Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Mulling JN.1-Specific Covid Shot As New Variant, KP.2, Emerges In US
Reuters: US FDA Advisers To Consider If New COVID Shots Should Target JN.1 Variant
Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will vote whether to recommend that COVID-19 vaccines for 2024-25 should target the JN.1 variant, the most dominant this year, documents filed on Monday showed. ... The FDA's staff in separate documents said vaccine makers developing the new booster shots may need to consider targeting one of the JN.1 subvariants such as KP.2, as further evolution of the virus could take it away from the older strain. The documents were posted ahead of the advisers' meeting on Wednesday. The meeting was postponed from May 16. (6/3)
Forbes: Analyzing The Emergence Of Covid Variant KP.2 And Its Potential Impact
One new variant, KP.2, could lead the surge during the upcoming summer. This recently identified variant is mainly spreading in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with rising levels in Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia. As of now, there have been 1,816 reported cases of KP.2 in the GISAID SARS-CoV-2 database, indicating that potentially thousands, if not tens of thousands, of individuals, have already been infected with this variant, as sequencing efforts have been significantly limited in recent years. (Haseltine, 5/31)
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Red Cross: Fact Check: Those Who Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Are Able To Donate Blood
The American Red Cross wants to remind the public that receiving a COVID-19 vaccine does not make you ineligible to donate blood and blood donations from those who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 are safe for transfusion. The FDA permits individuals to donate blood with no wait period after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine as long as they are feeling well and symptom free, and the vaccine they received is one approved by the FDA for use in the US. (5/29)
The Independent: Ohio Doctor Who Claimed COVID Vaccines Made People Magnets Is Sued For ‘Failing To Pay $650K In Taxes’
Dr Sherri Tenpenny, a Cleveland doctor who told state legislators during the Covid-19 pandemic that vaccines caused people to become "magnetic," has been sued by the federal government for failing to pay $650,000 in taxes and late fees, investigators say. (Graziosi, 6/3)
