COVID-19 Updates: We May Need to Get Annual COVID-19 Vaccinations
- The United States currently has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and related deaths in the world.
- More than 564,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States.
- The CDC says people who are vaccinated can meet indoors without taking physical distancing measures.
Update on COVID-19 numbers
- Globally, there have been more than 138 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 2.9 million associated deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
- The United States has reported more than 31 million confirmed cases.
- More than 564,000 people in the United States have died from the disease.
- More than 125 million people in the United States have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose. More than 78 million people are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
Healthline updates this page on weekdays. For up-to-date information about the virus, go here.
4/15/21 12:30 p.m. PDT — Pfizer CEO says we may need annual vaccinations for COVID-19
The chief executive officer of Pfizer said Thursday that people may need to get a third COVID-19 vaccination within 12 months of being full vaccinated.
Albert Bourla added that annual inoculations may be needed to prevent future spread of the disease.
Researchers still haven’t determined how long protection against the disease lasts after someone is vaccinated.
Blood clots rare in Moderna, Pfzier vaccines
A new study reports that the number of blood clot cases is about the same for the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and AstraZeneca vaccines. The study has not yet been peer reviewed.
The researchers said about 4 in 1 million people who get the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will develop blood clots. The rate is about 5 in 1 million for the AstraZeneca shot.
They note that about 39 in 1 million people who develop COVID-19 get blood clots.
India reports 1-day record in COVID-19 cases
India reported a record 200,000 new cases of COVID-19 today, becoming only the second country after the United States to reach this sobering single-day toll, reported The Washington Post.
These new cases have pushed India’s total cases to more than 14 million and turned the nation into the pandemic’s global epicenter with little indication the outbreak will slow.
In an effort to contain the COVID-19 surge, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced curfew-like restrictions on the movement of people in the state from April 14 to May 1, reported The Indian Express.
Under these orders, no person is allowed to be in a public place without a valid reason.
All establishments, public spaces, activities, and services will remain closed, except for essential services that can remain open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on working days.
4/14/21 11:35 a.m. PDT — Moderna and Novavax added to U.K. ‘mix and match’ vaccine trial
A U.K. “mix and match” clinical trial has been expanded to include the Moderna and Novavax COVID-19 vaccines.
The initial trial began in February using AstraZeneca and then Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in the two doses administered to participants.
The expanded trial will add Moderna and Novavax along with Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca.
The purpose of the trial is to determine the effectiveness of mixing vaccines and whether there are any side effects.
More than 1,000 people are now participating in the trials.
Regular exercise may reduce risk of COVID-19
A new study conducted by Kaiser Permanente reports that being consistently active is strongly associated with a reduced risk of experiencing severe COVID-19.
The research, published yesterday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, looked at more than 40,000 adults who contracted the coronavirus.
Researchers found that people who got at least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity — exercise guidelines issued by the
Department of Health and Human ServicesTrusted Source — showed significantly lower rates of hospitalization, ICU admission, and death due to COVID-19.“It is well known that immune function improves with regular [physical activity] and those who are regularly active have a lower incidence, intensity of symptoms and mortality from various viral infections,” the study authors wrote.
Researchers pointed out that regular exercise also reduces the risk of systemic inflammation, a main contributor to the lung damage caused by COVID-19.
They also found that exercise benefits cardiovascular health, can increase lung capacity and muscle strength, and even improve mental health.
Leaving middle seats open on airplanes may reduce COVID-19 risk
Researchers report that keeping middle seats vacant on larger airplanes can reduce the spread of COVID-19.
A
studyTrusted Source published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that open middle seats can reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus by 23 to 57 percent.The researchers say vacant middle seats increase the distance between passengers and provide more protection against airborne particles from the coronavirus.
4/13/21 11:36 a.m. PDT — FDA and CDC recommend pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccine over rare side effect
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are urging a pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine due to an extremely rare but serious side effect, reported The New York Times.
The FDA and CDC reported six cases of a stroke-like illness in women who have taken the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
These cases are extremely rare with more than 6 million Johnson & Johnson vaccinations already given in the United States.
Today in a
press briefingTrusted Source , health officials stressed that they want to prepare healthcare professionals to recognize the signs of rare but serious side effects, and that they’re still investigating whether the vaccine caused these side effects.The six cases all involved women under age 50. One case was fatal, while another led to a person being in critical condition.
This side effect has not been seen in people who have received the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
Record high COVID-19 hospitalizations for children in Michigan
Children aren’t immune to COVID-19, reported the Detroit Free Press. They can get sick, just like adults do. They can be hospitalized, the same as adults, and on rare occasion, they can even die.
