Rochelle walensky

Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, said Monday that an early analysis showed their three-dose coronavirus vaccine regimen triggered a strong immune response in young children, proving 80% effective at preventing symptomatic infections in children 6 months to 4 years old. The results, along with other recent developments, signal that the long and frustrating wait for a vaccine for the youngest children, the last group to lack access, could be over within weeks. A few hours after Pfizer and BioNTech issued a news release announcing the data, which has not been peer reviewed, the Food and Drug Administration said its outside experts will meet June 14 and 15 to discuss the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccines. Pfizer and BioNTech said they plan to finish filing data with the FDA this week - and warned that the efficacy number was fluid because results are still arriving. If the FDA advisory panel looks favorably on the vaccines, the agency could authorize them as … [Read more...] about Pfizer covid shot 80% effective in young kids, early data shows

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden's daughter Ashley Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said on Wednesday. Therefore, Ashley Biden dropped out of a foreign trip with first lady Jill Biden to Latin America, spokesman Michael LaRose told reporters. Ashley Biden was not considered a close contact to either Joe Biden or his wife, LaRose said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines close contact as someone who is less than 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from an infected individual for more than 15 minutes. The infection is the latest to affect Joe Biden's inner circle. A series of Biden administration officials have recently tested positive for COVID-19, including Vice President Kamala Harris. Valerie Biden Owens, Joe Biden's sister, contracted the virus in April. The United States has reported more than 83 million COVID-19 cases and 1 million deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. "We're also … [Read more...] about Biden’s daughter tests positive for COVID-19

COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising faster in Colorado than in recent weeks — though they still remain at relatively low levels — as new infections and the rate at which people are testing positive for the virus continue their upward trajectory in the state. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 144 people were hospitalized statewide with COVID-19 as of Tuesday afternoon, up from 116 a week earlier and 77 at the most recent low point on April 12. That’s a 24% rise in one week, which is significant, said Talia Quandelacy, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health. “That’s a fairly steep climb,” she said. “What we’re starting to see is the reflection of the surge in cases.” It’s not clear how many people have been admitted solely due to COVID-19; tested positive when admitted for something unrelated; or fall into a middle ground, where the virus may have exacerbated a pre-existing health condition. The state … [Read more...] about Colorado’s COVID hospitalizations rising faster, though they’re still relatively low