September 10, 2021

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 September 10, 2021. Notable advancements include:

• Moderna announced it is developing a two-in-one vaccine booster shot that protects against both COVID-19 and the seasonal flu.
• New research from a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reaffirms that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective during pregnancy.

​Recent News

• Moderna working on combination COVID-19 vaccine booster and flu shot
  Reuters – September 9, 2021
  Moderna Inc said it is developing a single vaccine that combines a booster dose against COVID-19 with its flu shot. The company hopes to eventually add vaccines it is working on for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other respiratory diseases as an annual shot.
• More Reassuring Data on COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy
  Medscape – September 9, 2021
  Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine early in pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk for spontaneous abortion, new research suggests. The new findings provide reassuring evidence about the safety of COVID vaccines, particularly mRNA vaccines, during pregnancy, said Denise J. Jamieson, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, who was not involved in the study.
• Biden Boosts Vaccine Requirements for Large Employers, Federal Workers to Combat COVID-19
  Wall Street Journal – September 9, 2021
  All employers with 100 or more employees would have to require that their workers be vaccinated or undergo at least weekly COVID-19 testing under a new plan announced by President Biden to curb the spread of the pandemic. The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the coming weeks plans to issue an emergency temporary standard implementing the new requirement, which will cover 80 million private-sector workers. Businesses that don’t comply can face fines of up to $14,000 per violation.
• A. school officials order sweeping student vaccine mandate, a first by a major district
  Los Angeles Times – September 9, 2021
  All children 12 and older in Los Angeles public schools must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January to enter campus under an order approved by the Board of Education, the first such mandate among the nation’s largest school systems.
• Younger unvaccinated Californians increasingly hospitalized with COVID-19
  Los Angeles Times – September 9, 2021
  As the Delta variant brought another wave of COVID-19 infections this summer, the age of those being hospitalized with the illness has dropped significantly in some parts of California compared to earlier surges. That’s because younger people are being vaccinated at lower rates. This age gap is causing growing concern among healthcare professionals and bringing new calls to get younger people vaccinated.
• As Delta takes control, US resumes use of Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 antibody treatment nationwide
  Endpoints – September 9, 2021
  The FDA has continued the use of Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 drug across the country. “Based on the most currently available data, bamlanivimab and etesevimab are now authorized in all U.S. states, territories, and jurisdictions,” the FDA said, noting in a fact sheet that the combo retained activity against the Delta variant.
• Can Pfizer and Moderna vaccines be mixed and matched as boosters?
  Seeking Alpha – September 7, 2021
  The CDC recommends that the same mRNA vaccine be used for the third (booster) dose. However, if the manufacturer of the first two doses is unknown or uncertain, either mRNA vaccine can be used. The recommendation was provided for immunocompromised individuals. Booster doses are already authorized for this group.
• Japan picks three COVID-19 drug candidates to get research funds
  Reueters – September 6, 2021
  Japan has selected three candidates for COVID-19 treatments to receive subsidies for clinical trials, the health ministry said. The drugs include  AstraZeneca’s antibody treatment against COVID-19.
• Visualizing how fast the pandemic is getting better or worse, state by state
  STAT – September 7, 2021
  Well over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, visualizations of case data have become ubiquitous. By far, the most popular metric that public health officials and media outlets rely on is the daily count of new cases. But as the Delta wave picked up steam in the U.S., STAT introduced a new metric that helps detect early changes in case trends: case acceleration.
• School lunch. Sleepovers. Here’s how Bay Area experts recommend keeping kids safe in the delta era
  San Francisco Chronicle – September 6, 2021
  On top of the routine challenges of getting kids out the door every morning, many families are worried about a new set of hurdles. “I’ve gotten two or three letters now that my son has been in contact with COVID-19 at his high school,” said Marjorie Sturm, a mother of two in San Francisco. “He’s vaccinated, and I’m not sure how to react to these letters. If I even have the energy to react.” Here’s the latest advice from experts on protecting children, especially those younger than 12 who do not yet have access to COVID-19 vaccines, during the delta surge.

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].