Covid News Watch
UNICEF: Battered by Pandemic, Kids Need Mental Health Help + More
UNICEF: Battered by Pandemic, Kids Need Mental Health Help
Governments must pour more money and resources into preserving the mental well-being of children and adolescents, the U.N.’s child protection agency urged in a report Tuesday that sounded alarms about blows to mental health from the COVID-19 pandemic that hit poor and vulnerable children particularly hard.
The United Nations Children’s Fund said its “State of the World’s Children” study is its most comprehensive look so far this century at the mental health of children and adolescents globally. The coronavirus crisis, forcing school closures that upended the lives of children and adolescents, has thrust the issue of their mental well-being to the fore.
Marc Pilcher, ‘Bridgerton’ Emmy Winner, Dies of COVID, Was Fully Vaccinated
Marc Pilcher, the award-winning hair stylist and makeup designer who won an Emmy for his work on the hit Netflix show “Bridgerton,” has died of COVID-19 at the age of 53, weeks after winning the award.
According to the statement, Pilcher was “double vaccinated” and had no underlying health conditions. He took multiple COVID-19 tests and tested negative to make the trip to the U.S. for the Emmy’s ceremony and back to the UK.
Soon after returning, he became ill and his condition deteriorated over the weekend. He died on Sunday, Curtis Brown said.
At-Home COVID Tests Being Recalled Due to False-Positive Results
In a statement, Ellume, the manufacturer of the tests, said, “In recent weeks, we noted an increased chance that Ellume COVID-19 Home Tests from specific lots may provide an incorrect positive result. Following a thorough investigation, we isolated the cause and confirmed that this incidence of false positives is limited to specific lots.”
According to Ellume, the company has worked with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue the voluntary recall and remove the affected at-home test kits from the market. The statement said that the tests included in the recall were distributed from April 2021 to August 2021.
Some Parents Remain Hesitant Over COVID Vaccine for Their Kids
As Pfizer awaits FDA approval to offer its COVID-19 vaccine to kids aged 5 through 11, some parents are expressing hesitancy. Dr. Aaron Carroll, professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, joined CBSN to discuss the skepticism among some adults.
AstraZeneca Seeks U.S. Approval for Drug Cocktail to Prevent COVID
AstraZeneca (AZN.L) has requested emergency approval from U.S. regulators for its antibody cocktail, the first protective shot other than vaccines against COVID-19, another potential major step in the global fight to combat the virus.
While vaccines rely on an intact immune system to develop targeted antibodies and infection-fighting cells, Astra’s biotech compound known as AZD7442 contains lab-made antibodies designed to linger in the body for months to contain the virus in case of an infection.
COVID-19 therapies based on the same class of monoclonal antibodies are sold by rivals Regeneron (REGN.O), Eli Lilly (LLY.N) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) and its partner Vir (VIR.O) to stop the disease from worsening during early, milder stages of the infection.
Pfizer/BioNTech COVID Vaccine Effectiveness Drops After 6 Months, Study Shows
The effectiveness of the Pfizer Inc (PFE.N)/BioNTech SE vaccine in preventing infection by the coronavirus dropped to 47% from 88% six months after the second dose, according to data published on Monday that U.S. health agencies considered when deciding on the need for booster shots.
The data, which was published in the Lancet medical journal, had been previously released in August ahead of peer review. The data suggests that the drop is due to waning efficacy, rather than more contagious variants, researchers said.
The Latest: WHO Reviews Sputnik Vaccine, Russia Presses Bid
The World Health Organization says it’s still reviewing data about Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine as part of hopes that it can be approved for emergency use against the coronavirus, but no decision is imminent.
The clarification comes after Russia’s Health Minister Mikhail Murashko in recent days said administrative issues were the main holdup in the WHO decision-making process about whether to give an emergency use listing to Sputnik V — as it has for about a half-dozen other COVID-19 vaccines.
Japan’s Dip in COVID Cases Baffles Experts; Winter ‘Nightmare’ Still a Risk
Japan’s COVID-19 case numbers have plummeted to the lowest in nearly a year just as other parts of Asia are struggling with surging infections, leaving health experts perplexed and raising concern of a winter rebound.
