Miss a day, miss a lot. Subscribe to The Defender's Top News of the Day. It's free.
A Rare Hyper-Inflammatory Syndrome Has Been Reported in Teens After COVID Vaccination. Why Experts Aren’t Worried.
As federal regulators continue to investigate the COVID-19 vaccine in children under 5, a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified cases of a potentially dangerous but quite rare hyper-inflammatory condition in vaccinated adolescents.
Researchers at the agency studied cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome — an immune overreaction associated with COVID-19 infection — in vaccinated young people age 12 to 20 from Dec. 14, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021.
They found 21 reports of MIS-C in those who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the study published Tuesday in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. Six showed no evidence of prior coronavirus infection, and everyone in the study received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
CDC Says Waiting Longer Between Pfizer, Moderna Doses May Reduce Rare Myocarditis Risk for Younger Men
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that younger males should consider waiting longer between doses of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines to reduce a rare risk of heart inflammation.
The CDC said males ages 12- to 39-years-old should consider waiting eight weeks between the first and second doses of their primary COVID vaccination series. Public health authorities in Canada found the risk of myocarditis in men ages 18- to 24-years-old was lower when they waited eight weeks for the second dose of Moderna or Pfizer.
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can result in serious health problems, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Very Small Blood Clot Risk After First AstraZeneca COVID Shot — UK Studies
A large study into rare blood clots linked with AstraZeneca‘s (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine found between just one and three cases per million, and only after the first dose, shedding fresh light on the side effects from the shot.
Researchers have sought to analyze any link between COVID-19 vaccines and rare blood clots in the brain, arteries or veins — sometimes accompanied by low platelets, reports of which led many nations last year to pause use of the AstraZeneca shot, which was developed with Oxford University.
Sanofi and GSK Seek Approval for COVID Vaccine
The French and British drugmakers Sanofi and GSK are ready to seek approval from regulators for their COVID-19 vaccine after reporting positive results from late-stage clinical trials.
The firms are hoping to catch up with rivals after falling far behind in the race to develop COVID-19 shots. Their product was delayed by an early dosing error during trials, initially disappointing results in older people and other issues. It will be available as a two-dose vaccine and as a booster.
The companies will now file for approval from regulators, including the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, while a rolling review with the UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, is already under way.
10 Cases of Serious Adverse Events Reported in Children Aged 5 to 11 After COVID Vaccine Jab: HSA
Ten cases of serious adverse events have been reported in children aged 5 to 11 who have taken their COVID-19 vaccine as of end-January, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Wednesday (Feb. 23).
These reports included seizures, appendicitis, drop in blood pressure, allergic reaction, abnormal renal function and swelling of small blood vessels, said HSA. So far, no cases of myocarditis or pericarditis have been reported in this age group.
The COVID-19 vaccination program was rolled out to children aged 5 to 11 on Dec. 27 and the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty dose is the only approved vaccine for this age group.
French Number 1 Gael Monfils Blames Adverse Reaction to COVID Booster for His Recent Withdrawals, With 35-Year-Old Citing ‘Health Glitch’ as Compatriot Jeremy Chardy Also Struggles After Getting Vaccinated Last Summer
Gael Monfils has revealed his withdrawal from recent tournaments is due to a probable adverse reaction to his third dose of coronavirus vaccine.
The Frenchman has not played since a one-sided loss to Swede Mikael Ymer in Montpellier three weeks ago and will not represent his country in Davis Cup next week. Monfils, 35, is hoping he will be able to return for the Masters tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami next month.
He is the second French player to be forced off court after a suspected adverse reaction to a coronavirus vaccine. Jeremy Chardy, now ranked 138, has not played a match since the U.S. Open last summer.
COVID Cases in the U.S. Have Dropped More Than 90% Since Reaching a Pandemic Peak in January
The number of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has plummeted by more than 90% since reaching a peak in January, data shows, lending support to officials’ views that the country is moving towards a point where the pandemic ceases to be “a crisis“.
January’s record case numbers were driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant, which was first detected in the country on Dec. 1. But the relatively fewer hospitalizations and deaths compared to cases support the assessment that Omicron — while more contagious than previous variants — causes less severe illness.
Biden to Extend U.S. National Emergency Due to COVID Health Risk
President Joe Biden said on Friday the U.S. national emergency declared in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be extended beyond March 1 due to the ongoing risk to public health posed by the coronavirus.
“There remains a need to continue this national emergency,” Biden said in a letter on Friday to the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the Senate.
Biden’s step to extend the emergency comes even as a slew of local leaders in the United States are dialing back pandemic restrictions as the Omicron wave ebbs.
Moderna Begins Late-Stage Study of RSV Vaccine Using mRNA Technology
Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) said on Tuesday it had begun a late-stage study of its vaccine for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) based on the same technology used to develop its COVID-19 shots.
The only approved product using messenger RNA (mRNA) is COVID-19 vaccine, but Moderna and rival Pfizer (PFE.N) are rushing to tap the potential of the technology to target diseases such as shingles and cancer.
Moderna is developing a vaccine for flu using mRNA technology and said on Friday it would develop three more shots, including one for viral infection shingles.
Chemical in COVID Test Kits Can Cause Sickness if Ingested, Experts Say. What to Know.
While at-home COVID-19 tests are considered safe and effective when used properly, a chemical found in some popular kits is leading to an increase in calls to poison control centers.
Sodium azide is potentially deadly in large amounts, but only small quantities are present in testing kits — enough to cause low blood pressure, heart palpitations, headache and dizziness if ingested, or burning and irritation to exposed skin, experts say.
South Korea Approves Pfizer’s COVID Vaccine for Ages 5 to 11
South Korean health officials on Wednesday approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, expanding the country’s immunization program in the face of a massive Omicron outbreak that is driving up hospitalizations and deaths.
In a long-awaited announcement, the Ministry of Drug and Food Safety said it approved the Pfizer vaccine as the country’s first shot to be used for children aged 5 to 11. The KDCA said it will announce a vaccine rollout plan for this age group in March.
Cambodia Vaccinating Ages 3 and 4 to Fight Omicron Outbreak
Cambodia began vaccinating 3- and 4-year-olds with Chinese-made Sinovac shots Wednesday after finding young children accounting for many new infections.
Prime Minister Hun Sen endorsed the vaccination plan for younger children last week after health officials found at least 25% of newly reported infections involved children under age 5.
Africa CDC to Ask World to Pause COVID Vaccine Donations
The Africa CDC will ask that all COVID-19 vaccine donations be paused until the third or fourth quarter of this year, the director of the agency told POLITICO.
John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said the primary challenge for vaccinating the continent is no longer supply shortages but logistics challenges and vaccine hesitancy — leading the agency and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust to seek the delay.
