Latest news with #RobertF.KennedyJr
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
Moderna wins narrower US approval for new COVID vaccine
Moderna Inc. gained U.S. approval for a new COVID vaccine for a narrower group of people, in the latest sign that regulators are restricting access to immunizations under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The company's second-generation vaccine is cleared for all adults over 65 and anyone over 12 who has at least one risk factor for severe disease, Moderna said in a statement Saturday. Moderna's COVID shot had previously been approved for people 12 years of age and older regardless of their underlying health. Vaccine makers have been on high alert to challenges under Kennedy, a longtime critic of immunizations who leads the health agency that oversees the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA's decision on Moderna's COVID vaccine was seen as a litmus test of whether Kennedy's doubts about the shots would hinder future approvals. Under Kennedy, U.S. health agencies have taken steps to limit who can get COVID vaccines, arguing there's a lack of evidence for repeat doses. In May, the FDA said it will no longer approve COVID booster shots for healthy adults and children without new studies confirming their safety and effectiveness. Kennedy also removed the COVID shot from a list of recommended vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women, which could limit insurance coverage. The FDA recently gave full approval to a COVID vaccine made by Novavax Inc., but for a narrower group of people than before - adults 65 and older and those ages 12 to 64 who have an underlying condition that puts them at high risk if they get the virus. Moderna's approval faced even greater uncertainty because, unlike Novavax, its COVID vaccine uses mRNA technology, which has faced opposition from anti-vaccine groups that support Kennedy. On Wednesday, U.S. health officials terminated a contract with Moderna worth up to $766 million to develop vaccines for bird flu. In a statement, an HHS spokesman said that "mRNA technology remains under-tested." Improved performance Moderna's next-generation COVID shot proved more effective in older adults in a key study than the version now available, called Spikevax. Instead of targeting the entire spike protein on the surface of the virus, the new shot hones in on just two segments. The change helps it last longer when refrigerated, making it easier to distribute in certain parts of the world. It's also more effective at lower doses, allowing the company to make combination shots that protect against both COVID and flu. Packaging the two immunizations together will boost protection from COVID because more people get flu shots each year, according to the company. More than five years after the start of the pandemic, the virus poses less of a threat, although the elderly and infants face higher risks than the general public. Many people no longer feel the urgency to get another COVID booster, having been infected multiple times and experienced mild symptoms. As a result, COVID vaccination rates have been in decline, with just 23% of U.S. adults getting the latest booster, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy has long criticized COVID shots, once claiming, without evidence, that they are "the deadliest vaccine ever made." In a recent video announcing that COVID vaccines have been removed from the CDC's recommended immunizations schedule, Kennedy said, "I couldn't be more pleased." --- (With assistance from Bill Haubert.) Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
US measles cases rise slightly as Colorado reports a new outbreak
AP file photo Measles cases inched up slightly in the US this past week, with a new county impacted in Texas and Colorado reporting a new outbreak. There are 1,088 confirmed measles cases in the US, up 42 from last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Texas, where the nation's biggest outbreak raged during the late winter and spring, reported 10 additional cases this week for a total of 738. There are three other major outbreaks in North America. One in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 1,888 cases from mid-October through May 27. Another in Alberta, Canada, has sickened 628 as of Thursday. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had 1,693 measles cases and three deaths as of Wednesday, according to data from the state health ministry. Since the outbreak in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma began, two elementary school-aged children in the epicenter in West Texas and an adult in New Mexico have died of measles. All were unvaccinated. Other states with active outbreaks, which the CDC defines as three or more related cases, include Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the US since 2000. Here's what else you need to know about measles in the US How many measles cases are there in Texas? There are a total of 738 cases across 35 counties, most of them in West Texas, state health officials said Friday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Throughout the outbreak, 94 people have been hospitalized. McLennan County, which includes the city of Waco, was added to the state's list of counties with active cases. State health officials estimated less than 1% of cases - fewer than 10 - are actively infectious. Fifty-six percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 409 cases since late January - just over 1.7% of the county's residents. The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of "what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure." A unvaccinated child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6. How many measles cases are there in New Mexico? New Mexico added one new case on Friday for a total of 79. