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2021-10-17 at 10:43 PM UTC
Originally posted by stl1 As full of shit as you are, Shlomo , you could die on the toilet…just like Elvis.
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2021-10-18 at 3:54 PM UTCThe Washington Post
What to know about the covid-19 treatment molnupiravir
Bryan Pietsch
The world could soon be armed with another tool to fight the coronavirus pandemic: a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people infected with the coronavirus.
Molnupiravir is a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people who have been infected with the coronavirus.© Merck & Co Inc/Via Reuters Molnupiravir is a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people who have been infected with the coronavirus.
The drug, molnupiravir, offers another tool alongside vaccines for countries to manage the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what you need to know about it:
What is molnupiravir?
Molnupiravir is an antiviral pill by pharmaceutical giant Merck that aims to prevent mild to moderate cases of covid-19 from becoming severe cases that result in hospitalization or death. People who have covid-19 take the drug twice a day for five days, starting within five days of the onset of symptoms.
It was shown in an international clinical trial of 775 high-risk, unvaccinated people to cut the risk of hospitalization and death in half (the participants had at least one risk factor for severe covid-19, such as obesity or advanced age). The treatment was also shown in a separate trial to accelerate the clearance of infectious virus from the nose and throat, indicating that it may also help reduce the spread of the virus.
Still, medical experts warn that vaccines remain the primary tool against the coronavirus, as it is better to prevent people from getting the virus than to treat it after infection.
When will molnupiravir become available?
Merck has submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration following the success of its trial — which was ended early because of its positive results — seeking emergency use authorization for molnupiravir.
Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said in a news release that, in addition to submitting their FDA application, they plan to apply for emergency use or marketing authorization in other countries “in the coming months.” Ahead of a decision by U.S. regulators, the companies have already started producing the pill, and have agreed to sell courses of the treatment to the United States and other countries if they get the green light.
An FDA advisory committee will meet Nov. 30 to discuss the emergency use authorization request, setting a timeline that could have the drug available by the end of the year.
How is molnupiravir different from other covid-19 drugs?
Molnupiravir stands out from other covid-19 treatments for its ease of use. The use of monoclonal antibodies, a treatment that is infused or injected, did not take off widely in the United States, as medical experts say that the treatment is costly and difficult to deliver.
Remdesivir, which, like molnupiravir is an antiviral drug, is administered by injection. It has been shown to shorten hospital stays, but for much of the past year it had unclear results on other aspects of covid-19 infection, such as severe illness or death. Gilead, the maker of remdesivir, said last month that it reduces risk of hospitalization.
Remdesivir may not cure coronavirus, but it’s on track to make billions for Gilead
In contrast, molnupiravir can be prescribed like other pills, taken at home and stored easily.
An older steroid medication, dexamethasone, has been shown in rigorous, placebo-controlled trials to reduce death by a third in patients on ventilators. It is being widely used in intensive care units, often in tandem with remdesivir.
A drug that can treat covid-19 could be a more palatable option for those seeking treatment and turning to unproven coronavirus cures. Ivermectin, a deworming drug commonly used in livestock and sometimes in humans, gained traction among some as a covid-19 treatment after misinformation about it spread online, prompting the FDA to warn people not to use it to treat covid-19.
Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug President Donald Trump touted in the spring of 2020, won an emergency authorization from the FDA that proved to be premature. Clinical trials showed it did not work, and the FDA withdrew the authorization in June.
Where will molnupiravir be used?
The United States, with millions of people still unvaccinated, has made an advance purchase of $1.2 billion worth of molnupiravir — about 1.7 million treatments. Australia, Singapore and South Korea have also made purchase agreements.
The simple process to deliver, store and administer the drug could prove particularly useful in poorer nations. Vaccine distribution efforts in countries that lacked a robust medical infrastructure struggled to get shots in arms, even if they had an adequate supply, as the vaccine doses require extremely cold refrigeration and people trained to administer the shots.
Merck licensed the drug to five generic drugmakers in India to accelerate its availability in low- and middle-income countries.
Still, some experts and public health organizations have raised concerns that without a clearly articulated plan to supply countries or to negotiate contracts, global efforts to secure the drug for poorer countries could run into the same challenges Covax, the World Health Organization-backed initiative to distribute vaccine doses equitably, ran into in distributing vaccines.