According to the Detroit Free Press, this is the message doctors at several of Michigan’s children’s hospitals want people to hear as that state confronts another massive surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
There were 3,953 reported cases yesterday, April 12, surpassing the state’s November/December spike.
“The state is at a record high for hospitalizations for pediatrics during the entire pandemic and our hospital reflects that,” Dr. Rudolph Valentini, a pediatric nephrologist at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and group chief medical officer for the Detroit Medical Center, told the Detroit Free Press.
According to state data, 49 children were hospitalized April 12 with either confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19.
CDC data shows Michigan’s case rate is 515.8 cases per 100,000 people over the last week, the worst in the United States and four times higher than that in neighboring Ohio.
COVID-19 pandemic growing ‘exponentially,’ says WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday, April 12, that the trajectory of the pandemic is now “growing exponentially,” with more than 4.4 million new COVID-19 cases reported over the last week, reported CNBC.
“This is not the situation we want to be in 16 months into a pandemic where we have proven control measure,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, the agency’s technical lead for COVID-19, reported CNBC.
“It is the time right now where everyone has to take stock and have a reality check of what we need to be doing,” she said. “Vaccines and vaccinations are coming online, but they aren’t here yet in every part of the world.”
According to the network, Van Kerkhove also said that cases climbed by 9 percent worldwide last week for the seventh consecutive weekly increase, with deaths jumping 5 percent.
Van Kerkhove is also asking governments to support their citizens in implementing pandemic safety measures, reported CNBC.
4/12/21 2:25 p.m. PDT — Pfizer vaccine less effective against variant first detected in South Africa, study finds
According to a new but not yet peer-reviewed study conducted in Israel, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine might not offer sufficient protection against the coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa.
Researchers examined whether people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and got an infection were likely to contract one of two coronavirus variants compared with people who were not vaccinated.
According to the study findings, vaccinated people who contracted an infection at least a week after the second vaccine dose disproportionately contracted the variant first detected in South Africa, B.1.351.
“These results overall suggest that vaccine breakthrough infection is more frequent with both VOCs (viruses of concern), yet a combination of mass-vaccination with two doses coupled with non-pharmaceutical interventions control and contain their spread,” the study authors wrote.
Record-high vaccinations, but unvaccinated young adults at risk
A record-high 4.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in 1 day, according to data published April 10 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reported CNN.
“Amazing Saturday! +4.63M doses administered over total yesterday, a new record,” Dr. Cyrus Shahpar, the White House COVID-19 data director, tweeted. “More than 500K higher than old record last Saturday. Incredible number of doses administered.”
But CNN also reported that more than 75 percent of the U.S. population isn’t yet fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
CDC Director
Dr. Rochelle WalenskyTrusted Source warns that for the third straight week, new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are increasing.“Cases and emergency room visits are up,” said Walensky, as reported by CNN. “We are seeing these increases in younger adults, most of whom have not yet been vaccinated.”
She added that, nationwide, more Americans ages 18 to 64 have gone to emergency departments for COVID-19 complications, and these trends are magnified in the Upper Midwest.
“CDC is working closely with public health officials in this region to understand what is driving these cases and how we can intervene,” Walensky said.
COVID-19 surge seen in Michigan
Despite increasing vaccinations, COVID-19 cases are surging in Michigan.
On average the state is seeing more than 7,000 new cases daily, far higher than the average of around 1,500 cases seen in February, according to The New York Times.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said she will extend workplace COVID-19 restrictions for at least 6 months due to the increase in cases.
Whitmer said she will ask the federal government for more vaccines as the virus is spreading rapidly, but she has not said she will enforce new shutdowns in the state.
4/9/21 12:47 p.m. PDT — Variant first found in Brazil on the rise in U.S., CDC report says
With new U.S. COVID-19 cases trending upward, and nearly 80,000 new infections reported yesterday, health officials warn about the spread of multiple, more transmissible coronavirus variants, some of which have caused outbreaks in states such as Michigan and California, reported The Washington Post.
According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source , the coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom, B.1.1.7, accounts for nearly 20,000 cases in all 50 states, becoming the new dominant variant.“CDC is closely monitoring these variants of concern (VOC). These variants have mutations in the virus genome that alter the characteristics and cause the virus to act differently in ways that are significant to public health,” according to the CDC
websiteTrusted Source .According to The Washington Post, the variant P.1, which was first detected in Brazil, has taken the No. 2 spot.
