Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

Will lottery prizes convince people to take the COVID-19 vaccine? It appears not, according to Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers.

Previous BUSM research found that Ohio's lottery system to incentivize vaccination was not associated with increased vaccinations, now a new study from the same researchers, found the same results despite expanding their data to include 15 additional states.

As in our prior study of Ohio's lottery incentive, we unfortunately did not find an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations related to lottery incentive programs in other states."

Anica Law, MD, MS, corresponding author, assistant professor of medicine, BUSM

Since it was unclear if other states (besides Ohio) might have different responses to lottery vaccine incentives, the researchers assessed changes in COVID-19 vaccination rates in 15 other states with subsequent lottery programs. Data from both the U.S. Center for Disease Control as well as individual state vaccine data was reviewed to evaluate trends in vaccination rates among adults in states with and without lottery incentive programs. No association between state-based vaccine lottery incentive programs and increased rates of COVID-19 vaccination was found.

According to the researchers, these results suggest that state-based lotteries are of limited value in increasing vaccine uptake. "Further studies and resources should be devoted to other strategies to increase vaccination rates, including those that more directly target underlying reasons for vaccine hesitancy," said Law, a physician at Boston Medical Center.

These findings appear online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Source:

Journal reference:

Law, A.C., et al. (2022) Lottery-Based Incentives and COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in the United States. JAMA Internal Medicine. doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.7052.

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Lottery-based incentives are of limited value in increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake - News-Medical.Net

CHENGDU, China, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., (Clover; Stock code: 2197.HK), a global clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel vaccines and biologic therapeutic candidates, today announced that the first participants have been dosed with Clovers COVID-19 vaccine candidate, SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum), as a homologous booster dose following primary vaccination of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) in the ongoing global Phase 2/3 SPECTRA clinical trial. Clover reported final efficacy data for SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) in SPECTRA in September 2021 and the study is continuing to generate additional immunogenicity and safety data.

This double-blind, randomized, controlled study will evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of two formulations of SCB-2019 (full dose: 30 g with CpG 1018/Alum and half dose: 15 g with CpG 1018/Alum) as a homologous booster dose administered approximately 6 months following 2-dose primary vaccination with SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) in approximately 4,000 adult participants.

In addition, the evaluation of the immunogenicity and safety of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) for primary vaccination in the adolescent (12-18 years) subgroup has been expanded to 1,200 adolescents. Initial data on both the homologous booster arm and adolescents are anticipated in the first half of 2022.

Joshua Liang, Chief Executive Officer of Clover Biopharmaceuticals said, We are pleased to announce that the first participants have been dosed with SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) as a homologous booster in the Philippines. The data generated from this study combined with previously reported positive data on previously-infected individuals in SPECTRA as well as data from other heterologous booster studies will potentially position SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) as an attractive universal booster vaccine candidate globally.

The development of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which has awarded Clover up to $397.4 million in funding. Through this collaboration, Clover will supply up to 414 million doses of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) to the COVAX Facility for equitable distribution.

About SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum)

SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum), our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, is anticipated to potentially be one of the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccines commercialized globally through the COVAX Facility. Employing the Trimer-Tag technology platform, Clover developed the SCB-2019 antigen, a stabilized trimeric form of the S-protein (referred to as S-Trimer) based on the original strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Clover created its COVID-19 vaccine candidate by combining SCB-2019 with Dynavaxs CpG 1018 advanced adjuvant and aluminum hydroxide (alum).

About Clover Biopharmaceuticals

Clover Biopharmaceuticals is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing novel vaccines and biologic therapeutic candidates. The Trimer-Tag technology platform is a product development platform for the creation of novel vaccines and biologic therapies. Clover leveraged the Trimer-Tag technology platform to become a COVID-19 vaccine developer and created SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) to address the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2.

For more information, please visit Clovers website: http://www.cloverbiopharma.comand follow the company on LinkedIn.

Clover Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to us and our subsidiaries that are based on the beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to our management. When used in this [document], the words aim, anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, going forward, intend, may, might, ought to, plan, potential, predict, project, seek, should, will, would and the negative of these words and other similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. We give no assurance that these expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are participant to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. We caution you therefore against placing undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this document speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. Participant to the requirements of applicable laws, rules and regulations, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All forward-looking statements contained in this document are qualified by reference to this cautionary statement.