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Sandoval County near Albuquerque has six cases, Eddy County has three, Doña Ana County has two and Chaves and Curry counties have one each. An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care. How many cases are there in Oklahoma? Oklahoma held steady Friday with a total of 14 confirmed and three probable cases. The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases. How many cases are there in Colorado? Colorado has seen a total of seven measles cases in 2025 and one outbreak with three related cases, which the state health department announced Thursday. All three cases appear to stem from an international flight that landed at Denver International Airport in mid-May. Two people with confirmed cases live in Arapahoe County, near Denver - one unvaccinated child under the age of 5 and an unrelated vaccinated adult. The other person was an out-of-state traveler who was infectious on the flight and stayed at a hotel near the airport. State health officials said Thursday there is no evidence of further spread. The other counties with cases in 2025 are Pueblo, Jefferson and Archuleta counties with one each and Denver with two. How many cases are there in Kansas? Kansas has a total of 64 cases across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with two hospitalizations. All but five of the cases are connected, and most of the cases are in Gray County. How many cases are there in Michigan? Michigan has a steady eight confirmed cases of measles, with an outbreak of four connected cases in Montcalm County in the western part of the state that health officials say is tied to the Ontario outbreak. How many cases are there in Montana? Montana has 13 measles cases as of Thursday. Ten are in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed up - Montana's first in 35 years. Flathead County has two cases and Hill County has one case. Health officials said there is potential for community transmission in Hill County. There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. How many cases are there in North Dakota? North Dakota, which hadn't seen measles since 2011, is up to 29 cases as of Thursday. Two of the people have been hospitalized, and all of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated. There are 13 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state on the Minnesota border, there are eight cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, has one case. How many cases are there in Ohio? Ohio remained steady for a second week at 34 measles cases and one hospitalization, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That count includes only Ohio residents. The state has two outbreaks: Ashtabula County near Cleveland has 16 cases, and Knox County in east-central Ohio has 20 - 14 among Ohio residents and the rest among visitors. Allen, Cuyahoga, Holmes and Defiance counties have one case each. How many cases are there in Pennsylvania? Pennsylvania remains steady at 15 cases overall in 2025 as of Thursday, including international travel-related cases in Montgomery County and one in Philadelphia. An outbreak of eight measles cases in Erie County in far northwest Pennsylvania has remained steady since it began in mid-April. How many cases are there in Tennessee? Tennessee has had six measles cases since early May, but no change since. Health department spokesman Bill Christian said all cases are the middle part of the state, and that "at least three of these cases are linked to each other" but declined to specify further. The state also did not say whether the cases were linked to other outbreaks or when Tennessee's outbreak started. Where else is measles showing up in the US? Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Cases and outbreaks in the US are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC says more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the US compared to May of last year, and most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the US saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine? The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don't need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from "killed" virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and those born before 1957 generally don't need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have "presumptive immunity." Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates - above 95% - due to "herd immunity." But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. What are the symptoms of measles? Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. How can you treat measles? There's no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.
