Main Topic: Americans heading into the winter respiratory virus season with optimism despite an increase in Covid cases.
Key Points:
1. Widespread immunity from Covid infection or vaccination, as well as updated booster shots, provides reassurance to public health officials.
2. Early indications from wastewater signal low Covid spread and no consistent data to suggest a surge.
3. Covid vaccines are holding steady against virus mutations, and updated shots are expected to be authorized soon. Traditional protection measures like staying home when sick and wearing masks remain effective.
Main topic: Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine shows efficacy against omicron subvariants.
Key points:
1. Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine boosts neutralizing antibodies against omicron subvariants EG.5 and FL.1.5.1.
2. The booster shot is expected to be authorized and rolled out soon.
3. The preliminary trial data aims to reassure concerns about the vaccine's effectiveness against current variants.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax to be available to the public in mid-September, providing a more specific timeline for the arrival of the shots, pending approvals from the FDA and CDC.
The United States is still weeks away from distributing Covid booster shots, despite a 21.6% increase in hospitalizations related to the virus, and the effectiveness of the boosters against new virus variants remains uncertain.
An updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine designed to target the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, known as Kraken, is expected to be released earlier than anticipated, potentially by mid-September, as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rise across California and the US.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects a new booster vaccine to be available next month, but its effectiveness against the highly mutated Pirola variant is uncertain.
Moderna's updated Covid vaccine has shown a strong immune response against the highly mutated omicron variant BA.2.86, suggesting that the vaccine will still be effective against newer variants of the virus.
As COVID-19 cases rise and schools reopen, Americans are using expired at-home COVID-19 test kits, raising concerns about their effectiveness, although some kits may still be safe to use.
Antibodies from prior infection or existing vaccines are effective against the BA.2.86 variant, and the increase in COVID cases in the US is not driven by this variant, according to the CDC.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are increasing and while the COVIDtests.gov program that provided free tests has been suspended, low-cost or free testing options are still available through local clinics, insurance, and community-based testing sites.
Two new Covid shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have been approved by the FDA and are expected to be available soon as cases continue to rise in some parts of the US, with preliminary research suggesting they offer protection against the dominant variant and other concerning variants.
The FDA has approved updated COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots, targeting new variants, and making them available for Americans as young as 6 months old from Moderna and Pfizer.
New variants of COVID-19 are causing an uptick in cases in the US, but it is not clear what is driving this surge and whether it will be a particularly severe season, although the majority of people who have been infected or vaccinated are experiencing mild illness, according to Shaun Truelove, an associate scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Moderna's flu vaccine has demonstrated a stronger immune response against all strains of the influenza virus compared to traditional flu shots, potentially allowing the company to file for accelerated approval in the US by year-end and launch the vaccine for the 2024/2025 season, while also scaling down its COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing to meet lower post-pandemic demand.
Attitudes about COVID-19 vaccinations in the US are shifting, with survey results showing that about 43% of adults plan to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine, similar to the uptake of the annual flu shot, although concerns about vaccine safety still persist.
New COVID-19 vaccines recommended by the CDC are now available in select locations in New Jersey and will be accessible statewide in the near future, providing updated protection against the virus for individuals aged 6 months and older.
Americans can now order additional free Covid-19 tests from the federal government following the revival of the program with $600 million in funding.
The US government has restarted its free at-home Covid-19 testing service to combat the rising number of Covid hospitalizations and detect new strains, allowing individuals to request four free rapid antigen tests.
VBI Vaccines Inc. reported positive Phase I trial results for its pan-coronavirus vaccine candidate, showing broad and durable protection against COVID-19 variants of concern.
The FDA has authorized Novavax's updated Covid vaccine for emergency use in individuals aged 12 and older, providing an alternative to mRNA shots from Pfizer and Moderna.
Moderna's combination vaccine targeting Covid and the flu, mRNA-1083, has shown positive results in an early to mid-stage study and will move to a final stage trial in adults aged 50 and above with hopes of gaining regulatory approval in 2025, potentially simplifying protection against respiratory viruses that surge during certain seasons.
The FDA has approved an updated version of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, which is effective against Omicron strains and may have fewer side effects compared to mRNA vaccines.
Moderna plans to advance a novel vaccine design targeting both flu and COVID-19 into its final stage of development, aiming to simplify annual vaccinations and increase vaccine uptake, with hopes of regulatory approval by 2025.
Vaccine maker Novavax has shipped millions of doses of its updated COVID-19 shots to distributors after receiving clearance from U.S. regulators, with the shots expected to be available at U.S. pharmacies this week.