Clover Biopharmaceuticals:

Cindy MinSVP, Public Affairsmedia@cloverbiopharma.com

Naomi EichenbaumVP, Investor Relationsinvestors@cloverbiopharma.com

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Clover Doses First Participants with Homologous Booster Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate in SPECTRA - BioSpace

The vaccination and testing sites will not require proof of residency, citizenship, or insurance.

HOUSTON (KIAH) The Houston Health Department is adding dozens more, free covid-19 testing sites and as positive case numbers continue to soar. The HHD says the vaccination and testing sites will not require proof of residency, citizenship, or insurance.

Mondays, Thursdays: 10 a.m. 7 p.m.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.

Friday: 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.

Tuesdays: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Mondays, Thursdays: 10 a.m. 7 p.m.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays: 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.

Friday: 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.

Thursdays: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Saturdays: 10 a.m. 2 p.m.

Mondays, Thursdays: 10 a.m. 7 p.m.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.

Friday: 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.

Mondays, Thursdays: 10 a.m. 7 p.m.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.

Friday: 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.

Saturdays: 10 a.m. 2 p.m.

Mondays, Thursdays: 10 a.m. 7 p.m.

Tuesdays, Fridays: 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.

Wednesdays: 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.

Mondays-Saturdays: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

January 5, 2022: 5-7 p.m.

January 6, 2022: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

January 6, 2022: 2-5 p.m.

January 7, 2022: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

January 8, 2022: 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

January 8, 2022: 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

January 8, 2022: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

January 8, 2022: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

January 8, 2022: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

January 8, 2022: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

January 8, 2022: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Walk ins only

January 8, 2022: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Walk ins only

January 9, 2022: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Houston Health Department's Harris County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) has vaccinated over a thousand Houstonians in their own homes. In-home COVID-19 testing is also offered for an added layer of protection. Find out if you or a loved one is eligible: https://t.co/kpcy9CLjnS pic.twitter.com/ttpMgiUi0a

The Houston Health Department is also offering free in-home Covid-19 testing for older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans. To qualify please call 832-393-4301.

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Free COVID-19 vaccination and test sites throughout Houston - CW39

January 4, 2022 | Austin, Texas | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter announcing his intention to sue the federal government over its unconstitutional vaccine mandate for the Texas National Guard. In the letter, the Governor reminds everyone in his chain of command not to punish any member of the Texas National Guard for choosing not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This letter comes after the Biden Administration tried to subject non-federalized guardsmen to an unconstitutional COVID-19 vaccine mandate from the U.S. Department of Defense. The Governor sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin last month reaffirming that the State of Texas will not impose the Biden Administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate on members of the Texas National Guard."As the commander-in-chief of Texass militia, I have issued a straightforward order to every member of the Texas National Guard within my chain of command: Do not punish any guardsman for choosing not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine," reads the letter. "Unless President Biden federalizes the Texas National Guard in accordance with Title 10 of the U.S. Code, he is not your commander-in-chief under our federal or state Constitutions. And as long as I am your commander-in-chief, I will not tolerate efforts to compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine. Let me be crystal clear: It is the federal government that has put Texass guardsmen in this difficult position. As your commander-in-chief, I will fight on your behalf. That is why I am suing the Biden Administration over its latest unconstitutional vaccine mandate."Read the Governor's letter.

Visit link:

Governor Abbott Sues To Protect Texas National Guard From President Biden's COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate - Office of the Texas Governor

Bhutan, a small landlocked country with a total area of 38,394 km2, is nestled in the Eastern Himalayas between India and China. The current population of the country is projected at 756,129 with a sex ratio of 110 males to 100 females. The majority (62%) of the population lives in rural areas. The median age is 26.5years with an overall life expectancy of 70.3years [1].

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Bhutan was first confirmed on 5 March 2019, in a 76-year-old tourist [2]. Subsequently, there were sporadic cases and localized outbreaks in different parts of the country [3]. As of 15 September 2021, there were 2,596 confirmed cases and three deaths in the country (Fig.1).

