Future Covid Shots Limited To Adults 65+, Those At Risk Of Severe Illness
Revised FDA guidelines also require placebo testing on updated covid vaccines. The new plan has pediatricians concerned for young ones in their care, but one MAHA influencer says the new rules aren't restrictive enough.
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Poised To Restrict Access To Covid Vaccines
The Food and Drug Administration will permit use of Covid vaccines by adults over 65 and those with certain medical conditions in the fall, but may require additional studies before approving the shots for healthy Americans younger than 65, agency officials said on Tuesday. At this point, the additional doses offer “uncertain” benefits to many young and middle-aged people who have already been vaccinated or have had Covid, Dr. Vinay Prasad, the F.D.A.’s vaccine division chief, and Dr. Martin Makary, the agency’s commissioner, wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine. (Jewett and Mandavilli, 5/20)
Stat:
Worried Pediatricians Question New FDA Covid Vaccine Guidance
A new framework for Covid-19 vaccines announced by Food and Drug Administration leaders Tuesday suggests the agency will no longer approve new Covid vaccines for healthy individuals under 65, including babies, without data from new randomized clinical trials showing their benefit. (McFarling, 5/20)
Newsweek:
MAHA Influencer Slams Trump Admin COVID Vaccine Update—'Really Unfortunate'
The Trump administration announced a major change on Tuesday to U.S. COVID-19 vaccination policy: healthy children and younger adults will no longer be recommended to get an annual COVID-19 vaccine. While some celebrated the changes in recommendations, Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) influencer Diana Atieh was disappointed with the decision, as the vaccine is still recommended for other groups. (Mordowanec, 5/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
Covid Rates Are Low Right Now, But Doctors Are Vigilant For A Summer Rise
The Covid-19 virus in the U.S. has largely faded from view. But it hasn’t faded away. National wastewater data shows low Covid-19 activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The weekly reported Covid-19 deaths in April were slightly down compared with the same time a year earlier, federal data shows. Still, more than 300 Covid-19-related deaths were reported weekly as recently as mid-April. (Abbott, 5/20)
