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COVID-19: FDA Grants Full Approval For Pfizer Vaccines, With More Mandates Now Expected COVID-19: FDA Grants Full Approval For Pfizer Vaccines, With More Mandates Now Expected
Covid-19: FDA Grants Full Approval For Pfizer Vaccines, With More Mandates Now Expected The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 16 and older. On Monday, Aug. 23, the FDA announced that the Pfizer vaccine has been granted full approval, which is expected to potentially open the door for more COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The Pentagon will mandate vaccines for its 1.4 million active-duty service members, following the FDA approval Monday. United Airlines recently said its employees will be required to show proof of vaccination within five weeks of regulatory approval.  Pfizer is the first COVID-1…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: Increase In Cases Among Children Could Be 'Just The Beginning,' Experts Say COVID-19: Increase In Cases Among Children Could Be 'Just The Beginning,' Experts Say
Covid-19: Increase In Cases Among Children Could Be 'Just The Beginning,' Experts Say With new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations threatening to overwhelm hospitals in some parts of the country, officials are cautioning that the rise in cases among children “is just the beginning.” As the new academic year approaches, top US health experts are cautioning that the rise in new COVID-19 cases among children who are still ineligible to get vaccinated is likely to get worse when classes resume. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), more than 121,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the US among children last week, more than 14 times the weekly number as…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: CDC Announces Starting Date For Booster Shots COVID-19: CDC Announces Starting Date For Booster Shots
Covid-19: CDC Announces Starting Date For Booster Shots Federal health officials have set a date for when they plan to begin rolling out COVID-19 booster shots to help curtail the spread of new variants of the virus. Citing new data that showed Pfizer and Moderna vaccines’ effectiveness wanes over time, President Joe Biden’s administration announced that beginning the week of Monday, Sept. 20, booster shots would be made available for many Americans. Earlier story - COVID-19: US Expected To Announce Time Frame For All Americans To Get Booster Shots The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sa…

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by Zak Failla
News
Hostess Recalls Hot Dog, Hamburger Buns Due To Possible Salmonella, Listeria Contamination Hostess Recalls Hot Dog, Hamburger Buns Due To Possible Salmonella, Listeria Contamination
Hostess Recalls Hot Dog, Hamburger Buns Due To Possible Salmonella, Listeria Contamination Hostess Brands is recalling certain hamburger and hot dog bun products because they might be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. The company said it was made aware of this issue through its co-manufacturer Best Harvest Bakeries' environmental monitoring program, according to an announcement on the US Food and Drug Administration's website on Monday, Aug. 16. Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes can both cause serious infections among children, senior citizens and those with weakened immune systems. Hostess said the products were sold to distributors, conveni…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
COVID-19: US Expected To Announce Time Frame For All Americans To Get Booster Shots COVID-19: US Expected To Announce Time Frame For All Americans To Get Booster Shots
Covid-19: US Expected To Announce Time Frame For All Americans To Get Booster Shots Federal health officials have outlined their plans for when most Americans should get COVID-19 booster shots after becoming fully vaccinated. Pending authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a plan still being developed would advise Americans to get a COVID-19 booster shot eight months after becoming fully vaccinated to help stave off variants of the virus. Both Pfizer and Moderna, two of the three shots currently being administered in the US, have already submitted initial data to the FDA regarding their booster doses of their COVID-19 vaccines and are awaiting appro…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: FDA Expected To Authorize Booster Shots For Immunocompromised People COVID-19: FDA Expected To Authorize Booster Shots For Immunocompromised People
Covid-19: FDA Expected To Authorize Booster Shots For Immunocompromised People The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to move forward quickly with authorization of COVID-19 booster shots for some Americans who are immunocompromised, according to reports. Health officials said that the third shot of the current two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccine could be authorized within the next 48 hours, though no official timetable has been set as variants of the virus and COVID-19 mutations continue to cause a surge in new cases. Before a vaccine can be used in new ways outside existing authorization it requires new approval from the FDA. Currently, the Moderna, Pfizer…

