The FDA permitting a mix-and-match vaccine booster approach increases access in three key ways: it allows people to get any booster that’s readily available to them, lets them choose which one they get, and reduces uncertainty about safety and efficacy. Read More
Tag: Public Health
Public Health – latest news.
New U.S. COVID cases are down 22%. See how your state is doing
Cases are dropping in all but 10 states, and more 189.5 million people—57.1% of all Americans—are now fully vaccinated. Read More
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 […]
Anti-vaccine school in Florida tells kids to stay home if they get a COVID shot
Enlarge / Centner Academy private school building is seen in Miami’s Design District in Miami on April 27, 2021. (credit: Getty | CHANDAN KHANNA ) An anti-vaccine private school in Miami, Florida, is requiring students who receive a COVID-19 vaccine to stay home for 30 days after each shot, according to local news outlet WSVN […]
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 […]
The stalemate over patents is fueling vaccine inequity—and the pandemic
Moderna’s refusal to share its vaccine recipe is the latest blow in a losing fight to ensure equitable vaccine access for all. Read More
Merck’s Thor-inspired COVID treatment hammered for $700 price—a 46x markup
Enlarge / Merck & Co. headquarters in San Francisco, California. (credit: Getty | Sundry Photography) A storm is brewing over the pricing and licensing of Merck’s antiviral pill molnupiravir, which the pharmaceutical giant says can halve the risk of hospitalization and death in high-risk COVID-19 patients. Merck’s advance purchase agreement with the US government pegs […]
New U. S. COVID cases are down 21%. See how your state is doing
More Americans are getting boosters than their first COVID shot. Read More
Texas governor bans all vaccine mandates, including from private businesses
Enlarge / Texas Governor Greg Abbott. (credit: Getty | Montinique Monroe ) Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order late Monday prohibiting all state entities, including private businesses, from requiring people to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The Republican governor also noted that he has added the issue to the legislature’s special session so that […]
Unvaccinated patients are getting kicked off organ transplant waitlists
Enlarge (credit: Getty | Barcroft) A growing number of medical facilities across the country are directing coveted organ donations to patients who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, pushing people who remain unvaccinated down or even off of transplantation waitlists. The thinking behind this move is simple: With transmission of the pandemic coronavirus still high in […]