The Hill
21 hours ago
- Health
- The Hill
CDC updates COVID-19 guidance for kids
The Big Story The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued updated guidance on administering the COVID-19 vaccine to children a few days after Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr said the agency would stop recommending the shot to kids and pregnant women. © AP The CDC still has the COVID-19 inoculation on its vaccine schedule for kids, despite Kennedy saying it would be removed. Kennedy said in post on the social media platform X on Tuesday the CDC would not longer recommend routine COVID-19 shots to healthy children and pregnant women. Now, the agency says that children without an underlying health condition 'may receive' the COVID-19 vaccine and advises 'shared clinical decision-making' between parents and physicians. In the past, the CDC has broadly recommended that children get the vaccine. 'Where the parent presents with a desire for their child to be vaccinated, children 6 months and older may receive COVID-19 vaccination, informed by the clinical judgment of a healthcare provider and personal preference and circumstances,' the guidelines now read. The CDC's new guidelines mean that health insurance companies are ostensibly required to cover the shot, for the most part. But some health insurance companies have a history of not covering drugs listed on 'shared clinical decision-making' recommendations, healthcare lawyer Richard Hughes IV told The Hill in an email. 'Based on my collective observations of payer coverage of vaccines, the bottom line is expect variability in coverage, prior authorization and out-of-pocket, all of which will discourage uptake.' It is still unclear how the CDC's guidelines regarding the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant people will change. The CDC previously recommend the vaccine to all pregnant people, but now the agency's official stance on whether to give the inoculation to those who are expecting is 'no guidance,' according to a memo obtained by The New York Times. Some CDC webpages still recommend that the vaccine be administered to pregnant women given their increased change of developing serious illness from the virus. Read The Hill's full coverage here. Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Ernst responds to jeers on Medicaid cuts: 'Well, we're all going to die' Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R) pushed back against constituents who shouted out at her recent town hall meeting that cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would cause people to die, responding, 'Well, we're all going to die.' Kansas law nullifying end-of-life wishes during pregnancy challenged in court A Kansas state law that revokes a person's decisions about end-of-life care if they are pregnant is now being challenged in court. Three women, one of whom is currently pregnant, and two doctors filed a lawsuit in Kansas over a clause in the state's Natural Death Act that denies people who are pregnant with the ability to accept or refuse health care if they become incapacitated or terminally ill. The plaintiffs argue … Biden speaks publicly for first time since cancer diagnosis Former President Biden made a public appearance Friday for the first time since his cancer diagnosis earlier this month, speaking at a Delaware ceremony in honor of Memorial Day. Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: What Others are Reading Most read stories on The Hill right now: Trump announces plan to double steel tariffs President Trump announced Friday his administration would be doubling tariffs on steel imports from 25 percent to 50 percent during a visit to Pennsylvania … Read more Watch: Trump speaks at US Steel in Pittsburgh on deal with Nippon Steel President Trump will travel Friday afternoon to the Pittsburgh area for a rally and remarks on the 'planned partnership' between U.S. Steel … Read more What People Think Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
CDC adjusts COVID vaccine guidance, but keeps on child schedule
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued updated advice on the COVID-19 vaccine days after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said the agency would no longer recommend the shot to children and pregnant women. The agency has kept the shot on its vaccine schedule for children between the ages of 6 months to 17 years of age, despite Kennedy saying they would no longer be recommended. The CDC says children with no underlying health condition 'may receive' COVID-19 vaccines, instead of broadly recommending that all children should get the inoculation. It now advises 'shared clinical decision-making' between parents and physicians. 'Where the parent presents with a desire for their child to be vaccinated, children 6 months and older may receive COVID-19 vaccination, informed by the clinical judgment of a healthcare provider and personal preference and circumstances,' the guidelines now say. The changes to the CDC's recommendations for children mean that health insurance companies are still ostensibly required to cover the shot, at least for now. However, there is a history of some health insurance companies not covering drugs listed on 'shared clinical decision-making' recommendations, healthcare lawyer Richard Hughes IV said in an email. 'Based on my collective observations of payer coverage of vaccines, the bottom line is expect variability in coverage, prior authorization and out-of-pocket, all of which will discourage uptake.' Kennedy said Tuesday the CDC would no longer recommend routine COVID-19 shots for healthy children and pregnant women in a post on the social media platform X. 'Last year, the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot, despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children,' Kennedy said in a video, joined by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya. 'It's common sense, and it's good science,' Bhattacharya said of the change. It's unclear how COVID-19 vaccine guidelines will change for pregnant women. The CDC's stance on COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy is now 'no guidance,' per a memo released from the agency Friday, according to The New York Times. The vaccine was previously recommended for all pregnant people. The CDC's website also continues to host pages of guidance recommending that pregnant women continue to receive the COVID-19 vaccine because of the higher risk they have of developing serious illness from the disease. 'Studies including hundreds of thousands of people around the world show that COVID-19 vaccination before and during pregnancy is safe, effective, and beneficial to both the pregnant woman and the baby,' the website states. The Department of Health and Human Services has yet to respond to questions about the new guidelines from The Hill. Nathaniel Weixel contributed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Want a COVID vaccine? It could cost you $200.