“Anticipatory and preparatory work is needed to ensure rapid availability and uptake of any new treatments,” an independent report commissioned by the WHO urged, noting that the United States’ advance purchases of molnupiravir presented an example of that risk. -
2021-10-18 at 4:14 PM UTCWashington Compost lol
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2021-10-18 at 4:16 PM UTC
Originally posted by stl1 The Washington Post
What to know about the covid-19 treatment molnupiravir
Bryan Pietsch
The world could soon be armed with another tool to fight the coronavirus pandemic: a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people infected with the coronavirus.
Molnupiravir is a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people who have been infected with the coronavirus.© Merck & Co Inc/Via Reuters Molnupiravir is a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people who have been infected with the coronavirus.
The drug, molnupiravir, offers another tool alongside vaccines for countries to manage the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what you need to know about it:
What is molnupiravir?
Molnupiravir is an antiviral pill by pharmaceutical giant Merck that aims to prevent mild to moderate cases of covid-19 from becoming severe cases that result in hospitalization or death. People who have covid-19 take the drug twice a day for five days, starting within five days of the onset of symptoms.
It was shown in an international clinical trial of 775 high-risk, unvaccinated people to cut the risk of hospitalization and death in half (the participants had at least one risk factor for severe covid-19, such as obesity or advanced age). The treatment was also shown in a separate trial to accelerate the clearance of infectious virus from the nose and throat, indicating that it may also help reduce the spread of the virus.
Still, medical experts warn that vaccines remain the primary tool against the coronavirus, as it is better to prevent people from getting the virus than to treat it after infection.
When will molnupiravir become available?
Merck has submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration following the success of its trial — which was ended early because of its positive results — seeking emergency use authorization for molnupiravir.
Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said in a news release that, in addition to submitting their FDA application, they plan to apply for emergency use or marketing authorization in other countries “in the coming months.” Ahead of a decision by U.S. regulators, the companies have already started producing the pill, and have agreed to sell courses of the treatment to the United States and other countries if they get the green light.
An FDA advisory committee will meet Nov. 30 to discuss the emergency use authorization request, setting a timeline that could have the drug available by the end of the year.
How is molnupiravir different from other covid-19 drugs?
Molnupiravir stands out from other covid-19 treatments for its ease of use. The use of monoclonal antibodies, a treatment that is infused or injected, did not take off widely in the United States, as medical experts say that the treatment is costly and difficult to deliver.
Remdesivir, which, like molnupiravir is an antiviral drug, is administered by injection. It has been shown to shorten hospital stays, but for much of the past year it had unclear results on other aspects of covid-19 infection, such as severe illness or death. Gilead, the maker of remdesivir, said last month that it reduces risk of hospitalization.
Remdesivir may not cure coronavirus, but it’s on track to make billions for Gilead
In contrast, molnupiravir can be prescribed like other pills, taken at home and stored easily.
An older steroid medication, dexamethasone, has been shown in rigorous, placebo-controlled trials to reduce death by a third in patients on ventilators. It is being widely used in intensive care units, often in tandem with remdesivir.
A drug that can treat covid-19 could be a more palatable option for those seeking treatment and turning to unproven coronavirus cures. Ivermectin, a deworming drug commonly used in livestock and sometimes in humans, gained traction among some as a covid-19 treatment after misinformation about it spread online, prompting the FDA to warn people not to use it to treat covid-19.
Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug President Donald Trump touted in the spring of 2020, won an emergency authorization from the FDA that proved to be premature. Clinical trials showed it did not work, and the FDA withdrew the authorization in June.
Where will molnupiravir be used?
The United States, with millions of people still unvaccinated, has made an advance purchase of $1.2 billion worth of molnupiravir — about 1.7 million treatments. Australia, Singapore and South Korea have also made purchase agreements.
The simple process to deliver, store and administer the drug could prove particularly useful in poorer nations. Vaccine distribution efforts in countries that lacked a robust medical infrastructure struggled to get shots in arms, even if they had an adequate supply, as the vaccine doses require extremely cold refrigeration and people trained to administer the shots.
Merck licensed the drug to five generic drugmakers in India to accelerate its availability in low- and middle-income countries.
