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Pfizer Expects Vaccine for Kids Under 5 in ‘First Half’ of Next Year
Pfizer and BioNTech said Friday they expect to submit an application for the use of their COVID-19 vaccine in children under five years old in the “first half of 2022” as they test a third dose for the age group.
Pfizer said it is studying a third small dose of its vaccine for children under 5, given that the testing so far showed that the immune response with two small doses was not as high as desired in children 2 to 4 years old.
Pfizer also said Friday it is testing a third dose in children 5 to 12 and 12 to 17, as experts urge adults to get a booster shot.
Moderna COVID Shot Likelier to Cause Heart Inflammation Than Pfizer’s: Study
Moderna‘s (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine is up to four times more likely to cause inflammation of the heart muscle, a very rare side effect, than its rival vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N), according to a Danish study published in the British Medical Journal late on Thursday.
The study, in which almost 85% of Danes, or 4.9 million individuals, aged 12 and older participated, investigated the link between mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines and heart inflammation, also known as myocarditis or myopericarditis.
Earlier studies from Israel and the United States have indicated an increased risk of heart inflammation after inoculation with the mRNA-vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine was only associated with a higher risk of heart inflammation among women, the study said, contrasting with the results of the studies from Israel and the United States.
COVID Hysteria Is Destroying the Lives of Disabled Children Like Mine
As the parent of a severely disabled and non-verbal child, I’ve spent his entire life as a caregiver looking out for his medical, educational, social and equipment needs and ensuring he leads the most meaningful, healthy and safe life possible.
And pandemic over-regulation has made the challenges of my son’s life infinitely harder — as it has the lives of countless other individuals with disabilities.
Throughout the pandemic, young children with autism and other special needs have been kicked off of flights, have been banned from flying, denied entry into museums, thrown out of bookstores and had their education stunted. They have been generally treated like loathsome vectors of disease, like contagiants.
Pfizer and BioNTech Ask FDA to Approve Their COVID Vaccine for Kids as Young as 12
Pfizer and BioNTech completed their request to the Food and Drug Administration to approve their COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 12, the companies announced Friday.
The companies submitted Phase III clinical trial data to FDA as a supplemental application for their vaccine, which is already approved for adults and children as young as 16. In the new data, their vaccine was 100% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in children who received the vaccine up to four months after their second dose.
FDA will review the data and decide whether to update the vaccine’s approval.
The Tragedy of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID Vaccine
Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine was going to be a shot for the world. Now, under the weight of a mountain of bad PR, one wonders if the world will want it.
On Thursday, a panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted unanimously that the shots developed by Pfizer and Moderna should be recommended over the J&J one.
In April, U.S. regulators announced a pause of the rollout of the J&J shot while they investigated a rare but serious side effect involving both blood clots and serious bleeding. When it was finally introduced, there were distribution problems that limited supply.
The vaccine’s popularity never recovered.
Rockettes Christmas Spectacular Cancels Shows Due to Breakthrough Infections
The Radio City Rockettes became the latest casualty of the sweeping COVID-19 surge to disrupt Manhattan’s bustling live performance industry.
Adding to the growing list of Broadway show cancelations, “The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes” has announced the cancelations of all four of its Friday performances due to breakthrough infections among its crew.
American Parents Worrying Less About Kids Contracting COVID-19: Gallup Poll
Fewer parents report being worried about their child contracting COVID-19 compared to three months ago, according to a new Gallup poll.
The poll found that 45% of parents with children aged 18 and younger say they are “very” or “somewhat” worried that their child will be infected with COVID-19, a drop from 53% in September.
Gallup noted that vaccination status does not relieve parents’ worry about their child contracting the virus, with 63% of parents whose children have been vaccinated report being worried about them being infected, while only 17% of parents of unvaccinated children report the same.
Fully Vaccinated Is About to Mean Something Else
For nearly a year now, the phrase fully vaccinated has carried a cachet that it never did before. Being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is a ticket for a slate of liberties — a pass to travel without testing and skip post-exposure quarantine, per the CDC, and in many parts of the country, a license to enter restaurants, gyms, and bars. For many employees, full vaccination is now a requirement to work; for many individuals, it’s a must for any socialization at all.
Sometime in the very, very near future, that status — and the perks that come with it — could evaporate in an instant for millions of Americans. Medical experts and public-health officials have for weeks been calling for the CDC to alter the definition of fully vaccinated to include another dose. Countries such as Israel have already done it; Anthony Fauci has been gunning for the switch.
Millions of people would be bumped back into “partially vaccinated” purgatory. Unvaccinated people would have one more hurdle to clear to achieve CDC-sanctioned status; some could be further disincentivized from getting the necessary shots
South Africa Hospitalization Rate Plunges in Omicron Wave
South Africa delivered some positive news on the Omicron coronavirus variant on Friday, reporting a much lower rate of hospital admissions and signs that the wave of infections may be peaking.
Only 1.7% of identified COVID-19 cases were admitted to hospital in the second week of infections in the fourth wave, compared with 19% in the same week of the third Delta-driven wave, South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla said at a press conference.
Health officials presented evidence that the strain may be milder, and that infections may already be peaking in the country’s most populous province, Gauteng.
A COVID ‘Viral Blizzard’ Is About to Hit the U.S., Expert Says, With ‘Millions’ to Be Infected Soon
The coronavirus will hit millions of Americans in a “viral blizzard” within a few weeks as infections from the Omicron variant pile on top of Delta, an expert predicts.
The Delta variant remains a problem. And Omicron, with its high transmissibility, could strike millions more soon, said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
Omicron will cause a serious strain on the healthcare system as more workers will likely get sick, Osterholm said, even though most cases from Omicron seem to be mild.
AstraZeneca Therapy Works Against Omicron; Results Mixed for Regeneron
AstraZeneca (AZN.L) and Regeneron (REGN.O) on Thursday reported contrasting data on the effectiveness of their COVID-19 antibody therapies against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, underscoring the major challenges ahead for drugmakers.
U.S.-based Regeneron said its REGEN-COV therapy, also called Ronapreve, is less effective against Omicron, though it is still active against the Delta variant, confirming indications from lab tests and computer modelling late last month.
Anglo-Swedish rival AstraZeneca, however, said a lab study found that its antibody cocktail Evusheld retained neutralising activity against Omicron, the first such data for the treatment.
