MRCS Weekly Recap 24 (7.11.2022 - 7.17.2022)

1. ‘Super Variant’

The Biden administration is extending the public health emergency from the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recent extension was set to expire July 15 but is expected to extend at least another 60 days. This comes at a time when the BA.5 Covid subvariant is considered the most contagious virus thus far. It is four times more resistant to vaccines than the early strands. The BA.5 omicron subvariant is more defiant against mRNA vaccines, so adding more traditional vaccines could help protect against new strands.

2. COVID Vaccines

The FDA is authorizing a Novavax Covid vaccine for adults. This vaccine is more traditional and is released with the hope that anti-vaxxers will be more incentivized to receive this vaccine as it is not the mRNA vaccine type. The Biden Administration is expected to allow all adults to get a second booster shot. This second booster would have some form of the variants in it, allowing adults to be better protected against new strands of the coronavirus.