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by Zak Failla
News
Seasoning Products Recalled Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination Seasoning Products Recalled Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination
Seasoning Products Recalled Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination McCormick & Company, Inc. is recalling four of its seasoning products after routine testing found that they might be contaminated with Salmonella. The US Food and Drug Administration posted the recall on Tuesday, July 27.  The following products are impacted by the recall: McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning 1.31 oz bottle (Affected Date Codes: BEST BY MAY 26 24 K, BEST BY MAY 27 24 K, BEST BY JUN 04 24 K, BEST BY JUN 05 24 K) McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning 2.25 oz bottle (Affected Date Codes: BEST BY JUN 30 24 H, BEST BY JUL 01 24 H) McCormick Culinary Italian S…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
COVID-19: CDC Advisory Panel Endorses Use Of Pfizer Vaccine In Children 12 And Up COVID-19: CDC Advisory Panel Endorses Use Of Pfizer Vaccine In Children 12 And Up
Covid-19: CDC Advisory Panel Endorses Use Of Pfizer Vaccine In Children 12 And Up A panel of experts advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted to move forward with the approval process for the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine among children between the ages of 12 and 15. By a 14-0 vote on Wednesday afternoon, May 12, the CDC panel recommended the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children 12 and up, with the decision now moving forward to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky for final approval. Once approved by Walensky, which is expected to happen quickly, it will be at states’ discretion about whether or not to move forward vaccinating children. …

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by Zak Failla
Business
COVID-19: Pfizer Nearing Release Of Vaccine For New Age Group Of Children, FDA Says COVID-19: Pfizer Nearing Release Of Vaccine For New Age Group Of Children, FDA Says
Covid-19: Pfizer Nearing Release Of Vaccine For New Age Group Of Children, FDA Says The US Food and Drug Administration could authorize Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 as early as next week, The New York Times reported on Monday, May 3, citing federal officials.  The timing could not be better for school districts that are resuming in-person instruction and hoping for a full return to normalcy next fall.  Vaccinating children is also a crucial element in achieving herd immunity and decreasing numbers of hospitalizations and deaths, The Times says.  While NJ, NY and CT positive rates have been dropping, other states including Pennsylvani…

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by Jon Craig
News
CDC, FDA Call For Pause On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine CDC, FDA Call For Pause On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
CDC, FDA Call For Pause On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration are calling for a pause on the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine due to six cases of "rare and severe" blood clot cases reported. All six cases occurred among women between 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination, FDA officials said in a joint statement. More than 6.8 million doses of the one-dose vaccine had been administered in the U.S. All Pennsylvania teachers and administrators were given the J&J vaccine. Out of the 200,000 offered the vaccine a…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
COVID-19: Cats, Dogs, Caviar, Here Are Odd Shortages Caused By The Pandemic COVID-19: Cats, Dogs, Caviar, Here Are Odd Shortages Caused By The Pandemic
Covid-19: Cats, Dogs, Caviar, Here Are Odd Shortages Caused By The Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic turmoil are leading to supply shortages in places you might not have considered. Among purchasables in short-supply are cats and dogs up for adoption to baking yeast, jigsaw puzzles, and truffles among other things. When COVID-19 closed much of the economy in March 2020, items that include toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, coins, meat, and flour were among the first pandemic-related shortages Americans experienced. Most of those shortages have been addressed by manufacturers and supply chains. But as the U.S. comes up on one year…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: Millions Of J&J Doses Thrown Away After Factory Mixup COVID-19: Millions Of J&J Doses Thrown Away After Factory Mixup
Covid-19: Millions Of J&J Doses Thrown Away After Factory Mixup Millions of doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine had to be destroyed after there was a dosage mix-up at a production lab, prompting a delay in shipments to states. According to reports, employees at Emergent BioSolutions, a production facility in Baltimore that produces the vaccine, mixed up two ingredients, ruining approximately 15 million doses of the vaccine. Emergent is one of several companies that Johnson & Johnson enlisted to speed up manufacturing of its recently approved vaccine, the company said. The Baltimore factory where the tainted vaccine ingredient was fou…

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by Zak Failla