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Kids 5 and Up Get Shots in Tests for COVID Vaccine
Seven-year-old Russell Bright squeezed his dad’s hand tightly as tests of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine started Monday in Louisiana for children ages 5 through 11.
Children held stuffed animals, played under chairs and a few cried at Ochsner Medical Center, just outside New Orleans. Their temperature and blood pressure were checked, their noses swabbed and their blood drawn for tests. Finally, they got a shot of either the vaccine or a placebo.
Ochsner is among 98 facilities in 26 states, the District of Columbia, Finland, Poland and Spain where the tests are taking place or planned.
27 Experts Launch Citizen Petition Demanding FDA ‘Slow Down and Get the Science Right’ Before Approving COVID Vaccines
A group of 27 clinicians, researchers and advocates last week filed an urgent Citizen Petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency not to prematurely grant full approval to any COVID vaccine.
“Premature FDA approval of any COVID-19 vaccine could negatively impact the health and safety of U.S. residents, with global ramifications considering the international importance of FDA decisions,” the group said.
The FDA citizen petition process, described in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR Part 10), allows individuals and community organizations to request the agency make changes to health policy. At any time, any “interested person” can request the FDA “issue, amend or revoke a regulation or order,” or “take or refrain from taking any other form of administrative action.”
‘Breakthrough’ COVID Death: Fully Vaccinated California Woman Dies From Virus
TwinCities Pioneer Press reported:
A Napa, Calif., woman has died of COVID-19 despite being fully inoculated, offering a sharp reminder that vaccinated people are not invincible, especially if they are medically vulnerable and the virus is still circulating widely.
“No vaccine is 100% effective, but this does not diminish the urgency and importance of getting vaccinated, especially as more variant strains emerge,” said Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio. “Vaccines provide exceptional protection against death and illness from the virus and all residents should continue to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.”
Florida, Alabama Discontinue Daily COVID Data Reporting in Shift to ‘Next Phase’ of Pandemic
Florida and Alabama will no longer report daily COVID cases and fatalities as vaccinations rise and states begin shifting to the “next phase” of the pandemic.
On Friday, Florida implemented a weekly reporting schedule for COVID data, the state’s Division of Emergency Management said on its website.
China to Offer COVID-19 Vaccine to Children as Young as Three
China has approved the emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine for those as young as three, the drugmaker confirmed Tuesday, making it the first country to offer jabs to young children.
Since the coronavirus first emerged in central China, Beijing has mostly managed to bring the country’s outbreak under control, and has administered over 777 million vaccine doses after a sluggish start.
Biden’s Vaccine Push Fails to Gain Traction With African Americans
The Biden administration knew the key to a successful COVID vaccination campaign would be reaching the most vulnerable populations. But more than five months in, even a blueprint that’s worked with other ethnic and racial groups isn’t doing enough to win over Black Americans.
Less than a quarter of Black Americans had received their first COVID-19 shot as of June 7 based on available federal data, amid a weekslong stagnation that has defied the government’s ramped-up effort to accelerate vaccinations and reach the nation’s most vulnerable communities.
Washington State Kicks Off ‘Joints for Jabs’ to Promote COVID-19 Vaccinations
Adults can claim a complimentary joint of marijuana in Washington state this week when they receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot.
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board announced Monday that the promotion, called “Joints for Jabs,” was effective immediately and would run through July 12. During the afforded time period, state-licensed cannabis retailers are permitted to give one free pre-rolled joint to customers who are 21 or older when they receive their first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at an active, on-site vaccination clinic. Customers can only claim the complimentary joint from the retail location during the same visit as receiving the jab, according to the board.
Pfizer to Test COVID-19 Vaccine in Larger Group of Children Below 12
Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) said on Tuesday it will begin testing its COVID-19 vaccine in a bigger group of children under age 12 after selecting a lower dose of the shot in an earlier stage of the trial.
The study will enroll up to 4,500 children at more than 90 clinical sites in the United States, Finland, Poland and Spain, the company said.
Based on safety, tolerability and the immune response generated by 144 children in a phase I study of the two-dose shot, Pfizer said it will test a dose of 10 micrograms in children between 5 and 11 years of age and 3 micrograms for the age group of 6 months to 5.
Johnson Johnson’s Vaccine Drive Stalls Out in U.S After Safety Pause
Safety concerns about Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ.N) COVID-19 vaccine along with overall flagging demand for vaccinations have slowed its U.S. rollout to a crawl, leaving close to half of the 21 million doses produced for the United States sitting unused.
J&J’s vaccine was supposed to be an important tool for reaching rural areas and vaccine hesitant Americans because it requires only one shot and has less stringent storage requirements than the two-dose vaccines from Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc.
Vaccination Rates Plunge in Some States, Slowing Progress in the Fight to End COVID-19
COVID-19 vaccinations have slowed to a trickle in some states, leaving unvaccinated Americans vulnerable to new variants and threatening the chances of reaching herd immunity.
The US reached its peak of daily vaccinations on April 1, with more than 4.3 million people inoculated in one day, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since then, the numbers have plummeted. Over the past week, an average of roughly 560,000 Americans have been vaccinated each day.
COVID Vaccination Tours? Russia Is Looking at Travel Packages to Revive Its Tourism Industry
With uptake of Russia’s coronavirus shot Sputnik V sluggish among its own citizens, Russia is considering launching COVID vaccination travel packages for tourists.
Russian state news agency Tass cited one of the country’s tourism industry chiefs as saying the “vaccination tours” were ready, but that visas and entry requirements for foreign visitors were holding them up.
“The product is ready, but the issues of visa support and legal entry for foreigners wishing to receive the Russian vaccine are yet to be resolved,” Andrei Ignatyev, president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI), told Tass.
The price of a three-week vaccine tour for foreigners will range between $1,500 to $2,500, excluding airline costs, Ignatyev added.
