Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Novavax Says Its Shot Is 80% Effective In Teens
Reuters: Novavax Says COVID-19 Shot 80% Effective In Adolescent Study
Novavax Inc said on Thursday its two-dose vaccine was 80% effective against COVID-19 in a late-stage trial testing the shot in teens aged 12 to 17 years. The trial involved 2,247 adolescents and took place between May and September last year when the Delta variant was the dominant strain in the United States. The vaccine was 82% effective against the variant. (2/10)
AP: Novavax Says Protein Vaccine Works For Kids As Young As 12
Novavax announced Thursday that its COVID-19 vaccine proved safe and effective in a study of 12- to 17-year-olds. Novavax makes a protein-based vaccine -- a different type than the most widely used shots -- that’s a late arrival to the COVID-19 arsenal. Its shots have been cleared for use in adults by regulators in Britain, Europe and elsewhere and by the World Health Organization, and are under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2/10)
In updates on the Moderna vaccine —
Fox News: Kansas Woman's Allergic Reaction To Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine Killed Her, Autopsy Says
A Kansas woman's death last March has been attributed to an allergic reaction to the Moderna coronavirus vaccine, an autopsy has confirmed, according to reports. Jeanie Evans, 68, struggled to breathe and speak after receiving the shot in Ozawkie, Kansas, even after she was given an EpiPen, a device meant to treat allergic reactions, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported. She later died at a hospital. Her death was reported as "anaphylaxis due to COVID-19 vaccination." (Stimson, 2/11)
In updates on the vaccine rollout —
Axios: COVID Vaccine Uptake Stalls, But Health Care Workers Push To Vaccinate Holdouts
Vaccine uptake is fading, but doctors and health care workers are trying to reach the tens of millions of unvaccinated Americans — one conversation at a time. Persuading the remaining unvaccinated takes a lot more time and effort, and health care workers who have found success are not writing off holdouts as anti-vaxxers. "You do need to meet people and individualize your approach," said Odilichi Ezenwanne, a primary care physician at the Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center in Tunica, Mississippi, where just 50% of the county is fully vaccinated as of Feb. 9. "You have to understand their own reasons for restraint or hesitancy ... that's when they really open up to you." (Herman, 2/11)
The Texas Tribune: Houston Scientists Get Nobel Prize Nod For Patent-Free COVID-19 Vaccine
Two years ago, when a pair of Houston scientists first began crafting a cheap, easy-to-make COVID-19 vaccine, they had a tough time finding support for it at home in the U.S., a country that rewards expensive, flashy new tech. They could have used help with their goal of combating the virus both locally and abroad, where it was morphing into more dangerous variants headed for U.S. shores. But the team at the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine, led by Drs. Maria Elena Bottazzi and Peter Hotez, worked on their patent-free vaccine with donated money in relative obscurity, failing to garner much outside interest. (Harper, 2/10)
Axios: Pharmacies View COVID As Customer Acquisition
Tens of millions of people have flocked to pharmacies over the past year to get COVID vaccines and tests, and pharmacy chains are salivating at the thought of retaining some of those people as long-term customers. "We have seen a lot more traffic in the stores, and that's manifesting itself in more prescriptions and increased basket sizes in some instances," CVS Health CFO Shawn Guertin told Wall Street yesterday. (Herman, 2/10)