Most Americans have decided they're done getting vaccinated against COVID-19, but there are still reasons to consider it, and it remains an essential protection for some. That's why some doctors and medical organizations are concerned about changes to the vaccine recommendations made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Under the changes Kennedy announced in a social media post on May 27, in addition to those announced a week prior by his appointees, the only people who will be recommended for COVID-19 vaccines are those over 65 and people with existing health problems. These changes, which bypassed the normal scientific review process, may make it harder for others who want the COVID-19 vaccine to get it, including healthcare workers and healthy people under 65 with a vulnerable family member or those who want to reduce their short-term risk of infection. Kennedy specifically changed the recommendations so pregnant women and healthy children aren't included, though it's not clear if that's just for booster shots or whether it would also include a baby's first COVID-19 vaccine. Insurance coverage typically follows federal recommendations, so anyone who is healthy and under 65 is likely to have to pay out of pocket to get the shot ‒ which runs about $200 ‒ if they can get it. It's not clear what insurance companies will do about the new recommendations. Kennedy did not explain a reasoning behind the change, though he has complained in the past about the quality of studies used to justify previous recommendations. Recent statement: RFK Jr.: 'I don't think people should be taking medical advice from me' Limiting access in this way, several medical experts said, contradicts Kennedy's previous statements about how he'd handle vaccines. It also runs counter to the general practice of medicine, which supports people making medical decisions in collaboration with their doctor, they said. "I think we can treat people respectfully and show them the information and let them make their own decisions," said Dr. Jesse Goodman, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Georgetown University. He and others said they're especially concerned that these policy changes are happening without supporting data or the typical scientific review by two panels of experts. "We haven't been presented with one shred of information to show that this step is needed at this time," Goodman said. "If it is, fine, but present that publicly, use the advisory committees and let's have a transparent process." The federal government has stopped tracking COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths, but local data shows they are still happening in every age group, with two-thirds of hospitalizations in people 65 years and older. Meanwhile, safety data on the vaccines continues to show that serious side effects are extremely rare, leading many specialists and expert organizations to conclude that it's still worthwhile to get the vaccine. While the vaccine is most important for people in vulnerable groups, such as those over 65 and people with health conditions, a booster remains useful for everyone, even children, several experts and disease organizations told USA TODAY. "What is clear is that pregnant women, infants and young children are at higher risk of hospitalization from COVID, and the safety of the COVID vaccine has been widely demonstrated," Dr. Sean O'Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Infectious Diseases, said in a statement. Healthy kids will no longer be recommended for COVID-19 vaccines, according to Kennedy's policy announcement. Fewer than 5% of children received the COVID-19 vaccine between the fall of 2023 and the fall of 2024, data shows. Yet COVID-19 continues to lead to about as many hospitalizations in children as the flu, at about 100 hospitalizations for every 100,000 kids under 4. On balance, the vaccine still provides a benefit, said Dr. Melissa Stockwell, division chief of child and adolescent health at Columbia University. "The point of a booster is to give protection against whatever the current circulating variant is and shorter-term protection against infection, but what we're really looking for is protection against severe outcomes," Stockwell said. The COVID-19 vaccine has repeatedly been found to be safe in children, though vaccines like medications can always have some rare risks. Most notably with the original COVID-19 vaccine schedule, adolescent boys and young men were at somewhat higher risk for a rare heart problem known as myocarditis that is also a risk of COVID infection itself. Stockwell said she and others haven't seen myocarditis since the early days of vaccination when the initial two doses were given relatively close together. What remains unclear ‒ and of much higher concern to pediatricians and infectious disease experts ‒ is whether Kennedy's new policy covers all shots or just boosters. Children between 6 months and 2 years are at high risk for severe COVID-19 because they've not been exposed to it before, just as everyone was at higher risk when the virus was new. And vaccination reduces the risk