Overnight Health Care — Presented by AstraZeneca and Friends of Cancer Research — CDC won’t change ‘fully vaccinated’ definition
Welcome to Wednesday’s Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. Subscribe here: digital-stage.thehill.com/newsletter-signup.
COVID-19 sniffing dogs are making the rounds in three Massachusetts school districts- but they’re only being used to sniff surfaces, not people. While we’re generally opposed to safety theater (COVID is airborne), at least these ones are cute.
The definition of fully vaccinated is staying at two shots of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, despite many experts thinking it should be defined as three.
For The Hill, we’re Peter Sullivan (psullivan@digital-stage.thehill.com), Nathaniel Weixel (nweixel@digital-stage.thehill.com) and Justine Coleman (jcoleman@digital-stage.thehill.com). Write to us with tips and feedback, and follow us on Twitter: @PeterSullivan4, @NateWeixel and @JustineColeman8.
Let’s get started.
The Biden administration said Wednesday it has no plans to change the definition of “fully vaccinated” against the coronavirus to include getting a booster shot.
“Individuals are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 if they’ve received their primary series, that definition is not changing,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said at a press briefing.
She said that the CDC is instead using the term “up to date” to encourage people to get boosters.
Importance: The definition matters for an array of vaccine requirements the administration has put forward. It means two shots of Pfizer or Moderna will remain enough to satisfy Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandates for large employers and for health workers.
Background: The announcement from the White House comes after weeks of questions about the definition and officials saying they were reviewing the issue.
Many health experts have urged the administration to change the definition, noting the importance of booster shots in protecting against infection from the omicron variant.
A MESSAGE FROM ASTRAZENECA AND FRIENDS OF CANCER RESEARCH
The Battle Against Cancer: Setting the Next Agenda
To mark 50 years since the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971, a select group of thought leaders working at the intersection of public health and oncology participated in a roundtable discussion, hosted by The Hill in partnership with Friends of Cancer Research and AstraZeneca’s YOUR Cancer Program, on expanding access to oncology precision medicine. Learn more.
Panel recommends booster for adolescents
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel on Wednesday recommended adolescents aged 12 to 15 should receive a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at least 5 months after the primary series.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) also expanded its recent recommendations on older teens, to make it clear that teens aged 16 and 17 “should” also receive a booster dose.
The 13-1 vote comes two days after the Food and Drug Administration authorized booster doses for adolescents, and is one of the final steps before pharmacists, physicians and other providers will be able to administer vaccines for children in that age group.
Once the CDC signs off, boosters will be allowed to be administered. About 5 million children would immediately be eligible for the extra doses, a CDC official told the committee Wednesday.
Significance: Booster shots are seen as a key tool to fight the omicron variant, which has shown a heightened ability to infect people who have received two shots, though vaccinated people still have important protection against severe disease.
Physician group slams new CDC guidelines
The American Medical Association (AMA) on Wednesday slammed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) updated isolation and quarantine guidelines, arguing a negative test should be required before people can be cleared to leave isolation.
The American people should be able to count on the [CDC] for timely, accurate, clear guidance to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Instead, the new recommendations on quarantine and isolation are not only confusing, but are risking further spread of the virus,” AMA President Gerald Harmon said in a statement.
The CDC on Tuesday attempted to clarify guidelines for when people should end isolation after being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, or after exposure to the virus. While many expected the agency to add language about a negative test, CDC instead said people can take a test if they want, but do not have to.
AMA’s take: “A negative test should be required for ending isolation after one tests positive for COVID-19. Reemerging without knowing one’s status unnecessarily risks further transmission of the virus,” Harmon said.
“With hundreds of thousands of new cases daily and more than a million positive reported cases on January 3, tens of thousands – potentially hundreds of thousands of people – could return to work and school infectious if they follow the CDC’s new guidance,” he added.
Test shortage: Many experts have speculated that the CDC didn’t include a testing requirement because of the current shortage of rapid tests. But CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Wednesday denied that the current lack of available tests was the reason for the recommendation.
PFIZER, BIONTECH TO DEVELOP MRNA SHINGLES VACCINE
Pfizer and BioNTech are teaming up to develop a new shingles vaccine with the same mRNA technology used to develop their COVID-19 shots, the companies announced on Wednesday.
The companies plan to develop a vaccine using Pfizer’s antigen technology and BioNTech’s mRNA technology to further prevent the disease that affects one in three Americans. The vaccine’s clinical trials are expected to launch in the second half of 2022.
The collaboration will mark the third time Pfizer and BioNTech work together on an mRNA-based vaccine, following the widely used COVID-19 series and an influenza vaccine project started in 2018.
Background: Shingles vaccines already exist, but the companies will strive to create a vaccine that has “better tolerability” and is easier to develop worldwide.
The viral disease usually occurs in older adults who previously had a chickenpox infection, and studies estimate that 99 percent of Americans aged 40 and older have had chickenpox.
DJOKOVIC HAS VISA REVOKED, ASKED TO LEAVE AUSTRALIA
Tennis star Novak Djokovic on Wednesday was asked to leave Australia, just hours after he was denied entry into the country due to an issue with his visa and vaccine requirements.
A member of the Serbian tennis player’s team had reportedly requested a visa that does not apply to people who have been granted medical exemptions from vaccine requirements like Djokovic has. Though he has not publicly disclosed his vaccination status, Djokovic has previously expressed opposition to vaccines.
Djokovic travelled to Australia this week in order to play in the 2022 Australian Open grand slam.
The BBC reported that Djokovic was told he will be deported from Australia, following hours of interviews with authorities and an investigation into his visa.
Djokovic’s attorneys have said they will seek to overturn this decision. It remains unclear if he will remain in the country while this matter is being argued.
WHAT WE’RE READING
- US hospitals seeing different kind of COVID surge this time (The Associated Press)
- Omicron school disruptions stress already-frayed parents—again (The Wall Street Journal)
- Every U.S. cruise with passengers has coronavirus cases on board (The Washington Post)
- The dark side of COVID testing (New York Magazine)
A MESSAGE FROM ASTRAZENECA AND FRIENDS OF CANCER RESEARCH
The Battle Against Cancer: Setting the Next Agenda
To mark 50 years since the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971, a select group of thought leaders working at the intersection of public health and oncology participated in a roundtable discussion, hosted by The Hill in partnership with Friends of Cancer Research and AstraZeneca’s YOUR Cancer Program, on expanding access to oncology precision medicine. Learn more.
STATE BY STATE
- Number of Texans in hospital for COVID tops 8,000 — more than twice the count on Christmas (Austin American-Statesman)
- Maryland COVID testing positivity soars to pandemic high as Hogan announces omicron now driving hospitalizations (The Baltimore Sun)
- With sexually transmitted infections off the charts, California pushes at-home tests (Kaiser Health News)
OP-EDS IN THE HILL
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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