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The FDA is poised to authorize Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents ages 12 to 15 years by early next week. (New York Times)
And Pfizer plans to seek full approval of its vaccine by the end of the month. (CNBC)
Children now account for more than a fifth of all new cases in states that release age-stratified data; experts say adult vaccinations, variants, and loosened school restrictions all play a role. (NPR)
As of Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID-19 toll reached 32,472,178 cases and 577,565 deaths, up 49,944 and 520, respectively, since this time yesterday.
India’s COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, was effective against three key variants, those originating in the U.K., Brazil, and India, Ocugen announced.
Moderna said it will supply up to 500 million doses of its vaccine to the COVAX initiative — an effort to provide vaccine to low- and middle-income countries — starting at the end of 2021, with the bulk coming in 2022.
HHS announced a new program to cover the cost of administering COVID-19 vaccines to patients in health plans that either do not cover them or require cost-sharing.
Together, CVS and Walgreens have wasted more than 125,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine — more than U.S. states, territories, and government agencies combined. (Kaiser Health News)
Future COVID vaccines may come in the form of pills or nasal sprays, which will be easier to store and transport than the current injections. (Wall Street Journal)
India postponed exams for medical trainees, allowing them to join the front lines of the world’s largest COVID-19 surge, which has now surpassed 20 million total cases — second only to the U.S.. (Reuters, BBC News)
The E.U. proposed allowing nonresidents to travel to the continent as early as the end of June, if they are vaccinated or come from countries where case numbers are low. (Washington Post)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted all local COVID-19 safety precautions, announcing that the state is “no longer in a state of emergency.” (CNBC)
In other news:
- The EPA proposed a phase-out of the production of hydrofluorocarbons, the potent greenhouse gases used in refrigerators and air conditioning units; the potential impact on asthma inhalers using the gases is unclear. (AP)
- WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, is reportedly seeking re-election for a second 5-year term. (STAT)
- Were Black patients exploited in a Johns Hopkins study where nurse practitioners performed colonoscopies? (STAT)
- In the first trial over their role in the opioid crisis, the three largest U.S. drug distributors — AmerisourceBergen, McKesson, and Cardinal Health — blamed doctors, drugmakers, and regulators for painkiller sales. (Reuters)
- NIH researchers identified a four-part, small-molecule cocktail that can protect stem cells from stress and maintain cell structure and function, enhancing their therapeutic uses.
- A subway overpass collapsed in Mexico City, killing 23 people and injuring around 70 more. (AP)
Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
