AMA (Feb 2, 2023) – While it may be a new year, the same problem remains: COVID-19. This time, though, it is a subvariant of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, known as XBB.1.5, that is the dominant strain in parts of the United States. The rise of the COVID-19 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is the product of a […]
AMA (Feb 3, 2023) – With the COVID-19 pandemic and all its precautions—masking, physical distancing and staying home—influenza activity was drastically lower in 2020 and 2021 than in previous years. Now the flu is back, with hospitalizations at their highest levels and case counts continuing to rise across the country. Yet with a “tripledemic” of COVID-19, respiratory syncytial […]
Medscape (1/31, Subscription Publication) reports, “Although new COVID-19 cases in children, as measured by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, have remained fairly steady in recent months, data from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention suggest that weekly cases took a big jump in early January.” These data “show that […]
Published on Jan 26, 2023 in Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers Long COVID has been an ongoing issue related to SARS-CoV-2 infections. Following an infection, many people have reported experiencing lingering symptoms. The symptoms affect a variety of organs and can last for many months or even more than a year. Scientists and clinicians continue to work to […]
Reuters (1/26) reports the FDA “has withdrawn emergency-use authorization for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 antibody cocktail” tixagevimab/cilgavimab (Evusheld) “as the treatment is not expected to neutralize the currently dominant XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron.” The company “said it was informed that the agency will decide about reinstating authorization of Evusheld if the prevalence of resistant variants in the […]
Wired (January 16, 2023) – WHEN BRITISH RADIO DJ Tim Gough passed away suddenly during a broadcast in October 2022, his friend and colleague James Hazell barely had time to mourn before the trolling began. “They didn’t even give him time to go cold. They were straight on it with some vile messages,” Hazell says. Anti-vaccine […]
Philadelphia Immunization Program – In 2019, the United States saw a rise in acute hepatitis B cases. To counter the rising incidence of acute hepatitis B, ACIP expanded its recommendations for hepatitis B vaccination in November 2021. However, a national survey conducted in February 2022 revealed that 55% of family physicians were unaware of the […]
BY CHIA-YI HOU – 01/15/23 5:05 PM ET The Hill (January 15, 2023) – A measles outbreak in Ohio is raising concerns about the spread of the disease and how a decline in vaccination rates among children might be leading to additional outbreaks. Eighty-five cases have been reported in Ohio as of Friday, mainly in Columbus and […]
Karen Weintraub USA Today (January 20, 2023) – Healthy people should get annual COVID-19 boosters to prevent widespread outbreaks, suggests a new study from Yale University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Yearly shots provide just enough frequency to prevent huge outbreaks while not putting an undue burden on people. “There seems to be an […]
CNBC (January 17, 2023) – Spencer Kimball@SPENCEKIMBALL KEY POINTS The RSV vaccine was 83.7% effective at preventing lower respiratory tract disease, defined as two or more symptoms, in people ages 60 and older, according to Moderna. RSV infections kill between 6,000 and 10,000 older adults every year and result in 60,000 to 120,000 hospitalizations, according […]