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Covid vaccine shots could be available to young children in a matter of weeks. Meg Tirrell has the details. Average daily Covid cases in the U.S. fell below 100,000 as the nation enters its colder months. The WHO has published a clinical case definition for long Covid, Sam Meredith reports.
| | Pfizer completes application for Covid vaccine for kids 5-11 | And the race is on for a hoped-for vaccine for this age group around Halloween. The FDA already scheduled an advisory committee meeting for October 26. Pfizer reported in September that a trial of 2,268 participants showed the shot had a favorable safety profile and generated an immune response at one-third the adult dose. Results for even younger kids – where the dose is one-tenth what adults get – are expected within a few months.
-Meg Tirrell | | | | U.S. Covid cases dip below 100,000 a day | Average daily Covid cases in the U.S. fell below 100,000 on Thursday as more than 56% of the population fully immunized against the virus and the pandemic shows signs of easing — a starkly different trend than the record-setting surge the country was heading toward last fall. How the pandemic in the U.S. looks over the next few months will depend largely on how Americans behave heading into the holiday season. Getting vaccinated, receiving booster shots and avoiding large gatherings are crucial ways to mitigate against breakthrough cases and holiday outbreaks, health experts said.
-Nate Rattner | | | | Long Covid now has a formal definition | The WHO this week published a definition of long Covid for the first time, seeking to provide much-needed clarity on one of the most mysterious aspects of the pandemic. The international health agency writes, "Post COVID-19 condition occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, usually 3 months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms that last for at least 2 months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis."
-Sam Meredith | | | | Latin America, Caribbean Islands have vaccinated just 37% of populations, WHO says | Just 37% of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated, almost half the rate of Canada as emerging economies struggle to access the life-saving shots. Officials from WHO's regional branch for the Americas said an overall lack of vaccine availability is a main factor restricting immunization rates in both regions. Disparities in vaccine distribution are especially stark in Jamaica, Nicaragua and Haiti, where less than 10% of the population has received a full series of Covid doses.
-Bob Towey | | | | Family of Henrietta Lacks sues Thermo Fisher over famed cell line | HeLa cells have contributed to countless medical breakthroughs, including the polio vaccine, research in cancer and HIV, and more recently, understanding how the coronavirus infects cells. They come from Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year old mother who sought treatment in 1951 at Johns Hopkins for what turned out to be cervical cancer. Her cells were taken, her family says, without her knowledge or consent. Now, her descendants have teamed with famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump to sue a company that sells the cell line for research purposes, Thermo Fisher, claiming unjust enrichment. Crump says the suit could expand to include hundreds of biotechnology companies.
-Meg Tirrell | | | | NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins is stepping down by year's end | "It has been an incredible privilege to lead this great agency for more than a decade," said Collins, 71. "I am proud of all we've accomplished." Collins – who became a crucial source for information on the Covid pandemic – is the first presidentially appointed NIH director to serve in more than one administration. He is the 16th NIH director, appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2009. He was asked to continue in his role by former President Donald Trump, and in 2021, by President Joe Biden. Biden described Collins as "one of the most important scientists of our time."
-Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | |
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