Axios

The FDA is expected to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for use in children ages 12-15 next week, a major milestone on the path to getting more Americans vaccinated.

Axios Re:Cap digs into how vaccine trials for children are different, what’s ahead this summer and whether young kids may be eligible for vaccinations before next school year with long-time drug discovery researcher and author of the blog "In The Pipeline," Derek Lowe.

The White House on Tuesday warned states that unordered coronavirus vaccine supply will be made available to other states, Jeff Zients, Biden's COVID-19 response coordinator, told the Washington Post.

Why it matters: The shift in vaccine allocation — which comes after the administration reached its 100 million shots-in-arms milestone — would be the most significant shift in domestic distribution since Biden took office.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine generated $3.5 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2021, which was nearly a fourth of the company's $14.6 billion income during the period, the pharmaceutical giant reported in an earnings call Tuesday.

Why it matters: The vaccine was the biggest source of revenue for Pfizer — which, unlike some of its competitors — elected to collect the profit from sales of its vaccine, the New York Times notes.

Medical experts and pediatricians are worried about a new rash of mental health crises among transgender kids, due to the dozens of bills states have introduced to criminalize gender-affirming health care.

Why it matters: Tens of thousands of trans youth are at risk of losing health care from the proposed bills, the Williams Institute estimates.

The U.S. vaccination effort is preparing to lean on employers, houses of worship, community organizations and even home-based delivery in order to reach the people who haven't yet gotten vaccinated.

Why it matters: Shots will need to become much more easily accessible and trusted organizations will have to help overcome vaccine hesitancy in order to keep America's vaccination progress going as demand begins to wane.

India on Tuesday became the second country after the U.S. to report surpassing 20 million COVID-19 cases. The official death toll has surged past 220,000.

Of note: The country's official daily cases count has risen from 65,000 to roughly 370,000 and deaths from more than 300 a day to 3,000 since April 1, AP notes. Experts and local health workers say the actual numbers are much higher.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday unruly airline passenger incidents have soared this year, with airlines reporting some 1,300 cases since February, per Reuters.

Why it matters: The FAA usually deals with 100-150 reports of such behavior in any given year, NBC News notes. Passenger numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds by next week, The New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Opening up vaccine eligibility to young people and children will be crucial as the U.S. works to achieve herd immunity.

CVS and Walgreens, two pharmacy chains that have worked with the federal government to administer COVID-19 vaccines, wasted more doses than most states combined, per government data obtained by Kaiser Health News.

Why it matters: The wasted doses raise questions about the efficacy of the vaccine rollout, especially now as the U.S. starts sending extra doses to India and other COVID-stricken countries.

We seem to have arrived at a fork in the pandemic: Pockets of the rich world are beginning to move past COVID-19, while some less-fortunate countries are facing greater danger than ever.

Consider this: The World Health Organization said today that more cases had been recorded globally over the last two weeks than in the first six months of the pandemic, driven largely by an unprecedented surge in India and the ongoing onslaught in Brazil.

New York City will resume its 24-hour subway service on May 17, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday, along with fast-tracking the city's plans to fully reopen businesses.

The big picture: The return is a key part of the tri-state area's efforts to increase economic activity and bring back crowds.

Maryland will offer a $100 incentive to any state employee who gets vaccinated for COVID-19, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Monday.

Why it matters: The incentive comes as vaccine demand is hitting a wall well before the U.S. has reached herd immunity. State employees in Maryland who have already been vaccinated will also get a retroactive $100 payment.

The number of global coronavirus cases reported in the last two weeks eclipses the first six months of the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday.

Why it matters: It underscores the severity of the current wave of infections in India, which surpassed 400,000 cases for the first time over the weekend, as well as a record-high number of deaths, per data from Johns Hopkins University.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Monday signed an executive order to end all local emergency orders relating to COVID-19, effectively halting enforcement of restrictions across the state, the Miami Herald reports.

Why it matters: DeSantis argued that continuing to mandate restrictions would undermine confidence in the vaccines, which he stressed are effective and have been administered to much of the state's elderly population.

Some public health experts and scientists now believe that the U.S. is unlikely to reach herd immunity, and that the coronavirus will instead become "a manageable threat" that circulates for years, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Many emerging viruses become part of the viral ecology. The number of hospitalizations and deaths that endemic COVID-19 causes could depend on several factors, including how often people are reinfected, vaccine effectiveness and adoption, and virus mutations.

More than 1 billion adults around the world said in 2020 that they wouldn't agree to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, per new Gallup polling released Monday.

Why it matters: Only slightly more than two-thirds — 68% — of adults worldwide said they would agree to be vaccinated if a shot was available to them at no cost.

CVS Health launched a new $100 million venture fund called CVS Health Ventures with plans to invest in digital health startups.

Why it matters: With nearly 10,000 retail locations around the U.S. and its Aetna subsidiary serving more than 22 million members, any investment by CVS Health has some serious potential for scale.

The European Commission on Monday proposed easing restrictions on non-essential travel for visitors who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Why it matters: The recommendation could be adopted by the European Union's 27 member states as early as May 5, paving the way for the return of summer travel to one of the world's most popular tourism destinations.

Pfizer will begin distributing smaller packages of COVID-19 vaccine to states by the end of May to reduce potential waste.

Why it matters: As public demand for vaccine teeters, health officials see smaller clinical settings as the next step in vaccinating Americans who haven’t sought out a shot already.

Around 10% of Americans aren't very eager to get the vaccine, but they're not really hesitant either — they're just waiting to get it until they get around to it, according to new Harris polling.

Why it matters: Making vaccination more convenient will be a big part of the difficult process of getting more shots in arms, now that many of the most eager Americans have gotten their shots.

Rome's ancient Colosseum will have a floor with a gladiator's view once again in a construction project costing 18.5 million euros ($22 million), per a statement from Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini Sunday.

Details: Archaeologists removed the last floor in the 19th century to examine the "labyrinth of rooms and corridors" that lay beneath the arena, Al Jazeera notes. The new floor will be sustainable and can be removed if required, per Franceschini's statement.

Argentina surpassed 3 million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic's start Sunday amid reports of hospitals operating at capacity.

The big picture: Argentina's government last week imposed new restrictions following new national records for cases and deaths in April. Argentine health workers told Reuters hospitals are "full" and the "stalled" vaccine rollout needed to be stepped up to curb the spread. "The health system does not support one more patient," one health worker said.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost an election in the key state of West Bengal on Sunday.

Why it matters: Modi has been criticized for his handling of the pandemic amid a widespread oxygen shortage, record daily cases and a surging death toll, with accusations that the real numbers are much higher.