Still, some experts and public health organizations have raised concerns that without a clearly articulated plan to supply countries or to negotiate contracts, global efforts to secure the drug for poorer countries could run into the same challenges Covax, the World Health Organization-backed initiative to distribute vaccine doses equitably, ran into in distributing vaccines.
“Anticipatory and preparatory work is needed to ensure rapid availability and uptake of any new treatments,” an independent report commissioned by the WHO urged, noting that the United States’ advance purchases of molnupiravir presented an example of that risk.
The Washington Post
What to know about the covid-19 treatment molnupiravir
Bryan Pietsch
I'm guessing it's patent only. Will update just now.
EDIT: https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and-ridgebacks-investigational-oral-antiviral-molnupiravir-reduced-the-risk-of-hospitalization-or-death-by-approximately-50-percent-compared-to-placebo-for-patients-with-mild-or-moderat/
And there it is.
Of course highly effective but off-patent ivermectin is allegedly just ground-up horse-paste. -
2021-10-18 at 5:07 PM UTCi used to sell it at a farm store you fucking spergs stop eating it because actual farmers need it for their horses and you tards are causing a shortage SMFH
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2021-10-18 at 5:55 PM UTC
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2021-10-18 at 6:41 PM UTC
Originally posted by stl1 Once again, Shlomo can't refute an article and has to try to be "cute".
Look in the mirror, Shlomo.
Cute you ain't!
Originally posted by Speedy Parker Shlomo knows you can't have a debate with an article. It can't answer challenges or counter facts. Key word it. You can't argue with an it. You can read it or, based on tracked history, consider the source and choose not to read propaganda. I choose not to read it. Having made that choice there can be no discussion.
I hope that clears things up for you simp. -
2021-10-18 at 7 PM UTCWouldn't want real facts to get in the way, huh?
It is terrible when one's illusions are shattered! -
2021-10-18 at 7:07 PM UTC
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2021-10-18 at 7:27 PM UTC
Originally posted by stl1 The Washington Post
What to know about the covid-19 treatment molnupiravir
Bryan Pietsch
The world could soon be armed with another tool to fight the coronavirus pandemic: a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people infected with the coronavirus.
Molnupiravir is a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people who have been infected with the coronavirus.© Merck & Co Inc/Via Reuters Molnupiravir is a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people who have been infected with the coronavirus.
The drug, molnupiravir, offers another tool alongside vaccines for countries to manage the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what you need to know about it:
What is molnupiravir?
Molnupiravir is an antiviral pill by pharmaceutical giant Merck that aims to prevent mild to moderate cases of covid-19 from becoming severe cases that result in hospitalization or death. People who have covid-19 take the drug twice a day for five days, starting within five days of the onset of symptoms.
It was shown in an international clinical trial of 775 high-risk, unvaccinated people to cut the risk of hospitalization and death in half (the participants had at least one risk factor for severe covid-19, such as obesity or advanced age). The treatment was also shown in a separate trial to accelerate the clearance of infectious virus from the nose and throat, indicating that it may also help reduce the spread of the virus.
Still, medical experts warn that vaccines remain the primary tool against the coronavirus, as it is better to prevent people from getting the virus than to treat it after infection.
When will molnupiravir become available?
Merck has submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration following the success of its trial — which was ended early because of its positive results — seeking emergency use authorization for molnupiravir.
Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said in a news release that, in addition to submitting their FDA application, they plan to apply for emergency use or marketing authorization in other countries “in the coming months.” Ahead of a decision by U.S. regulators, the companies have already started producing the pill, and have agreed to sell courses of the treatment to the United States and other countries if they get the green light.
An FDA advisory committee will meet Nov. 30 to discuss the emergency use authorization request, setting a timeline that could have the drug available by the end of the year.
How is molnupiravir different from other covid-19 drugs?
Molnupiravir stands out from other covid-19 treatments for its ease of use. The use of monoclonal antibodies, a treatment that is infused or injected, did not take off widely in the United States, as medical experts say that the treatment is costly and difficult to deliver.
Remdesivir, which, like molnupiravir is an antiviral drug, is administered by injection. It has been shown to shorten hospital stays, but for much of the past year it had unclear results on other aspects of covid-19 infection, such as severe illness or death. Gilead, the maker of remdesivir, said last month that it reduces risk of hospitalization.
