, friendships and milestones over the past two years of coronavirus disruption. There is a sense of needing to make up for lost time and reclaim a sense of normalcy, even as case counts rise and new variants take root.
As the Pandemic Raged, at Least 75 Lawmakers Bought and Sold Stock in Companies That Make COVID Vaccines, Treatments and Tests
Dozens of Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill have invested in companies that have a direct stake in the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an Insider analysis of federal financial records.
In 2020, at least 13 senators and 35 US representatives held shares of Johnson & Johnson, the medical behemoth that produced the single-shot COVID-19 vaccine that more than 15 million Americans have received.
At least 11 senators and 34 representatives also held shares in 2020 of another COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer, Pfizer. Two representatives or their spouses held shares of Moderna during the same year that the world went on lockdown in response to the pandemic.
Dem Governor Declares COVID Emergency ‘Over,’ Says It’s ‘Their Own Darn Fault’ if Unvaccinated Get Sick
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, declared in a new interview that the COVID-19 emergency is “over” and that he won’t be implementing another statewide mask mandate in response to the spread of the Omicron variant, explaining that if people aren’t vaccinated at this point it’s their “own darn fault” if they get sick.
“You know, public health [officials] don’t get to tell people what to wear; that’s just not their job. You don’t tell people to wear a jacket when they go out in winter and force them to [wear it]. If they get frostbite, it’s their own darn fault.
“If you haven’t been vaccinated, that’s your choice. I respect that. But it’s your fault when you’re in the hospital with COVID,” he added.
Hospitalizations, Mortality Cut in Half After Brazilian City Offered Ivermectin to Everyone Pre-Vaccine
Early on in the pandemic, before the vaccines were available, the Southern Brazilian city of Itajai offered Ivermectin as a prophylaxis against the disease.
Between July and December of 2020, roughly 220,000 people were offered a dose of 0.2mg/kg/day (roughly 18mg for a 200lb person) as an optional treatment for 2 days, once every two weeks. 133,051 people took them up on it, while 87,466 did not.
After analyzing the data, a team of researchers spanning several Brazilian institutes, the University of Toronto, and Columbia’s EAFIT concluded in a December pre-print study that hospitalization and mortality rates were cut in half over the seven month period among the Ivermectin group.
COVID Lab Leak Probe After Scientist Bitten by Infected Animal
Taiwanese officials are investigating links between a mouse bite and a COVID-19 infection in Taiwan, after a laboratory worker tested positive for the virus last week.
Health officials are scrambling to investigate how the worker at Academia Sinica’s Genomics Research Center, a high-security laboratory, became infected with COVID-19 as the island’s borders remain shut.
The worker, a fully vaccinated woman in her 20s, tested positive for COVID-19 last week after coming into contact with the virus at the country’s top research institute in mid-November.
Israeli Study Finds Pfizer COVID Booster Protects Against Omicron
Israeli researchers said on Saturday they found that a three-shot course of the Pfizer/BioNTech (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE) COVID-19 vaccine provided significant protection against the new Omicron variant.
The findings were similar to those presented by BioNTech and Pfizer earlier in the week, which were an early signal that booster shots could be key to protect against infection from the newly identified variant.
Cyprus OKs COVID Vaccinations for Children Aged 5 to 11
Cyprus will start vaccinating kids between the ages of 5 to 11, the government said Monday in fresh bid to head off another COVID-19 surge following the first confirmed cases of the Omicron variant on the eastern Mediterranean island nation.
Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela also said individuals can receive booster shots two weeks sooner than the previously mandatory six-month waiting period after their second vaccine shot.
Indonesia to Start Vaccinating Children Aged 6 to 11 Against COVID
Indonesia will start administering COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged between 6 to 11 on Tuesday, a health ministry official said, as the Southeast Asian country becomes one of the first in the region to immunize the very young.
Indonesia approved China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccine for the age group last month and about 26.5 million children have been targeted for vaccination, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, a senior health ministry official, told a briefing.
Beware Flu and COVID Vax Mix-Ups and Other Medication Errors + More
Beware Flu and COVID Vax Mix-Ups and Other Medication Errors — Medication Safety Group Previews New Best Practices for Next Year
In 2021, COVID-19 vaccine errors were among the top medication safety issues voluntarily reported to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), the group reported.
From Dec. 14, 2020, through April 15, 2021, the most common error associated with FDA-authorized coronavirus vaccines was administration of the wrong dose — usually related to syringe malfunction or leakage, dose measurement mistakes, or administration of air in an empty syringe, according to Matthew Grissinger, BSPharm, director of Error Reporting Programs at ISMP.
