Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pfizer Now Says Covid Vaccine Doesn't Have To Be Kept Ultra-Cold
The Hill: Pfizer Says Vaccine Can Be Stored In Normal Freezers
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine does not need to be stored in expensive deep freezers that have posed challenges to the vaccination campaign, the company announced Friday. Pfizer submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showing the vaccine is stable when stored between minus 13 degrees and 5 degrees Fahrenheit, temperatures commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers and refrigerators. (Hellmann, 2/19)
Fox News: Pfizer Files To Ease COVID-19 Vaccine Temperature Storage Requirements
Pfizer has submitted data to potentially ease storage requirements for its COVID-19 vaccine. The company said the vaccine has demonstrated stability when stored at -25 degrees Celsius to -15 degrees Celsius, which is commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers and refrigerators. Pfizer said it submitted the data to the FDA to support a proposed update to prescribing information, which would allow the vials to be stored at these temperatures for up to two weeks as an alternative or complement to using the ultra-low temperature freezer. (Hein, 2/20)
In other news about vaccine development —
USA Today: One COVID Shot May Provide Protection, But US Stays Firm On Two Doses
A new study out of Israel reignited the public debate Friday about the spacing between the two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, but the U.S. government isn't budging in its commitment to the original schedule. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine might be just as effective if the gap between doses is wider than the recommended 21 days, according to the new study from Israel. If the doses could be given further apart, more people could be protected faster. Vaccine supplies, which remain quite limited now, are expected to ramp up in late spring. (Weintraub, 2/19)
The Wall Street Journal: For Covid-19 Survivors, One Shot May Be Enough, Preliminary Studies Show
Covid-19 survivors who have gotten a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine are generating immune responses that might render a second shot unnecessary, potentially freeing up limited vaccine supply for more people, several new research papers suggest. The research, while preliminary, found that the previously infected people generated protection against the disease quickly and at dramatically higher levels after a first shot of the current two-shot regimens when compared with people who were vaccinated but hadn’t been sick. (Hopkins, 2/21)
Idaho Statesman: The CDC Released Data About COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects
Fewer than 7,000 people reported having side effects from COVID-19 vaccines after the first 13.7 million doses were administered in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Of the 6,994 people who said they had side effects between Dec. 14 and Jan. 13, 640 were considered serious, the CDC said. The findings were reported in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and were monitored by a system that records submitted side effects of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The most common side effects were headache (22.4%), fatigue (16.5%) and dizziness (16.5%), according to the CDC. It said 113 deaths were reported, including 78 individuals who lived in long-term care facilities. (Stunson, 2/19)
