Here are eight new developments about the COVID-19 vaccine from the last week:
- The U.S. is on track to begin vaccinating children under 12 years old by early next year, Anthony Fauci, MD, said during a May 18 White House news briefing.
- Vaccination rates throughout the U.S. are lower in rural counties than urban counties, recent CDC data shows.
- States were unable to order doses of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine for the second week in a row due to production issues. However, supplies could increase if the FDA approves doses made at Emergent BioSolutions' plant.
- Vaccine producers have rejected assistance from drugmakers who have offered to help produce more vaccines. Companies producing the vaccines have cited the complexities of the manufacturing process, safety concerns and lack of time to train engineers.
- Receiving mixed doses of the vaccine were found to result in more symptoms, preliminary research shows.
- The U.S. is expected to send 20 million doses of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines abroad for the first time. President Joe Biden has been pressured to do so because demand for the vaccines is not as high as the country's supply.
- The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are proving to be effective in pregnant and lactating people, according to two continuing studies.
- Blood clots linked to AstraZeneca's vaccine could be due to a preservative used in the vaccine to help proteins stay in the bloodstream, according to German hematologist Andreas Greinacher, MD.