- A new experimental COVID-19 vaccine – meant to be variant-specific from Sanofi and GSK – demonstrated efficacy in trials targeting the highly contagious Omicron variant. The trial involved 13,000 adults and was 64.7% effective against symptomatic COVID, while being 72% effective against infections directly connected with an Omicron infection.
- CMS has announced that it will cover COVID-19 vaccinations for children 5 years old and younger who are covered through Medicare or CHIP. The announcement follows the recent FDA authorization of both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for individuals aged 6 months and older.
- A Federal Appeals Court in New Orleans has agreed to reconsider a previous April ruling that has allowed the Biden Administration to require federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.
- The FDA is considering an additional COVID-19 booster that could come as early as this fall for some U.S. adults. Expert vaccine advisers have suggested that an updated booster shot could be necessary, as the current booster doses do not offer significant protection against the new and rapidly mutating variants. The FDA panel voted 19-2 that COVID-19 boosters should contain some version of the Omicron variant.
- HHS has come to an agreement with Pfizer to purchase 105 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine for $3.2 billion.
- A new JAMA Internal Medicine review found that the fourth COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine provides significant protection against hospitalization and death in nursing home residents. The study also found, however, that the fourth vaccine only provided 34% protection during the Omicron variant wave.
White House and Federal Agencies
- CMS has announced that it will cover COVID-19 vaccinations for children 5 years old and younger who are covered through Medicare or CHIP. The announcement follows the recent FDA authorization of both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for individuals aged 6 months and older.
- A Federal Appeals Court in New Orleans has agreed to reconsider a previous April ruling that has allowed the Biden Administration to require federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.
- The FDA is considering an additional COVID-19 booster that could come as early as this fall for some U.S. adults. Expert vaccine advisers have suggested that an updated booster shot could be necessary, as the current booster doses do not offer significant protection against the new and rapidly mutating variants. The FDA panel voted 19-2 that COVID-19 boosters should contain some version of the Omicron variant.
- HHS has come to an agreement with Pfizer to purchase 105 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine for $3.2 billion.
Economy, Vaccines, Testing and Treatment
- A new experimental COVID-19 vaccine – meant to be variant-specific from Sanofi and GSK – demonstrated efficacy in trials targeting the highly contagious Omicron variant. The trial involved 13,000 adults and was 64.7% effective against symptomatic COVID, while being 72% effective against infections directly connected with an Omicron infection.
- A new JAMA Internal Medicine review found that the fourth COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine provides significant protection against hospitalization and death in nursing home residents. The study also found, however, that the fourth vaccine only provided 34% protection during the Omicron variant wave.
- New research estimates that 32% of U.S. adults 65 and older who have contracted COVID in the past, also suffered from symptoms of long-COVID for up to four months after initial infection. The study found that this age group experiences more than double the risk of long-COVID connected to COVID-19 vaccines; however, they are more likely to occur in connection with the Moderna vaccine than they are with the Pfizer vaccine. Of the 297 cases reported in the study, 76.8% of patients were male with an average age of 24 years old.
- The National Center for Health Statistics has released data showing a 33% increase in maternal deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, with even higher rates in Black and Hispanic women.
- A small Boston University study found that 83% of healthy and vaccinated young adults experienced an infectious period of COVID-19 (including both Delta and Omicron variants) lasting only five days. Of all patients documented, only 17% were still considered infectious by day six.
- New research indicates that the risk of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and stroke could be greater in patients who have been infected by COVID-19 in the past. The study found the risk of these neurological disorders to be significantly higher in formerly COVID-positive patients as compared to those who have never been infected.
- Individuals with Down syndrome have been found to be at higher risk of severe COVID-related disease, and experience a lower immune response from the COVID-19 vaccines.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
The CDC published the following reports and website updates:
- Cases in the U.S.
- COVID-19 Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People
- Interim Analysis of Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Etiology in Children Aged <10 Years — United States, October 2021–June 2022
- Interim Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines in Children Aged 6 Months–5 Years — United States, June 2022
- COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Availability and Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 5–11 Years — United States, November 1, 2021–April 25, 2022
- What You Should Know About the Possibility of COVID-19 Illness After Vaccination
- COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Case Investigation and Reporting
- COVID Data Tracker Recent Updates – 2022-06-23 – A new chart showing COVID-19 vaccination primary series completion, booster dose eligibility, and booster dose receipt by age in the United States was added to the top of the COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States tab.
- Dispensing of Oral Antiviral Drugs for Treatment of COVID-19 by Zip Code–Level Social Vulnerability — United States, December 23, 2021–May 21, 2022
- Hospitalization and Emergency Department Encounters for COVID-19 After Paxlovid Treatment — California, December 2021–May 2022
- HIV Testing Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, 2019–2020
- COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review
- COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death by Race/Ethnicity
- Information about the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
- COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot
- Stay Up to Date with Your Vaccines
- COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations for Children and Teens
- Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination Data
- CDC Recommends Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for Children and Adolescents
- COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death by Age
- Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination
- Archive of COVID-19 Vaccination Data Updates
- COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Country
- Requirement for Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination for Air Passengers
- Improving Ventilation in Your Home
- People Who Are Immunocompromised
