Pfizer encouraged to seek authorization for vaccine for 5 year-olds and under
U.S. regulators have encouraged drugmaker Pfizer to apply for emergency authorization for a two-dose regimen of its COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old while awaiting data on a three-dose course, aiming to clear the way for the shots as soon as late February.
The company’s application was expected to be submitted as soon as Tuesday.
According to an article on annsvg.com, early Pfizer data has shown the vaccine (which is administered to younger kids at one-tenth the strength of the adult shot) is “safe” and produces an immune response. However, last year Pfizer announced the two-dose shot proved to be less effective at preventing COVID-19 in kids ages 2-5, and regulators encouraged the company to add a third dose to the study on the belief that another dose would boost the vaccine’s effectiveness much like booster doses do in adults.
Chinese scientists warn of new coronavirus variant
Scientists in Wuhan have warned of the new variant of coronavirus, NeoCov, which is currently circulating in South Africa. NeoCoV, which was first found in bats in South Africa, has a high death and transmission rate.
Russian news agency Sputnik, however, claimed that NeoCov is not new as in 2012 and 2015, it was discovered in outbreaks in Middle Eastern countries. Carrying the potentially combined high mortality rate of MERS-CoV (where one in three infected people die on average) and the high transmission rate of the current SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, NeoCoV can not be cured by antibodies nor protein molecules produced by people with respiratory diseases.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to have carnival this year after two years
COVID-19 notwithstanding, St. Vincent and the Grenadines will stage ‘Vincy Mas 2022’. This was announced by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
Vincy Mas was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Every society needs occasions where you have releases; it’s a catharsis. You doing work all the time and you have to have something where you let off your energy,” the prime minister said during a radio programme.
Gonsalves reminded how SVG had two difficult years with the pandemic, the volcanic eruption and Hurricane Elsa.
He also noted that the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC) came with the proposal for Carnival taking into account the existing protocols and levels of vaccination where they hope to have at least 70% of the population vaccinated by March.
England plans to remove mandatory COVID vaccination for health workers
The government of England has halted controversial plans for the compulsory Covid vaccination of all frontline NHS and social care workers in England, just days ahead of the first jab deadline.
Addressing the House of Commons, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, said the government was “looking again” at scrapping the measure in a bid to avoid a damaging confrontation with NHS workers in England.
Javid said said a consultation on ending compulsory vaccinations in health and social care settings will be held.
He said the much criticized jab mandate was informed by the severity of the Delta variant which was dominant when the previous consultation took place last year. Now, the less severe Omicron variant which currently represents over 99% of infections in the UK, has replaced Delta.
Javid said it is only right the policy was reviewed, with the vaccine roll out being so successful.
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