Welcome to Tuesday’s Overnight Healthcare, We are following up on the latest developments in policies and news that affect your health. Subscribe here and view the full version here.
Ghana will play in the World Cup for the first time since 2014 after drawing with Nigeria in the FIFA World Cup qualifying on Tuesday, and will play in Qatar later this year.
Today we’ll look at a second booster shot that gets a green light for people over the age of 50. This is a short-term solution that comes as the more infectious subvariants of Omicron become dominant.
The Hill is Peter Sullivan, Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Send tips and feedback to psullivan @ thehill.com, nweixel @ thehill.com and jchoi@thehill.com.
let’s start.
FDA approves those second booster shots over 50
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signaled a green light on Tuesday for a second coronavirus vaccine booster shot for people over the age of 50 to prevent another potential surge in infection with a subvariant of Omicron. ..
Authorities said anyone over the age of 50 could be vaccinated with a second booster vaccine at least 4 months after the first booster vaccine, regardless of the first vaccine given.
The FDA has granted an emergency use authorization for the vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna. Pfizer initially required approval from people over the age of 65, but Moderna requested broader approval from all adults.
Peter Marks, head of the FDA’s vaccine department, told reporters Tuesday that he lowered the age limit because these people are most likely to have a medical condition that is at high risk of serious consequences.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky
Rochelle WalenskyWHO: The 42nd anniversary of the title, where the Omicron BA.2 subvariant is now in widespread worldwide, is a headache for Biden, whose parliamentarians are stagnant, with a surge in the new COVID-19 as the country eases. Be wary We have updated the authorities’ guidance to be consistent with the FDA’s actions, but the authorities have not been able to make full recommendations. According to the CDC, boosters are now available to anyone over the age of 50 who needs a second booster.
Please check this out for details.
BA.2 subvariant is currently the predominant strain in the United States: CDC
The subvariant of Omicron, known as BA.2, is currently the predominant strain in the United States, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to CDC data, this variant is proportionally and steadily increasing due to its higher contagiousness compared to the original Omicron strain, accounting for 54.9% of new cases in the week leading up to March 26. I am. This is an increase from about 27% two weeks ago.
The BA.2 subvariant is believed to be approximately 30% more infectious than the original BA.1 Omicron strain, which was already more contagious than previous versions of the virus.
But don’t panic: But, importantly, experts state that there is no evidence that BA.2 causes more serious illness than the original Omicron strain, or that it significantly avoids vaccine protection.
Subvariants can cause some increase in cases after a steady decrease for several weeks leading to a relative decline in the virus. However, it is unclear how rapid the increase will be, and vaccinated and boosted people are still well protected from serious illness.
Please check this out for details.
“Agreement on Principles” on Insulin
Sen. Jean Shaheen
Cynthia (Jeanne) Jeanne Chaheen Healthcare — Schumer is looking for a way forward with the help of COVID-19 Schumer says he supports bipartisan talks on a bill to lower insulin costs. (DN.H.) On Tuesday, she said she had a “principle agreement” with Sen. Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins Romney plans a “much deeper dive” in Jackson this week after opposition to calling Collins in the Court of Appeals a follow-up call with Ketanji Brown Jackson this week: House Marijuana Will vote for the legalization bill (R-Maine) About the law aimed at reducing the cost of insulin.
Shaheen and Collins are in bipartisan talks on this issue and Senate majority leaders Charles Schumer
Chuck Schumer Why does Congress want to beat China?Romney advocates working on Republican opposition to the new DemCOVID-19 financial plan: Title 42’damages our confidence in the administration’Details (DN.Y.) Last week he upheld the debate, saying he wanted to vote in the Senate shortly after Easter holidays.
Shaheen’s comments are a sign of progress, but she pointed out that there is no final legislative text yet.
Asked about Shaheen’s “Agreement in Principle” comment on Tuesday, Collins replied optimistically.
“We work very well and the staff are working hard so I think we have an overview of where we want to go,” Collins said.
The difficult road to move forward: But even if Shaheen and Collins reach an agreement, it will be difficult to find the other nine Republicans needed for the bill to pass the Senate.
Please check this out for details.
CDC proposes an mRNA booster for J & J recipients
Persons receiving a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson (J & J) COVID-19 vaccine should seriously consider a booster dose of either a Pfizer or Modana injection, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Said on Tuesday.
According to the CDC, data show that J & J vaccinated people are at higher risk of serious illness and hospitalization than mRNA vaccinated people.
A study by 10 state authorities at the height of the Omicron wave found that people who received a single J & J in combination with mRNA booster shots had better protection against serious consequences than those who received J & J alone. got it.
With a single dose of J & J, the protection against hospitalization was only 31%. The booster dose of the J & J vaccine was superior to the single dose, but those who received the mRNA vaccine three times showed the best protection with 90% efficacy.
The findings of the emergency department visit were similar to hospitalization. A single dose of J & J was only 24% effective for emergency treatment and visits to the emergency room. The addition of the mRNA booster was 79% effective, and the 3 mRNA shots were 83% effective.
The study showed that all booster shots were excellent, but the CDC stated that mRNA boosters were highly recommended.
Please check this out for details.
Biden admin requesting COVID-19vax from some immigrants
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expanding vaccination policies at the border between the southwestern United States and Mexico, demanding some immigrants detained to obtain immunity to COVID-19.
“Efforts to vaccinate people under our care and protection, a public health best practice, have been going on for months,” a department spokesman told Hill in a statement.
“DHS has been providing the COVID-19 vaccine to non-citizens under the control of ICE since the summer of 2021,” they added. “To further protect public health and ensure the safety of border areas, labor and migrants, DHS is currently expanding these efforts and detained them in CBP for further migrant processing at the southwestern border. It requires non-citizens to be given an age-appropriate age. COVID 19 Vaccine. ”
Please check this out for details.
What we are reading
- “Slow-moving glaciers”: long covid draw patients, NIH’s dull, often opaque efforts to study expert anger (statistics)
- Opioid pill pedaling threatens the future of pain treatment (Bloomberg Act)
- Experts warn of racial disparities in long Covid diagnosis and treatment (New York Times)
State by state
- Colorado doubles the right to abortion as other states and the High Court reconsider (Kaiser Health News)
- Oregon Ends Medical Suicide Aid Residence Regulations (Oregon)
- At the crossroads of Tennessee, two pharmacies, monkeys, and millions of tablets (Kaiser Health News)
That’s it for today. Thank you for reading. Check out Hill’s Healthcare page for the latest news and coverage. See you on Wednesday.
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