COVID-19 cases are on the uptick in Arizona, again. But Moderna announced the production of a vaccine that would target the Omicron variant and are returning strong immunity results. The American Medical Association (AMA) has formally defended the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Arizona is researching COVID-19 transmission within households.
There were 14,677 new cases of COVID-19 last week in Arizona, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) COVID-19 data dashboard, but thankfully deaths have yet to keep pace with the current surge. There were 40 deaths related to COVID-19 in Arizona last week.
According to the New York Times, hospitalizations are climbing slowly, with around 10 daily hospital admissions by infected patients aged 70 or older.
Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC are anticipating that the vaccine will be authorized for use in children aged 6 months through 4 years old before the end of the month. The New York Times reports that preparations for the vaccine’s distribution through state programs, pharmacies and community health centers may begin on Friday. From Dr. Jha:
I want to be very clear that I am not here to prejudge the outcome of the process. But the administration is hard at work planning all sorts of scenarios based on whatever the outcome is.
Another vaccine is likely on its way to the federal emergency use approval process as well. The Wall Street Journal reports that on Wednesday, Moderna Inc., announced a modified COVID-19 booster shot provided a stronger immune response than the original mRNA vaccine in a new study. Researchers found that the presence of neutralizing antibodies against Omicron were 1.75 times higher in people who received the modified vaccine than those who received a booster of the original.
Researchers from the University of Arizona Health Sciences are looking into factors that affect secondary transmission of airborne viruses like COVID-19 and influenza within households as part of the Arizona Household Virus Study. The study will be conducted as part of the CDC Respiratory Virus Transmission Network, which is designed to estimate whether vaccines reduce in-home transmission of viruses. from Kate Ellington, PhD, assistant research professor with UA:
The Arizona Household Virus Study will contribute to the national picture of household transmission of COVID-19 and influenza. It will help us understand transmission rates in households as well as risk factors that influence transmission, such as household size, composition and vaccination status.
The American Hospital Association filed an amicus brief in a case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit that aims to reverse a district court order that struck down the CDC’s public transportation mask order. The AMA defended the authority of the CDC in Health Freedom Defense Fund v. Biden, arguing that the core mission of the Centers requires public health officials to have authority on public health concerns. From AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, M.D.:
The AMA is urging the court to acknowledge the CDC’s authority to enact measures to protect the public’s health, recognizing that health authorities have the expertise to make determinations that promote public health in rapidly evolving circumstances.
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