New daily cases in Tokyo dropped to 87 on Monday, the lowest tally since Nov. 2 last year, and a precipitous decline from more than 5,000 a day in an August wave that hammered the capital’s medical infrastructure.
The pattern is the same across the country.
Could We See a COVID Winter Surge?
Doctors at the Medical University of South Carolina say COVID-19 case numbers are flattening across the state right now, but we’re not out of the woods just yet.
In fact, doctors haven’t yet ruled out the possibility of a spike during the holidays, just like we saw in 2020. So why would there be a winter surge if more people are getting vaccinated and many have already had COVID-19?
We still don’t know how long natural immunity from a previous COVID-19 infection can protect you. And when it comes to the vaccine, we’ve already seen breakthrough infections as immunity wanes over time.
Former FDA Chief Gottlieb Expects Delta to Be Last Big Pandemic Wave in U.S.
The summer spike in cases fueled by the Delta variant of the coronavirus is likely the last big COVID-19 wave in the United States, but the pandemic is far from over globally, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Monday.
“I think this Delta wave is probably the last major surge of SARS-CoV-2 infection that we have in the U.S., barring something unexpected happening,” Gottlieb, author of “Uncontrolled Spread,” a new book on the U.S. response to the pandemic, said in an interview.
Although Delta is waning in Southern U.S. states, he said infections are picking up in some states in the West and Midwest.
Sweden to Give 12- to 15-Year-Olds Pfizer Vaccine, Rejects Moderna
Sweden’s Public Health Agency said on Monday it recommended the use of Pfizer-BioNTech‘s (PFE.N), Comirnaty vaccine against COVID-19 for children between 12-15, opting against rival Moderna‘s (MRNA.O) Spikevax.
“All in all, we see reason to choose the vaccine that we know the most about and that is most well-proven when it comes to vaccinating children between 12 and 15 years of age,” Anders Tegnell, head of department and state epidemiologist at the Health Agency said.
The agency said there was more data about Comirnaty’s use on children. In September, the Agency said that children aged 12 and over would be offered a COVID vaccination starting Oct. 11.
Sen. Ron Johnson: There Is Not an FDA-Approved COVID Vaccine in the U.S. + More
Sen. Ron Johnson: There Is Not an FDA-Approved COVID Vaccine in the U.S.
Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., claimed that the U.S. still doesn’t have an FDA-approved vaccine as he exposed what was really approved by the government agency on “Fox News Primetime.”
“We do not have an FDA-approved vaccine being administered in the U.S. The FDA played a bait and switch. They approved the Comirnaty version of Pfizer drugs. It’s not available in the U.S. They even admit it. I sent them a letter three days later going ‘What are you doing?’ What they did is they extended the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer drug vaccine that’s available in the U.S., here that’s more than 30 days later, they haven’t asked that very simple question.”
As Obesity Takes a Greater Toll in COVID Deaths, Health Officials Are Quiet
The children with COVID-19 in Dr. Eugene Daugherty’s pediatric intensive care unit often have one thing in common: obesity.
“At least 9 out of 10 patients that we’re seeing who are sick enough especially to be in the ICUs throughout the state, obesity plays a part in this,” said Daugherty, who is with Novant Health’s Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been numerous studies worldwide showing the heightened dangers that COVID-19 poses to people who are overweight. The World Obesity Federation, for instance, has shown that death rates from COVID-19 have been 10 times higher in countries where more than half of the population is overweight.
Fauci Says It’s ‘Too Soon to Tell’ Whether Americans Should Avoid Gathering for Christmas
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, said Sunday it’s too early to say whether Americans should avoid larger family gatherings for Christmas, while the nation experiences an uptick in new COVID-19 infections among children alongside lagging vaccination rates.
In an interview with “Face the Nation,” Fauci said it’s “just too soon to tell” whether holiday gatherings should be limited for the second year in a row due to the ongoing pandemic, but said Americans need to focus on lowering the number of new infections and hospitalizations.
