The New York Times (3/29) reports that according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, the Omicron subvariant BA.2 “is now the dominant version of the virus in new U.S. cases.” The variant “accounted for about 55 percent of new U.S. cases in the week ending Saturday, according to” the CDC. The Wall Street […]
Reuters (3/29) reports the “Food and Drug Administration will weigh the benefits of authorizing a round of boosters of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to a broader population in the fall…said” FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research director Peter Marks, MD, PhD. Dr. Marks said, “It would not be surprising if there […]
MedPage Today (3/29) reports that “fewer than 0.5% of children” had SARS-CoV-2 reinfection after a primary infection, “and reinfection was not associated with more severe disease, British researchers found.” According to the study findings published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, “reinfection rates were highest among adolescents ages 12 to 16 (0.49%), followed by […]
The Washington Post (3/29) reports, “Older adults can get second booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines, federal agencies announced Tuesday as they expanded access to additional shots to help shore up protection against severe illness.” The Food and Drug Administration authorized the second mRNA booster doses “for people 50 and older at […]
Reuters (3/22) reports, “About one-in-three COVID-19 cases in the United States are now caused by the BA.2 Omicron sub-variant of the coronavirus, according to government data on Tuesday that also showed overall infections still declining from January’s record highs.” Despite the “rise of the extremely contagious sub-variant also seen in other countries, U.S. health experts say […]
Healio | Infectious Disease News (3/24) As of late February, just 64.5% of Americans were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and less than half of eligible people had received a recommended booster dose. Paul A. Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, fears those figures will remain stagnant.
The Washington Post (3/25) reported, “With another pandemic surge possibly on the way, vaccination for the coronavirus in the United States has all but ground to a halt, with initial doses and boosters plummeting to the lowest levels since the program began in late December 2020.” On March 23, “the seven-day average of vaccinations fell […]
Influenza Surveillance – For week 9, ending on March 5, CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView summary reports that seasonal influenza activity in the United States is low but continues its gradual increase in parts of the country. The levels of acute respiratory illness reflected in the national map include both influenza and non-influenza […]
HARRISBURG, PA – (03/25/2022) Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus has been detected in a wild bald eagle found dead in East Marlborough Township, Chester County. This marks the first detection of HPAI H5N1 in birds within the Commonwealth since the virus was first identified in North America in December 2021. In addition to the bald […]
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — As of data checked at 2:10 p.m. on March 25, 2022, there were 2,791 additional cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania from Monday, March 21, through Thursday, March 24, for a statewide cumulative total of 2,302,857 confirmed cases and 475,129 probable cases, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. COVID in […]
Cleveland Clinic: Journal of Medicine (May 2021 study) – The percent of US children who are not vaccinated has been increasing, and so have the rates of communicable diseases. As the unvaccinated and undervaccinated population ages, practitioners are likely to see more adult patients who have never been vaccinated. This article reviews the recommendations for […]
Reuters (March 16, 2022) – The BA.2 Omicron lineage was estimated to be 23.1% of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States as of March 12, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday.
The Washington Post (15 March, 2022) – Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, filed Tuesday for emergency authorization of a second booster shot of their coronavirus vaccine for people 65 and older, an effort to bolster waning immunity that occurs several months after the first booster, the companies announced. Pfizer and BioNTech seek […]
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — As of data checked at 12:50 p.m. on March 7, 2022, there were 2,196 additional cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania from Friday, March 4, through Sunday, March 6, for a statewide cumulative total of 2,292,418 confirmed cases and 471,667 probable cases, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. COVID in […]
Bucks County Herald (March 3, 2022) – The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (PA AAP) and the Pennsylvania Immunization Coalition (PAIC) have awarded 16 state and local organizations and immunization coalitions with grants to address access to and education around vaccines, particularly the COVID-19 vaccine. Bucks Immunization Coalition among recipients of immunization […]
Medscape (March 04, 2022) – New metrics for measuring the threat of COVID-19 show that more than 90% of people in the United States now live in counties with a low to medium threat and generally don’t need to wear face masks anymore, the CDC said Thursday. Masks Now Optional for 90% of US As […]
Wired (March 2nd, 2022) – Routine shots are down for everything from measles to tetanus to polio, leaving kids unprotected and raising the risk of outbreaks. https://www.wired.com/story/the-pandemic-tanked-rates-of-childhood-vaccination-for-everything/
Contagion Live (February 24, 2022) – As the COVID-19 pandemic took center stage around the globe, it also shifted much of our focus to the vaccines and efforts to immunize populations against this disease. This article will provide an update on non–COVID-19 adult vaccine recommendations and newly approved non–COVID-19 vaccines. https://www.contagionlive.com/view/what-s-new-with-non-covid-19-vaccines
Associated Press (AP) March 3rd, 2022 – As demand to get COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. collapses in many areas, states are scrambling to use stockpiles of doses before they expire and have to be added to the millions that have already gone to waste. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-03-03/as-vaccine-demand-falls-states-are-left-with-huge-stockpile
Medscape (February 24, 2022) – It may be helpful for some people to wait up to 8 weeks between the first and second doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID vaccines, the CDC says in updated guidance. “An 8-week interval may be optimal for some people ages 12 years and older, especially for males ages […]
WASHINGTON (AP – February 27, 2022) — Nearly half of the 500 million free COVID-19 tests the Biden administration recently made available to the public still have not been claimed as virus cases plummet and people feel less urgency to test. Nearly half of Biden’s 500M free COVID tests still unclaimed | AP News
The New York Times (2/25) reported that on Friday, the CDC “offered a new strategy to help communities across the country live with the coronavirus and get back to some version of normal life.” These “new guidelines suggest that 70 percent of Americans can now stop wearing masks, and no longer need to social distance […]
HCPLive (February 25, 2022) – The CDC has estimated at least 2.4 million flu illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 1,400 deaths from flu so far this season. Influenza Activity Remains Sporadic Across United States (hcplive.com)
PatientCare (February 1, 2022) – The COVID-19 Omicron subvariant, known as BA.2, is circulating in the US at “low levels,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About half the states have confirmed its presence, with about 127 cases identified as of today. Omicron Subvariant BA.2: What We Know Now (patientcareonline.com)
CNN (February 4th, 2022) –Plummeting Covid-19 case counts across the United States are leading to lifted mask mandates and more conversations about steps toward normalcy — but more people are dying of the coronavirus now than during most points of the pandemic. More than 2,000 Covid-19 deaths have been reported in the United States each […]