The Food and Drug Administration’s independent advisory committee on Thursday recommended replacing Pfizer and Moderna’s original Covid vaccine used in the U.S. for everyone’s first ...
Tag: Omicron
A Covid Test Targeting The Fast-Spreading XBB.1.5 ‘Kraken’ Variant Is Being Developed By Scientists
Topline Swiss pharma giant Roche on Thursday launched a new Covid test designed to help researchers find the highly contagious omicron offshoot XBB.1.5—unofficially nicknamed “Kraken”—a mutant that is...
Conspiracy Theorists Attack Jimmy Fallon’s XBB.1.5 Covid-19 Song
Jimmy Fallon, seen here backstage at the new musical based on the film “Almost Famous,” recently … [+] performed a song and dance on The Tonight Show about the XBB.1.5 subvariant of ...
Omicron XBB.1.5 is most transmissible subvariant, WHO says
XBB.1.5 strain, January 4, 2023, Suqian, Jiangsu, China. CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty Images The XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant that’s currently dominating the U.S. is the most contagious versi...
omicron XBB.1.5 is immune evasive, binds better to cells
Gilnature | Istock | Getty Images The Covid omicron XBB.1.5 variant is rapidly becoming dominant in the U.S. because it is highly immune evasive and appears more effective at binding to cells than rel...
BQ, XBB omicron subvariants pose serious threat to boosters
Evusheld injection, a new COVID treatment that people can take before becoming symptomatic, in Chicago on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Chris Sweda | Tribune News Service | Getty Images The omicron subvariant...
Omicron boosters weaker against BQ.1.1 subvariant
A staff member draws up a syringe with the Comirnaty vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer adapted to the Omicron-BA.1 variant at the Mainz vaccination center. Sebastian Christoph Gollnow | dpa | Picture A...
FDA pulls antibody bebtelovimab because not effective against omicron BQ.1
An Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical manufacturing plant is pictured at 50 ImClone Drive in Branchburg, New Jersey, March 5, 2021. Mike Segar | Reuters A key monoclonal antibody used to treat peopl...
Merriam Webster’s 2022 Word Of The Year, Here’s Its Definition
Look-ups of the word “gaslighting” on Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary jumped by 1740% this year … [+] compared to the year prior. (Photo: Getty) getty Merriam-Webster wasn’t gasl...
Omicron BQ variants dominant, XBB circulating at low level
A person receives a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 22, 2021. Andrew Kelly | Reuters The omicron ...
Pfizer says omicron booster is better against new subvariants like BQ.1.1
A staff member draws up a syringe with the Comirnaty vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer adapted to the Omicron-BA.1 variant at the Mainz vaccination center. Sebastian Christoph Gollnow | dpa | Picture A...
Omicron BQ variants resistant to antibody treatments are becoming dominant in U.S.
Omicron subvariants resistant to key antibody treatments will soon make up a majority of new Covid infections in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Omicron subvaria...
Pfizer releases data showing omicron boosters are better than old shots
A health worker administers a dose of Pfizer covid-19 vaccine to a man at the Sanford Civic Center. With the emergence of the Omicron covid-19 variant in numerous countries, including the United State...
Omicron subvariants resistant to key antibody treatments are increasing
Two omicron subvariants that are resistant to key antibody treatments are on the rise in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1....
Omicron subvariants show resistance, putting some people at risk
Emerging omicron subvariants are resistant to key antibody treatments for HIV patients, kidney transplant recipients and other immunocompromised people, making them particularly vulnerable to Covid th...
Biden Getting Updated Covid Booster Shot Amid Dismal Public Uptake
Topline President Joe Biden is slated to get his updated Covid-19 booster shot on Tuesday, reinvigorating the White House’s effort to encourage more Americans to get the updated shot as officials prep...
White House Covid czar calls on seniors to get omicron booster now
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha addresses the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. July 25, 2022. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters A top White House health official...
Omicron BA.5 is declining as emerging variants gain ground: CDC data
The U.S. faces at least seven different versions of Covid-19 omicron as the nation heads into winter when health officials are expecting another wave of viral infections. Although the omicron BA.5 var...
omicron shots substantially boosted BA.5 antibodies in early human data
Jakub Porzycki | NurPhoto | Getty Images Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Thursday said their new omicron boosters substantially increased protective antibodies against the dominant omicron B...
U.S. is tracking omicron subvariants but booster should protect
The U.S. is tracking several coronavirus omicron subvariants that more easily evade immunity, but the new booster shots should protect against them, a top health official said on Tuesday. Health offic...
People who recently caught Covid can wait to get omicron booster, health official says
People walk by a Covid-19 testing site at Times Square on May 12, 2022 in New York City. Liao Pan | China News Service | Getty Images People who recently caught Covid can wait a few months to get a ne...
CDC’s Walensky Signs Off On Omicron Booster–Here’s When You Can Get One
Topline Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, signed off on Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech’s updated Covid-19 booster shots targeting the virulent omicron var...
Three Covid Vaccine Doses Better Than Two Against Omicron Infections, New Study Reinforces
Topline Three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine provide stronger protection against the highly contagious omicron variant than two primary series doses, according to a new Danish study, a finding that provi...
CDC panel recommends new omicron Covid boosters with shots expected to begin next week
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent committee on vaccines recommended reformulated booster shots that target the latest omicron subvariant...
Many Infected With Omicron Covid Infections Don’t Know, Study Suggests
Topline Some 56% of a sample of people who tested positive for Covid-19 during the winter omicron surge were not aware they had the coronavirus, a new study found, adding to concerns that low levels o...
Vaccine Targeting Fast-Spreading Omicron Subvariants Could Be Ready For Fall As Pfizer, BioNTech Announce Trials
Topline Pfizer and BioNTech will begin trials of their updated mRNA Covid-19 vaccine designed to protect against the newer BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of the coronavirus latest this month, BioNTech ann...
BA.5 Is Driving A Wave Of Covid Infections, But Not Deaths—Here’s Why Experts Say We Should Still Be Cautious
Topline The evasive BA.5 omicron variant is driving up Covid cases and hospitalizations as it spreads rapidly across the United States—but despite deaths remaining lower compared to earlier waves, exp...
It’s Time To Cure The FDA’s Regulatory Sclerosis
WHITE OAK, MD – JULY 20: A sign for the Food And Drug Administration is seen outside of the … [+] headquarters on July 20, 2020 in White Oak, Maryland. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Image...
Hospitalizations have doubled since May as omicron BA.5 sweeps U.S.
Medical staff treat coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient Frank Clark in his room on an isolated medical unit floor at Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, January 5, 2022. Shannon Stapl...
5 Musts To Achieve Covid-19 Independence
Far from cause for celebration, this 4th of July marks the 6th wave of Covid-19, with BA.4 and BA.5 variants leading the parade. As one variant of concern follows another, the world remains in a state...