Remdesivir may not cure coronavirus, but it’s on track to make billions for Gilead
In contrast, molnupiravir can be prescribed like other pills, taken at home and stored easily.
An older steroid medication, dexamethasone, has been shown in rigorous, placebo-controlled trials to reduce death by a third in patients on ventilators. It is being widely used in intensive care units, often in tandem with remdesivir.
A drug that can treat covid-19 could be a more palatable option for those seeking treatment and turning to unproven coronavirus cures. Ivermectin, a deworming drug commonly used in livestock and sometimes in humans, gained traction among some as a covid-19 treatment after misinformation about it spread online, prompting the FDA to warn people not to use it to treat covid-19.
Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug President Donald Trump touted in the spring of 2020, won an emergency authorization from the FDA that proved to be premature. Clinical trials showed it did not work, and the FDA withdrew the authorization in June.
Where will molnupiravir be used?
The United States, with millions of people still unvaccinated, has made an advance purchase of $1.2 billion worth of molnupiravir — about 1.7 million treatments. Australia, Singapore and South Korea have also made purchase agreements.
The simple process to deliver, store and administer the drug could prove particularly useful in poorer nations. Vaccine distribution efforts in countries that lacked a robust medical infrastructure struggled to get shots in arms, even if they had an adequate supply, as the vaccine doses require extremely cold refrigeration and people trained to administer the shots.
Merck licensed the drug to five generic drugmakers in India to accelerate its availability in low- and middle-income countries.
Still, some experts and public health organizations have raised concerns that without a clearly articulated plan to supply countries or to negotiate contracts, global efforts to secure the drug for poorer countries could run into the same challenges Covax, the World Health Organization-backed initiative to distribute vaccine doses equitably, ran into in distributing vaccines.
“Anticipatory and preparatory work is needed to ensure rapid availability and uptake of any new treatments,” an independent report commissioned by the WHO urged, noting that the United States’ advance purchases of molnupiravir presented an example of that risk.
Yet more dangerous and highly experimental garbage to kill people with. No credible studies, nothing. Let's just inject millions of people with mystery concoctions for profit and treat them all like human Guinea pigs. -
2021-10-22 at 8:28 PM UTCThe Washington Post
CDC signs off on Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters and says people can get a shot different from their original one
Lena H. Sun, Katie Shepherd
Tens of millions of Americans can sign up to get Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters beginning Friday after the nation’s top public health official endorsed recommendations from expert advisers that the shots are safe and effective at bolstering protection against the coronavirus.
Advisors to the CDC recommended the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters and okayed giving boosters different from the original vaccine.© Jacob Biba/For The Washington Post Advisors to the CDC recommended the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters and okayed giving boosters different from the original vaccine.
The green light from Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, means that eligible Americans at risk of severe disease can choose any of the three boosters now authorized in the United States regardless of their original shot.
“The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe — as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given,” Walensky said in a statement Thursday night, several hours after receiving unanimous recommendations from the expert panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. “And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating delta variant.”
Walensky’s action — following authorization Wednesday from federal regulators — largely fulfills the administration’s August pledge to make boosters of all three vaccines available to Americans, albeit a month later than promised and for a smaller group. The administration’s focus on boosters came as the highly contagious delta variant sickened millions and killed tens of thousands, and also reflected concern about waning immunity from the vaccines.
CDC’s sign-off on the additional boosters as well as the flexibility to mix and match the shots gives greater leeway to consumers, as well as to clinicians and pharmacies administering them to vulnerable populations. Health officials have repeatedly sought ways to make it easier for people to get a booster dose, especially those who have had side effects from one brand, or who worry about risks associated with a particular shot.
The availability of boosters will be particularly welcome to the 15 million recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, many of whom have been particularly fearful of breakthrough infections given that shot’s lower level of protection compared with the messenger RNA vaccines.
“I agree that those who received a [Johnson & Johnson] vaccine should receive a second dose — I would prefer that those individuals get an mRNA vaccine” rather than a second Johnson & Johnson shot, said advisory panel member Pablo J. Sanchez, a pediatrician at Ohio State University.