At least 434 people in the United States have contracted this coronavirus variant. The largest number of cases are in Massachusetts, Illinois, and Florida.
Pfizer to seek EUA for COVID-19 vaccine for children
Currently, no COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for children under age 16. But that could soon change as Pfizer and BioNTech have asked the Food and Drug Administration to expand their emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine to include children as young as 12.
New data released by the companies has reportedly shown that the vaccines appear to be effective and safe in younger children.
Scientists work toward development of COVID-19 pill
We now have vaccines that prevent most cases of COVID-19, and we even have drugs that help with the most severe symptoms of the disease, reported STAT.
Experts are now focusing on a creating a COVID-19 treatment that doesn’t need to be given via an injection or infusion.
According to STAT, experts are hoping to create a pill calibrated to target the coronavirus that’s both economical and has tolerable side effects.
It could potentially also work as well as antibody treatments that require an hourlong intravenous infusion.
“We’re looking for something I could give everyone in an urgent care setting who comes in with exposure or a positive test,” Dr. Nathaniel Erdmann, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told STAT. “An easy, oral, safe drug.”
STAT reported that drugmaker Merck is expected to present pivotal data on an oral treatment similar to remdesivir.
And there’s a treatment from Atea Pharmaceuticals, first developed for the hepatitis C virus, that could also have pivotal results in the coming months.
However, the most promising is an antiviral from Pfizer engineered specifically for the coronavirus. It entered its first clinical trial last month.
4/8/21 1:56 p.m. PDT — Over 1 in 4 adults have been vaccinated against COVID-19
Over 25 percent of U.S. adults are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reported NBC News.
The milestone comes as states are increasingly opening eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination.
However, even as vaccinations are picking up, new coronavirus variants are spreading rapidly in the United States, and COVID-19 cases are again ticking upward.
Online scammers push phony vaccine cards
Scammers are offering false and stolen vaccine cards for sale as businesses and states consider using proof of COVID-19 vaccination to relieve pandemic restrictions, reported The New York Times.
The pandemic has seen many instances of people taking advantage of the crisis, like people hoarding hand sanitizer or cheating recipients out of their stimulus checks.
Online scammers have now latched on to the newest way to prey on the public: proof that you’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19.
These critically important vaccine cards began showing up for sale on popular websites like Facebook, eBay, and Twitter beginning in late January, reported The New York Times.
All were forged or falsified copies of the CDC vaccine cards.
“We found hundreds of online stores selling the cards, potentially thousands were sold,” Saoud Khalifah, founder of Fakespot, a service that offers tools to detect fake listings and reviews online, told The New York Times.
Profiteers have pressed ahead as airlines and other companies have recently said they may require proof of COVID-19 immunization so that people can safely travel or attend events, reported the Times.
“We’re seeing a huge market for these false cards online,” Pennsylvania’s attorney general, Josh Shapiro, told the Times. “This is a dangerous practice that undermines public health.”
U.K., Europe change guidance on AstraZeneca vaccine
The U.K. government and health experts in the country rushed to defend the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford following concerns over a possible link to blood clots, reported CNBC.
They now recommend that anyone younger than 30 should receive an alternative vaccine.
“No effective medicine or vaccine is without risk. We continually monitor safety during widespread use of any vaccine,” Dr. June Raine, chief executive of Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said in a statement.
“This is to ensure vaccines are performing as expected, to identify any new side effects that may arise, and to ensure the benefits continue to outweigh the risks,” she said.
A new model finds U.K. may reach herd immunity this month
According to a new report, the United Kingdom may reach herd immunity this month.
The Telegraph reported that the United Kingdom could theoretically reach herd immunity by Monday based on modeling done by University College London.
That threshold may be reached due to both increased vaccinations and the fact that people who previously had COVID-19 will likely have some immunity against reinfection.
The modeling finds that 73.4 percent of people in the United Kingdom will have some protection against the disease by April 12, meaning the nation may start to reach herd immunity.
However, this remains theoretical. It’s unclear whether cases will continue to drop after April 12.
4/7/21 3:37 p.m. PDT — COVID-19 ‘brain disease’ affects up to one-third of people, study says
Mental health or neurological symptoms are diagnosed in up to 34 percent of people who have had COVID-19, according to
researchTrusted Source published yesterday in The Lancet Psychiatry.Researchers analyzed the health records of more than 236,000 people, mostly Americans, who recovered from COVID-19. Researchers compared them with people who had other respiratory tract infections in the same time period.
According to the researchers, these COVID-19 survivors typically received a psychiatric or neurological diagnosis within 6 months of their original coronavirus infection.
The most common condition was anxiety, followed by mood disorders.
Psychiatric or neurological symptoms were more severe in people who were hospitalized for COVID-19, but they were also common in people treated for COVID-19 in outpatient settings.
Researchers also found that people who had recovered from COVID-19 had a significantly increased risk of brain hemorrhage, stroke, and dementia.
“Our study provides evidence for substantial neurological and psychiatric morbidity in the 6 months after COVID-19 infection,” the study authors wrote. “Risks were greatest in, but not limited to, patients who had severe COVID-19.”
Nearly half of new COVID-19 cases come from these 5 states
Almost 50 percent of new COVID-19 cases in the United States are concentrated in just five states.
It includes New York, which had the highest number of new infections across the nation last week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, reported the New York Post.
According to the outlet, New York, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey accounted for 44 percent of all new cases between March 29 and April 4, with about 197,500 cases out of around 452,000 seen nationwide.
Just behind New York was Michigan, which has been experiencing a new surge and recorded 47,036 new cases over the last week, or an average of about 6,719 each day.
That’s almost double what it was 2 weeks ago, reported the New York Post.
Coronavirus variant first detected in U.K. now widespread in U.S.
The coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom, B.1.1.7, is now the most dominant variant in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Based on our most recent estimates from CDC surveillance, the B.1.1.7 variant is now the most common lineage circulating in the United States,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said today in a briefing.
This variant is believed to spread more easily than other variants.
4/6/21 3:23 p.m. PDT — Biden says all U.S. adults will be eligible for vaccine on April 19
President Joe Biden said today that the administration will now allow anyone over 16 to be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 19. Originally Biden had aimed for widespread eligibility to open on May 1.
Vaccines are not yet approved for children under age 16, although studies are still ongoing.
The news comes as many states have already started to allow anyone over 16 to be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.
While eligibility will be more widespread, it may be difficult to get a vaccination appointment as there won’t be enough doses for all adults until later in the spring and summer.
Dangerous coronavirus variant has spread to all states
A highly contagious coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom has now been reported in every U.S. state.
Experts are concerned that coronavirus variants could send U.S. cases surging, reported CNN.
According to the network, more than 15,000 cases of the potentially more deadly variant have been reported in the United States in the midst of efforts to get all Americans vaccinated.
Experts are asking the public to follow pandemic precautions for a little while longer.
“America appears to be done with the pandemic,” Michael Osterholm, PhD, director for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told CNN. “The virus is not done with us.”
The good news, Osterholm told CNN, is that existing vaccines are very effective against the variants.
But the United States may not be able to administer vaccines fast enough to avoid the next surge.
“We are not going to have enough vaccines, the way we are going, into the arms of enough Americans over the course of the next 6 to 10 weeks with this surge that we are going to stop it,” Osterholm told CNN. “It’s just simply not going to happen.”
Biden administration steps up worldwide effort against pandemic
The Biden administration said April 5 that it’s stepping up efforts to combat COVID-19 worldwide.
The administration has appointed a veteran diplomat to run its global COVID-19 response, and pledges to support more equitable production and distribution of vaccines, reported The Washington Post.
“This pandemic won’t end at home until it ends worldwide,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement while announcing the appointment of Gayle Smith, former director of the U.S. Agency for International Development, as global COVID-19 response coordinator.
“We have a duty to other countries to get the virus under control here in the United States,” he added. “But soon, the United States will need to step up our work and rise to the occasion worldwide.”
4/5/21 2:51 p.m. PDT — New variant in California
A new variant of the coronavirus has been found in the San Francisco Bay Area, reported Fox News.
According to the network, a spokesperson for Stanford Health Care said the Stanford Clinical Virology Lab has identified and confirmed one case of the emerging variant through genomic sequencing.
At least seven presumed cases of the variant, first identified in India, were also found.
This variant has been called a “double mutant” because it carries two mutations in the virus that helps it latch itself onto cells, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. It might be responsible for a new surge in cases in India.
“This Indian variant contains two mutations in the same virus for the first time, previously seen on separate variants,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, told the Chronicle.
“Since we know that the domain affected is the part that the virus uses to enter the body, and that the California variant is already potentially more resistant to some vaccine antibodies, it seems to reason that there is a chance that the Indian variant may do that too,” he said.
Game-changing COVID-19 vaccine enters clinical trials
A new COVID-19 vaccine is entering clinical trials in Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam that could change how we fight the pandemic, reported The New York Times.
