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Two senior FDA vaccines regulators are departing at a critical time for Covid vaccines. Meg Tirrell has the details. The WHO added a new variant to its watchlist. Also, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is advising unvaccinated Americans to avoid travel over the Labor Day weekend.
| | Two senior FDA vaccine regulators to retire amid booster frustrations | Dr. Marion Gruber and Dr. Phil Krause said they would retire this fall from the FDA's Office of Vaccines Research and Review. While they didn't speak publicly about their decisions, they reportedly may have had frustrations over how the decision to make Covid booster shots available widely starting in late September was made: in a top-down process that concludes with FDA's review, instead of the other way around. Their departures come at a critical time for Covid vaccines, with reviews for younger kids and full approval of Moderna's vaccine on the docket.
-Meg Tirrell | | | | Singapore to roll out booster shots to some groups, including seniors | Singapore, which has the highest vaccination rate in the world, is introducing Covid booster shots for people aged 60 and over, residents of nursing homes and those with suppressed immune systems. Older people will be eligible for a third dose six to nine months after their second dose, while those who are moderately-to-severely immunocompromised are recommended to receive boosters two months after their second dose.
-Abigail Ng | | | | WHO has a new variant of interest: Mu | Mu — also known as B.1.621 — was added to the WHO's list of variants "of interest" this week. The international health agency said it is monitoring the new variant, first detected in Colombia but has since been confirmed in at least 39 countries, after early data suggested it has the potential to evade immunity provided by a previous Covid-19 infection or vaccination. White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said it wasn't an immediate threat to the U.S. The global prevalence of the variant among sequenced cases is currently below 0.1%, though its prevalence in Colombia and Ecuador has consistently increased, the WHO said.
-Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | | | | Unvaccinated people shouldn't travel over Labor Day | CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky advised unvaccinated people against traveling over the upcoming Labor Day weekend as the U.S. battles back a surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations caused by the highly contagious delta variant. "Given where we are with disease transmission right now, we would say that people need to take their own these risks into their own consideration as they think about traveling," Walensky said during a White House Covid briefing Tuesday, noting that people who are fully vaccinated and wear masks can travel. "If you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling."
-Rich Mendez | | | | Duke University mandates Covid vaccines for staff, reinstitutes mask rules | Duke University on Monday enacted a vaccine mandate for staff and a mask requirement for the entire campus after a Covid-19 outbreak infected nearly 350 students and 15 employees to start the fall semester. The university, which instituted a Covid vaccine requirement for students earlier this year, said 98% of all students are fully immunized. The new guidelines, which take effect immediately, require all Duke teachers and staff to submit proof of vaccination by Oct. 1 to maintain their jobs on campus.
-Bob Towey | |
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