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Children as Young as 6 Months Old Now in COVID-19 Vaccine Trials
As nearly 140 million American adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and we inch closer to herd immunity, vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna have moved on to the next phase of the fight against the virus: studying to see if the vaccine will be safe and effective for children.
“Children under 18 make up 85 million people in [the] U.S. – about 20% of the population,” Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, professor of pediatrics, epidemiology and population health at Stanford University, told ABC News. “Getting them vaccinated is a major contribution to reducing transmission of virus.”
Do COVID Vaccines Disrupt Women’s Menstrual Cycles?
Researchers are calling for clinical trials to track and document menstrual changes in vaccinated women after some women reported changes to their menstrual cycles after receiving a COVID vaccine.
Women have reported hemorrhagic bleeding with clots, delayed or absent periods, sudden pre-menopausal symptoms, month-long periods and heavy irregular bleeding after being vaccinated with one or both doses of a COVID vaccine.
“In terms of why women would have a heavier cycle, I think clearly we don’t know the answer to that,” Dr. Heather Huddleston, a reproductive endocrinologist at University of California, San Francisco, told ABC7News.
Tucker Carlson Defends Joe Rogan’s Controversial Advice on COVID Vaccines
In the segment below on last night’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson defended popular podcast host Joe Rogan, who is facing backlash for telling young, healthy people not to get vaccinated for COVID.
Rogan told listeners during the April 23 episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” that if a 21-year-old asked him if they should get vaccinated, he would say no:
“I think you should get vaccinated if you’re vulnerable. I think you should get vaccinated if you feel like — my parents are vaccinated. I’ve encouraged a lot of people to get — and people say, do you think it’s safe to get vaccinated? I’ve said, yeah, I think for the most part it’s safe to get vaccinated. I do. I do.
“But if you’re like 21 years old, and you say to me, should I get vaccinated? I’ll go no. Are you healthy? Are you a healthy person? Like, look, don’t do anything stupid, but you should take care of yourself. You should — if you’re a healthy person, and you’re exercising all the time, and you’re young, and you’re eating well, like, I don’t think you need to worry about this.”
How Europe Sealed a Pfizer Vaccine Deal With Texts and Calls
It was February and things were going from bad to worse for the European Union’s vaccination campaign, and for its top executive, Ursula von der Leyen.
… For a month, Ms. von der Leyen had been exchanging texts and calls with Albert Bourla, the chief executive of Pfizer, another vaccine supplier to the bloc. And as they spoke, two things became clear: Pfizer might have more doses it could offer the bloc — many more. And the European Union would be thrilled to have them.
That personal diplomacy played a big role in a deal, to be finalized this week, in which the European Union will lock in 1.8 billion doses from Pfizer, which, with its smaller German partner, BioNTech, made the first COVID-19 vaccine to get regulatory approval in the European Union.
Pfizer CEO Says a Pill You Can Take at Home to Treat COVID Could Be Ready By End of 2021
A COVID-busting game-changer could be on its way — in the form of a pill you can take to combat the early stages of an infection.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC on Tuesday that an oral antiviral pill that can be taken in the comfort of one’s home is in the works and could be made available to the public by the end of this year.
Biden Pushes New CDC Mask Guidance as a Reason Why All Americans Should Get Vaccinated
President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged all eligible Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, saying that new guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention easing certain restrictions for fully vaccinated individuals is a great incentive for Americans to roll up their sleeves.
“The bottom line is clear: If you’re vaccinated, you can do more things, more safely, both outdoors as well as indoors,” Biden said during remarks outside the White House. “So for those who haven’t gotten their vaccination yet, especially if you’re younger, or thinking you don’t need it — this is another great reason to go get vaccinated. Now.”
Earlier Tuesday, the CDC issued new guidelines that say fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks at small outdoor gatherings or when dining outside with friends from multiple households. The CDC says unvaccinated people should still wear a mask at such gatherings.
Millions of Americans Have Missed Their Second Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Appointments
Across the country, millions of Americans are missing appointments for their second COVID-19 vaccine dose.
According to the CDC, more than five million people, or about 8%, had missed their second Pfizer or Moderna doses as of early April. According to the CDC, “if a person received the two doses from different reporting entities, those two doses may not have been linked together.”
The CDC said the second shot is critical in helping protect people from the virus.
Doctors More Likely to Prescribe Opioids to COVID ‘Long Haulers,’ Raising Addiction Fears
A new study in Nature found alarmingly high rates of opioid use among COVID survivors with lingering symptoms at Veterans Health Administration facilities. About 10% of COVID survivors develop “long COVID,” struggling with often disabling health problems even six months or longer after a diagnosis.
For every 1,000 long-COVID patients, known as “long haulers,” who were treated at a Veterans Affairs facility, doctors wrote nine more prescriptions for opioids than they otherwise would have, along with 22 additional prescriptions for benzodiazepines, which include Xanax and other addictive pills used to treat anxiety.
Although previous studies have found many COVID survivors experience persistent health problems, the new article is the first to show they’re using more addictive medications, said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, the paper’s lead author.
