FDA advisors are slated to meet to discuss the prospect of updating the first generation of COVID-19 vaccines for use as boosters this fall and winter. But it remains unclear whether updating the COVID-19 vaccines will be necessary. Both Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (Nasdaq:MRNA) have updated vaccines in the works. Pfizer and Moderna have both said…

Some 18 months after adults became eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, children between 6 months and 5 years old can now be vaccinated in the U.S. FDA authorized the shots for young children on June 17, while CDC did so a day later. “The United States is now the first country in the world to offer safe…

All U.S. states but Florida have pre-ordered COVID-19 vaccine doses for children under the age of 5, according to the Miami Herald. The federal government had a deadline of June 14 for states to pre-order vaccine doses. In a statement, the Florida Department of Health said it decided not to order vaccine doses for young children…

A new congressional report concluded that Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS) attempted to hide evidence related to quality problems before informing the FDA that 15 million COVID-19 vaccines were contaminated. Prepared for Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and James E. Clyburn (D-SC), the report from the House and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis scrutinizes the quality controls in…

A number of developing nations have refused tens of millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccines, according to a report from Reuters. The countries had received doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the COVAX initiative, a global project that focuses on ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. COVAX has distributed 1.4 billion shots to 144 nations…

Early data from Israel’s Sheba Medical Center showed that an additional booster of COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) led to a fivefold increase in antibodies one week after receipt of the vaccine.  Pfizer had earlier announced that a third dose of the vaccine increased antibody levels 25-fold compared to a two-dose primary…

Mere months ago, health experts were divided on whether COVID-19 boosters were necessary for the broader public.  Then came delta and then came omicron.  Now, Israel is moving to become one of the first countries to offer a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people at least 60 years old and those at high risk…

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 15 to 0 to prioritize the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines over Johnson & Johnson’s. One of the main reasons for the recommendation is a rare side effect associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that results in low blood clots and blood-platelet levels. CDC officials revealed…

In May, the World Health Assembly set the goal of fully vaccinating 10% of each country’s population by September 30. A number of countries hit the goal, including 15 in Africa, but more than 50 didn’t. “It’s very concerning,” said Donna Patterson, a fellow at the Wilson Center, in a recent webinar from that organization. Uneven…

The U.K. government has put a manufacturing plant up for sale that was instrumental in the country’s plan to battle future pandemics. According to The Financial Times, the plant, dubbed the Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC), had received at least £215 million of public funding since it was launched in 2018. A handful of companies…