Here are eight new developments about the COVID-19 vaccine from the last week:
- Manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccine are dedicating more effort to lobby against patent waivers, citing production concerns and worries that waivers will not address shortages.
- Half of adults in the U.S. are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 39.5 percent of the entire U.S. population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
- Pfizer recently began a trial to test the effects of adults aged 65 and older who are fully vaccinated receiving a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and a third dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.
- Moderna announced that its COVID-19 vaccine is 100 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in children ages 12-17 years old.
- Vaccine manufacturers have begun developing vaccines aimed at fighting against coronavirus variants, The Atlantic reported.
- Pfizer-BioNTech's and AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines have been found to be effective against the more transmissible variant first found in India for people who are fully vaccinated.
- The CDC is investigating cases of mostly teenagers and young adults who experienced myocarditis after being vaccinated.
- The CDC recently issued new guidance stating that healthcare providers giving vaccines should prioritize vaccinating as many people as possible over ensuring doses don't go to waste.