The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to present an extraordinary challenge to global health, complicated by rapidly evolving epidemiology, wrote the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a Briefing Document published today.
The Future Vaccination Regimens Addressing COVID-19 document was prepared for the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting scheduled for January 26, 2023.
Excerpts from the Executive Overview are inserted below:
U.S. FDA Considers Annual COVID-19 Vaccinations
Will Texas Protect Infants from Tuberculosis
A worldwide health issue has recently accelerated in Texas, potentially exposing hundreds of people to an airborne disease. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed about 10.6 million people fell sick with Tuberculosis (TB), and 1.6 million died.
And in Texas, there were 998 TB cases in 2021, a 12.5% increase in one year.
More than any other population, Hispanics (52.1%) reported the most TB cases in Texas, with about 61% being born outside of the U.S.
1.2 Million Indian Pharmacists Becoming Vaccinators
According to new reports, India will launch a training program for about 1.2 million pharmacists to become certified to administer vaccines in May 2023.
The Times of India (TOI) reporter Vaibhav Ganjapure wrote on January 23, 2023, the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) has set a target to empower registered pharmacists to become vaccinators by 2025.
Seniors Had High Burden of RSV-Positive Respiratory Infection Before COVID-19
Following sharp decline during COVID-19, RSV-positive acute respiratory infection reemerged during summer 2021, and is linked to lower QOL
No Increase Seen in OD Deaths Involving Buprenorphine During COVID-19
Proportion of overdose deaths did not increase in association with actions taken to ease access to buprenorphine