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 […]

WGAL (March 23, 2023) – COVID-19 vaccine information for Pennsylvania. This article is regularly updated with new numbers from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. It tracks COVID-19 cases and vaccinations across the state. Scroll to the bottom for information on how to get the COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 CASES in Pennsylvania, how to get the vaccine (wgal.com)

STAT (3/23, Branswell, Subscription Publication) reports, “Data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest the pandemic effect has pretty much worn off,” and that “TB is nearly back to pre-2020 levels” in the U.S. Philip LoBue, director of the CDC’s division of tuberculosis elimination, told STAT in an interview, “We’re getting […]

ABC27 (March 26th, 2023) – The CVS MinuteClinic in York saw less COVID this week, but more cases of viral bronchitis, strep throat and a stomach bug. Pediatricians at Penn State Health are seeing a lot of colds, stomach bugs and respiratory infections. They continue to see a handful of flu cases and RSV cases. […]

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) – Some of the world’s leading makers of flu vaccines say they could make hundreds of millions of bird flu shots for humans within months if a new strain of avian influenza ever jumps across the species divide. One current outbreak of avian flu known as H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has killed […]

BMC (March 20th, 2023) – (Opinion) A global surplus of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines exists as a result of difficulties in aligning the demand and supply for vaccine manufacturing and delivery. World leaders have accelerated vaccine development, approval, production and distribution as a pragmatic approach to addressing the immediate public health challenges of the […]

Healio (3/7, Feller) reports, “The rate of teenagers vaccinated against HPV is improving but a significant number of parents remain hesitant about their children receiving the vaccine, a study found.” According to the findings published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, “from 2011 to 2020, the rate of female teens receiving the HPV vaccine increased […]

Healio (3/9, Burba) reports, “Vaccination against COVID-19 is strongly recommended in patients with celiac disease, who are at greater risk for hospitalization due to SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with people who do not have celiac disease, according to research” published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. According to the findings, “24% of patients were hospitalized in the […]

The New York Times (3/7, Belluck) reports a large study suggests that patients with COVID-19 “were significantly more likely to experience gastrointestinal problems a year after infection than people who were not infected.” The study “compared medical records of 154,068” patients with COVID-19 “in the Veterans Health Administration system with about 5.6 million patients of […]

USA Today (2/25, Snider) reported the FDA “has authorized the first over-the-counter at-home test that can detect and differentiate between a test result for flu and a test result for COVID-19.” The “Lucira COVID-19 and Flu Home Test is a single-use test,” in which “a nasal swab is used as with an at-home COVID test; […]

By Janelle Chavez, CNN Updated 2:04 PM ET, Thu February 9, 2023 (CNN) Covid-19 shots are included in new schedules of routinely recommended vaccines released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. The immunization schedules summarize current vaccine recommendations for children, adolescents and adults, but do not set vaccine requirements for schools or […]

Article by Emily Kimber 22nd February 2023 PM Live Pfizer’s US application for its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) maternal vaccine candidate to help protect against the complications of the disease in infants has been accepted for priority review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The single-dose vaccine is administered in the late second […]