“The pandemic can be a pivotal moment in history. One that propels us out of a state in which we were not prepared, sleepwalking toward the next pandemic, and turning a blind eye to widening inequalities, towards a world prepared for the next pandemic.” – Mandeep Dhaliwal, @UNDP https://t.co/BdLSqVkTZX
— CEPI (@CEPIvaccines) March 2, 2022
More than 90% of U.S. population in areas where masks not needed -CDC https://t.co/iLlS1uogBb pic.twitter.com/McLsA0Jmxd
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 4, 2022
Very interesting: CDC's estimates of the % of Americans who have had covid, broken down by age group and over time. https://t.co/grxNRQFjhI pic.twitter.com/1c9LXFEiOu
— Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) March 3, 2022
Terrific piece by @CarolineYLChen on what's known about why there still isn't a Covid vaccine authorized for kids under 5. The issue is fraught, but the communications on it have made it worse. https://t.co/NRmHxTD75j
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) March 3, 2022
Ancient Lenten folk saying: Live, horse, and you’ll get grass:
… It’s true that the FDA is legally limited in discussing data particulars and manufacturers are traditionally secretive about ongoing trials. But nobody has acknowledged that the legal and conventional restrictions mean that answers to basic questions like, “Why was this review delayed?” tend to result in impenetrable answers like, “We realize now in data that came in very rapidly because of the large number of cases of omicron that at this time it makes sense for us to wait until we have the data from the evaluation of a third dose.” None of this helps the public understand the scientific process.
What is apparent is that while many parents would like to see more data, what they want even more is to be reassured that their kids’ health is a priority.
“They’ve never spoken to parents of underage kids to say: ‘We’re sorry this is so hard. It grieves us too that it’s been so complicated,’” said Jennifer Martin, a parent of three in Seattle. “There’s a lack of urgency,” said Samirah Swaleh, parent to a 9-month-old boy in the Los Angeles area. “They just don’t seem to care about babies and toddlers?!” wrote Wendeln, the mother in Cincinnati. Cho, the emergency room physician, longs for a clearer timeline. “If you’re running a marathon and you know there’s an end, people can do amazing things. But it’s really, really hard when you don’t know if there’s an end in sight.”
I brought these sentiments to the FDA official I spoke to. The response hit many of the notes the parents said they wanted. I wish it could have come earlier, more often and been on the record, but I hope it provides some parents a bit of reassurance that they’ve been heard.
“We are going to work as expeditiously as possible,” the official said. “What does that mean? In general — though I can’t promise anything — you’ve seen that after an EUA [application] in this area, we generally are trying to take action in two to four weeks.”
The official emphasized: “We’re not going to be sitting on anything here.”
“I would want parents to know that we understand their concerns. We’re parents too,” the official added. “We are going to move as fast as we can once we have the data in our hands.”
