A vaccinator draws a Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pediatric vaccine in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, US, Dec 5, 2021. (HANNAH BEIER / REUTERS)
MOSCOW / LOS ANGELES – US health regulators authorized the use of Omicron-tailored COVID-19 booster shots from Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc in children as young as five, a move that will expand the government's fall vaccination campaign.
The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday green-lighted Moderna's bivalent vaccine for those aged six and above, while Pfizer's updated shot was authorized in children aged five and above
The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday green-lighted Moderna's bivalent vaccine for those aged six and above, while Pfizer's updated shot was authorized in children aged five and above.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also backed the FDA's authorization, clearing the way for the shots to be administered in children.
Meanwhile, experts blame the US government for the country's failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic, while US health officials expect another fall and winter surge as people head indoors during the colder weather.
Some researchers said the United States is already starting to see early signs of a resurgence. According to an NPR report, virus levels in wastewater are up in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont and other parts of the Northeast, potentially "an early-warning sign of what's coming."
Russia
Russia has registered 15,640 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 21,248,603, the official monitoring and response center said Wednesday.
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The center said that the nationwide death toll increased by 105 to 388,509, while the number of recoveries grew by 30,409 to 20,500,961.
Vaccine
Novavax Inc said on Wednesday data from studies in adults and adolescents showed that the booster dose of its COVID vaccine produced robust antibodies against several Omicron variants, including BA.1, BA.2 and BA.5.
In the late-stage study, a single homologous booster dose significantly increased antibody levels against these variants relative to pre-boost levels, the company said.
The company said ongoing trials are studying the efficacy of the vaccine against variants including BA.4 and BA.5.
