Coronavirus

CDC Recommends Additional COVID-19 Vaccine for Elderly Populations

March 1, 2024 - On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend that individuals ages 65 and older get an additional dose of the 2023–2024 formula COVID-19 vaccine. According to CNN, 11 individuals voted yes on this recommendation, one voted no, and another abstained. According to an...

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CVS Report Predicts 2024 Trends in Community Pharmacy

by Veronica Salib

On January 17, 2024, CVS Health published the Rx Report: The Future of Community Pharmacy Open Doors to Healthier Communities, which evaluated a survey in collaboration with the Harris Poll and used it...

Pfizer, BioNTech Reveals Data on Combined COVID and Flu Vaccine

by Veronica Salib

Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, announced positive clinical trial data for an mRNA-based combined vaccine for influenza and COVID-19. The announcement highlights data from a phase 1/2 clinical study...

HHS and Pfizer Reach Paxlovid Agreement to Improve Access

by Veronica Salib

Last week, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it had negotiated an agreement with Pfizer Inc. to bolster access to Paxlovid as it enters the commercial...

Only 46% of US Adults Are Planning to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine Booster

by Veronica Salib

On September 27, 2023, KFF released the results of a survey that assessed how many people plan on getting the newest mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster. The study's results revealed that only 46% of...

CDC Recommends Updated COVID-19 Boosters This Fall/Winter

by Veronica Salib

Yesterday, the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to discuss updated COVID-19 booster recommendations for the...

GSK Launches New Platform for Tracking Adult Vaccination Rates

by Veronica Salib

As healthcare professionals and public health leaders continue expressing concerns about adult vaccination rates post-pandemic, GSK has launched its new COiMMUNITY Initiative to improve adult vaccine uptake. As part of the initiative, GSK...

Mississippi Study Indicates COVID Vaccines Reduce Myocarditis Risk

by Veronica Salib

At the start of COVID-19 vaccinations, myocarditis rates in Mississippi dropped 14% from pre-vaccination COVID-induced myocarditis rates. The Mississippi-based study was published by a researcher at...

Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies for COVID-19 Reduces ED Visits

by Veronica Salib

On April 24, 2023, researchers published the results of a cohort study analyzing the effect of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nMABs) on patients with COVID-19, noting significantly improved...

WHO Updates COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance After March SAGE Meeting

by Veronica Salib

The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) announced the results of its March meeting, updating its COVID-19 vaccination guidance. According to the news release, the...

Insufficient Sleep Reduces COVID-19 Vaccine Antibody Response

by Veronica Salib

Insufficient sleep has detrimental effects on vaccine efficacy. A recent meta-analysis published in Current Biology determined that less than six hours of sleep per night resulted in a reduced antibody...

Finding Solutions for Drug Shortages: Short and Long-Term Management

by Veronica Salib

The healthcare industry has experienced more shortages in the past few years than ever. In addition to prescription drug shortages, the sector has seen shortages in contrast dye and helium, impacting imaging, animal test subjects for...

DEA Proposes Updated Rules to COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities

by Veronica Salib

On February 24, 2023, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) issued a press release announcing its proposal for updated telemedicine flexibility rules. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic...

CDC Updates Pediatric Immunization Schedule, Including COVID Vaccine

by Veronica Salib

In a 2023 update to the recommended pediatric immunization schedule, the CDC has included recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine starting at six months. While these guidelines do not force or mandate...

CDC Analyzes Bivalent mRNA Vaccine Efficacy Against COVID Variants

by Veronica Salib

Using data estimates from national pharmacy testing, the CDC analyzed the preliminary efficacy of bivalent mRNA vaccines against multiple COVID variants. The data were collected from December 1, 2022,...

COVID Vaccine Uptake Among Immunocompromised Individuals Is Low

by Veronica Salib

A cohort study published in JAMA Network Open determined that COVID vaccine uptake among immunocompromised individuals was low, implying that many people did not adhere to the CDC guidelines. According...

Hybrid Immunity Provides Better Protection Against Omicron Variant

by Veronica Salib

In a systematic review and meta-regression published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, researchers determined that hybrid protection — the combination of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination...

RSV, How Pharmacists Can Help Patients Prevent and Manage Infections

by Alivia Kaylor

As respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza (flu), and COVID-19 cases surge across the United States, pharmacists are encouraged to use their advanced healthcare role to educate patients and caregivers about preventing the transmission...

Developing Next-Generation Respiratory Virus Vaccines, Considerations

by Veronica Salib

In an article published in Cell Host and Microbe, NIH researchers — including Anthony Fauci, David Morens, and Jeffery Taubenberger — discuss necessary considerations for scientists to...

Policy in Practice: How the Influenza Act Would Influence Healthcare

by Veronica Salib

On December 8, 2022, Democratic Representative Rick Larsen introduced the Protecting America from Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Act of 2022 — referred to as the Influenza Act. Backed by other representatives, clinicians, and public...

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