COVID 19 Tech

FDA authorizes Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11

Enlarge (credit: Getty | Congressional Quarterly) The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency authorization for the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11. The FDA’s authorization follows the recommendation of its independent advisory committee, which earlier this week voted nearly unanimously in favor of authorizing the vaccine. The […]

Tech

Children poisoned by birthday cake decorations loaded with lead, copper

Enlarge (credit: Getty ) A recent baking trend of using “luster dusts” to give cake frostings and decorations a shimmery look has poisoned young children with heavy metals in at least two states, health researchers warn in a new report published Friday . A toxic birthday cake for a 1-year-old left six children (ages 1 […]

Tech

Kid COVID-19 vaccines get green light from FDA advisors

Enlarge / A nurse gives a boy a dose of the Pfizer vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Florida on the day before classes begin for the 2021-22 school year. (credit: Getty | Paul Hennessy) A panel of independent medical experts advising the Food and Drug Administration voted 17 to 0 (with one abstention) […]

COVID 19 Tech

CDC advisory panel unanimously approves expanded COVID vaccine boosters

Enlarge (credit: iStock / Getty Images) On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control’s expert advisory committee on vaccines met to vote on new guidelines for the use of boosters to sustain the immunity provided by the COVID-19 vaccines in use in the US. The day prior, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use […]

COVID 19 Tech

COVID vaccines for kids 5-11 up for preorder Wednesday ahead of FDA review

Enlarge / A thirteen-year-old celebrates getting the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Hartford, Connecticut, on May 13, 2021. (credit: Getty | JOSEPH PREZIOSO ) Starting tomorrow, October 20, states and other jurisdictions will be able to preorder doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine formulated for children ages 5 to 11, according to a federal planning document […]

COVID 19 Tech

J&J boosters get nod from FDA advisors as agency eyes mix-and-match

Enlarge / Boxes of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Florida. (credit: Getty | Paul Hennessy) A committee of independent advisors for the Food and Drug Administration on Friday voted unanimously in favor of authorizing a second dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to everyone 18 years of […]

COVID 19 Tech

FDA advisors unanimously green-light Moderna boosters for people 65+, high-risk

Enlarge / The Food and Drug Administration headquarters in White Oak, Maryland. (credit: Getty | Congressional Quarterly) As expected, a committee of independent advisors for the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously (19-to-0) Thursday afternoon in favor of authorizing a booster dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for certain groups. The groups flagged for boosting are […]

COVID 19 Tech

Mix-and-match COVID boosters are as good—if not better than—all the same shots

Enlarge / A vial of the current Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (credit: Getty | Ivan Romano) Mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines for booster doses appears safe and as effective—if not more effective—than sticking with the same vaccine for a booster dose. That’s according to preliminary data posted online Wednesday from a clinical trial run by the […]

COVID 19 Tech

Biden administration expects J&J boosters in the next few weeks

Enlarge / Boxes of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Florida. (credit: Getty | Paul Hennessy) Johnson & Johnson plans to seek authorization for a booster dose for its one-shot COVID-19 vaccine early this week, according to a report by The New York Times. J&J is the last to apply […]

COVID 19 Tech

COVID-19 vaccines will be added to immunization list required for CA students

Enlarge / California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks with 7th grade students at James Denman Middle School on October 01, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (credit: Getty | Justin Sullivan) California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday announced that the state will add COVID-19 vaccines to the list of immunizations students are required to get to attend […]