The New York Times (5/5, Nolen) reported that on Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced “that it was ending the emergency it declared for COVID-19 more than three years ago,” although “WHO officials warned that the decision to lift the emergency does not signal an end to the pandemic, and cautioned countries not take […]
USA Today (May 5th) – A new study may partly explain what’s driving rare cases of heart inflammation, called myocarditis, in some young people who have gotten repeat doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. The risk of developing vaccine-related myocarditis is extremely low, affecting fewer than 20 people per 1,000,000 vaccinations, according to the National Institutes […]
On May 3, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for use in the U.S. FDA approved the drug, Arexvy from GSK, for prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in individuals 60 years of age or older. RSV is a highly contagious virus that is […]
AMA (May 5th, 2023) – Federal officials are recommending a spring booster dose of the updated bivalent SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for certain types of patients. But who should get it and when? Eligibility applies to adults 65 or older, as well as adults and children with immunocompromising conditions, according to AMA Board Chair Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD. […]
The Hill (4/18/23) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday announced it was simplifying its recommended COVID-19 vaccine schedule, stating a single dose of the bivalent vaccine specific to the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the omicron variant is enough for most individuals. Going forward, the FDA announced all coronavirus vaccines administered to […]
ABC News (4/18/23) – The Food and Drug Administration authorized a second omicron-targeted bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine for people over 65 or who are immunocompromised, the agency announced Tuesday. The agency also said any adult who has not yet been vaccinated will get one dose of an updated bivalent shot, rather than starting with the original […]
The Washington Post (4/18, McGinley, Sun) reports that the FDA “cleared the way for people who are at least 65 years old or immune-compromised to receive a second updated booster shot against the coronavirus, an option designed to bolster protection for the most vulnerable Americans even as the pandemic recedes.” This “bivalent booster…targets Omicron subvariants […]
BBC (28th March 2023) – Like in many countries, misinformation about Covid-19 has circulated widely in Morocco during the pandemic. Much of it came from the US and Europe. In early April 2020, just as the Covid-19 pandemic was spreading across the world, two French doctors suggested on live television that scientists test the tuberculosis vaccine on […]
ABC News (March 6th, 2022) – When a measles outbreak struck Columbus, Ohio, late last year, public health officials learned the overwhelming majority of cases — 80 of 85 — were among unvaccinated children. Investigators from Columbus Public Health went to speak to parents to ask them why they hadn’t vaccinated their children with the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) […]
PUURS, Belgium March 9 (Reuters) – U.S. drugmaker Pfizer (PFE.N) is ready to launch its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for both older adults and pregnant women in the United States and Europe later this year, executives said on Thursday. Both Pfizer and British drugmaker GSK (GSK.L) have RSV vaccines they hope to launch in the United States and […]