COVID Antiviral Pill Could Be a Game Changer, but Vaccines Are Still America’s Way Out of the Pandemic, Experts Say
A pill that could potentially treat COVID-19 is a “game-changer,” but experts are emphasizing that it’s not an alternative to vaccinations — which remain the most effective path to ending the coronavirus pandemic if enough people get their shots.
The news from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics on Friday that they created an antiviral pill that can reduce COVID-19 hospitalization and death by 50% was hailed by health experts, although they cautioned it wasn’t a replacement for vaccinations.
“This can be used in conjunction with the vaccine. And it’s not an alternative to vaccination. We still have to try to get more people vaccinated,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, told CNN on Friday.
Researchers Developing Patch to Replace Painful Vaccine Shots
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are developing a new technology that could make getting the COVID-19 vaccine, flu shots, and childhood vaccines pain-free and without needles. According to the CDC, as many as 25% of adults and many children have a fear of needles, some so severe it prevents them from getting vaccinated.
Dr. Joseph DeSimone at Stanford University is working with researchers at UNC on a tiny patch that can deliver vaccines when applied to the skin. “And so, our approach was to directly 3D-print the microneedles and use a breakthrough in 3-D printing that we pioneered,” he said.
J&J to Ask FDA to Approve Its COVID Booster Shot
Johnson & Johnson plans to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve emergency use of a booster shot of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine early this week.
While the request has yet to be submitted, the FDA on Friday scheduled an Oct. 15 meeting of its expert advisory panel to discuss whether a booster shot of the vaccine should receive emergency use authorization, The New York Times reported.
The scheduling of that meeting before Johnson & Johnson has even filed its application with the FDA highlights the Biden administration‘s concerns that the 15 million Americans who received the company’s vaccine require more protection, the Times said.
Italian Studies Show COVID Shots Less Effective in Immunocompromised
COVID-19 vaccines are less effective on people with weakened immune systems, three small Italian studies show, which the studies’ researchers say highlight the need to deploy booster shots for this group of vulnerable people.
The studies show that, on average, 30% of immunocompromised patients do not develop immunity to the virus after vaccination.
Stress, Anxiety Fueling Mental Health Breakdown in Families
By the third week in September, families across New Jersey were reaching a breaking point. Parents struggled to get their kids back into the school routine after a year of largely unstructured remote learning, while children resisted — scared of getting COVID-19 and burdened by the loss of loved ones and time with friends.
Daily calls to a state children’s health network peaked at 559 early that week, one-third higher than the volume at that point in 2020, according to data provided by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF).
The system’s mobile response unit, which visits families in crisis at home, was dispatched 150 times one day in mid-September, and nearly hit that daily peak again the following week, the data shows — a 20% increase over last year’s volume. More than 1,000 children were referred for services over two weeks, the most in months.
EU Regulator OKs Pfizer Vaccine Booster for 18 and Older
The European Union’s drug regulator gave its backing Monday to booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 and older.
The European Medicines Agency said the booster doses “may be considered at least 6 months after the second dose for people aged 18 years and older.”
Breakthrough Infections Surge Among Vaccinated Soldiers in Yeoncheon
A massive outbreak of COVID-19 infections has hit a military unit in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, and most of the confirmed patients had been fully vaccinated, according to the health authorities, Monday. It is the largest number of breakthrough infections here in one location.
As of Saturday, 46 soldiers in the 184-member unit tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Central Disease Control Headquarters and Ministry of National Defense. Of them, 36 were fully vaccinated ― 33 had received two Pfizer shots and the remaining three, first AstraZeneca and Pfizer second.
EU Finds J&J Shot Possibly Linked to Another Rare Clotting Condition + More
EU Finds J&J COVID Shot Possibly Linked to Another Rare Clotting Condition
The European Union’s drug regulator on Friday identified a possible link between rare cases of blood clotting in deep veins with Johnson & Johnson‘s (JNJ.N) COVID-19 vaccine and recommended the condition be listed as a side-effect of the shot.
The European Medicines Agency also recommended that immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), a bleeding disorder caused by the body mistakenly attacking platelets, be added as an adverse reaction with an unknown frequency to the J&J vaccine product information and to AstraZeneca‘s (AZN.L) vaccine.
