February 4, 2022

The California Biotechnology Foundation is committed to keeping you up to date about COVID-19 testing, treatment and prevention advancements. The following resources track what progress has been made as of February 4, 2022. Notable advancements include:

• Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted approval for its COVID-19 vaccine for children under five years old to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, making it the second to be fully licensed for use in the United States.
• Novavax asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize its COVID-19 shot for emergency use authorization.

Recent News

• ‘Not typical’: FDA takes unusual step in urging Pfizer to seek approval for child vaccine
  USA Today – February 2, 2022 
  In a move that highlights rising concerns about the risks of COVID-19 to younger children, Pfizer-BioNTech has asked for federal authorization for its vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years old. Companies usually make the decision to submit a request to Food and Drug Administration on their own, but in this instance it was made at the urging of the federal agency.
• Pfizer asks FDA to allow COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5
  Associated Press – February 1, 2022  
  Pfizer asked the U.S. to authorize extra-low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5, potentially opening the way for the very youngest Americans to start receiving shots as early as March. In an extraordinary move, the Food and Drug Administration had urged Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to apply earlier than the companies had planned — and before it’s settled if the youngsters will need two shots or three.
• Q&A: What to know about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids under age 5
  Mercury News – February 1, 2022 
  The Food and Drug Administration said it will consider authorizing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids as young as 6 months, opening the door to immunizing some 23 million American children — 2.4 million in California — for whom vaccines haven’t yet been available. Here’s what we know so far.
• Joint Statement on the FDA’s Approval of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for Individuals 18 Years of Age and Older
  California Department of Public Health – February 1, 2022 
  Today, California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, and Director of the California Department of Public Health and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, issued a joint statement on The United States Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older.
• The omicron subvariant is more contagious, but vaccinated people are less likely to spread it, study finds
  CNBC – January 31, 2022  
  The Omicron variant is inherently more contagious and better at evading vaccines than any other COVID-19 strain, but vaccinated people don’t transmit it as easily as the unvaccinated, according to a Danish study. The new subvariant, which has rapidly become dominant in Denmark, spread more easily across all groups regardless of sex, age, household size and vaccination status, the study found.
• Novavax asks FDA to authorize its COVID-19 shot
  Politico – January 31, 2022
  Novavax has asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize its COVID-19 shot for emergency use, opening the door for it to become the fourth vaccine available for adults living in the U.S. “We believe our vaccine offers a differentiated option … that can be an alternative to the portfolio of available vaccines to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic,” Stanley Erck, the company’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
• FDA gives full approval to Moderna’s COVID-19 shot
  Politico – January 31, 2022
  The Food and Drug Administration has approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, making it the second to be fully licensed for use in the United States. The approval for people ages 18 and older will make it easier for schools and workplaces to require vaccination against the virus, now that there are two approved products to choose from, including Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 shot. It will also allow Moderna to market its vaccine directly to consumers.
• San Francisco allows third shot for those who got J&J vaccine
  San Francisco Chronicle – January 28, 2022 
  San Francisco residents who got the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and have been boosted with a second shot can now get a third, following an advisory issued this month by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Regardless of what brand of vaccine people had for their second dose, the city is advising a Pfizer/BioNTech shot for the third.
• Early data indicate vaccines still protect against Omicron’s sister variant, BA.2
  STAT – January 28, 2022
  New data show that vaccines still protect against a spinoff of the Omicron variant, a welcome sign as the world keeps a close eye on the latest coronavirus iteration. BA.2, as the sublineage is known, is part of the broader Omicron umbrella. Scientists are paying more attention to it as it begins to eat into the dominance of the more common Omicron strain, which is technically called BA.1.

Rely on California Biotechnology Foundation to monitor breaking news and provide updates on the latest advancements in COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines and treatments.

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If you have any questions about informational briefings contact California Biotechnology Foundation Executive Director Patty Cooper at (916)764-2434 or [email protected].