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Top U.S. health officials say they intend to offer other nations technology to be used against Covid. Aid will be offered to low & middle-income countries. The offer arrives as President Biden plans his 2nd global Covid summit in the coming weeks https://t.co/ZwIu6UL9cw
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) March 4, 2022
Hong Kong reports 52,523 new coronavirus cases and 188 new deaths
— BNO Newsroom (@BNODesk) March 4, 2022
Hong Kong reported a record daily high of 56,827 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday and 144 deaths, as a worsening outbreak overwhelms healthcare facilities and sees authorities scramble to contain cases in the Asian financial centre. https://t.co/YvuA49UuLl
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 3, 2022
Ambulance wait times are as long as a day in Hong Kong, which has been besieged by #omicron. Worse, one-third of HK’s ambulance workers have tested positive for the coronavirus & many are isolating. HK's healthcare system has been overwhelmed for weeks https://t.co/8exQ5Zbjxk
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) March 4, 2022
Hong Kong retail chains ration staples to curb COVID panic buying https://t.co/QUQUA4RsU1 pic.twitter.com/hdumwdGF7Q
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 4, 2022
S.Korea reports record daily COVID-19 cases and deaths amid Omicron surge https://t.co/SloQ3D5Q7Y pic.twitter.com/qQdlZgn0Xo
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 4, 2022
Taiwan's success in quashing an Omicron outbreak with minimal domestic restrictions (restaurants/churches open) hasn't received a lot of global media coverage pic.twitter.com/olsSHzqofB
— Tom Hancock (@hancocktom) March 3, 2022
End of a (long) thread on QAnonsense being weaponized for propaganda:
This is Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov directly repeating this conspiracy theory, claiming (per translation) America "built two biological war labs, and they have been developing pathogens there, in Kyiv and in Odessa." pic.twitter.com/KDk33rP4Gd
— Justin Ling (@Justin_Ling) March 3, 2022
The World Health Organization raised concerns about the 'humanitarian catastrophe' taking place in Ukraine, a senior official told Reuters, spelling out the triple threat of war, COVID-19 and an ongoing outbreak of polio pic.twitter.com/2w6KRlIBB0
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 4, 2022
Why are COVID-19 vaccination rates still low in some countries? Limited supplies remain a problem, but other challenges include unpredictable deliveries, weak health care systems and vaccine hesitancy. https://t.co/JcFtqQBXkV
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 3, 2022
Ottawa police misjudged protesters who besieged Canada's capital – testimony https://t.co/jWD1PLMmIb pic.twitter.com/35JD7uIuJb
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 3, 2022
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Only 1 approved antibody treatment has activity against all #omicron subvariants—BA.1, BA.1.1 & BA.2. New study reported in journal Nature. The 3 subvariants share 21 spike mutations. Monoclonal antibody Bebtelovimab approved last month works against all 3 https://t.co/PWpLSQDAp2 pic.twitter.com/byXxdhIaFd
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) March 3, 2022
Eli Lilly and Incyte's arthritis drug baricitinib helped reduce the risk of death in hospitalised COVID-19 patients by 13% regardless of which other coronavirus treatment they were given, according to a large British study. https://t.co/UZlxMGh56k
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 4, 2022
Highly contagious #omicron sparked a jump in hospital-onset SARSCoV2 infections. Clusters occurred in at least 1 large academic hospital where the infections were documented. Probably occurred in other institutions as well. Clusters stopped after universal N95 use & daily testing https://t.co/sDV9nIxoDx
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) March 3, 2022
I’m not a scientist, nor do I play one on Twitter. But when in doubt I lean toward the virologist with receipts (this thread) over the pundit with no relevant expertise (referenced in first tweet). Give both a read and judge for yourself https://t.co/bIAYZq74Jl
— Gady Epstein (@gadyepstein) March 3, 2022
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U.S. waives COVID test for Americans leaving Russia, Belarus https://t.co/1EKoMaXxZa pic.twitter.com/ISe9fdp0Cm
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 4, 2022
As demand for COVID-19 vaccines collapses in many areas of the U.S., states are scrambling to use stockpiles of doses before they expire. Millions of doses have already gone to waste. https://t.co/0K8L23tQfJ
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 3, 2022
Detroit's Big Three automakers to let workers stop wearing masks https://t.co/T2aBTwzXAG pic.twitter.com/hXpxcgrbPG
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 4, 2022
New grift emerges, from a guy who’s used up a lot of old ones:
things continue to go extremely well for Milo Yiannopoulos as he now has COVID dementia, for which he blames the vaccine he didn't get pic.twitter.com/e9a2UNSOqe
— K. Thor Jensen (@kthorjensen) March 2, 2022
The liberals’ ‘vaccine-enhanced’ super-virus made me weak and stupid! I could die ‘mercifully abruptly’ at practically any moment! Are you gonna send me money, or do I accuse you of abandoning a crippled martyr for The Cause?
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Thursday / Friday, March 3-4Post + Comments (88)