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…
California and Colorado to allow COVID-19 boosters for all adults
COVID-19 vaccine booster eligibility has gradually expanded, but a significant portion of adults don’t meet the current criteria set forth by FDA and CDC. California and Colorado have decided to sidestep the federal government by making all fully vaccinated adults in those states eligible for a booster. California will require that six months have elapsed…
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…
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…
Novartis to continue manufacturing Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
Novartis (NYSE:NVS) has announced that it has reached an agreement with BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) to produce their popular COVID-19 BNT162b2 vaccine. The companies reached a new production agreement that will leave Novartis responsible for fill-and-finish operations related to the mRNA-based vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech. Under the agreement, Novartis will produce at least…
The European Union has become a leading COVID-19 vaccine exporter
The European Union is now one of the largest exporters of COVID-19 vaccines globally, having provided 150 nations with more than 1 billion vaccine doses. The U.S. has exported fewer than 200 million vaccine doses to date but has pledged to donate more than 1 billion. China has pledged to donate 2 billion doses by…