‘Human Error’ Caused Contamination of Moderna Vaccines in Japan, Distributor Takeda Says
Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical — which distributes the Moderna shot in Japan — on Friday blamed “human error” as the cause of metal contaminants that were found in some batches of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine which led to the withdrawal of 1.63 million doses of the mRNA shot from Japan in August.
After the suspension, Japanese health officials are investigating the deaths of at least two men who had been inoculated with doses from the suspended lot. While experts were skeptical about the possibility of the contaminants causing the two deaths, there were fears it could help fan vaccine hesitancy in the country. According to a study published by the medical journal Lancet last year, Japan has one of the lowest rates of confidence in vaccine safety and effectiveness in the world.
Merck Says Experimental Pill Cuts Worst Effects of COVID
Drugmaker Merck said Friday that its experimental COVID-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus and that it would soon ask health officials in the U.S. and around the world to authorize its use.
If cleared, the drug would be the first pill shown to treat COVID-19, a potentially major step forward in global efforts to control the pandemic. All COVID-19 therapies now authorized in the U.S. require an IV or injection.
COVID Vaccine Makers Fall as Merck’s Pill Shines in Trial
Shares of Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc. slid on Friday after data from a late-stage study showed a COVID-19 pill from Merck & Co reduced chances of hospitalization or death among patients at risk of severe disease.
Merck leads the race in developing the first oral antiviral medication for COVID-19, while rivals such as Pfizer Inc. and Swiss pharmaceutical Roche Holding AG, and partner Atea Pharmaceuticals are running late-stage trials of their own.
Some Wall Street analysts said Merck’s positive data and the promise of an oral drug that can be taken at home could change the public perception of risks associated with COVID-19.
‘COVID Will Become Manageable’: BioNtech Co-Founder Says the Virus Will Be With Us for Years
The co-founder and chief medical officer of BioNTech, the German firm which developed a COVID-19 vaccine alongside Pfizer, told CNBC that the world “should not live in fear” of the virus.
“COVID will become manageable. It already has started to become manageable” Dr. Ozlem Tureci said in the latest episode of “The CNBC Conversation.” However, she added that we will “need to go back to a new normality, because this virus will accompany us for, still, some years.”
Kavanaugh Tests Positive for COVID, Has No Symptoms
Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday evening tested positive for COVID-19 but was without symptoms of illness, a Supreme Court spokesperson said.
Kavanaugh, 56, has been fully vaccinated since January, making his a so-called breakthrough case. His last negative test came Monday prior to the justices’ in-person conference.
People Are Getting Moderna ‘Boosters’ Anyway — Most Are Getting Them at Pharmacies, Not in Doctors’ Offices
Several sources have told MedPage Today that they’ve received a “booster” shot of Moderna, even though the vaccine isn’t yet authorized for this indication.
These are people who don’t fit the specific criteria for being immunocompromised that would qualify them for a third dose of the vaccine. Some of them are over 65 but didn’t get their primary series with Pfizer. The majority got their shots at a pharmacy, not in a doctor’s office.
Fauci Pressed if He Should ‘Step Aside’ as an ‘Impediment to Public Health’: ‘People Won’t Listen to You’
Dr. Anthony Fauci faced a tough grilling over whether or not he should step aside as his critics view him as a deterrent in the Biden administration’s ongoing effort to vaccinate Americans.
During Wednesday’s appearance on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, Fauci was confronted by a list of COVID-era “controversies,” including the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the ivermectin debate, the avoidance of natural immunity as well as his “noble lie” discouraging Americans from wearing masks in the early months of the pandemic to prevent an N95 shortage.
Ontario Now Recommending Against Moderna Vaccine for Men 18 to 24 Years Old + More
Ontario Now Recommending Against Moderna Vaccine for Men 18-24 Years Old
The Ontario government is now recommending males aged 18 to 24 take Pfizer over Moderna as their COVID-19 vaccination due to the number of young men who have experienced myocarditis after getting the vaccine.
