Health Care — Pfizer says it will apply soon for kids’ booster shot

Hikers found an orphaned mountain lion cub in California that is now getting care at the Oakland Zoo.  

Today, we’re looking at how booster shots could soon be spreading to kids 5-11, in addition to adults.  

Welcome to Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. For The Hill, we’re Peter Sullivan, Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Pfizer: Kids’ booster gives ‘high’ immune response

Pfizer and BioNTech said Thursday that a third dose of their COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5-11 produced a “high” immune response, and that they will apply for authorization for a booster dose in the age group soon.   

Pfizer said in a news release that a third dose of the vaccine in those 5-11 produced a 36-fold increase in levels of neutralizing antibodies against the omicron variant, compared to two doses.   

Antibody levels against the original version of the virus increased by six-fold. 

“These data reinforce the potential function of a third dose of the vaccine in maintaining high levels of protection against the virus in this age group,” Pfizer said. 

The company plans to submit a request to the Food and Drug Administration for authorization for a booster dose in children 5-11 “in the coming days.” 

News of a possible booster for children 5-11 comes as there are still no doses at all authorized for children under five, though Pfizer has previously said it expects results in April from trials for that age group. 

The booster dose for children 5-11 “was well tolerated with no new safety signals observed,” Pfizer said. 

Read more here. 

Grassley: GOP won’t repeal ObamaCare

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said at a town hall meeting that Republicans would not attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act if they take back the Senate in November. 

The admission came after the senator, who is running for an eighth term, was asked how the party planned to get Americans affordable health care.  

“It’s not repealing the Affordable Care Act, if that’s your question,” Grassley said Monday in Waukon, Iowa. “Yes, I’m saying that I would not — we’re not going to repeal the Affordable Care Act,” he added after the questioner pushed further. 

A few moments later, he clarified he could not speak for other Republicans in the Senate but that he would not work to repeal the health care law, also commonly referred to as ObamaCare, despite his opposition to the legislation when it was introduced and ultimately passed. 

“While noting that he can’t speak for all of his colleagues, he predicted that the law wouldn’t be repealed in its entirety,” Grassley spokesman Taylor Foy later told The Washington Post. 

Read more here. 

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HOWARD SHIFTING TO VIRTUAL CLASSES AMID COVID-19 OUTBREAK

Howard University announced it will shift some classes online due to the rise of COVID-19 cases on campus, joining other Washington, D.C.-based universities that have tightened restrictions amid the outbreaks. 

In a statement on Wednesday, HU officials said the COVID-19 positivity rate at the school has increased from 2 percent to 5 percent over the past week, which they attributed to the spread of the BA.2 omicron subvariant, now the dominant strain in the U.S. 

“While recent studies show that BA.2 does not cause more severe illness than the initial omicron variant, data also show that BA.2 is even more transmissible. As we noted previously, given the increased number of cases, we also have a concurrent increase in the number of residential students assigned to quarantine,” school officials said.  

“The current quarantine process and protocols will remain in effect.” 

HU officials said undergraduate courses will be held online for the final week of classes, noting that students will take their final exams online as well. Graduate and professional students and fine arts students will still continue to attend classes in person.  

Read more here. 

STAFFING, WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AMONG NURSES’ TOP CONCERNS

A new poll from National Nurses United found nurses’ top concerns in their field two years into the coronavirus pandemic that has placed enormous burdens on health care workers are staffing issues and workplace violence. 

The poll found concern on both issues increased from past polls conducted by the union in 2021. 

Sixty-nine percent of nurses reported staffing shortages have become slightly or significantly worse, an increase of 47.8 percent from March 2021 — when the nation was one year into the pandemic. 

The poll showed 26.5 percent of nurses were assigned to an area that required a skillset they did not possess while 46 percent say they did not get any training if they ended up in an area that was outside their expertise.  

“Nurses are experiencing alarming levels of moral distress and moral injury due to the unsafe working conditions. Since our last survey in September 2021, even more nurses have reported feeling more stress and anxiety as well as feeling traumatized by their experiences caring for patients,” Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, a president of National Nurses United, said. 

Read more here.

DeSantis signs 15-week abortion ban

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday signed a 15-week abortion ban that does not include exceptions for incest, rape or human trafficking. 

“We are here today to protect life. We are here today to defend those who can’t defend themselves,” DeSantis said at an event marking the signing of the bill. 

DeSantis indicated that he would sign the bill when it was going through the Florida Legislature. 

The state Senate passed the bill and sent it to the governor’s desk in early March. Prior to the bill’s signing, abortions in Florida were permitted up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy. 

The bill does include exceptions to the ban if there is a fetal abnormality or if it is necessary to save the life or prevent severe harm to the pregnant individual. 

The Florida bill mirrors an abortion ban passed in Mississippi, which also bans most abortions after 15 weeks, that is currently being argued in the Supreme Court. 

Both bills are directly at odds with the landmark Roe v. Wade 1973 Supreme Court decision that guarantees access to an abortion before fetal viability — around 23 weeks. 

Read more here. 

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Biden hypes a dubious number on preexisting conditions and Obamacare (The Washington Post)  
• U.S., U.K. investigating unusual cases of hepatitis in young children (Stat)  
• Many Virus Cases Go Uncounted. Are There Better Ways to Track the Pandemic? (The New York Times) 

STATE BY STATE

• Experts predict a COVID ‘swell’ — rather than a ‘wave’ — as cases tick upward in Mass. (WBUR)  
• Syphilis, once considered an eliminable STI, is spiking in Iowa (Axios) 
• Colorado’s COVID public health order extended a month, but you probably won’t notice (The Denver Post) 

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Health Care page for the latest news and coverage. See you tomorrow.

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