Source: World Health Organization)

Daily reporting of COVID-19 cases from the beginning of the pandemic and the time period of nationwide vaccination rounds, Bhutan, 2021 (

The vaccination program in Bhutan was introduced as a part of the global initiative to eradicate smallpox [4]. Whilst diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT), oral polio vaccine (OPV) and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccines were introduced in few districts in 1976, Bhutan launched its expanded programme on immunization (EPI) in 1979 to develop and expand immunization services to achieve Universal Childhood Immunization [4]. At present, Bhutan provides vaccines against tuberculosis, hepatitis B (hepB), poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, haemophilus influenza type b (hib), measles, mumps and rubella. According to the 2020 EPI report, Bhutan has achieved more than 80% coverage for all vaccines in 20 districts without a single case of vaccine dropout for the pentavalent vaccine (DPT-hib-HepB) [5]. Recently, Bhutan expanded its national immunization schedule by introducing vaccines against human papilloma virus (2010), pneumonia (2019) and influenza (2020) [6].

Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of preventing infectious diseases, currently saving 45 million deaths every year [7]. Notwithstanding the progress of vaccines, far too many people have insufficient access to vaccines particularly in developing countries due to inadequate resources [8]. To make the situation worse, vaccination coverage remains suboptimal due to the high level of vaccine hesitancy related to complacency, barriers to accessing vaccines, a lack of trust in government authorities, misinformation, and fear of adverse effects following immunization [9]. Here, we aimed to provide our perspectives on the drives that enabled high coverage of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Bhutan.

Bhutan conducted its first nationwide COVID-19 vaccination round with the inoculation of the Covishield vaccine (Oxford-AstraZeneca) on 27 March 2021 coinciding with an auspicious day of the local astrological belief (Fig.1). For the first round, Bhutan received a total of 550,000 doses of Covishield vaccine (Oxford-AstraZeneca) from India through the vaccine Maitri initiative as a goodwill gesture of friendship between the two countries. Of the total 496,044 eligible population aged18years, 478,829 were vaccinated across 1,217 vaccination centres in 3 weeks of the campaign, achieving a vaccination coverage of 96.5% [1, 10] (Fig.2).

Source: Ministry of Health Facebook page)

Distribution of vaccination posts/centres across 20 districts during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Bhutan, 2021. The figure in the circle indicates the number of vaccination posts set up in each district (

Due to a massive surge in cases and a shortage of vaccine supply in India, Bhutan sought support from other countries to provide vaccines, including the United States (500,000 doses Moderna and 5,850 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine), Denmark (250,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine), Croatia, Bulgaria and others (~100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine), and the Peoples Republic of China (50,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine). Similar to the first COVID-19 vaccination round, the second round kicked off on the auspicious day of 20 July 2021 (Fig.1). However, during this campaign, Bhutanese had the option to choose other brands such as Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Sinopharm vaccines. A cumulative total of 473,715 people were vaccinated within 2weeks, covering 95.6% of the eligible adult population [11]. Of those vaccinated, 95% received heterologous vaccines and the remaining received homologous vaccines [12].

Enabling factors that led to high vaccination coverage in Bhutan are described below.

The Prime Minister and the Health Minister guided and led the COVID-19 National and Regional Task Force committees responsible for planning and implementing all COVID-19 related initiatives. Perhaps, unique to Bhutan is the leadership role played by His Majesty the Fifth King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. His Majesty worked together with the government in encouraging and inspiring the public to take COVID-19 vaccines. His Majesty has also visited the diverse geographical terrains in the mountainous northern borders and the hot and humid southern borders. During these royal visits, His Majesty visited and supervised vaccination posts to ensure vaccine toolkits and other necessary resources are put into place for the safe vaccination of the population.

Planning of the National vaccination campaign began soon after the start of the pandemic, at a time when vaccine trials were initiated in other countries. The Bhutan Vaccine System (BVS) (https://bvs.moh.gov.bt/) was developed and successfully implemented to digitally enumerate the eligible population for vaccination. In addition, BVS was used to select the number of vaccination posts, their locations and automatic generation of vaccine certificates for the vaccine recipients. BVS also provided an important platform to follow up with the registered individuals and encourage them for the vaccination program. This system is managed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and is user-friendly, leading to a high proportion of people being registered in it.