Another common issue was vaccination of people not technically eligible due to age at the time: under 16 years for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and under 18 years for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
“The new concern as of today is the mix-up of flu and COVID vaccines, because CDC recommends you get the flu shot and the booster, both at the same time,” he noted, citing 20 reports in the past month of this kind of mistake. Anecdotally, he has also heard of a mix-up between epinephrine and a COVID vaccine, he added.
Anti-Vaccine Doctor Fired for Trying to Treat COVID Patients With Ivermectin
A Mississippi doctor said he was fired from his job at a local hospital after trying to treat COVID-19 patients with anti-parasite drug ivermectin.
Dr. John Witcher, an emergency room physician, said he was let go from Baptist Memorial Hospital in Yazoo City, Mississippi, for taking three COVID-19 patients off Remdesivir, an antiviral drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat the virus, and instead trying to put them on ivermectin. That violated the hospital’s policy on ivermectin, which is not approved by the FDA for COVID-19.
Fauci Says Omicron-Specific Version of COVID Vaccines May Not Be Necessary
Anthony Fauci isn’t convinced COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers are going to need to produce an Omicron-specific version of their vaccines.
Rather, the long-time director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases suggested to STAT in an interview Thursday, it’s possible the current vaccines will provide enough protection against the new variant for most vaccinated and boosted individuals.
Fauci stressed that he was hypothesizing, based on how the vaccines have held up against other SARS-CoV-2 variants. Studies will need to be done, he insisted. And manufacturers are working on and will test versions of their vaccines based on the mutation-studded Omicron spike protein.
COVID News: CDC Considers Expanding Boosters to Younger Kids
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says the agency is now considering expanding booster shots to younger kids in the coming months.
“We’re first starting to get our 5- to 11-year-olds vaccinated,” she said. “We’ll look again at the 12- to 15-year-olds, of course, as with the FDA, in real time.”
But as health officials work to expand vaccine eligibility, some Americans are refusing to get their shots. Roughly two-thirds of parents of elementary school-aged children are either holding off on getting their younger kids vaccinated or refuse to do so.
Fear Keeps Some Cancer Patients From Getting COVID Vaccine
U.S. News & World Report reported:
Cancer patients are at risk for serious COVID-19 illness, but some are still afraid to get vaccinated against the virus, new research shows. Study authors surveyed nearly 200 high-risk cancer patients at the Mays Cancer Center in San Antonio, Texas. Only 56% said they’d received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, compared to the community vaccination rate of 76%.
The three most common reasons patients gave for not getting vaccinated were: “My doctor has not told me to get the vaccine,” or “I do not think it is safe for me because I have cancer,” or “I’m afraid of the side effects.”
Patients were given six options to select for declining the vaccination. Aside from the three top reasons, other options included, “I already had COVID, so I don’t think I need the vaccine” and “I want the vaccine but have not been able to schedule an appointment.”
Natural Immunity More Protective Over Time Than COVID Vaccination: Study
Immunity people enjoy after recovering from COVID-19 is better than the protection bestowed from vaccination, according to a new study from Israel.
Researchers analyzing data from the county’s health database from August to September found both COVID-19 infections and severe disease were higher among the vaccinated than those who recovered from the illness, also known as people with natural immunity.
For instance, the naturally immune had a 10.5 per 100,000 infection rate four to six months following their recovery, versus a 69.2 per 100,000 rate among the vaccinated.
The Coronavirus Can Infect Body Fat, New Research Suggests — A Clue About Obesity’s Link to Severe COVID
More than two-thirds of American adults are obese or overweight, putting them at elevated risk of severe COVID-19 illness and death. Obesity in particular may triple the risk of hospitalization from the disease. But for most of the pandemic, scientists haven’t understood why.
While obesity-related conditions such as diabetes and heart disease can independently raise the risk of severe COVID-19, scientists now have evidence that body fat may be a contributing factor.
An October study from Stanford University that has not yet been peer-reviewed found that the coronavirus can directly infect fat cells. That process, in turn, may activate a harmful cascade of inflammation that damages other organs, such as the heart or lungs.
De Blasio Gave Away Student DNA to Lab Linked to Chinese Government — FULGENT GENETICS
NY Teachers for Choice reported:
If someone told you the mayor of New York City forced all school staff and students to give their DNA specimens to a laboratory with links to the Chinese government, you would think it was the plot of a bad B-movie. Unfortunately it is the reality in NYC under Mayor Bill de Blasio and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) union.
De Blasio contracted with “Fulgent Genetics” to perform COVID testing in NYC schools for the 2020 school year. The tests were mandatory and if you didn’t consent employees were placed on unpaid leave and students were kicked out of their school buildings.
However Fulgent’s primary business is not diagnostic testing. Their main business is collecting DNA specimens for their proprietary libraries.
