THE FOURTH DOSE DEBATE — Administration officials are preparing for the likelihood that older people will be advised to get a fourth coronavirus vaccine in a matter of weeks. While many people expect the recommendation is inevitable — particularly as other countries like the United Kingdom start on additional shots — timing and supply are looming questions. Some health officials, including top Food and Drug Administration vaccine regulator Peter Marks, have advocated expanding those who would be eligible for an additional booster shot by the first week of April, arguing that the vaccination campaign needs to start well ahead of the next surge, Adam Cancryn and Erin Banco reported Wednesday. Why the rush? Though cases in the U.S. are still dropping, the Biden administration has closely monitored recent Covid spikes in several European countries — where BA.2 is spreading — noting that prior surges there have preceded surges here. The subvariant, which is a more infectious version of Omicron, accounts for roughly 35 percent of all U.S. Covid cases so far, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows, though it is already the majority strain in New England. But another booster presents some problems. The U.S. has enough vaccine supply now for immunocompromised people to get a fourth dose and, if authorized, a wave of shots for seniors, White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said in a press briefing. “However, if the science shows that fourth doses are needed for the general population later this year, we will not have the supply necessary to ensure shots are available, free and easy to access for all Americans,” he added, citing Congress’ deadlock on new coronavirus funding. “People need to understand the difference between what's being looked at in the next few weeks for the immediate versus the longer range,” Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, said at the briefing, though he nodded toFDA’s vaccine advisory panel on April 6, when members will wrangle with these issues. Both Pfizer and Moderna have filed for adding a fourth dose but Pfizer has homed in on the elderly population while Moderna is gunning for another booster for each adult. At the heart of the debate is what limits we can expect from Covid-19 vaccines: Hospitalizations and deaths are down, but cases persist. A new variant surge could change that calculus. “The somewhat encouraging news is that despite the increase in cases, they are not seeing an increase in [intensive care unit] admissions,” Fauci told POLITICO about Europe’s surge data. MODERNA TO FILE COVID SHOT FOR YOUNGEST KIDS — Moderna announced Wednesday that its Covid-19 vaccine generated immunity protection for children 6 months to 6 years old comparable to young adults, Katherine reports. However, as the Omicron wave hit the U.S., real-world effectiveness was less robust: Kids 6 months to 2 years were 43.7 percent protected and kids 2 to 6 were 37.5 protected against any form of disease, though no children developed severe disease. Moderna has started submitting data to the Food and Drug Administration for broader authorization among children 6 to 12 years old, and plans to begin the process for 6 months to under 6 years old in the coming weeks. Dose dilemma: Moderna also said that it would be studying a booster dose in pediatric populations. Pfizer and BioNTech are also studying the effects of three doses of their vaccine for kids under 5, after the FDA postponed a vaccine advisory committee meeting that would discuss it. Some vaccine experts believe that Moderna’s pediatric vaccine will need the additional dose from the get-go. “There's a good likelihood this is gonna be a three-dose vaccine,” Peter Hotez, a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at the Baylor College of Medicine, told Katherine. … Or a sign of the times: “In the era of Omicron, this is actually quite comparable to the efficacy against infection in what we're seeing now with other vaccines,” Anthony Fauci told reporters at a White House press briefing on Wednesday. ADMIN PUSHES DEMS ON COVID FUNDING IMPASSE — Top Biden administration officials went to Capitol Hill Wednesday night to brief Democratic senators on the need to swiftly approve tens of billions of dollars for the continued Covid response that have been stalled for several weeks as key programs risk running out of money. Who was there: OMB Director Shalanda Young, outgoing White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. What they discussed: Senators and administration officials emerging from the meeting told Alice that no new ideas were discussed and that they merely reiterated the dire need to set aside more funding for vaccines, care for the uninsured, humanitarian aid abroad and more. Republicans, who were not part of the meeting, have demanded the $22.5 billion the White House is requesting be fully offset with cuts to other government spending. Asked what they were offering on that front, Becerra quipped: “I’m no longer a member of Congress. Offsets aren’t my lane.”
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