Pfizer is working on a "new version" of its coronavirus vaccine that will be easier to store at higher temperatures, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told Axios during a virtual event on Wednesday.
Why it matters: One of the hardest parts of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout was ensuring that vaccination centers, pharmacies, and doctor's offices would have the correct — and very cold — storage conditions.
"As you know, we are right now registered in mind of 70 degrees Celsius, but we could use it two weeks in in a normal freezer," adding that Pfizer already has some data suggesting the vaccine could last for a month in a normal refrigerator.
"That's a significant improvement because that provides tremendous flexibility" for health workers "handling this vaccine."
What they're saying: "But also we are right now working on a new version of this vaccine that will be ready-to-use vaccine, so you don't need to reconstitute it, you don't need to dilute it."
"And this vaccine can be stored up to six months in normal refrigeration."
Bourla added that he was "very confident" the achievement could be done "pretty soon."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday signed into law a bill that bans abortions as early as six weeks and before many people know they are pregnant, the Texas Tribune reports.
Why it matters: Senate Bill 8 lets almost anyone — including people with no connection to the person getting the abortion — sue abortion providers who look to perform the procedure after the time limit.
Almost 70% of LGBTQ youth polled in the annual mental health survey from the Trevor Project said they found more validation and community online than at home or school.
Why it matters: The survey, a snapshot taken during the dark pandemic winter, shows how LGBTQ adolescents relied on online spaces for support. That need can also be a double-edged sword, as an overwhelming majority said social media had both positive and negative impacts on their mental health.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told me for an Axios virtual event airing later today that many Americans are "misinterpreting" the CDC's new mask guidance, which lets vaccinated individuals forego masks indoors.
What he's saying: "I think people are misinterpreting, thinking that this is a removal of a mask mandate for everyone. It's not," Fauci told me. "It's an assurance to those who are vaccinated that they can feel safe, be they outdoors or indoors."
Allowing people to fly maskless on planes is a “complicated issue,” in part because the U.S. doesn’t have a vaccine passport system, NIAID director Anthony Fauci said at an Axios event that airs Wednesday.
Why it matters: Fauci said that in accordance with the new CDC guidelines, fully vaccinated people could “easily” fly without face masks, but the problem is determining who is vaccinated and not and the airlines "don't want to see spread."
The pandemic is driving more employers to offer benefits such as extra protection against major hospital bills and even pet insurance, according to the Emerging Trends in Health Care Survey from Willis Towers Watson.
Why it matters: In the wake of a year that brought plenty of worst-case scenarios, this analysis shows employers responding to employees' desire for security.
The European Union on Wednesday said it would allow vaccinated people to travel into its countries, easing restrictions that were placed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the Washington Post reports.
Details: Travelers would need to have taken vaccines approved for use in the EU, which would include all available in the U.S. and exclude those made in Russia and China.
Federally funded community health centers have now administered more than 10 million COVID-19 vaccines, the Biden administration is set to announce on Wednesday.
More than 60% of them went to racial and ethnic minorities.
Why it matters: Vaccine equity has been an ongoing concern since the shots first received emergency approval. This is one sign that efforts to reach racial and ethnic minorities are working.
Where you live, how educated you are, whether you have health insurance and whether you have access to the internet are all correlated with how likely you are to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Why it matters: None of these factors has anything to do directly with an individual's risk. Instead, this emphasizes, yet again, the powerful role played by social determinants of health.
India's health ministry reported 4,529 deaths from COVID-19 in a single day on Wednesday and another 267,122 new cases.
Why it matters: It's the most number of deaths from the coronavirus reported by a country in a 24-hour period since the pandemic began, per the Washington Post, citing Johns Hopkins data.
Governors are seeing their pandemic-related broad reach and executive powers wane as the public health emergency subsides and the necessity for restrictions and emergency action ends.
Why it matters: Governors took on outsize roles from Maine to California as much of the burden fell to the states. In some, their powers are about to revert to the norm. In others, their expanded reach is triggering a re-examination of whether they should have such authority in the future.
