Miss a day, miss a lot. Subscribe to The Defender's Top News of the Day. It's free.

Another COVID Booster Shot May Be Coming. But Interest Is Waning.

The LA Times reported:

As government officials close the book on the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities are turning their attention to the next chapter of the vaccination campaign.

Though nothing is etched in stone, federal officials are considering the authorization of another booster shot this spring.

The timing of that decision — and who would be eligible — remains unclear. But for older residents or those with underlying health conditions that make them more likely to develop a severe COVID-19 illness, another booster could provide peace of mind and an additional jolt of protection.

Authorities in Britain have already green-lighted a spring booster shot — but only for nursing home residents, seniors 75 or older or those who are immunosuppressed and at least 5 years old.

Cancer and Heart Disease Vaccines ‘Ready by End of the Decade’

The Guardian reported:

Millions of lives could be saved by a groundbreaking set of new vaccines for a range of conditions including cancer, experts have said. A leading pharmaceutical firm said it is confident that jabs for cancer, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, and other conditions will be ready by 2030.

Studies into these vaccinations are also showing “tremendous promise,” with some researchers saying 15 years’ worth of progress has been “unspooled” in 12 to 18 months thanks to the success of the COVID-19 jab.

Dr. Paul Burton, the chief medical officer of pharmaceutical company Moderna, said he believes the firm will be able to offer such treatments for “all sorts of disease areas” in as little as five years.

L.A. County Ends COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Deputies, Firefighters, Employees

The LA Times reported:

Los Angeles County has ended its COVID-19 employee vaccination requirement, allowing workers — including sheriff’s deputies and firefighters — to be hired even if they haven’t gotten a shot.

The policy change, which took effect Monday, is the latest COVID-19-related rule to be relaxed in L.A. County as officials continue to steadily unwind the emergency phase of their pandemic response.

“There is no longer a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for new hires or existing county employees unless otherwise mandated by federal, state, or local regulations or orders,” said Jesus Ruiz, a spokesperson with L.A. County’s chief executive office.

Pfizer to Buy COVID-Flu Test Developer Lucira Health out of Bankruptcy Court

San Francisco Business Times reported:

Pfizer Inc., the world’s largest drug maker, will buy the assets of at-home COVID-flu test developer Lucira Health Inc. following an auction Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

After meeting with an official bankruptcy court committee of unsecured creditors, Emeryville-based Lucira declared Pfizer, the manufacturer of a critical COVID-19 vaccine and drug, as the successful bidder.

The next highest bidder was Pearsanta Inc., a recently formed subsidiary of Richmond, Virginia-based Aditxt Inc., according to a bankruptcy court filing.

Court filings did not disclose how much the companies bid for Lucira, which was the first company to win Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization in late 2020 for an at-home, do-it-yourself molecular diagnostic test for COVID-19.

New Clinical Trial to Test Paxlovid’s Effectiveness Against Long COVID

Medical Xpress reported: 

Millions of people worldwide are suffering from often debilitating symptoms of long COVID that can persist for weeks, months, or even years following an acute infection. But researchers are still in the dark on the mechanisms underlying and how to treat the mysterious post-viral syndrome.

A new clinical trial using the oral antiviral Paxlovid will provide urgently needed insights for COVID-19 long-haulers and their providers.

Since the pandemic’s onset, Harlan Krumholz, M.D., Harold H. Hines, Jr. Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and professor in the Institute for Social and Policy Studies, of investigative medicine, and of public health and Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D., Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and professor of dermatology, of molecular, cellular & developmental biology, and of epidemiology have been leaders in unraveling the mysteries of long COVID and advocating for those who are suffering.

Through their clinical trial, they plan to combine their expertise in the clinic and lab to understand the biological mechanisms that occur throughout the course of receiving Paxlovid. The trial will be held through a unique decentralized format designed to boost accessibility for its participants.

Pfizer Seeks FDA Approval of First Vaccine to Protect Infants by Injecting Pregnant Mothers. Late-Stage Trial Failed to Meet One of Two Goals.

The Daily Wire reported:

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is seeking U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a first-of-its-kind vaccine aimed at protecting infants from the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but trial data shows the shot failed to meet one of its two main goals.

The Bivalent Prefusion F Vaccine developed by Pfizer is administered to expectant mothers during the second half of their pregnancy to protect infants against RSV.

According to the late-stage trial data, the experimental vaccine was 82% effective in preventing severe cases of the potentially deadly virus in infants 90 days after birth, but that dropped to 69% efficacy in preventing severe infections up to 180 days after a baby is born.

The Pfizer shot also failed to meet its second goal of reducing non-severe illness in newborns, Reuters reported.

Pfizer RSV Vaccine for Older Adults Should Be Monitored for Nervous System Condition Guillain-Barré, Scientists Say

CNBC reported:

People who receive Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for older adults should be monitored for Guillain-Barré syndrome after two people developed the nervous system disorder after they received the shot, scientists said in clinical trial results published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The scientists concluded the vaccine was effective in preventing lower respiratory tract illness in adults ages 60 and older without any evident safety concerns. But they flagged the Guillain-Barré cases as a potential cause for concern moving forward.

“If RSVpreF vaccine is approved and recommended, these adverse events warrant close monitoring in future studies and with real-world data and postmarketing surveillance,” the scientists wrote. The study, which published Wednesday, was supported by Pfizer.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves. Symptoms can range from brief weakness to paralysis, according to the National Institutes of Health. Most people recover, even from severe cases.