- The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on how to expand the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. Read testimony from Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Novavax.
- The CDC updated many of its guidances including Clinical Questions and Answers about COVID-19, Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination, and People with Certain Medical Conditions.
- Pfizer asked the FDA to allow its vaccine to be stored with regular refrigeration instead of ultra-cold storage.
- The FDA shortened the clinical trial requirements for changes to approved COVID-19 vaccines that are intended to address new variants.
Congress
- The House Budget Committee approved the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill. The full House of Representatives is expected to vote on this budget reconciliation bill on either Friday or Saturday. The bill will then go to the Senate, where it could undergo some changes to comply with the Senate’s rules for budget reconciliation bills.
- On February 23 (10:30 am ET), the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on how to expand the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. The hearing will feature testimony from five vaccine manufacturers.
- Read testimony of Pfizer’s John Young.
- Read testimony of Moderna’s Stephen Hoge.
- Read testimony of Johnson & Johnson’s Richard Nettles.
- Read testimony of AstraZeneca’s Ruud Dobber.
- Read testimony of Novavax’s John Trizzino.
- On February 24 (10:00 am ET), the House Appropriations Committee’s Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee will hold a hearing on public health infrastructure.
White House and Federal Agencies
- The FDA is reminding people that the coronavirus does not spread through food or food packaging.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
- The CDC updated its websites for:
- Overall US COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution and Administration Update as of Mon, 22 Feb 2021 06:00:00 EST.
- U.S. COVID-19 Cases Caused by Variants.
- Clinical Questions and Answers about COVID-19.
- Vaccines.
- Communication Resources for COVID-19 Vaccines.
- What Older Adults Need to Know about COVID-19 Vaccines.
- Older Adults.
- Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination.
- People with Certain Medical Conditions.
- Symptoms of Coronavirus.
- Toolkit for Pregnant People and New Parents.
- Resources for Teachers and Staff.
- Attending Sporting Events.
- Personal and Social Activities.
- Event Planning and COVID-19: Questions and Answers.
Vaccines, Testing and Treatment
- A new study of clinical trial data shows Pfizer’s vaccine is at least 52% effective after the first dose but 94.8% effective after two doses.
- A different study out of Israel shows a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine was 85% effective. The study also showed that two doses are highly effective at preventing both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. After two doses, the vaccine was 99.2% effective at preventing serious cases of COVID-19 and 98.9% effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths.
- As manufacturers increase production of vaccines, the federal government is working to make sure daily inoculations keep pace.
- Pfizer asked the FDA to allow its vaccine to be stored with regular refrigeration instead of ultra-cold storage.
- Shipments of vaccines that were delayed due to winter storms will be delivered this week.
- The FDA shortened the clinical trial requirements for changes to approved COVID-19 vaccines that are intended to address new variants.