Interchangeability of shots is also likely to speed booster vaccination in nursing homes and other institutional settings where residents received different shots during the early rollout. The Pfizer-BioNTech booster is already in use since it was authorized and recommended last month.
“I think the opportunity for these [mix and match] boosts [is] priceless,” said Helen Keipp Talbot, an infectious-disease doctor at Vanderbilt University and panel member.
The CDC plans to release guidance early next week with more detailed information about who might benefit from choosing one booster over another, as the panel requested. CDC advisers and agency officials are still working out whether to recommend that some people stick to their original vaccine if possible.
“A really important aspect of all of this is being clear and not dancing on the head of a pin so that we don’t confuse the American people,” said Beth Bell, a global health professor at the University of Washington.
The advisory panel’s recommendation was similar to Wednesday’s action by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA did not take a position on whether people should stay with the original vaccine or switch to another one, saying it did not have the data to make such judgments.
The FDA has authorized a third shot of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech for anyone 65 and older, or any adults at high risk of severe illness because of underlying conditions, job exposure or because they are in institutional settings, and who have gone at least six months since their second dose.
It broadened eligibility much further for those who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to anyone 18 and older who has gone at least two months since getting the shot — criteria reflecting the lower protection afforded by that vaccine compared with the others.
Advisers to the CDC suggested in their all-day meeting Thursday that mixing and matching booster shots may appeal to consumers concerned about possible risks associated with their first vaccine.
“A lot of what our efforts are centered around is trying to mitigate risk as much as possible, both from disease as well as vaccination,” said Grace Lee, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine and chair of the panel.
More data on the safety of booster shots for specific groups may help determine “whether or not a different boost would be appropriate, for example, for young women” who first received Johnson & Johnson, Lee added.
Some panel members questioned the wisdom of administering a second Johnson & Johnson shot to women of childbearing age, for instance, because of rare but serious risk of blood clots associated with that vaccine. Analyses of data for those who have received that shot suggest an increased risk of a rare type of clot, especially for women 18 to 49 years old.
The advisers and the CDC do not recommend getting a Johnson & Johnson booster for anyone who developed blood clots after getting a first shot.
Both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are also associated with the extremely rare risk of inflammatory heart problems, such as myocarditis, especially in males ages 12 to 30. Some safety data from the United States, Canada and Scandinavian countries show greater risk with Moderna than Pfizer, but others show no difference between the brands, according to a presentation by Talbot, who heads the CDC panel’s vaccine safety group.
Follow-up study of the heart problems suggests the cases are generally mild and symptoms resolve promptly, Talbot said. The Moderna shots tied to that risk were full doses, not the half-dose booster cleared by the FDA and recommended by the CDC panel. Safety data of the half-dose Moderna booster is limited, but the risks might be lower at that lower dose, Talbot said.
For people who develop myocarditis after vaccination with Moderna or Pfizer, and who are eligible for boosters, the advisers and the CDC recommend deferring the shot at least until symptoms have completely resolved.
About 105 million fully vaccinated people have received the two-shot Pfizer series, according to the CDC. About 70 million fully vaccinated people have received the Moderna shots. Only 15 million Americans were vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson shots, which arrived later and were delayed by an investigation of a rare adverse event, as well as a manufacturing problem.
More than 11 million people have received a booster or an additional dose of a vaccine to date. -
2021-10-22 at 9:08 PM UTCmy arm hurts, fuck you
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2021-10-22 at 11:07 PM UTC
Originally posted by stl1 The Washington Post
CDC signs off on Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters and says people can get a shot different from their original one
Lena H. Sun, Katie Shepherd
Tens of millions of Americans can sign up to get Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters beginning Friday after the nation’s top public health official endorsed recommendations from expert advisers that the shots are safe and effective at bolstering protection against the coronavirus.
Advisors to the CDC recommended the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters and okayed giving boosters different from the original vaccine.© Jacob Biba/For The Washington Post Advisors to the CDC recommended the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters and okayed giving boosters different from the original vaccine.
The green light from Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, means that eligible Americans at risk of severe disease can choose any of the three boosters now authorized in the United States regardless of their original shot.
“The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe — as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given,” Walensky said in a statement Thursday night, several hours after receiving unanimous recommendations from the expert panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. “And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating delta variant.”
