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