FDA clears Pfizer vaccine for kids

CDC panel meets Tuesday to recommend clinical guidelines; new study shows vaccines boost immunity far more than infection, and low-cost drugs may help treat COVID-19 infections

The FDA late Friday took the step that many have anxiously awaited: granting emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11. The CDC’s experts meet Tuesday to review the data and establish the clinical practice guidelines for the children’s vaccine. Expect children’s doses to be available by the end of next week.

In other COVID-19 news:

A well known, low-cost anti-depressant demonstrated strong efficacy against COVID-19 in a large trial. The NIH page about fluvoxamine for COVID-19 hasn’t yet been updated to reflect this new research, but it gives useful background on the drug and earlier studies.

Merck will allow poor countries to manufacture their new COVID-19 pills without paying any royalties until the public health emergency ends. The drug Molnupiravir, which has not yet been authorized for use in the United States, cut hospitalizations and deaths by half in recently published research.

Vaccines provide better protection than natural infection, according to a new study by the CDC. “Those who were unvaccinated and had a recent infection were 5 times more likely to have COVID-19 than those who were recently fully vaccinated and did not have a prior infection,” according to the report, which was based on more than 7,000 people.

Do you need to get a COVID-19 test? If you are like most people, you probably don’t know. A new CDC widget helps answer the question.

Have a safe and spooky Hallowe’en. It’s a good time to wear masks.