Walensky’s action — following authorization Wednesday from federal regulators — largely fulfills the administration’s August pledge to make boosters of all three vaccines available to Americans, albeit a month later than promised and for a smaller group. The administration’s focus on boosters came as the highly contagious delta variant sickened millions and killed tens of thousands, and also reflected concern about waning immunity from the vaccines.
CDC’s sign-off on the additional boosters as well as the flexibility to mix and match the shots gives greater leeway to consumers, as well as to clinicians and pharmacies administering them to vulnerable populations. Health officials have repeatedly sought ways to make it easier for people to get a booster dose, especially those who have had side effects from one brand, or who worry about risks associated with a particular shot.
The availability of boosters will be particularly welcome to the 15 million recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, many of whom have been particularly fearful of breakthrough infections given that shot’s lower level of protection compared with the messenger RNA vaccines.
“I agree that those who received a [Johnson & Johnson] vaccine should receive a second dose — I would prefer that those individuals get an mRNA vaccine” rather than a second Johnson & Johnson shot, said advisory panel member Pablo J. Sanchez, a pediatrician at Ohio State University.
Interchangeability of shots is also likely to speed booster vaccination in nursing homes and other institutional settings where residents received different shots during the early rollout. The Pfizer-BioNTech booster is already in use since it was authorized and recommended last month.
“I think the opportunity for these [mix and match] boosts [is] priceless,” said Helen Keipp Talbot, an infectious-disease doctor at Vanderbilt University and panel member.
The CDC plans to release guidance early next week with more detailed information about who might benefit from choosing one booster over another, as the panel requested. CDC advisers and agency officials are still working out whether to recommend that some people stick to their original vaccine if possible.
“A really important aspect of all of this is being clear and not dancing on the head of a pin so that we don’t confuse the American people,” said Beth Bell, a global health professor at the University of Washington.
The advisory panel’s recommendation was similar to Wednesday’s action by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA did not take a position on whether people should stay with the original vaccine or switch to another one, saying it did not have the data to make such judgments.
The FDA has authorized a third shot of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech for anyone 65 and older, or any adults at high risk of severe illness because of underlying conditions, job exposure or because they are in institutional settings, and who have gone at least six months since their second dose.
It broadened eligibility much further for those who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to anyone 18 and older who has gone at least two months since getting the shot — criteria reflecting the lower protection afforded by that vaccine compared with the others.
Advisers to the CDC suggested in their all-day meeting Thursday that mixing and matching booster shots may appeal to consumers concerned about possible risks associated with their first vaccine.
“A lot of what our efforts are centered around is trying to mitigate risk as much as possible, both from disease as well as vaccination,” said Grace Lee, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine and chair of the panel.
More data on the safety of booster shots for specific groups may help determine “whether or not a different boost would be appropriate, for example, for young women” who first received Johnson & Johnson, Lee added.
Some panel members questioned the wisdom of administering a second Johnson & Johnson shot to women of childbearing age, for instance, because of rare but serious risk of blood clots associated with that vaccine. Analyses of data for those who have received that shot suggest an increased risk of a rare type of clot, especially for women 18 to 49 years old.
The advisers and the CDC do not recommend getting a Johnson & Johnson booster for anyone who developed blood clots after getting a first shot.
Both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are also associated with the extremely rare risk of inflammatory heart problems, such as myocarditis, especially in males ages 12 to 30. Some safety data from the United States, Canada and Scandinavian countries show greater risk with Moderna than Pfizer, but others show no difference between the brands, according to a presentation by Talbot, who heads the CDC panel’s vaccine safety group.
Follow-up study of the heart problems suggests the cases are generally mild and symptoms resolve promptly, Talbot said. The Moderna shots tied to that risk were full doses, not the half-dose booster cleared by the FDA and recommended by the CDC panel. Safety data of the half-dose Moderna booster is limited, but the risks might be lower at that lower dose, Talbot said.
For people who develop myocarditis after vaccination with Moderna or Pfizer, and who are eligible for boosters, the advisers and the CDC recommend deferring the shot at least until symptoms have completely resolved.
