COVID-19 Updates

What to Know About the Newest, Most Contagious Omicron Subvariants
It only took about a month for BA.2.12.1, an Omicron subvariant, to cause most of the new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. since scientists first spotted it in the country. But even newer iterations of the Omicron variant are spreading rapidly through the U.S. and are poised to outcompete past versions of the virus, reinfect millions of Americans, and extend the country’s current COVID-19 surge.

Read more @ Time

Omicron Less Likely to Cause Long COVID, Data Suggest
The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant may pose less risk for long COVID than the Delta variant, U.K. researchers reported.

About 4.5% of people who became infected with SARS-CoV-2 when Omicron was the dominant strain experienced long COVID symptoms, compared with 10.8% who became infected during the Delta period, reported Claire Steves, PhD, of King's College London in England, and co-authors.

Overall odds of long COVID were about 20% to 50% less during the Omicron era -- defined as December 2021 to February 2022 in this study -- depending on age and time since vaccination, the researchers wrote in a letter to The Lancet.

Read more @ MedPage Today

FDA Panel Unanimously Backs Moderna's COVID Vax for Kids and Teens
A committee of independent vaccine experts recommended that the FDA grant an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the two-dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 6 to 17 years.

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted 22-0, agreeing unanimously that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks in two age groups: kids ages 6 to 11 years and teens ages 12 to 17. They recommended two 50-mcg doses for the younger kids and two 100-mcg doses for teens.

Read more @ MedPage Today