This comes after public health officials determined there is a 1 in 5,000 risk of myocarditis — a form of heart inflammation — following a second dose of the Moderna vaccine.
Disney’s Aladdin Broadway Musical Cancels Show Amid Multiple Positive Breakthrough COVID Cases
Disney’s Aladdin musical on Broadway has canceled its Wednesday night show after multiple breakthrough cases of COVID-19 were detected within members of the production.
“Through our rigorous testing protocols, breakthrough COVID-19 cases have been detected with the company of Aladdin at The New Amsterdam Theatre,” a statement shared on the show’s verified Twitter account read. “Because the wellness and safety of our guests, casts, and crew are our top priority, tonight’s performance, Wednesday, September 29th, is canceled.”
Americans Who Aren’t Eligible for a COVID Booster Are Getting the Shot No Questions Asked in Pharmacies and Doctors’ Offices
Americans who aren’t eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot are getting it without showing proof of eligibility in pharmacies and doctors’ offices, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Patients seeking a booster shot told the Journal that pharmacies weren’t looking for confirmation of eligibility, or without any questions asked from either the pharmacist or the online scheduling tools.
33,851 Breakthrough COVID Cases Recorded In Indiana, 229 Have Died
International Business Times reported:
More than 30,000 residents in Indiana have contracted COVID-19 and over 200 have died of the novel coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated against the disease.
Indiana health officials have recorded 33,851 breakthrough COVID-19 cases among the state’s fully vaccinated individuals since the beginning of the pandemic. The cases represent 1.047% of the state’s vaccinated population, according to the latest data published Thursday.
Can Breakthrough Infections Lead to Long COVID? For an Unlucky Few, Yes
When health experts talk about the remarkable efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, they typically point to their ability to prevent severe disease and death. Fully vaccinated people can still get “breakthrough” infections from the virus that causes COVID-19 — but compared to an unvaccinated person, they’re more than 10 times less likely to be hospitalized or die from their illness, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research.
But people like April Zaleski know COVID-19’s worst outcomes aren’t limited to severe disease and death, even for the fully vaccinated.
Health Workers Once Saluted as Heroes Now Get Threats
More than a year after U.S. healthcare workers on the front lines against COVID-19 were saluted as heroes with nightly clapping from windows and balconies, some are being issued panic buttons in case of assault and ditching their scrubs before going out in public for fear of harassment.
Across the country, doctors and nurses are dealing with hostility, threats and violence from patients angry over safety rules designed to keep the scourge from spreading.
Breakthrough COVID Infections: How Long Are Vaccinated People Contagious?
There has been a lot of confusion about breakthrough COVID-19 infections recently — what it means to test positive after being fully vaccinated, what the risk for developing “long COVID” is and how vaccinated people can spread the coronavirus.
But to get a solid sense of how long people with breakthrough infections are contagious, we need real-world data on transmission events, which we don’t have much of. “We don’t actually know the degree of spread from vaccinated because you really do have to do a good contract-tracing study,” Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, told HuffPost.
Russia May Allow Access to Unregistered COVID Vaccines, Report Says
Russians may soon be able to receive COVID-19 vaccines not registered in the country from clinics set up in a special economic zone, under a healthcare ministry proposal, Russian Kommersant daily reported on Thursday.
Many Western nations have not registered Russian vaccines such as Sputnik V and require visitors to have other shots that are not available to Russians, a situation that has prompted vaccine tourism.
According to the Kommersant report, the healthcare ministry has proposed allowing clinics set up in the Moscow International Medical Cluster to import vaccines made abroad, such as the Pfizer/BioNTech (PFE.N), or Moderna (MRNA.O) shots.
Pfizer and Moderna COVID Vaccines Now Available to All Australians Over 60
Australians aged 60 and over will be able to get Pfizer and Moderna vaccines from Friday regardless of their state or territory of residence, health minister Greg Hunt has announced.
Hunt said expanding vaccine choice from AstraZeneca to include the mRNA vaccines could help more than 300,000 older people who have been waiting to get vaccinated.
From 1 October all people aged 12 and over will be able to get Moderna from a pharmacist and Pfizer from a GP.
