Health News Roundup: Germany recommends COVID-19 vaccinations for pregnant women; COVID-19 vaccines hold strong against Delta, protection waning in older adults and more

The timeline is based on the expectation that Pfizer, which developed the shot with Germany's BioNTech, will have enough data from clinical trials to seek emergency use authorization (EUA) for that age group from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) towards the end of this month, the sources said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Biden wants resources for OSHA to enforce vaccine mandate - White House

President Joe Biden wants the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to have all the resources it will need to enforce the employer vaccine mandate he unveiled on Thursday, the White House said on Friday.

Qiagen supports White House COVID-19 vaccination, test mandate

German genetic testing specialist Qiagen said on Friday it supported Biden administration's new COVID-19 vaccination and testing mandate for workplaces. "We strongly support all initiatives aiming to increase vaccination rates especially at the workplace," the company told Reuters in an email.

Germany recommends COVID-19 vaccinations for pregnant women

Germany's vaccine oversight body on Friday recommended that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should be vaccinated against COVID-19 with an mRNA-based shot. The Permanent Vaccination Commission (STIKO) advises that women should receive two shots from the second trimester of pregnancy, according to guidance https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Kommissionen/STIKO/Empfehlungen/PM_2021-09-10.html posted on the website of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.

Sobi arthritis drug cuts death risk; heart drugs may help prevent COVID-19 blood clots

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that have yet to be certified by peer review. Arthritis drug cuts death risk in high-risk patients

U.S. FDA may authorize COVID-19 vaccine for kids based on two months of safety data

U.S. heath regulators said children in clinical trials testing COVID-19 vaccines should be monitored for at least two months for side effects, suggesting that the agency is considering a quicker path to authorize the shot for emergency use than full approval. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it was looking to complete the data review as quickly as possible, likely in a matter of weeks rather than months.

COVID-19 vaccines hold strong against Delta, protection waning in older adults

Three U.S. studies suggest COVID-19 vaccines offer strong protection against hospitalization and death, even in the face of the highly transmissible Delta variant, but vaccine protection appears to be waning among older populations, especially among those 75 and older. U.S. data on hospitalization from nine states during the period when the Delta variant was dominant also suggests that the Moderna Inc vaccine was more effective at preventing hospitalizations among individuals of all ages than vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer Inc or Johnson & Johnson.

Analysis-Biden's vaccine mandate signals a White House done with persuasion

President Joe Biden and his aides have concluded something in recent weeks: The Mr. Nice Guy approach isn't working. By introducing vast new vaccine mandates he once opposed, Biden is fighting back against what the White House sees as the sabotage of their agenda by a petulant, politically motivated minority.

Poor countries say lack of vaccines may exclude them from climate talks

The world's poorest countries asked for more help on Friday to meet vaccination and quarantine requirements and costs to ensure they can take part in next month's global climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The talks aim to spur bigger commitments to start reducing manmade greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and keep the rise in the global average temperature since pre-industrial times to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

Biden vaccine mandates: Republicans angry, business groups muted

Republicans on Friday vowed to fight U.S. President Joe Biden's new vaccine mandate covering big companies and federal employees, but business groups that often agree with them on issues like taxes are not joining in. The mandate https://reut.rs/3niM2M3, which the White House says would cover 100 million U.S. workers and applies to about two-thirds of all U.S. employees, is being written in part by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

U.S. decision on Pfizer COVID-19 shot for kids age 5-11 could come in October -sources

Top U.S. health officials believe that Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine could be authorized for children aged 5-11 years old by the end of October, two sources familiar with the situation said on Friday. The timeline is based on the expectation that Pfizer, which developed the shot with Germany's BioNTech, will have enough data from clinical trials to seek emergency use authorization (EUA) for that age group from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) towards the end of this month, the sources said.

(With inputs from agencies.)