Month: June 2021

Vaccine advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday debated what kind of detailed information the agency would need to consider authorizing the use of coronavirus vaccines in children under age 12. While a few advisers said it’s far too soon to consider using vaccines in children because kids are at such low risk from the virus, most argued that it’s important to have authorizations on hand should there be a resurgence of the virus in the fall and winter. The members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee were not asked to provide specific advice or a vote. The FDA will now advise companies on what kinds of clinical trials and data it would like to see to consider extending use of authorized vaccines to children. Dr. Cody Meissner, director of p...

Four new cases of COVID-19 and two new hospitalizations have been reported in Humboldt County today. The total number of county residents who have tested positive for the virus is 4,408 after a previously reported case was determined to be from another jurisdiction and removed from the count. The State of California announced that it plans to align its masking guidance with that of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on June 15. The guidance allows for fully vaccinated people to go unmasked in most public settings, with the exception of health care settings, indoor youth settings, homeless and emergency shelters, public transit and correctional facilities.   The CDC guidance still requires unvaccinated individuals to mask in indoor public settings and businesses as well...

Why do some people get side effects after COVID-19 vaccines? Temporary side effects including headache, fatigue and fever are signs the immune system is revving up — a normal response to vaccines. And they’re common. “The day after getting these vaccines, I wouldn’t plan anything that was strenuous physical activity,” said Dr. Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine chief, who experienced fatigue after his first dose. Here’s what’s happening: The immune system has two main arms, and the first kicks in as soon as the body detects a foreign intruder. White blood cells swarm to the site, prompting inflammation that’s responsible for chills, soreness, fatigue and other side effects. This rapid-response step of your immune system ten...

"Due to this increased activity, CDC encourages broader testing for RSV among patients presenting with acute respiratory illness who test negative for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," the CDC said in the alert. "RSV can be associated with severe disease in young children and older adults. This health advisory also serves as a reminder to healthcare personnel, childcare providers, and staff of long-term care facilities to avoid reporting to work while acutely ill -- even if they test negative for SARS-CoV-2." RSV is spread like most other respiratory diseases -- by small droplets and on contaminated surfaces. "RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under one year of age in the United States. Infants, young children, and older adults with chroni...

A Monmouth County manufacturer where two employees — a husband and wife— died from coronavirus and dozens of other employees got infected has been fined more than $13,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for failing to protect its workers from exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace. The agency on Thursday announced the findings of its investigation into Eatontown-based biotechnology company Avantor Fluid Handling LLC, where two people died and two were hospitalized from the virus last fall, OSHA said in a news release. In total, 30 out of 50 employees at the facility tested positive for the coronavirus, OSHA said. “Two workers lost their lives and others were sickened because their employer failed to take the precautions necessary to keep them safe,” said OSHA Area Dir...