Universal Covid Shot Underway, But It May ‘Take Years,’ Says Fauci

CNN: Universal Vaccine Could Be The Future Of The Coronavirus Fight 
Scientists are working to develop a "pan-coronavirus" vaccine -- one that offers protection against multiple variants of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. The hope is that such a vaccine could pave the way for the development of a universal coronavirus vaccine, which could head off any coronavirus -- not only emerging variants that cause Covid-19, but also some common colds and even the menacing threat of novel coronaviruses we haven't identified yet. But such vaccines are "going to take years to develop," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a White House briefing on Wednesday. (Howard, 1/27)

PBS NewsHour: 3 Things To Expect On COVID Vaccines This Year, According To Moderna’s Chief Medical Officer
Despite early projections that the latest surge in coronavirus cases might soon fizzle out, the chief medical officer for pharmaceutical giant Moderna predicted Thursday that the United States may still be contending with the omicron variant later this year, and that Americans may benefit from omicron-tailored booster shots. Dr. Paul Burton told the PBS NewsHour’s chief correspondent and substitute anchor Amna Nawaz that the variant, which accounts for nearly all new infections in the U.S. and has dominated much of the world, will not vanish after the current surge in cases subsides. (Santhanam, 1/27)

NBC News: Moderna's Omicron Booster Won't Be Ready Before Summer
Moderna plans to seek authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its omicron-specific Covid-19 vaccine booster by the summer, the company’s chief medical officer said Thursday — a time frame that means that the targeted vaccine may not be available to the public until the second half of the year. Dr. Paul Burton, Moderna’s chief medical officer, told NBC News that the company is thinking ahead to the second half of 2022 when omicron may still be circulating widely. (Lovelace Jr., 1/27)

CNN: Should You Wait For An Omicron-Specific Booster? 
Pfizer and BioNTech announced Tuesday that they're beginning a clinical trial for an Omicron-specific Covid-19 vaccine, and Moderna revealed Wednesday that it has entered Phase 2 of its own trial of a vaccine that targets the variant, which is by far the dominant one in the United States right now. About 50% of eligible Americans have received a booster shot, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the Pfizer and Moderna news might raise questions regardless. For those who have yet to get inoculated, should they wait until there is an Omicron-specific vaccine? What if someone has already had Covid-19 during the Omicron surge, do they still need a booster? And what does this mean for people who've already gotten a booster, or those who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and then subsequently got a dose of another kind? (Chakraborty, 1/27)

In other news about the vaccination effort —

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Shot Cuts Omicron Death Risk By 95%, U.K. Study Shows 
Three shots of vaccine cut the risk of death from Covid-19 by 95% in those age 50 and older during the Omicron surge in the U.K., according to an early study that showed immunity from vaccination held up well against the worst effects of the disease even among older people who are most at risk. The analysis, by the U.K. Health Security Agency, offers a glimpse of how effective vaccination is against death from Omicron in a highly boosted population. The U.K. government in December hurried to offer boosters to everyone 16 and older, expanding a campaign that up to that point had only applied to people 50 and older, and those with certain health conditions. (Roland, 1/27)

CIDRAP: Similar Immune Response After Same, Different COVID-19 Vaccine Booster
Among 457 adult participants in an ongoing phase 1/2 clinical trial who completed primary COVID-19 vaccination with the Moderna, Johnson & Johnson (J&J), or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, a booster dose with either the same (homologous) or a different brand (heterologous) induced an immune response and was safe. Baylor College of Medicine researchers led the open-label trial, published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). (1/27)

Houston Chronicle: Houston's New Vaccine Jackpot Offers 12 Gift Cards For $1,000, $38K In Prizes For Getting COVID Shots
Houston will offer cash prizes totaling $38,000 to residents who get inoculated against COVID-19 in the coming months, the city’s latest effort to jump-start stagnating vaccine demand. Since the life-saving promise of vaccines has not yet lured 30 percent of Houstonians to local clinics, health officials hope cash will. Twelve people will be awarded $1,000 gift cards for getting the jab at any city-run clinic. Two winners will be chosen by raffle every Friday for six weeks. (Mishanec, 1/27)

Also —

Politico: Trump Plan Favored Giving Vaccines To Israel, Taiwan Over Poorer Countries 
In planning for global vaccine distribution, the Trump administration created a secret list prioritizing friends like Israel and Taiwan over low- and moderate-income countries, according to interviews with five current and former officials who described the document to POLITICO. The list, detailed here for the first time, shows that U.S. officials initially planned to apportion the life-saving shots based on political preferences rather than serving the neediest first, which global health advocates have advocated for over the past two years. (Banco, 1/27)

Stat: Some Are Hesitant On Covid Vaccines — But All-In On Unproven Treatments
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has refused to say whether he’s received a booster shot. He’s suggested, misleadingly, that Covid-19 vaccines cause infertility. He hired a surgeon general who has questioned the data surrounding vaccines and called those who refuse to be immunized “brave.” But when it comes to experimental Covid therapeutics, DeSantis and his government are all-in — even when outside researchers, the Food and Drug Administration, and the medicines’ own manufacturers say they don’t work. (Facher, 1/27)