Health News Roundup: AstraZeneca reaches settlement with EU on COVID-19 vaccine delivery; U.S. administers 373.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC and more

The advice could see Britain pursue a different approach to the United States, Israel and some European countries, which have rolled out vaccinations to children more broadly. U.S. COVID-19 booster shot campaign to start with only Pfizer - source A White House plan to offer COVID-19 booster shots will most likely start this month only with the vaccine made by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech, a narrower initiative than anticipated, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Analysis-FDA vaccine advisers face thorny question: Are COVID-19 boosters needed?

Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are expected to discuss two key questions when they meet on Sept. 17 to consider a COVID-19 vaccine booster campaign this fall: Is protection from the initial shots waning, and will boosters help? The debate will likely be heated following the Biden Administration's announcement last month - before the experts could weigh in - that the U.S. plans to start booster doses Sept. 20 if regulators approve them.

UK panel does not recommend COVID vaccines for healthy 12- to 15-year-olds

Britain's vaccine advisers said they were not recommending the vaccination of all 12- to 15-year-olds against COVID-19, preferring a precautionary approach in healthy children due to a rare side effect of heart inflammation. The advice could see Britain pursue a different approach to the United States, Israel and some European countries, which have rolled out vaccinations to children more broadly.

U.S. COVID-19 booster shot campaign to start with only Pfizer - source

A White House plan to offer COVID-19 booster shots will most likely start this month only with the vaccine made by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech, a narrower initiative than anticipated, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. President Joe Biden had expected to launch a campaign to administer 100 million booster shots on Sept. 20. But U.S. vaccine makers other than Pfizer have lagged in seeking authorization of an additional dose.

AstraZeneca reaches settlement with EU on COVID-19 vaccine delivery

AstraZeneca and the European Commission have reached a settlement on the delivery of 200 million pending COVID-19 vaccine doses by the drugmaker, ending a row about shortages that had weighed on the company and the region's vaccination campaign. The dispute plunged the European Union into crisis earlier this year as states, under pressure to speed up vaccinations, scrambled for shots. It also caused a public relations crisis for AstraZeneca, which is led by Frenchman Pascal Soriot.

U.S. COVID-19 booster rollout to initially proceed with just Pfizer vaccine - source

The U.S government's plan to roll out additional shots of the COVID-19 vaccine for the general public on Sept. 20 will proceed with just the Pfizer/BioNTech SE vaccine, a source familiar with the discussion said on Friday. Moderna Inc's booster submission was found inadequate and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires stronger data from the company, making the process likely to be a few weeks behind that of Pfizer/BioNTech, the source added.

As COVID surges, more Florida school districts revolt against governor's mask ban

In a scene replayed across the United States, angry parents and activists streamed into a meeting of the Florida's Lake County school board on Thursday where it considered whether to mandate mask-wearing for students and staff due to COVID. Some opponents of the mask proposal brandished signs that read "Let Our Children Breathe." Even with Florida seeing a record number of coronavirus cases, one attendee called the pandemic "overblown." Another was escorted out by deputies after yelling at board members.

U.S. administers 373.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 373,516,809 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Friday morning and distributed 447,619,715 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 372,116,617 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Sept. 2 out of 445,672,595 doses delivered.

EU reviewing risk of rare inflammation after COVID-19 vaccinations

Europe's medicines regulator said on Friday it was reviewing if COVID-19 vaccines caused a risk of a rare inflammatory condition, following a report of a case with Pfizer/BioNTech's shot. The safety panel of the European Medicines Agency is looking into Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS) after the condition was reported in a 17-year-old male in Denmark, the agency said https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/meeting-highlights-pharmacovigilance-risk-assessment-committee-prac-30-august-2-september-2021.

Canada sees urgent need to get more young people vaccinated

New modeling shows an "urgent need" to get more young adults in Canada vaccinated as the country fights a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections driven by the Delta variant, the public health agency said on Friday. At the current rate of vaccination, new COVID-19 cases could surge past the peak of Canada's third wave and could exceed hospital capacity within months, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said.

Moderna seeks EU authorization for COVID-19 vaccine booster dose

Moderna Inc said on Friday it had asked the EU drugs regulator for conditional approval of a booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine at a 50 microgram dose. The company also said it had completed data submission for the use of a third booster dose of its two-shot vaccine to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.