Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pfizer Asks UK To Approve Vaccine For 12- to 15-Year-Olds
Fox News: Pfizer Seeks UK Approval For COVID-19 Vaccine In Teens
Pfizer has asked U.K. regulators to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine for teens ages 12 to 15 following the FDA’s decision to do so earlier this week. A spokesperson told Fox News that the company submitted data to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for review. It was not clear when the MHRA would issue a decision, or how quickly shots would be made available to teens if authorized. "We cannot speculate on the timing of the MHRA’s decision," a Pfizer spokesperson said. (Hein, 5/12)
Fox News: UK Mask Wearing, Social Distancing To Be Relaxed On June 21
Following a sharp fall in new coronavirus infections, it is expected the wearing masks in shops and offices as well as social distancing will be relaxed starting on June 21. First, the UK will attempt some lockdown easing on Monday, May 17 that will include dining and drinking indoors and reopening movie theaters. In addition, going mask-less will get its first test at secondary schools and colleges where students will no longer be required to wear face coverings in classrooms or communal areas. (Miles, 5/12)
CIDRAP: Postpartum Depression Associated With COVID-19 Lockdown
Twice as many mothers with babies 6 months or younger reported postpartum depression during the first UK COVID-19–related lockdown, according to a Frontiers in Psychology study yesterday. University College London (UCL) researchers surveyed 162 London mothers in May and June 2020 (about 1.5 to 3 months into the lockdown). (5/12)
CIDRAP: UK COVID-19 Contact Tracing App May Have Reduced Cases 2%
The United Kingdom's National Health Services app for COVID-19 contact tracing may have reduced England's and Wale's cases from 0.8% to 2.3%, or by almost 300,000 to 600,000 patients, according to a study in Nature today. The app was launched Sep 24, 2020, and through the end of December, 16.5 million people regularly used it, or about 28% of the total population. Besides monitoring proximal exposures, the app also automatically updated any COVID-19 diagnosis test results and sent them to applicable contacts, provided a platform for venues to conduct contact tracing, and gave localized COVID-19 quarantine, symptom, and testing information. (5/12)
Also —
Reuters: Over A Quarter Of EU Adults Would Refuse COVID-19 Shot, Survey Says
More than a quarter of adults in the European Union would be unlikely to take the COVID-19 vaccine when it was offered to them, a survey published on Thursday showed. (Strauss, 5/13)
Yahoo Finance: British Airways Trials ‘Game-Changer’ 25-Second Coronavirus Test
British Airways will be the world’s first airline to trial a coronavirus test which produces results within 25 seconds. The carrier described the test as a “game-changer”. It will invite flight and cabin crew to take a Pelican Covid-19 antigen test from medical tech company Canary Global. (Lancefield, 5/13)