Europe’s Medicine Agency Says Omicron Cases Appear Mild, Echoing the U.S. CDC
Europe’s medicines agency said on Thursday that reported cases of the Omicron virus variant so far appear mild. It hedged its announcement, saying that more work was being done to figure out how the variant impacts people.
Marco Cavaleri, the European Medicines Agency’s head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy, said “Cases appear to be mostly mild, however we need to gather more evidence to determine whether the spectrum of disease severity caused by Omicron is different [to] that of all the variants that have been circulating so far.”
He also said that data suggested Omicron is more contagious than the Delta variant, but that more research needs to be done to confirm if this is the case.
South Korea Reports Its Worst Virus Surge Since Pandemic; 81% Fully Vaccinated
New coronavirus infections in South Korea exceeded 7,000 for the third consecutive day on Friday, as the worst surge since the start of the pandemic overwhelmed hospitals and depleted healthcare workforce.
Around 41.5 million people, or 81% of the population of over 51 million, have been fully vaccinated, but only 10% have received booster shots.
The new rules enforced this week ban private gatherings of seven or more people in the greater capital area and require adults to verify their vaccination status at restaurants and other indoor venues. But Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said such measures haven’t yet showed an effect in slowing transmissions.
Factbox: COVID Vaccine Rollout for Children Aged 5 to 11 in the EU
The European Union rollout of the Pfizer (PFE.N) and BioNTech (22UAy.DE) COVID-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds should begin Dec. 13, as countries are expanding their vaccination programmes to include young children amid concerns over the infections surge in the continent and the new Omicron variant. read more
The following is a list of European Union countries with details of the vaccine rollout for children and country-specific regulations:
In Austria some provinces have been vaccinating children aged 5-11 years with a lower dose of the adult vaccine even before the EU recommendation.
Australia to Make COVID Vaccines Available for Children Ages 5 to 11
Children as young as five years old will become eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Australia beginning next month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Friday.
A release from the prime minister’s office noted that the decision came after recommendations from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization were accepted by the Australian government.
Children between the ages of five and 11 years old will only receive one-third of the vaccine dose typically given to those aged 12 years and older.
Most-Vaccinated State Has Largest COVID Surge Since Beginning of Pandemic + More
Vermont Seeing Largest COVID Surge of Pandemic, Despite 74% of Residents Vaccinated
Although 74% of its population is fully vaccinated, the state of Vermont is experiencing its largest surge of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.
Throughout the past week, coronavirus infections have jumped 54% along with an 18% increase in hospitalizations.
Vermont is far from the only state recording surges of COVID-19 infections. The number of Americans fully vaccinated reached 200 million Wednesday amid a dispiriting holiday-season spike in cases and hospitalizations that has hit even New England, one of the most highly inoculated corners of the country.
Man Dies of COVID ‘Vaccine-Induced’ Hemorrhage With ‘Very Swollen’ Brain, Doctor Confirms
International Business Times reported:
A man in England died of a severe brain-bleed that doctors say is caused by the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, according to an inquest.
Adam Bounds, a 41-year-old Devon resident, died on May 31 this year at a hospital in Plymouth, just 11 days after he received his AstraZeneca shot. He had been transferred from Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital prior to his death for neurosurgical intervention.
FDA Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech Coronavirus Vaccine Booster Shots for 16- and 17-Year-Olds Amid Omicron Threat
Federal regulators Thursday authorized booster shots of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for 16- and 17-year-olds, a step that could bolster protection against Delta, the dominant variant in the United States, and the emerging Omicron version.
The FDA’s authorization is expected to be reviewed and endorsed by Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, perhaps as soon as Thursday.
The clearance means 16- and 17-year-olds who received the initial two-shot series of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be able to get a booster six months after the second dose. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are not authorized for anyone under 18.
Most Parents Still Have Concerns About Safety of COVID Vaccines for Children, Survey Finds
Most parents still have concerns about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for children, and about three in 10 say that they will “definitely not” vaccinate their children against COVID-19, according to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Vaccine uptake has slowed among adolescents ages 12 to 17 in recent months. And among parents of younger children ages 5 to 11, about 29% say that their child has already been vaccinated or will be “right away.” But another third of parents of children in this age group say that they want to “wait and see” before vaccinating their child against COVID-19.
About six in 10 parents say that they don’t have enough information about the effectiveness, side effects or safety of the COVID-19 vaccines in children. In fact, more than one in six parents who have not yet vaccinated their children say that the need for more information, testing and research is the top reason they haven’t yet vaccinated their children against COVID-19, according to the KFF survey.
It’s a Question of ‘When, Not If’ the Definition of Fully Vaccinated Is Changed to Include a Further Shot, Fauci Says
Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s top medical doctor, said that it would be “a matter of when, not if,” the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ is reclassified to include an additional shot.