About 105 million fully vaccinated people have received the two-shot Pfizer series, according to the CDC. About 70 million fully vaccinated people have received the Moderna shots. Only 15 million Americans were vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson shots, which arrived later and were delayed by an investigation of a rare adverse event, as well as a manufacturing problem.
More than 11 million people have received a booster or an additional dose of a vaccine to date.
Every time you spew copypasta I experience an urge to staple your scrotum to your forehead. -
2021-10-23 at 6:01 AM UTC
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2021-10-23 at 8:23 AM UTC
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2021-10-23 at 1:09 PM UTCfirst time I turn the TV on in a while and wolverine's on
first commercial break - no less than 4 different ads for vaccination -
2021-10-23 at 4:35 PM UTC
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2021-10-23 at 4:44 PM UTC
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2021-10-23 at 4:54 PM UTC
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2021-10-23 at 6:40 PM UTCFDA says Pfizer vaccine appears to work in young kids; study shows lower mortality rates for vaccinated people: Live COVID updates
Jeanine Santucci and Will Carless, USA TODAY
Federal health regulators said for the first time late Friday that kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections in elementary school children and caused no unexpected safety issues.
The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis of Pfizer’s data ahead of a public meeting next week to debate whether the shots are ready for the nation’s roughly 28 million children ages 5 to 11. The agency will ask a panel of outside vaccine experts to vote on that question and is expected to authorize the vaccine for young children as early as next week.
In their analysis, FDA scientists concluded that in almost every scenario the vaccine's benefit for preventing hospitalizations and death from COVID-19 would outweigh any serious potential side effects in children. But agency reviewers stopped short of calling for Pfizer's shot to be authorized immediately.
If the FDA authorizes the shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make additional recommendations on who should receive them the first week of November. Children could begin vaccinations early next month.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 45.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 735,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 242.8 million cases and 4.9 million deaths. More than 190 million Americans — 57.3% of the population — are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
📘 What we're reading: Vaccines are being attacked by a fresh voice advocating for natural immunity — Florida's surgeon general. Dr. Joseph Ladapo has blasted the efficacy of COVID vaccines while insisting the administration supports them.
Study shows lower mortality rates for vaccinated people
People who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are less likely to die, even from causes not related to COVID.
That's according to a new study released by the CDC that examined death rates among vaccinated and nonvaccinated Americans. The study concluded that there is no increased risk of death from getting vaccinated, highlighting the safety of vaccines.
The study included data from 11 million people and was conducted between December 2020 and July 2021. After adjusting for age, sex and other demographic characteristics, the data showed that vaccinated people had lower mortality rates than nonvaccinated people from all causes.
The relative risk of non-COVID mortality for people fully vaccinated with Pfizer was 0.41. The risk for Moderna recipients who were fully vaccinated was 0.34. Recipients of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine had a 0.54 relative mortality risk for non-COVID causes.
"This finding reinforces the safety profile of currently approved COVID-19 vaccines in the United States," the study said.
Delta variant doesn't cause more serious illness, study says
There was no evidence that people who had a lab-confirmed case of COVID from the delta variant had a higher risk of more severe illness than people infected with other variants of the disease, according to a new CDC study.
While the delta variant is much more transmissible than previous strains, the study of data from 14 states saw no higher proportion of people with severe outcomes.
However, the proportion of unvaccinated people hospitalized with the delta variant did increase, and "lower vaccination coverage in adults aged 18–49 years likely contributed to the increase in hospitalized patients during the Delta period," the study found.
COVID-19 taking a growing toll on Kentucky's depleted nursing corps
Repeated waves of COVID-19 cases, long hours and chronic staff shortages are taking a severe toll on Kentucky's nurses with many citing stress, burnout and distress over encounters with hostile patients and family members.
Further, as the pandemic drags on, nurses once viewed as health care heroes have found themselves confronted by some critics who claim COVID-19 isn't real or are angry about measures such as vaccines and wearing masks. The Kentucky Nurses Association released a survey of nurses statewide about the state of their profession on Friday.
Some of the findings:
A boom in the travel nurse industry — in which private agencies hire nurses to work in other regions or states at much higher pay — is further depleting the ranks of Kentucky nurses as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches into its 20th month.
And nurses already overwhelmed by surges of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are now experiencing waves of critical illness and death driven by the delta variant, largely among unvaccinated patients.
