Fourth vaccine doses | BA.2 dominant in U.S. | Covid funding deal

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE Fri, Apr 01, 2022 EDITOR'S NOTE Think a friend or colleague should be getting this newsletter? Share this link with them to sign up.   The nation's top health regulators this week cleared fourth Covid vaccine doses for people ages 50 and older and certain younger people with compromised immune systems, as the more contagious BA.2 omicron subvariant has become the dominant version of the virus in the U.S. BA.2 has caused outbreaks in Europe and China, raising concerns the subvariant will do the same here.    The Food and Drug Administration pointed to data from Israel suggesting an additional dose reduced mortality among older adults during the omicron wave. However, some scientists question whether the data was sufficient to support a new authorization, and whether repeated boosting is a sustainable public health policy. Top FDA official Dr. Peter Marks said a broader booster campaign might be necessary in the fall.    The FDA's advisory committee will meet on Wednesday to debate the future of boosters in the U.S., with the aim of creating a long-term strategy. They will also discuss whether the vaccines need an update to target specific variants.    Senate Republicans and Democrats reached a tentative deal on $10 billion in additional Covid funding, after President Joe Biden warned the U.S. wouldn't have enough vaccines for every American in the fall if Congress failed to act.    And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is ending its controversial public health order that allowed the U.S. to deport more than 1.7 million migrants during the pandemic.  Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to me at spencer.kimball@nbcuni.com. Spencer Kimball | Health Reporter @spencekimball Spencer Kimball | Health Reporter @spencekimball CDC recommends fourth Pfizer and Moderna doses for older adults The FDA authorized Pfizer and Moderna fourth doses for everyone age 50 and older on Tuesday, as well as a fifth dose for certain younger people with compromised immune systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quickly signed off on the decision. The CDC also recommended that all adults who received two doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine get third shots using Pfizer or Moderna. - Spencer Kimball Top FDA official says fully vaccinated Americans may need more Covid shots this fall Dr. Peter Marks, head of the FDA office responsible for vaccine safety, indicated the U.S. might need to offer fourth shots for people under 50-years-old in the fall. People who are now eligible for fourth shots would likely get a fifth shot if there's evidence that would be beneficial, Marks told reporters on a conference call. Marks also said the U.S. could switch to a different vaccine that targets a specific Covid variant or a mix of several.  - Spencer Kimball More contagious omicron subvariant now dominant in the U.S. The more contagious omicron subvariant, BA.2, is now the dominant version of Covid-19 in the U.S., according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week. BA.2 has caused a spike in infections in Europe and China in recent weeks, raising concerns it could do the same in the U.S. BA.2 makes up more than 70% of sequenced cases in the Northeast.  - Spencer Kimball Senators reach tentative deal on $10 billion in additional Covid funding Senate Republicans and Democrats have reached a tentative deal on $10 billion in additional Covid funding, less than half the sum that President Joe Biden had requested to shore up the nation's pandemic response ahead of another potential infection wave. Biden warned this week that the U.S. would not have enough Covid vaccine doses for all Americans this fall if Congress failed to act. - Spencer Kimball CDC will end sweeping order used to expel migrants at U.S. borders during Covid pandemic The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will lift a sweeping public health order that has allowed the U.S. to expel more than 1.7 million migrants, overwhelmingly at the southern border, since the Covid-19 pandemic began. While the Trump and Biden administrations argued Title 42 was a necessary public health measure, human rights groups fiercely criticized the policy as a violation of U.S. and international asylum law.  - Spencer Kimball FDA panel narrowly votes down ALS drug But the agency could still approve the medicine, from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals. A decision is expected by June, and the precedent of Biogen's controversial Alzheimer's drug looms large: FDA reviewers called Amylyx's data package – based on a phase 2 trial and an open-label extension study – "not exceptionally persuasive," but what was persuasive were the two dozen patient advocates and family members who testified at the agency's advisory committee on Wednesday in favor of the drug. The decision is the latest test of the agency's willingness to be flexible on drugs with imperfect evidence but extreme patient need. - Meg Tirrell Majority of U.S. population has Covid antibodies, CDC says — here's what that means for you The antibody numbers signify good news, but they don't mean a surge will never happen. Antibodies are temporary, with some disappearing faster than others. Some of them don't actually help your body fight the virus at all. And Covid's unpredictability means that few projections are ever completely trustworthy. - Jade Scipioni JOIN US REGISTER CONTRIBUTORS Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel   Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy CNBC Events   © 2022 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS