Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Canada First To OK Pfizer Vaccine For Kids Ages 12-15
AP: Canada Authorizes Pfizer Vaccine For Age 12 And Older
Canadian health officials said Wednesday they have become the first to approve Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for ages as young as 12. Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser at Health Canada, confirmed the decision for ages 12 to 15 and said it will help children return to a normal life. Canada is the first country to authorize Pfizer for that age group. The U.S. and the European Union are also reviewing it. (Gillies, 5/5)
Bloomberg: Canada’s Vaccine Push Is Plagued By Confusion And Erratic Supply
Canada is considering allowing patients to receive two different types of Covid-19 vaccines as the country deals with shortages of shots from AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna Inc. Federal health officials are closely watching a U.K.-based trial in which participants received two kinds of shots. Results are expected in the next month or so, Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser at Health Canada, said Wednesday at a news conference. (Bochove and Bolongaro, 5/5)
AP: US Tribe Shares Vaccine With Relatives, Neighbors In Canada
On a cloudy spring day, hundreds lined up in their cars on the Canadian side of the border crossing that separates Alberta and Montana. They had driven for hours and camped out in their vehicles in hopes of receiving the season’s hottest commodity — a COVID-19 vaccine — from a Native American tribe that was giving out its excess doses. The Blackfeet tribe in northern Montana provided about 1,000 surplus vaccines last month to its First Nations relatives and others from across the border, in an illustration of the disparity in speed at which the United States and Canada are distributing doses. While more than 30% of adults in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, in Canada that figure is about 3%. (Samuels, 5/5)
In other coronavirus news around the world —
AP: Vatican Conference Features Fauci, Francis — And Aerosmith
An eclectic mix of participants are taking part in a unique three-day Vatican conference on COVID-19, other global health threats and how science, solidarity and spirituality can address them. Along with Pope Francis, the event includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, soprano Renee Fleming, the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna and the lead guitarist of Aerosmith. (Winfield, 5/6)
The Washington Post: Man's Barbecue Binge Sparks New Virus Curbs In Sydney After Month Without Cases
A barbecue enthusiast who went on a Sydney-wide search for grilling supplies while infected with the coronavirus has triggered new restrictions in Australia's largest city, which is now battling new cases after a month without local transmission. Authorities are mystified as to how the man, who is in his 50s, became infected. He was not a border or quarantine worker and had not recently returned from overseas. His wife also tested positive. (Pannett, 5/6)
AP: Fiji Sequesters Hospital Staff After COVID Death
The military and police in the Pacific nation of Fiji have surrounded and locked down a major hospital amid concerns of a growing virus outbreak. Health authorities say they’re quarantining 400 patients, doctors, nurses and staff within the compound until they can determine who had contact with a coronavirus patient who died. (5/6)
Also —
AP: Anti-Olympic Petition Gains Tens Of Thousands Of Signatures
An online petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be canceled has gained ten of thousands of signatures since being launched in Japan just days ago. The rollout of the petition comes with Tokyo, Osaka and several other areas under a state of emergency with coronavirus infections rising — particularly new variants. The state of emergency is to expire on May 11, but some reports in Japan say it is likely to be extended. (Kageyama and Wade, 5/6)
The Washington Post: The U.S. Birth Rate Is Falling. Here’s How Other Countries Have Tried To Incentivize Having Children
With the U.S. birthrate declining for the sixth year in a row and undergoing its largest drop in nearly 50 years, according to provisional data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States is facing a dilemma with which many wealthy nations in Europe and Asia have long grappled. Declining population growth can also raise questions about who will care for a growing elderly population, fill crucial jobs and keep the economy afloat. Instead of trying to ramp up immigration, some governments have tried subsidizing fertility treatments, offering free day care and generous parental leave, and paying thousands of dollars in cash grants to parents. (Farzan, 5/5)
AP: Woman From Mali Gives Birth To 9 Babies In Morocco
A Malian woman has given birth to nine babies at once — after expecting seven, according to Mali's Minister of Health and the Moroccan clinic where the nonuplets were born. It appeared to be the first time on record that a woman had given birth to nine surviving babies at once. (Ahmed and Barakah, 5/5)