For the elderly and those individuals with mobility issues, home-based vaccinations were arranged. To overcome the physical barriers of rugged, mountainous terrain and to maintain a proper cold chain of the vaccine during the transportation process, vaccination services were facilitated by the Royal Bhutan Airlines and the Bhutan Helicopter Services Limited. This meant that vaccines were available in all the vaccination posts.

A massive public education programme was undertaken using appropriate vaccine communication strategies including pamphlets, advertisements on the national television channel (BBSTV) and radio, press briefs, and notices on the Facebook page of the MoH and the Prime Ministers Office (PMO). The Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Health Minister regularly provided updates to alleviate any fear of vaccination. Further, the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination were discussed on BBSTV by vaccine experts and epidemiologists.

The Central Monk Body of Bhutan (Zhung Dratshang) and other monastic organizations led by spiritual masters (Rinpoches) played a pivotal role in building trust in COVID-19 control through vaccination and other means. The specific times of the vaccination rounds were fixed according to the advice of the Zhung Dratshang based on astrological beliefs. Through religious discourse and teachings, these organizations were able to inspire people with otherwise anti-vaccine sentiments, along with the population at large, to accept the vaccine.

A large volunteer workforce, known locally as Desuups (www.desuung.org.bt), came forward to facilitate the organization of vaccination rounds and other activities to control COVID-19 [3]. Founded by the Fifth King, Desuup trainees undergo a value-based personal development program to encourage volunteerism for community services and play an active role in building the nation. During the vaccination campaign, Desuups were deployed in every vaccination post and supported conducting online registration and verification of vaccine recipients, and ensuring compliance with the COVID-19 safety protocol. The armed forces, foresters and customs officials were also deployed to support the vaccination campaign as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain law and order in strategic locations such as crowded places and along the border to prevent illegal immigrants. It is interesting to note that many people, after receiving the vaccine, described their positive experiences on their social media platforms and the MoH web page, encouraging people to get vaccinated.

There are a few limitations worth noting in this study. Firstly, opinions expressed in this study could have been influenced by the researchers perception and understanding of the vaccination campaign. Secondly, inferences were based on the vaccination data from open sources such as the Facebook page of the MOH and the PMO. Authors believe these are credible sources with reliable information.

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The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Bhutan: strategy and enablers - Infectious Diseases of Poverty - Infectious Diseases of Poverty - BioMed Central

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Were really excited about the opening of our schools, and we want to be extremely clear: The safest place for our children is in a school building. And we are going to keep our schools open, and ensure that our children are safe in a safe environment. Our children were exposed to an environment of crime and of uncertainty. It really traumatized parents that did not have child care. The remote learning aspect of it was terrible for in poorer communities, particularly those children that lived in homeless shelters or that lived were housing insecure. The food aspect schools provide primary meals for many students in this city. And then the socialization. We saw an increase in suicide, attempted suicides. Were not sending an unclear message of what is going to happen day to day. Im going to tell you whats going to happen day to day. We are staying open. Were going to do everything that we have to do to keep our schools open. And I know theres questions about staffing. I know this question about testing. Theres a lot of questions, but were going to turn those question marks into an exclamation point. Were staying open.

Mayor Eric Adams insisted on Monday morning that New York Citys schools would stay open despite an extraordinary surge in Omicron cases. But about a third of city parents did not send their children back to classrooms on the first day after the holiday break. Attendance was just over 67 percent, slightly higher than the low point of 65 percent the system reached on the day before winter break.

Throughout the day on Monday, Adams was adamant that the system would remain open. He repeated the message in a series of television interviews and after his first official school visit since taking office on New Years Day.

Were really excited about the opening of our schools, Mr. Adams said outside the school, Concourse Village Elementary School in the Bronx. We want to be extremely clear: the safest place for our children is a school building.

Mr. Adams said that remote learning had been disastrous for too many of the citys nearly one million schoolchildren in the nations largest school district, and had been particularly harmful for children in low-income neighborhoods and homeless students.

But the calm that Mr. Adams sought to project was not shared by the many parents and educators who greeted Monday morning with profound trepidation. After roughly a year of remarkably low virus transmission in schools, Covid cases soared in the week before the winter break, prompting the closures of 11 schools and over 400 classrooms, and the contact tracing system for city schools effectively collapsed amid the surge.

