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8 Heart Inflammation Cases Among Young Kids Who Got COVID Shot — U.S. CDC

Reuters reported:

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday it had received reports of eight cases of myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation, in children aged 5-11 years who received Pfizer (PFE.N) and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine.

The CDC did not say whether it believes there is a link between the myocarditis cases and the vaccine, or disclose the rate of myocarditis in the age group without vaccination.

The cases were reported in the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and presented by the CDC to a panel of its expert advisers.

CDC Panel Recommends Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines Over J&J Shots for Adults Due to Rare Blood Clot Cases

CNBC reported:

An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines over Johnson & Johnson’s shot for adults 18 and over, after finding dozens of people developed a rare blood clot condition following J&J vaccination, all of whom were hospitalized and nine of whom died.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously to recommend Pfizer and Moderna over the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky still has to weigh in on the panel’s recommendation.

The CDC has confirmed 54 cases of people developing blood clots and showing low blood platelet levels, a new condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome that mostly affects younger women. All of the patients were hospitalized, nine people died and 36 were treated in intensive care.

Broadway Performances Canceled Due to Breakthrough COVID Cases

CNN Entertainment reported:

Several Broadway shows were forced to cancel performances this week due to positive COVID-19 tests among the cast or crew, a setback for the industry that comes just months after it raised the curtain on an 18-month shutdown due to the pandemic.

Since its return, Broadway has required eligible audiences, crews, performers and other staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This week, the Broadway League, a trade association for the industry, began enforcing a new vaccination and mask policy for children.

Here’s a look at the shows that canceled performances this week: “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s opus on the life of Alexander Hamilton, canceled its Wednesday night show less than an hour before it was set to begin due to breakthrough COVID-19 cases, according to a post on its Twitter page.

Should Healthy, Vaccinated Pro-Athletes Who Test Positive Play On? Not yet, Experts Say.

The Washington Post reported:

Coronavirus cases have spiked this week across North American professional sports despite sky-high vaccination rates among players and staffs.

Sidelined stars, postponed games and disrupted seasons have doused any promise that vaccines would restore normalcy to the sports world. One month away from the NFL playoffs and barely a week out from the NBA’s annual Christmas Day showcase, both leagues are again mired in COVID-related obstacles.

Among the rash of players unavailable to play after testing positive, the vast majority are vaccinated and many are asymptomatic. So in a time of widely available vaccines and booster shots, would it be safe for sports leagues to allow vaccinated, asymptomatic players who test positive for the coronavirus to play in games?

Vaccine Watchdog Committee Makes Pregnant Women Priority Group for COVID Vaccination

The Guardian reported:

Pregnant women have been made a priority group for vaccination following research showing they are vulnerable to more serious illness and pregnancy complications if they are infected with COVID-19.

The vaccines watchdog, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), announced on Thursday that pregnant women would be moved into priority group 6 alongside adults under the age of 65 who have long-term health conditions, and urged pregnant women to get first and second doses and booster jabs as soon as possible.

Fauci Pushes for Universal Coronavirus Vaccine

NBC News reported:

The scientific quest for a universal coronavirus vaccine received a boost Wednesday, as three top federal researchers, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, outlined a path to develop new vaccines that could tackle a variety of ailments including COVID-19, some common colds and future viruses.

Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, Fauci and two colleagues said the virus that causes COVID-19 is unlikely to be eliminated, and current vaccines are too limited to prevent the emergence of new variants. Other coronaviruses are also likely to spill over from animals to become future pandemic threats, they wrote.

Refugees Lack COVID Shots Because Drugmakers Fear Lawsuits — Documents

Reuters reported:

Tens of millions of migrants may be denied COVID-19 vaccines from a global program because some major manufacturers are worried about legal risks from harmful side effects, according to officials and internal documents from Gavi, the charity operating the programme, reviewed by Reuters.

Many COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers have required that countries indemnify them for any adverse events suffered by individuals as a result of the vaccines, the United Nations says.

Where governments are not in control, that is not possible. The concerns affect people, such as those displaced by the Myanmar, Afghanistan and Ethiopian crises, who are beyond the reach of national governments’ vaccination schemes.

Cleveland Browns Coronavirus Outbreak Leaves Over 90 NFL Players on COVID Reserve

Forbes reported:

A COVID-19 outbreak has left over a dozen Cleveland Browns players infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Even Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has tested positive for the virus. As a result, over 90 players across the league are now on the NFL’s COVID reserve list.

This may leave the Browns rather undermanned when they play against the Las Vegas Raiders this Saturday. Nevertheless, it looks like this game will still go on, even though the NFL ended up rescheduling 15 games last season due to the pandemic. According to the following tweet on Thursday from Judy Battista, a reporter for the NFL Network, the NFL doesn’t plan on postponing or canceling the game.

It’s been an outbreak season for other teams as well. Over the past week, there’s been a recent surge in positive COVID-19 tests around the NFL.

Omicron Variant May Hasten Pace for COVID to Become Endemic, ‘Ideal Situation for a Virus’

Fox News reported:

Some health officials have expressed reserved optimism that the coronavirus Omicron strain could be a significant step in the pandemic‘s transition to becoming endemic, with one expert calling initial studies “the ideal situation for a virus.”

Dr. Adam Koppel, the managing director of Bain Capital Life Sciences, told the Massachusetts High Technology panel on Tuesday that if the projections are true and Omicron becomes the dominant global strain, it will “enable us to more quickly get to an endemic state as opposed to a pandemic state where we can live more regularly with the virus more similar to the flu than what COVID has looked like,” the Boston Herald reported.

Small South Africa Patient Study Shows Omicron Breaking Through Booster Shots

Reuters reported:

A small study of seven COVID-19 cases in South Africa shows the Omicron variant can break through booster vaccine shots, one of the scientists involved said on Thursday.

A group of seven German visitors to Cape Town, aged between 25 and 39, were infected at some point in late November or early December with confirmed cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant. A copy of the study seen by Reuters said they all suffered only mild to moderate symptoms and none required hospitalization.

Of the group, six were fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N) vaccine, of whom five had also had a booster Pfizer shot while the sixth had received a booster dose of the Moderna (MRNA.O) vaccine.

A seventh had received an initial dose of AstraZeneca‘s vaccine (AZN.L), followed by a second and then third booster dose of Pfizer. None had reported past infection with COVID-19.

mRNA Vaccine Efficacy Against Delta Plummeted in Veterans — Large Cohort of Older Veterans Shows Potential Waning Efficacy, Less Protection Against Infection

MedPage Today reported:

Effectiveness of a two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine was estimated to be substantially lower during the summer months in older male veterans, a case-control study found.

Moreover, estimated vaccine effectiveness dropped to around 20% during months 5 to 7 of the “high Delta” period, the authors wrote in a JAMA Network Open research letter.

Brazil Health Regulator Approves Pfizer COVID Shot for Ages 5 to 11

Reuters reported:

Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa said on Thursday it has approved the use of Pfizer’s (PFE.N)COVID-19 vaccine for children aged from 5 to 11 years old.

The regulator said the benefits of mass-immunization far outweigh the risks associated with the vaccine. It remains unclear, however, as to when Brazil might roll out doses to this age group.