Yearly Shot the New Normal? Vax Data for Under-5s Soon; CDC: Keep Masking for Travel

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An annual COVID-19 vaccine may soon become the “new normal,” top FDA officials wrote in JAMA.

Pfizer is hoping to have data by late May or early June on how well its three-dose COVID-19 vaccine works in children younger than 5 years. (AP)

Meanwhile, about one-fifth of parents of kids under 5 say they’re “eager” to have their child vaccinated against COVID-19, while 38% say they plan to wait and see, according to a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

David Sabatini, MD, PhD, the former MIT researcher who was investigated for sexual harassment, has removed himself from consideration from a job on the faculty at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. (Endpoints News)

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed a bill banning abortion in the state after 6 weeks of pregnancy. (New York Times)

PillPack, an Amazon subsidiary, agreed to pay the federal government $5.79 million to settle charges that it improperly billed Medicare and Medicaid “for more insulin pens than patients needed … and falsely under-reported the days-of-supply of insulin dispensed,” the Justice Department said.

As of Wednesday at 8 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID toll was 81,553,778 cases and 995,622 deaths, increases of 55,882 cases and 433 deaths versus this time yesterday.

Virginia’s Medicaid expansion has driven up demand for dental services, but there aren’t enough dental practices taking Medicaid patients to meet demand. (Virginian-Pilot)

The FDA has greatly decreased the number of advisory committee meetings it convenes to get advice on whether to approve a drug, researchers found. (Health Affairs)

COVID patients who relapse after taking Pfizer’s nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) treatment can just take another course, the company said. (Bloomberg)

Disease detectives are on the case of the unexplained acute hepatitis in kids. (STAT)

Philips Respironics notified customers of its V60/V60Plus and V680 ventilators that a potential problem with the units’ power supply may cause the ventilators to stop working, possibly without sounding an alarm.

The FDA granted premarket approval to AccelStim, a Class III nonsurgical device intended for healing fractures, Orthofix Medical announced.

Although fewer people are wearing masks — and specifically, well-fitting N95 masks — on public transportation, the CDC is still recommending it.

Washington state has settled with three drug distributors — McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen — for $518 million over claims they contributed to the state’s opioid epidemic. (Reuters)

Biogen’s CEO Michel Vounatsos is stepping down, nearly a year after the FDA’s controversial accelerated approval of aducanumab (Aduhelm) for Alzheimer’s disease. (New York Times)

In China, five officials were punished and a doctor’s license was suspended after a COVID-19 patient living in a retirement home was mistakenly put in a body bag … while still alive. (CBS News)

More than 200 sailors have voluntarily moved off the USS George Washington after multiple deaths by suicide occurred on board the aircraft carrier, including three in less than a week. (CNN)

If you or anyone you know is struggling with a mental health concern or having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).