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COVID Likely Originated From Lab Leak, Energy Department Reportedly Finds — but Biden Aide Says There’s No ‘Definitive Answer’
The U.S. Energy Department has concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic was most likely caused by a laboratory leak, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, though National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said there is “not a definitive answer” on the virus’ genesis.
The Energy Department’s new conclusions are found in an updated classified report from the office of Avril Haines, the Director of National Intelligence, which was recently provided to the White House and some members of Congress, according to the Journal.
The Energy Department, which oversees many U.S. laboratories, came to its conclusion based on new intelligence, but deemed its level of confidence in its judgment as “low,” people who read the report told the Journal.
The FBI also determined in 2021 with “moderate confidence” the virus came from a lab leak, but the agency came to its conclusion for different reasons than the Energy Department, U.S. officials told the Journal.
Pfizer/BioNTech Apply for Full FDA Approval of Updated COVID Vaccine
Pfizer Inc. (PFE.N) and its German partner BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) said on Friday they filed an application to the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for full approval of their Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccine.
The companies are seeking approval for the updated vaccine both as a primary course and a booster dose for individuals 12 years of age and above.
Advisers to the FDA in January had unanimously voted in favor of using the same coronavirus strain for the initial COVID-19 vaccine doses and the boosters to simplify the vaccination regimen in the United States.
Not Enough Data to Support Multiple Annual COVID Boosters, U.S. CDC Advisers Say
There is not sufficient evidence to recommend more than one COVID-19 booster shot a year for older people and those with weakened immune systems, an expert advisory group to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday.
The COVID-19 working group of the CDC’s Advisory Committee For Immunization Practices (ACIP) supported an annual booster campaign, likely in the fall, especially for populations considered at high risk, Dr. Sara Oliver, a CDC official who heads the group, said during a meeting of the agency’s outside advisers.
The CDC advisers did not vote on new recommendations for how the COVID-19 shots should be administered on Friday.
Taiwan to Pay Family of Child Who Died After 2 Doses of COVID Vaccine
Taiwan’s government will grant 3.5 million New Taiwan Dollars (about $114,000) to the family of a child who died of sudden myocarditis after receiving a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine, an official said on Sunday.
Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) spokesperson Lo Yi-chun said the family was among the 10 applicants eligible for compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, Focus Taiwan reported.
Lo said the girl, who was between the ages of 5 and 11 years, went into a coma three days after getting her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Authorities did not disclose the child’s identity. Lo said in addition to the 3.5 million NTD, the government will also pay the family 300,000 NTD (about $9,800) for funeral costs.
Vaccine injury compensation will also be awarded in three cases involving the Moderna vaccine, five cases involving the AstraZeneca vaccine, and one case involving the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine.
Nasal COVID Vaccine Shows Promise in Early Clinical Trial
An experimental nasal vaccine provided strong protection against COVID infection, according to preliminary results from a Phase 1 clinical trial.
The vaccine, developed by a startup called Blue Lake Biotechnology Inc., was found to reduce the risk of symptomatic COVID infections by 86% for three months in people who received it as a booster dose. Existing booster shots in the United States reduce symptomatic infections by 43% in people 18 to 49 over one to two months, according to a study published in November by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The results from the clinical trial offer an early but tantalizing glimpse at how a next-generation COVID vaccine could be more effective at stopping the coronavirus in its tracks. Scientists have said nasal vaccines could provide better protection against COVID compared to those that are injected into the arm.
The FDA Has Cleared the First Home Flu and COVID Test — but Its Maker Just Declared Bankruptcy
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency authorization for the first at-home test that can detect flu and COVID-19 — but for the test’s maker, Lucira, the long-anticipated authorization may have taken too long. The company filed for bankruptcy on Feb. 22, directly blaming the “protracted” FDA authorization process for the over-the-counter combination test for its financial troubles.
“This is a major milestone for Lucira Health and for at-home diagnostics, and I can’t thank our employees and partners enough for seeing this through, and of course, for the FDA’s recognition,” said Lucira CEO Erik Engelson in a statement to STAT, making no mention of the company’s bankruptcy. At the time of publication, Lucira had not answered questions about how the bankruptcy affects their ability to manufacture and sell the newly authorized test kit, which can detect influenza A and B.
The agency’s EUA program allowed an easier route for combination SARS-CoV-2 and flu tests to be authorized than for flu-only tests. A Lucira spokesperson said in a statement that a standalone flu diagnostic is “always a possibility on the Lucira testing platform,” but that the company thought it was important to develop a combination test because of the similarities between COVID and flu.
CDC Estimates XBB.1.5 Responsible for 85% of New Coronavirus Infections
U.S. News & World Report reported:
The vast majority of new COVID-19 infections are caused by one Omicron subvariant that appears to be on its way to complete domination over the U.S.
The highly transmissible Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 caused 85% of coronavirus cases this week, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s the only major strain that is increasing, setting it up to potentially drive virtually all infections in the coming weeks.
XBB.1.5 is up from 79% of infections last week and 72% the week before. It has been a rapid rise for the subvariant, which made up just 4% of cases three months ago.
CDC officials on Friday presented updated data on the booster to a meeting of the agency’s vaccine experts, finding that the shots have a higher efficacy among children than adults.
U.S. Agency to Reverse COVID Policy for Frequently Abused Prescription Drugs
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed rules that would again require patients to visit doctors in person to obtain prescriptions for certain medications that are frequently abused.
The announcement seeks to reverse policy changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic which allowed doctors to prescribe controlled drugs such as Adderall and OxyContin through virtual telehealth appointments.
On Friday, the DEA said that patients would be required to physically visit a doctor at least once in order to get a prescription for drugs that have been categorized as schedule II substances by the government. Those substances, which the government says have a “high potential for abuse”, include Adderall, OxyContin, Vicodin and Ritalin.
The proposed rules are on track to affect thousands of Americans who have relied on telehealth services throughout the pandemic in order to more easily access their medications. But they do not affect telehealth appointments which do not require doctors to prescribe controlled medications.
