Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has announced that it is collaborating with academic institutions internationally to gauge the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine against Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. In particular, J&J said it is conducting research on blood serum from clinical trial volunteers who have received single or multiple doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. The…
OSHA suspends enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandate
The Biden administration will not proceed with enforcing its vaccine mandate for businesses with at least 100 employees given a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The administration had planned on putting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in charge of administering the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. While a statement…
Federal appeals court concludes Biden’s vaccine mandate poses ‘serious constitutional concerns’
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion on November 12 concluding that the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate was ‘fatally flawed.’ A three-judge panel on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) plan to institute a vaccine mandate for employers with at least…
J&J COVID-19 vaccine to find use in conflict zones
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has reached an agreement with the U.S. government and the public–private health partnership Gavi to distribute the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine to conflict zones or humanitarian settings. New Brunswick, NJ–based Johnson & Johnson anticipates deliveries in such areas in the coming days. “We believe our single-shot COVID-19 vaccine has a critical role to…
White House says nearly one million younger children have received COVID-19 vaccines
In a White House COVID-19 Response Team press briefing today, government officials said that 900,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 will have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by the end of the day. The federal government authorized shots for that demographic last week. Jeffrey Zients, counselor to the President, estimated that…
States sue to block COVID-19 vaccine mandate
The attorneys general in 26 U.S. states are opposing the Biden administration’s plan to force many employers to require their workers to obtain vaccination against COVID-19. While the majority of states were Republican-led, Kansas, Louisiana and Kentucky were three Democratic-leaning states that joined the litigation. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a media briefing…
Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate goes into effect
President Biden first signaled his intent to require many American workers to obtain full vaccination against COVID-19 in September. Now, a significant number of employers must ensure their workers are either vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19 by January 4 as the rules become official. The requirements will apply to employers with at least 100…
Moderna takes big hit on missed Q3 projections
Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) shares took a big hit today on third-quarter results that came up short of the consensus forecast. MRNA shares were down 17.1% at $286.80 per share in mid-morning trading today. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — was up 0.2%. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company…
Pfizer projects $36 billion in COVID-19 vaccine revenue in 2021
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) continue to dominate the COVID-19 vaccine market. In 2021, Pfizer anticipates that the Comirnaty (BNT162b2) vaccine will generate $36 billion in sales. For the sake of comparison, the company’s overall 2020 revenue was $41.9 billion. The vaccine was the single biggest driver of revenue for the company in…
China begins administering COVID-19 vaccines to children as young as 3
In China, roughly 80% of the population is vaccinated against COVID-19. The country, along with Cuba, is also among the first to begin vaccinating young children. At least five out of 23 provinces have started administering shots to children aged three to 11. China plans on hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics from February 4–20, 2022, in…