The vaccine is called NDV-HXP-S. It’s the first vaccine to use a new molecular design widely expected to create more potent antibodies than the current generation of vaccines.
A key advantage is that the new vaccine can be mass-produced in chicken eggs like other flu vaccines made in factories around the world.
According to The New York Times, if the new vaccine proves safe and effective, drugmakers could potentially produce well over a billion doses of it a year.
“That’s staggering — it would be a game-changer,” Andrea Taylor, assistant director of programs at the Duke Global Health Innovation Center, told the Times.
The Times emphasized that clinical trials must first establish that this innovative vaccine actually works.
The first phase of clinical trials will conclude in July, and the final phase will take several months more.
“It’s a home run for protection,” Dr. Bruce Innes of the PATH Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, which has coordinated the development of NVD-HXP-S, told the Times. “I think it’s a world-class vaccine.”
4/2/21 3:02 p.m. PDT — Get COVID-19 vaccine before going back to normal, experts plead
Fears are growing that the nation could be facing a fourth surge of COVID-19 cases. Health experts are pleading with Americans to maintain pandemic precautions until they’re fully vaccinated, reported CNN.
“Please wait until you’re fully vaccinated before you’re traveling, before you’re engaging in high-risk activities,” said CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen, the network reported. “No doubt when you become vaccinated, the activities that were once higher risk are now going to be lower risk and so just wait until then.”
Wen added that she’s worried the United States is on the “precipice” of a fourth surge, with data showing infections are now skewing toward younger generations.
This sentiment was echoed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, who told “NBC Nightly News” that while he’s feeling some pandemic fatigue himself, it’s important the United States maintain precautions while Americans are vaccinated, reported CNN.
“We need to hold out just a bit longer and give vaccines a chance to really get the upper hand in this,” Fauci said. “I’ll guarantee as we get into the late spring and the early summer, you’re going to see a return to gradual degree of normality that everyone is hoping for, but we don’t want to do it prematurely.”
The CDC changed travel
guidanceTrusted Source for people who are vaccinated today. They advise people who are fully vaccinated can travel without getting a COVID-19 test and do not need to self-quarantine after arriving in a new destination.FDA authorizes changes to Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized two changes to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that could provide extra doses from each vial, reported The Associated Press (AP).
According to the AP, the FDA approved new vials that increase the number of available doses from 10 to a maximum of 15.
Regulators also said healthcare professionals can safely extract up to 11 doses from the original 10-dose vials, and these changes will be added to instructions for healthcare workers, reported the AP.
1 in 7 people in U.K. may have signs of long-haul COVID-19
A new report finds that as many as 1 in 7 people living in the United Kingdom have symptoms associated with “long-haul COVID-19.”
The report from the U.K. Office for National Statistics found that as many as 13.7 percent of people in the United Kingdom had signs of long-haul COVID-19, including fatigue, muscle pain, and difficulty breathing.
4/1/21 1:38 p.m. PDT — 15 million J&J vaccines thrown out after dosage mix-up
A dosage mix-up at a Baltimore, Maryland, production facility ruined about 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The mix-up prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to delay shipments of the vaccine, according to Fox Business.
Reportedly, employees at Emergent BioSolutions, a production facility in Baltimore, mixed up two vaccine dosages.
U.S. officials said the vaccine spoilage wouldn’t affect plans to provide sufficient vaccines to immunize every adult by May, Fox Business reported.
The drugmaker said it expects to deliver its vaccine at a rate of over 1 billion doses by the end of the year.
Emergent BioSolutions has a string of citations from U.S. health officials for quality control problems, reported The Associated Press (AP).
According to records obtained by the AP through the Freedom of Information Act, the FDA has repeatedly cited Emergent for problems that include poorly trained employees, cracked vials, and problems managing mold and other contamination around one of its facilities.
“Human errors do happen,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci in an interview on “CBS This Morning,” reported the AP.
“You have checks and balances… That’s the reason why the good news is that it did get picked up,” he said. “As I mentioned, that’s the reason nothing from that plant has gone into anyone that we’ve administered to.”
Can vaccinated people still transmit the coronavirus?
It’s possible. Experts told the AP that the risk is low, but they’re still studying how well the shots slow transmission.
“A vaccinated person controls the virus better, so the chances of transmitting will be greatly reduced,” Dr. Robert Gallo a virus expert at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told the AP.
According to the AP, evidence from studies suggest if people do contract an infection despite vaccination, they’ll harbor less of the coronavirus in their nose than someone who has not been vaccinated, making transmission more difficult.
COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in 2020
COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in the United States last year after heart disease and cancer, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source .COVID-19 led to about 375,000 deaths during the year, and the age-adjusted death rate rose about 16 percent.
In total, more than 552,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States since the start of the pandemic last year.
3/31/21 2:28 p.m. PDT — Pfizer vaccine safe and effective for adolescents, drugmaker says
Clinical trial results of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine find it’s 100 percent effective and well tolerated in children 12 to 15 years old, the drugmaker said today, reported CNN.
Pfizer plans to submit this data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as soon as possible for expanded emergency use authorization of the vaccine.
The phase 3 trial included 2,260 participants 12 to 15 years old in the United States. The vaccine elicited a strong antibody response 1 month after the second dose, according to Pfizer.
This data has yet to be peer reviewed.
Pfizer also said the side effects observed in this age group were similar to those among 16- to 25-year-olds, which include pain at the injection site, fatigue, and fever.
Participants will be monitored for protection and safety for 2 years after their second dose.
“We share the urgency to expand the authorization of our vaccine to use in younger populations and are encouraged by the clinical trial data from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNN.
“We plan to submit these data to FDA as a proposed amendment to our emergency use authorization in the coming weeks and to other regulators around the world, with the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year,” he said.
3 reasons why COVID-19 cases are on the rise
Despite the U.S. vaccine rollout improving significantly, the daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is again on the rise after falling significantly from January highs, reported Yahoo! Finance.
According to Yahoo! Finance, the latest 7-day average of confirmed U.S. cases was 60,425 on March 27, and is continuing to average roughly 50,000 new cases daily.
Dr. Calvin Sun, a New York City-based emergency medicine physician, told Yahoo! Finance that there are three main factors driving the recent surge: a mutating virus, the rolling back of safety measures, and a recent increase in travel.
A new study — which is awaiting peer review — finds that while less than 1 percent of adults report coronavirus reinfections, those who are could experience more severe symptoms if they contracted one of the several virus variants.
3/30/21 2:29 p.m. PDT — Most states seeing rise in COVID-19 cases
After major declines this spring, the number of COVID-19 cases has risen in recent weeks.
Cases of COVID-19 rose about 9 percent last week, according to Reuters.
At least 33 states have reported more COVID-19 cases in the last week compared to the previous week.
Experts are worried a fourth wave is about to hit the United States, even as vaccinations continue.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Hold on to that COVID vaccine card
Millions of adults who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 have little proof beyond the paper card they get when getting their first dose, reported the Wall Street Journal.
According to the WSJ, the United States currently has no central database to document vaccinations, and states only keep an incomplete patchwork of records.
Also, there’s no standard proof of COVID-19 vaccination like the yellow fever cards required for entry to many countries where that disease is prevalent.
As certain countries and businesses prepare to mandate digital proof of vaccination as a requirement for entry and travel, your paper card may be the only way to conduct business or access those countries.
“I’m glad we prioritized getting shots in arms,” Dr. Ami Parekh, chief medical officer at digital healthcare company Grand Rounds Inc., told the Journal. “But putting in rules about being vaccinated without giving people a way to properly track it is a little bit backwards.”
CDC chief scared where country is headed
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are rising in the United States again, CDC Director
Dr. Rochelle WalenskyTrusted Source said Monday.This may be the start of a surge experts have warned about for weeks.
“I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom… We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope,” said Walensky, according to CNN. “But right now, I’m scared.”
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, at least 27 states have averaged about 10 percent more daily cases this past week compared to the previous week, reported CNN.
3/29/21 3:09 p.m. PDT — Animals likely source of pandemic, WHO report says
According to a joint World Health Organization (WHO) and China study on the origins of COVID-19, the most likely scenario is that transmission of the coronavirus occurred from bats to humans through another animal.
In addition, a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy of the report obtained by The Associated Press (AP).
According to the AP, the report is expected to be made public on March 30. Experts are following closely because discovering the origins of the coronavirus might help scientists prevent future pandemics.
However, U.S. officials say that China’s involvement in the investigation raises serious questions.
“We’ve got real concerns about the methodology and the process that went into that report, including the fact that the government in Beijing apparently helped to write it,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a recent CNN interview, reported the AP.
China addressed Blinken’s criticism today.
“The U.S. has been speaking out on the report. By doing this, isn’t the U.S. trying to exert political pressure on the members of the WHO expert group?” asked Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, reported the AP.
The discovery of COVID-19 cases before the outbreak in the Chinese market suggests the pandemic may have begun elsewhere, according to the AP.
