- The NIH has licensed its stabilized spike protein technology to the World Health Organization. The WHO will utilize the technology to help manufacturers worldwide develop COVID-19 vaccines. The spike protein is a key component of the COVID-19 vaccines that causes an immune response.
- Patients are relying on telehealth appointments to get Paxlovid prescriptions. Despite ample availability of the drug at pharmacies, the sickest patients were having difficulty getting a prescription.
- Researchers from Singapore found that mix-and-match mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may offer more protection against infection from Omicron.
- An analysis published in the 2021 JAMA Network Open modeling study found that 60% of COVID transmission is asymptomatic.
White House and Federal Agencies
- White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha warned that the U.S. is vulnerable to fall and winter surges of COVID-19 if Congress does not authorize more funding for vaccines and treatments.
Economy, Vaccines, Testing and Treatment
- The NIH has licensed its stabilized spike protein technology to the World Health Organization. The WHO will utilize the technology to help manufacturers worldwide develop COVID-19 vaccines.
- The spike protein is a key component of the COVID-19 vaccines that causes an immune response.
- 33% of Americans over the age of 65 who completed their initial course of vaccinations have not received a booster shot.
- State health departments have struggled to spend $2.25 billion of COVID-19 aid given to them by the CDC. The aid was intended to help mitigate the spread amongst those most at risk in underserved communities.
- Patients are relying on telehealth appointments to get Paxlovid prescriptions. Despite ample availability of the drug at pharmacies, the sickest patients were having difficulty getting a prescription.
- Pfizer says their vaccine likely saved 110,000 lives in 2021.
- Researchers in Singapore found that mix-and-match mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may offer more protection against infection from Omicron.
- An analysis found that 60% of COVID transmission is asymptomatic.
- COVID-19 vaccination rates amongst nursing home staff increased from 63% to 88% nationally after the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in August 2021.
- The percentage of Americans with medical debt decreased during the pandemic. 23.6% of adults reported having medical debt in March 2019, compared to 16.8% in April 2021.
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, 15 May 2022 06:00:00 EST
- Wearing Masks in Travel and Public Transportation Settings
- Archive of COVID-19 Vaccination Data Updates
- COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot
- Staffing Resources
- CDC COVID-19 Global Response
- Air Travel Toolkit for Airline Partners
- COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review
- COVID Data Tracker Recent Updates – 2022-05-12 – The Vaccine Effectiveness page was updated to highlight the most current relevant studies and findings, allowing for easier interpretation. The page includes a summary table of CDC-authored vaccine effectiveness studies published in the previous month, as well as key findings from the studies by age group.
- Stay Up to Date with your Vaccines
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network
- Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination
