Covid Shot Hesitancy Spills Over To Flu Vaccine Program: Study

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine Hesitancy Threatens Flu Vaccine Uptake 
Polarized views and worries about COVID-19 vaccination had spillover effects on flu vaccination in adults, according to researchers who examined data over two pandemic years on both vaccines by state. The authors of the study say the findings are a warning of declining trust in public heath, which comes at a vulnerable time as eased COVID-19 measures put populations at risk for the return of disease threats such as flu. Late-season flu activity is still under way in some parts of the United States, and health officials are closely watching Australia, where an early-season surge is already worse than some of the country's pre–COVID pandemic flu seasons. (Schnirring, 6/16)

CIDRAP: Data Highlight Greater Impact Of COVID-19 Vs Flu In Young Children
A study today in JAMA Network Open comparing COVID-19 versus flu in kids 5 years old and younger finds that the novel coronavirus led to twice the rate of admissions to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and rates of intubation one-third higher during the first 15 months of the pandemic. (6/15)

In updates on vaccines for children and teens —

Politico: DeSantis Says Florida Is ‘Affirmatively Against’ Covid-19 Vaccines For Young Kids
Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday railed against providing Covid-19 vaccines to young children, saying Florida will not provide state programs to administer vaccinations for toddlers or infants. DeSantis, speaking at a press conference in Miami, said that Covid-19 vaccines have not gone through enough testing and clinical trials to determine that they are effective and added that kids are least likely to suffer serious health consequences from Covid. (Sarkissian, 6/16)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Children's Opens COVID Vaccine Appointments For Kids 5 And Under
Texas Children’s Hospital is opening up appointments for children as young as 6 months old to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday unanimously recommended for emergency use authorization for millions of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The agency’s recommendation centers on Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years old, and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years old. The hospital is still waiting on official FDA authorization, then a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, followed by an official sign-off from CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. If that happens, the shots could be available as early as next week. (Gill, 6/16)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Closing In On Covid Vaccines For ‘The Littles’
Children younger than 5 are the only population not eligible for a covid-19 vaccine in the U.S. But that may be about to change as an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration recommends authorization for that group. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, senators are struggling to write into legislative language a tentative deal reached over the weekend on gun control and mental health, and the Supreme Court says no to certain administration cuts to hospitals under the Medicare program. (6/16)

AP: California Lawmaker Scraps Plan For Preteen Vaccine Consent 
California lawmakers on Thursday amended a bill that would have let preteens be vaccinated against a range of health conditions without their parents’ consent, instead raising the proposed minimum age to 15, which would still be among the youngest in the U.S. Currently, minors age 12 to 17 in California cannot be vaccinated without permission from their parents or guardians, except for vaccinations to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. California state law already allows people 12 and older to consent to the Hepatitis B and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. (Thompson, 6/16)

In other news on the vaccine rollout —

CIDRAP: Boosters Plus Previous Infection Shown Most Protective Against Omicron
According to a study yesterday based on COVID-19 cases in Qatar, protection afforded by natural immunity from prior infections was longer-lasting than from a primary mRNA vaccine series, but booster vaccine doses combined with prior infection provided the most protection against infections during the Omicron surge. ... Previous infection alone was 46.1% effective in protecting against infection with BA.2, an Omicron subvariant that surpassed the original (BA.1) Omicron strain in late March. The highest level of protection against BA.2 infection was in people who had a previous infection plus three doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which was 77.3%.

CIDRAP: Study Finds Low 2-Dose Vaccine Protection Against Omicron In Teens
A study today in Pediatrics of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine efficacy (VE) in teens finds that VE was lower against symptomatic Omicron infection than against Delta and decreased faster, from 51% initially to 29% after 180 days, compared with 97% and 90% for the same intervals against symptomatic Delta infection. (6/16)

The Washington Post: Anti-Vaccine Doctor Simone Gold Sentenced For Jan. 6 Trespassing 
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Simone Gold, the founder of the anti-vaccine group America’s Frontline Doctors, to 60 days in prison for trespassing in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, blasting her for using her legal woes to raise $430,000 for herself and her organization. U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper said that Gold, who pleaded guilty in March, failed to show remorse or accept responsibility for her actions during the riot. (Hsu, 6/16)