- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said that rising COVID-19 cases in Europe driven by the BA.2 variant portend increased cases in the U.S., but may not mean a surge in hospitalizations.
- The Biden administration elevated ventilation and air quality within its COVID-19 preparedness plan with recommendations and guidelines related to ventilation and air cleaning and filtration.
- The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will end on April 16 unless it is extended again by Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra for another 90 days.
- A study found antibodies in 96% of children (aged 5 to 19) infected with COVID-19 up to seven months after infection.
- An agreement has been reached that will allow 35 generic drugmakers around the world to manufacture Pfizer’s antiviral Paxlovid.
White House and Federal Agencies
- The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will end on April 16 unless it is extended again by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra for another 90 days. The Biden Administration has said it will give the public at least 60 days of notice before the PHE expires. Secretary Becerra recently stated that it will be difficult for the department to give more than its promised 60-day notice of when the PHE will end.
- HHS Secretary Becerra warns that the federal government will have to scale back, among other things, efforts related to boosters and monoclonal antibody treatments unless Congress passes new COVID-19 funding.
- The Biden administration elevated ventilation and air quality within its COVID-19 preparedness plan with recommendations and guidelines related to ventilation and air cleaning and filtration.
Economy, Vaccines, Testing and Treatment
- Moderna asked the FDA to authorize a fourth dose of its COVID-19 vaccine (as a second booster) for all adults in light of new data that shows waning immunity a few months after a first booster dose.
- Earlier last week, Pfizer asked the FDA for authorization of a fourth dose of its vaccine for adults 65 and older.
- The NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said that rising COVID-19 cases in Europe driven by the BA.2 variant portend increased cases in the U.S. However, he said that this may not mean a surge in hospitalizations, citing current levels of intensive care bed usage in those countries.
- BA.2 accounted for an estimated 23.1% of U.S. cases in early March. While it is more transmissible than the initial BA.1 Omicron variant, it remains to be seen whether BA.2 causes more severe illness or might otherwise cause a similar surge in hospitalizations and deaths as the initial Omicron surge.
- Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said there’s no need to panic over Europe’s rising case counts, citing U.S. vaccination levels and new treatments.
- After delaying the regulatory approval process for mRNA vaccines for children younger than five in February, Moderna expects to report trial data by the end of March.
- Pfizer also expects it will have doses of its vaccine for this age group ready as early as May after its anticipated approval.
- An agreement has been reached that will allow 35 generic drugmakers around the world to manufacture Pfizer’s antiviral Paxlovid.
- A new study found that Johnson & Johnson (J&J)’s vaccine was 76% effective at preventing COVID-19 infection and 81% at preventing hospitalization for at least 180 days between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2021.
- A study found antibodies in 96% of children (aged 5 to 19) infected with COVID-19 up to seven months after infection.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
The CDC published the following reports and website updates:
- Cases in the U.S.
- Overall U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution and Administration Update as of Sun, 20 Mar 2022 06:00:00 EST
- EARLY RELEASE: Effectiveness of mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19–Associated Invasive Mechanical Ventilation and Death — United States, March 2021–January 2022
- EARLY RELEASE: COVID-19–Associated Hospitalizations Among Adults During SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron Variant Predominance, by Race/Ethnicity and Vaccination Status — COVID-NET, 14 States, July 2021–January 2022
- COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Country
- Guidance for Reporting SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing Results
- Health Equity
- COVID-19 vaccines continue to protect against hospitalization and death among adults
