Coronavirus Updates

The World Health Organization has issued a “strong recommendation” for the use of Pfizer’s Paxlovid anti-viral pill for COVID-19. Studies have shown that the treatment, a combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, reduces the number of high-risk patients being admitted to the hospital by 85%. WHO called on Pfizer to make the drug more readily available to low- and middle-income countries. In February, Pfizer said it expected sales of the Paxlovid to reach $22bn in 2022.

The United States will continue to require non-US citizens who cross into the United States through land or ferry terminals at the borders with Mexico and Canada to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made the announcement on Thursday following a consultation with federal health agencies, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is not known for how long the extension will last. The vaccination requirement does not apply to US citizens and residents. All travellers to the US still must present a negative antigen test taken no more than one day before the date of departure.

The United Arab Emirates will allow citizens who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus to travel overseas beginning on April 19. The unvaccinated travelers will be required to present a negative PCR test result from 48 hours before their departure and complete travel application forms, according to the UAE’s National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority. Unvaccinated individuals below 16 years old are exempted from presenting a negative PCR test result upon arrival, but must observe COVID-19 preventive measures.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended the country’s mask requirement for public transit and air travel for another 15 days, until May 3. The order had been set to expire on April 18. The CDC made the decision in order to further study the BA.2 omicron subvariant, which makes up most of the current COVID-19 cases in the US. The CDC had been planning to announce a more flexible masking plan.

Japan identified its first case of the coronavirus variant XE. a recombinant variant, or hybrid, of two strains of the omicron: BA.1 – the original omicron strain, and BA.2, the more infectious strain currently dominant in the US. It was brought into the country by a woman who arrived at a Tokyo-area airport from the United States at the end of last month.

Moderna has recalled 764,900 doses of its COVID-19 vaccine made by manufacturer Rovi after a vial was found contaminated by a foreign body. The lots were distributed in Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden in January. The contamination was found in one vial only, but Moderna said it was recalling the whole lot of doses out of “an abundance of caution.” Over 900 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have been administered worldwide since the start of the pandemic.

India will offer booster vaccines against COVID-19 for all adults whose second does was at least nine months ago; they will be free for ages 60 and over and to front-line workers beginning Sunday. The booster program started in January and was limited to front-line workers and the elderly. The number of cases of the virus has dropped in India in recent weeks.

Saudi Arabia announced that it would allow up to 1 million people to join the Haj pilgrimage this year, after it was restricted for the last two years due to the coronavirus. The pilgrims must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and participants from abroad must show a negative PCR test to enter the country. Prior to the pandemic, however, some 2.5 million pilgrims visited during the Hajj.

The speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has contracted the coronavirus, one of several US lawmakers to test positive for COVID-19 in recent days. Pelosi tested positive on Thursday but was asymptomatic. Her diagnosis came after she spent time near US President Joe Biden the day before. The president tested negative the following day. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo also tested positive for the virus last week, as have Congress members Adam Schiff, Katherine Clark, Joaquin Castro, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Derek Kilmer and Scott Peters.

Currently available vaccines against COVID-19 do not hold up well against the omicron subvariant known as BA.2, the US Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday. But booster shots do protect against serious COVID illness, according to the FDA. The announcements came as the FDA panel of outside experts met to discuss the efficacy of the currently available booster shots and what changes should be made for the future.