New York City reported 35,650 new virus cases on Sunday, with a 7-day average test positivity rate of nearly 22 percent, according to state data.

Some families and elected officials have called on Mr. Adams to delay the start of school by a few days to allow every child and educator to get tested. And teachers have raised questions about how schools will be properly staffed with so many teachers sick with the virus or quarantining due to exposures.

This is an all hands on deck moment, Mr. Adams said, acknowledging that administrators who are not normally in the classroom would be used to address staff shortages if necessary.

Mr. Adams has endorsed a plan created by former Mayor Bill de Blasio that is designed to keep more classrooms open as the surge continues. The plan calls for distributing 1.5 million rapid at-home test kits to schools.

Starting Monday, the city is also doubling its random in-school testing program to give P.C.R. tests to 20 percent of consenting children in each school weekly. But most families have not opted in to allow their children to be tested, which has made the testing pool very small at some schools.

The mayor and the new schools chancellor, David C. Banks, are betting that their plan to increase testing will prevent major outbreaks.

Were going to turn those question marks into an exclamation point: were staying open, Mr. Adams said.

Mr. Adams and Mr. Banks have so far resisted calls to mandate booster shots for educators or vaccines for children. The mayor has said a decision will be made this spring about mandating vaccines for students for the fall.

Were not at the point of mandate, Mr. Adams said Monday, as he encouraged eligible New Yorkers to get vaccinated and boosted.

Michael Mulgrew, president of the citys teachers union, said in an email to members that he had encouraged Mr. Adams to start the year remotely. But on Monday morning, Mr. Mulgrew said he was working closely with the new mayor and that schools had been some of the safest places in the city throughout the pandemic.

Later on Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul reiterated her commitment to keeping New Yorks children in schools.

My view is that every child should be back in school unless they are testing positive, she said.

The state has distributed 5.2 million at-home test kits to schools thus far, and another 3.8 million arrived yesterday and have yet to be distributed.

Under the current rule, test kits will only be provided to students for known exposures that occur in classrooms, although Ms. Hochul said that policy was under review.

She also cautioned against a return to remote learning. The teachers did the best they could. The parents did the best they could, she said. But we ask too much.

In particular, she spoke about the effects of remote learning on children in communities of color, those who lacked resources and those without high-speed internet access an existing digital divide that she said had widened into a digital canyon.

We cannot have that, Ms. Hochul said. That was an injustice. We cannot have that anymore.

The rest is here:

Covid Live Updates: Latest on Omicron and Vaccines - The New York Times

For Immediate Release: January 03, 2022

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to:

Throughout the pandemic, as the virus that causes COVID-19 has continuously evolved, the need for the FDA to quickly adapt has meant using the best available science to make informed decisions with the health and safety of the American public in mind, said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. With the current wave of the omicron variant, its critical that we continue to take effective, life-saving preventative measures such as primary vaccination and boosters, mask wearing and social distancing in order to effectively fight COVID-19.

What you need to know:

Boosters are now authorized for people 12 years of age and older

Todays action expands the use of a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to include its use in individuals as young as 12 years of age.

Booster interval updated to five months for people 12 years of age and older

The FDA is also authorizing the use of a single booster dose five months after completion of the primary vaccination series of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.

A third primary series dose for certain immunocompromised children ages 5 through 11

Children 5 through 11 years of age who have undergone solid organ transplantation, or who have been diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise, may not respond adequately to the two-dose primary vaccination series. Thus, a third primary series dose has now been authorized for this group. This will now allow these children to receive the maximum potential benefit from vaccination.

Based on the FDAs assessment of currently available data, a booster dose of the currently authorized vaccines may help provide better protection against both the delta and omicron variants. In particular, the omicron variant appears to be more resistant to the antibody levels produced in response to the primary series doses from the current vaccines, said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. With this in mind, the FDA has extended the range of individuals eligible to receive a booster, shortened the length of time between the completion of the Pfizer primary series for individuals to receive a booster and is authorizing a third protective vaccine dose for some of our youngest and most vulnerable individuals.

