COVID-19 vaccination will be required for all U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) employees who deal with patients, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced Thursday. The order will affect more than 25,000 clinicians, researchers, contractors, trainees and volunteers within the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Indian Health Service, and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned…  read on >  read on >

People fully vaccinated with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine appear to have a lower risk of a “breakthrough” infection caused by the Delta variant than those who received the Pfizer vaccine, a new, preliminary report suggests. The researchers emphasized that both vaccines still “strongly protect” against severe illness, but the difference appears to be in the…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans on Thursday to authorize a third “booster” shot of coronavirus vaccine for people with weakened immune systems, as the highly contagious Delta variant surges across the country. Expanding the emergency use of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines should help protect those patients who are considered most vulnerable to…  read on >  read on >

With COVID case counts surging as the school year begins, new research showing that the Moderna vaccine is safe and effective for teens should reassure parents who are on the fence about the shots. “Large trials in adults and smaller trials in adolescents show that this vaccine is effective and safe, and outside of these…  read on >  read on >

THURSDAY, Aug. 12California on Wednesday became the first state to require teachers and other school staff to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or else have to undergo weekly tests. The announcement, made by Gov. Gavin Newsom, comes as a growing number of public and private employers nationwide implement vaccination mandates amid surging COVID-19 cases driven…  read on >  read on >

A third dose of a two-shot COVID vaccine significantly boosts transplant patients’ protection against SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study. “We knew from previous studies that two doses were not enough to produce a good immune response against COVID-19 in transplant patients,” said study co-senior author Dr. Deepali Kumar. She is director of transplant infectious…  read on >  read on >

Pregnant women should not hesitate to get coronavirus vaccines, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated guidance issued Wednesday. The latest recommendation comes after new data collected by the agency showed no raised risk for miscarriage in mothers-to-be who get the shots during the first 20 weeks of their pregnancy. Previous…  read on >  read on >

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 11, 2021 (HealthDay News ) — Doctors, nurses and pharmacists are highly trusted by most Americans, a new survey shows. Those health professionals do what’s right either most or all of the time, said at least seven in 10 respondents in the poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy…  read on >  read on >