The report also notes there could have been milder COVID-19 cases that were undetected, and that could be a link between the market and previous cases.
“No firm conclusion therefore about the role of the Huanan market in the origin of the outbreak, or how the infection was introduced into the market, can currently be drawn,” the report said, according to the AP.
In real-world setting, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provide over 90% protection
In a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers found that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines can provide 90 percent protection against coronavirus infections, The Washington Post reported.
The researchers studied 4,000 essential workers, which included healthcare workers, firefighters, and police. Half were vaccinated. The researchers tested the workers periodically to see whether they had contracted an infection.
Fully vaccinated participants had 90 percent protection against an infection.
In initial studies, the vaccines were providing about 94 to 95 percent protection against contracting a symptomatic infection.
But people with asymptomatic infections were not tested, so it was unclear how protective the vaccines were against infections with no symptoms.
Experts explain what we need to know about Johnson & Johnson vaccine
After receiving emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Johnson & Johnson-owned Janssen Pharmaceuticals is now the third company to make a COVID-19 vaccine available in the United States, reported the American Medical Association (AMA).
AMA Chief Health and Science Officer Dr. Mira Irons and AMA Board Member Dr. Sandra Fryhofer were interviewed on an episode of the “AMA COVID-19 Update” to tell people about the newly authorized vaccine.
“The good thing about the Janssen vaccine is it’s one dose and you’re done,” Fryhofer said.
That means “you don’t have to go back for a second dose. You don’t have to make a second appointment. You can get fully vaccinated at one visit,” she said.
While J&J’s vaccine has 66.3 percent effectiveness overall and 74.4 percent effectiveness in the United States, it has “100 percent efficacy against hospitalization and death from the virus,” Irons emphasized during the interview. “That’s really what we have to focus on.”
According to Fryhofer, a large body of evidence that includes an Ebola vaccine already tested in children and pregnant people, and approved in Europe, supports the technology used for this vaccine.
“The adenovirus vaccine uses a modified cold virus — an adenovirus called Ad26 — as the viral vector and several genes have been removed from this virus,” she explained. “It’s replication deficient, so it cannot multiply in the body.”
This means “it cannot give someone COVID-19,” Fryhofer said.
3/25/21 1:23 p.m. — Biden pledges 200 million vaccinations in his first 100 days
President Joe Biden announced today he plans to reach the goal of 200 million vaccines administered in his first 100 days in office.
Biden had originally pledged 100 million vaccines within the first 100 days. He reached that goal about 58 days into his administration.
Currently, more than 87 million people have received at least one vaccine dose.
Over 30 million people have developed COVID-19 in the U.S.
The United States has reached yet another pandemic milestone with more than 30 million people developing COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak.
The United States is currently the global leader for both COVID-19 cases and deaths.
AstraZeneca becomes controversial after missteps
AstraZeneca has likely produced a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine in only 9 months, a significant achievement that could help end the pandemic, reported CNN.
But missteps along the way have led to criticism from both policymakers and health officials.
The drugmaker mistakenly gave some volunteers only half a dose of the vaccine in clinical trials.
The company has also been criticized for omitting crucial information from public statements.
U.S. regulators have questioned the accuracy of AstraZeneca vaccine data, saying it didn’t include the most recent data.
Additionally, severe production delays in Europe have created a political firestorm and breakdown in relations with EU leaders.
“[They are] overpromising and underdelivering by massive amounts, we all see that they have bundled up at least twice their test data,” Philippe Lamberts, a member of the European Parliament, told the BBC’s “Today Programme,” reported the Express. “So everything points to a company that cannot be relied upon.”
Meanwhile, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) expressed concerns that AstraZeneca presented “outdated” data from a trial of the vaccine’s effectiveness.
Dr. Anthony FauciTrusted Source , director of the NIAID, called it “an unforced error” that might erode trust in a “very good vaccine,” reported CNN.India detects double mutant coronavirus variant
As India struggles to contain a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, the country’s health officials report the discovery of a new mutant strain of the coronavirus.
According to a press release from the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there’s been an increase in virus samples with the E484Q and L452R mutations.
“Such mutations confer immune escape and increased infectivity. These mutations have been found in about 15-20% of samples and do not match any previously catalogued VOCs (variants of concern),” the ministry said in the press statement.
However, according to the ministry, the number of cases linked to this double mutation isn’t high enough to explain the current nationwide spike in infections.