The fact sheets for recipients and caregivers and for healthcare providers contain information about the potential side effects, as well as the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis. The FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have several systems in place to continually monitor COVID-19 vaccine safety and allow for the rapid detection and investigation of potential safety concerns.

The most commonly reported side effects by individuals who received a booster dose or an additional dose as part of a primary series were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, as well as fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain and chills. Of note, swollen lymph nodes in the underarm were observed more frequently following the booster dose than after the second dose of a two-dose primary series.

The FDA will publicly post documents regarding the agencys decision on its website following authorization.

The amendment to the EUA was granted to Pfizer Inc.

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The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nations food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

01/03/2022

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Takes Multiple Actions to Expand Use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine | FDA - FDA.gov

New Yorkers who are 18 years and older and received their Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna initial vaccine series at least six months ago or the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at least two months ago are eligible for their booster dose.

Teens 16-17 years old who received their Pfizer-BioNTech initial vaccine series at least six months ago are eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech booster.

CDC and NYSDOH encourage all eligible New Yorkers to get their booster dose, especially those over the age of 50 and others with underlying conditions.

Learn more

Continued here:

Booster Doses | COVID-19 Vaccine

Just over half of all 12- to 17-year olds are fully vaccinated in the United States.

ATLANTA COVID-19 booster shots are now available to 16- and 17-year-olds, while the rate of adolescents willing to get their vaccines seems to have slowed.

Nationwide, more than half of all adolescents have rolled up their sleeve at least once. According to the latest CDC data, 63% of 12- to 17-year-olds in the U.S. have received one COVID vaccine, while 53% are fully vaccinated. Vaccines for all teenagers have been available since May.

The majority of families who see Dr. Andi Shane at Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta are eager for a COVID-19 vaccine.

I've heard more of, When can the younger children under the age of five get vaccinated?, Dr. Shane said. The family wants to travel but we have young children or grandchildren.

According to the CDC, in late December less than 60% of the countys 12- to 17-year-olds had received at least one dose compared to 80% for all adults.

The Kaiser Family Foundation questioned parents about their view of the COVID-19 vaccines. A total of 63% of those parents believe the shots are safe for them, but only 53% believe them to be safe for adolescents. A little more than a third of the parents surveyed by the CDC say theyre taking a wait and see attitude.

Dr. Shane is a Pediatric Infectious Disease specialist with Childrens Healthcare. She says the overwhelming majority of COVID patients hospitalized at Childrens have been unvaccinated.

The other challenge also with waiting is that everybody who's unvaccinated is really a source for a new variant to occur, Dr. Shane said. Getting a vaccine protects the people around you and also prevents potential emergence of new variants.

Access is a concern among some parents, with some expressing they would have to take time off from work to get their child a shot.

The Kaiser Family Foundation survey found fewer than half of the parents questioned had talked to their childs pediatrician to seek information about the risks and benefits of a COVID vaccine.

Dr. Shane says its time for parents to have that discussion about both the COVID and flu vaccine.

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Why aren't more teenagers getting the COVID-19 vaccine? - 11Alive.com WXIA

EAST LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - If you are planning to attend a sporting, music, art, or theater event at Michigan State University, you must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccine or a negative test.

Related: MSU to start winter classes remotely for first three weeks

The policy goes into effect Jan. 4 and will remain through the spring semester.

The university has previously announced that all students and staff who are eligible for the Covid booster will be required to get it starting this spring.

If you are not vaccinated, you must provide a negative test that was taken within 72 hours of the event. This applies to people 12 and older. Those who cannot provide vaccine or test proof will not be allowed into the events.

MORE: Where to get a COVID-19 test in Michigan

The policy applies to ticketed events at the MSU Broad Art Museum, Wharton Center, the Auditorium and College of Music performances, such as concerts and recitals, that take place at Fairchild Theatre, Alumni Memorial Chapel, Cook Recital Hall, Murray Hall or Hollander Hall.

Mens and womens basketball, hockey, wrestling and gymnastics home events are also included.

Additionally, MSU has an indoor mask requirement.

The state of Michigan now says people who get infected with COVID-19 and are asymptomatic need to only quarantine for five days, instead of 10.

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Michigan State University requires COVID-19 vaccine or negative test to attend athletic, arts events - FOX 2 Detroit