His comments came after early stage lab studies suggested that a further dose of vaccine may be necessary to provide protection against the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The definition of what constitutes fully vaccinated could be important, particularly as some organizations require it of their employees.
The AP Interview: CDC Chief Says Omicron Mostly Mild so Far
More than 40 people in the U.S. have been found to be infected with the Omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the CDC said Wednesday. But she said nearly all of them were only mildly ill.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the data is very limited and the agency is working on a more detailed analysis of what the new mutant form of the coronavirus might hold for the U.S.
She said “the disease is mild” in almost all of the cases seen so far, with reported symptoms mainly cough, congestion and fatigue. One person was hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, CDC officials said.
Vaccine Makers Racing to Update COVID Shots, Just in Case
Vaccine makers are racing to update their COVID-19 shots against the newest coronavirus threat even before it’s clear a change is needed, just in case.
Experts doubt today’s shots will become useless but say it’s critical to see how fast companies could produce a reformulated dose and prove it works — because whatever happens with Omicron, this newest mutant won’t be the last.
Norwegian COVID Experts Says Omicron Could Provide ‘Best Scenario’ of ‘Natural Immunity’
COVID experts in Norway say that the Omicron variant being highly transmissible but “milder” could prove to be the “best scenario” because it would boost “natural immunity” and bring the end of the pandemic closer.
The country’s state epidemiologist Frode Forland was responding to news of the biggest Omicron outbreak outside of South Africa, which occurred at an Oslo Christmas party.
Oslo infectious disease doctor Tine Ravlo revealed, “They have symptoms like fever, cough, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, but for now, none of them has become severely ill, and none of them have been treated in hospital.”
An Inside Look at a New York Lab Working With Omicron — NYU Virologist: ‘What Omicron Represents Is Scary, but Omicron Itself Is Not Scary’
MedPage Today spoke with Benjamin tenOever, PhD, a virologist at NYU Langone Health, for an inside look at sequencing efforts to track down Omicron.
“Right now, we have hamsters that have been either vaccinated or previously infected, and we challenge them with Omicron so that we can answer these questions about whether the way you taught your immune system — either via vaccine or infection — will still protect you from Omicron. My guess is the answer to that is going to be, yes,” said tenOever.
“The proteases and the replication machinery of Omicron has not changed compared to Beta or Delta, so it’s also clear that drugs like Pfizer‘s drug and Merck’s drug are still going to be equally effective against Omicron.”
“The truth is that I’m not overly concerned about Omicron at all. All the cases have been very mild and I don’t actually understand where the hysteria is coming from,” he added.
COVID: Medical Board Deletes Anti-Misinformation Policy Amid GOP Pressure
Tennessee’s medical licensing board voted Tuesday to delete a policy opposing coronavirus misinformation from its website due to fears a powerful conservative lawmaker would otherwise dissolve the board and replace its members.
The policy, unanimously adopted by the Board of Medical Examiners in September, establishes that doctors who spread demonstrably untrue information about COVID-19 vaccines could have their licenses suspended or potentially revoked. Members voted 7 to 3 to delete — but not rescind — the policy.
FDA Authorizes AstraZeneca Antibody Cocktail for Immunocompromised People
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday authorized AstraZeneca’s antibody cocktail designed to prevent COVID-19 in immunocompromised people who may not mount an adequate immune response to vaccines.
The FDA granted AstraZeneca’s Evusheld, previously known as AZD7442, an emergency use authorization to be given to certain adult and pediatric patients who are not currently infected with COVID-19 and have not been exposed to someone with the virus.
German Vaccine Panel Recommends COVID Shot for Children Ages 5 to 11
Germany’s vaccination advisory commission STIKO recommended on Thursday that Pfizer-BioNTech‘s (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE) COVID-19 vaccine is given to children aged five to 11 with pre-existing conditions and said others could also request it.
STIKO said in a statement that it also recommended the vaccine for children who are in contact with people with a high risk of severe COVID-19, such as the elderly or those with suppressed immune systems.
Meanwhile, STIKO said the risk of rare side effects of the vaccination cannot be assessed due to limited data available, which is why it is not making a general recommendation for children under 12 to get the shot.
South Africa Approves Pfizer Vaccine Booster Amid COVID Wave
South Africa’s regulatory authority has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as a booster shot, opening the way for third doses to be administered to battle the current surge driven by the Omicron variant.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority approved the Pfizer vaccine as a booster shot for people 18 years and older, six months after they received their second dose.
The regulatory body also approved a third dose for people aged 12 years and older who were “severely immunocompromised,” which may be taken 28 days after their second dose.