3/24/21 3:49 p.m. PDT — Pfizer announces phase 1 trial of COVID-19 antiviral pill
In what could be a game-changing development in the fight against COVID-19, drugmaker Pfizer has announced early stage clinical trials of an experimental oral antiviral drug to treat COVID-19.
This new treatment is a type of protease inhibitor — a technology also used to treat HIV and hepatitis C. It works by binding to a viral enzyme to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from replicating in cells.
“Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic requires both prevention via vaccine and targeted treatment for those who contract the virus,” Dr. Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer chief scientific officer, said in a statement. “Given the way that SARS-CoV-2 is mutating and the continued global impact of COVID-19, it appears likely that it will be critical to have access to therapeutic options both now and beyond the pandemic.”
According to Dolsten, this oral therapy could be given to patients at the first sign of infection, without requiring hospitalization or critical care.
Pfizer is also working on an intravenous antiviral therapy for COVID-19, which is currently being tested in a clinical trial involving hospitalized patients.
Right now, the only FDA-approved antiviral treatment for COVID-19 available is remdesivir, produced by drugmaker Gilead.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Flu shot associated with less severe COVID-19, study finds
Researchers at Michigan Medicine say they’ve found an association between receiving the flu shot and fewer, less severe COVID-19 cases, reported Fox News.
According to a University of Michigan press release, the study reviewed medical charts for more than 27,000 patients and also found that no one included in the data tested positive for both viruses at the same time.
These findings mean senior author Dr. Marion Hofmann Bowman, is continuing to recommend that her patients receive the flu shot, even as flu season may be winding down.
“It’s particularly relevant for vaccine hesitance, and maybe taking the flu shot this year can ease some angst about the new COVID-19 vaccine,” said Bowman in a statement. “Instead of a concerning connection between COVID-19 and the flu shot, our publication provides more confidence that getting your flu shot is associated with staying out of the hospital for COVID-19.”
Germany faces third wave of COVID-19 due to variants
Germans are facing a new surge in COVID-19 cases, and government leaders say that new variants may be to blame.
Cases are rising as the coronavirus B.1.1.7 variant is spreading through the country, according to the Guardian.
Earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the government would impose a strict 5-day lockdown in Germany around Easter, according to CNBC.
She later reversed that decision after many pointed out that a strict lockdown would lead people to crowd together in grocery stores and other areas in an effort to get supplies before the lockdown started.
3/23/21 2:53 p.m. PDT — 3 vaccinated Hawaiian residents contracted an infection
At least three people in Hawaii who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 later contracted an infection with the new coronavirus.
They did not become severely ill, and there is no known evidence of transmission to other people, reported KITV4. While the vaccines are partly effective against symptomatic cases in trials they have been fully protective against severe COVID-19 that resulted in hospitalization or death.
The Department of Health calls these “breakthrough cases,” according to KITV4.
Doctors who spoke with KITV4 said they’re not surprised and people should not be alarmed.
According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source , current vaccines are between 66 and 95 percent effective.Doctors say the vaccine doesn’t prevent infection, but it does lower the risk of hospitalization and severe symptoms.
According to KITV4, one breakthrough case involved a healthcare worker who visited multiple U.S. cities and then tested positive for the virus after returning to Oahu.
Dr. Melinda Ashton, chief quality officer with Hawaii Pacific Health, told KITV4 that this is an example of why traveling may increase infection risk.
“Absolutely you need to be careful during those times when you’re in the airport, on the airplane, with other people in larger groups,” Ashton said.
Dr. Julius Pham, chair of the COVID-19 committee at Queen’s Medical Center, told KITV4 that he believes falling COVID-19 hospitalization numbers are a clear sign that vaccines protect against hospitalization.
“We haven’t seen those type of numbers since early in the pandemic,” Pham said. “We’re still having about 50 to 60 cases per day in the state but our hospitalization numbers are down more than the rate of infection in the state,” Pham said.
Ohio, West Virginia will permit people 16 years and older to be vaccinated
COVID-19 vaccine providers who have trouble filling appointments this week can open time slots to Ohioans ages 16 and older, Gov. Mike DeWine said March 22, reported the Dayton Daily News.
“While there are many places where there is a great demand for the vaccine, we do have some providers who are having a hard time filling appointments,” DeWine said. “If a local health department or hospital is not filling all their slots this week, they may book with anyone 16 and older.”
The news comes as West Virginia opened vaccinations to everyone over age 16. Gov. Jim Justice announced March 22 that the change in vaccination priority would be made immediately.
Ohio is scheduled to open vaccinations to all residents ages 16 and older on March 29, but those providers who are not filling appointments can open registration immediately to younger Ohioans.
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