for long COVID, in which symptoms can linger for months or even years after a COVID-19 infection. Stockwell, who said her own children are vaccinated, cited research showing that vaccines reduce the risk of long COVID in children by 40%. A new study in JAMA Pediatrics shows that children younger than two who had been infected with COVID were more likely to experience trouble sleeping, fussiness, poor appetite, a stuffy nose and cough, while preschoolers, aged 3 to 5, who had been infected were more likely to have low energy, daytime tiredness and a dry cough than children who avoided infection. The study found that roughly 1 in 7 previously infected children meet the criteria for long COVID. "For parents who want their children to be vaccinated, we want them to have that opportunity," Stockwell said. The new policy removes the recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. This concerns a number of obstetricians, infectious disease specialists and pediatricians. Pregnant women are at high risk for severe disease and studies show that the likelihood of miscarriage, stillbirth and pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, blood clots, heart and kidney damage and hypertension are much higher among women who develop COVID-19 during pregnancy. Newborns are also at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. Any respiratory infection is more dangerous in newborns than in others, because their airways are so small. Plus, they have never been exposed to COVID-19 before. Vaccinating during pregnancy protects newborns until they are old enough to get their own shot, Stockwell said. The COVID-19 vaccine has also been shown to be extremely safe during pregnancy and far safer than a COVID-19 infection. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, which has expertise in high-risk pregnancy, issued a statement saying the society "strongly reaffirms its recommendation that pregnant patients receive the COVID-19 vaccine." The COVID-19 vaccine, the society said, "is safe to be given at any point during pregnancy. Maternal immunization is also associated with improved infant outcomes and decreased complications, including maternal and infant hospitalizations. " Changes to the vaccine schedule are typically made after federal officials solicit recommendations from two panels of experts in infectious disease, pediatrics and other relevant specialties. The heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration then review the decisions of their respective panels and issue a joint recommendation. Kennedy's decision breaks with this practice. "It can be confusing to families, particularly when there's conflicting information about vaccination," Stockwell said. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also raised concerns about Kennedy's disregard for the normal procedure of changing vaccine recommendations. In his brief comments on social media on May 27, he didn't mention consulting any doctors or panels. "This decision bypasses a long-established, evidence-based process used to ensure vaccine safety and ignores the expertise of independent medical experts, including members of CDC committees who are examining the evidence regarding the vaccine to make recommendations for the fall," Dr. Sean O'Leary, chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, said in a statement. "By removing the recommendation, the decision could strip families of choice. Those who want to vaccinate may no longer be able to, as the implications for insurance coverage remain unclear," he said. In the wake of Kennedy's statement, the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) urged insurers to continue to cover the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone, including the groups Kennedy said the government would no longer recommend get the shot. "IDSA strongly urges insurers to maintain coverage for COVID-19 vaccines so that all Americans can make the best decisions to protect themselves and their families against severe illness, hospitalization and death," society president Dr. Tina Tan said in a statement. "IDSA also urges Congress to conduct meaningful and necessary oversight to ensure appropriate decision-making processes at the Department of Health and Human Services, which will impact people of all ages." Months ago, in the lead up to his confirmation, Kennedy told at least one senator that he would follow CDC guidance and the advisory committees' recommendations about vaccines. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and physician, said Kennedy assured him he would adhere to expert guidance on vaccinations. He spoke from the floor of the Senate in support of Kennedy, explaining to his colleagues that Kennedy "has also committed that he would work within the current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems and not establish parallel systems." "If confirmed," Cassidy told them, "he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes." Contributed: Adrianna Rodriguez This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump admin's COVID vaccine rollbacks could mean high cost, less access
