Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Though The Pandemic Persists, J&J Paused Vax Production
The New York Times: J.&J. Pauses Production Of Its Covid Vaccine Despite Persistent Need
Johnson & Johnson’s easy-to-deliver Covid-19 shot is the vaccine of choice for much of the developing world. Yet the American company, which has already fallen far behind on its deliveries to poorer countries, late last year quietly shut down the only plant making usable batches of the vaccine, according to people familiar with the decision. The facility, in the Dutch city of Leiden, has instead been making an experimental but potentially more profitable vaccine to protect against an unrelated virus. (Robbins, Nolen, LaFraniere and Weiland, 2/8)
And in news from Novavax —
Reuters: Novavax Underdelivers On COVID Vaccine Promises
Novavax Inc has delivered just a small fraction of the 2 billion COVID-19 shots it plans to send around the world in 2022 and has delayed first-quarter shipments in Europe and lower income countries such as the Philippines, public officials involved in their government's vaccine rollouts told Reuters. (O'donnell, Guarascio and Morales, 2/8)
In other news about the vaccine rollout —
The Washington Post: Hogan Launches $2 Million Lottery To Encourage Booster Shots
Maryland residents who get a booster shot could win up to $1 million in a lottery that Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday in an effort to sway more people to get another dose. Hogan (R) noted state data that shows people without booster shots are twice as likely to test positive and three times as likely to become hospitalized or die compared with people who received booster shots, conclusions that line up with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies. A little more than half of Maryland adults have already received booster shots, but Hogan said that’s insufficient given how immunity wanes over time. (Cox, 2/8)
Philadelphia Inquirer: COVID Vaccines For Kids Under 5 Brings Logistical Challenges To Philadelphia, Pa., N.J.
With children under 5 likely to be cleared for the coronavirus vaccine in the coming weeks, local officials are making plans for how the vaccine will be distributed to babies and toddlers — but the rollout will pose extra logistical hurdles, including the need for more doctors to enroll as vaccine providers. Pharmacies, which have been a major part of the vaccine distribution process, can only vaccinate kids 3 and up under federal rules. But many doctors, who immunize babies and toddlers against other illnesses, aren’t signed up to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. (McDaniel and McCarthy, 2/8)
Axios: Many Parents Aren't Rushing To Get COVID Vaccines For Young Children
Pfizer and federal officials are scrambling to speed up COVID vaccines for kids under 5 — but polls indicate plenty of parents may be on the fence about getting their child vaccinated right away. Officials are trying to get first shots into the littlest arms to protect against severe disease and hospitalization — which, while rare for young kids, is still a real threat. But parents of younger children are generally more cautious, which for some could mean a race to get the shots once their kids are eligible while others choose to wait. (Reed, 2/9)
Also —
CIDRAP: Babies Born To COVID-Vaccinated Moms Have Antibodies At 6 Months
A small Massachusetts General Hospital–based study in JAMA shows more lasting antibodies in infants after COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, compared with infants whose mothers had natural COVID-19 infections during pregnancy but were not vaccinated. The study looked at 77 vaccinated pregnant mothers, and 12 who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy; all vaccination series with mRNA vaccines were completed between weeks 20 and 32 in pregnancy. The babies of vaccinated women had significantly higher immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in both umbilical cord blood at delivery, and at blood draws at 2 and 6 months postpartum. (2/8)
