The U.S’s drug regulator, the FDA, voted on two proposals today involving COVID-19 boosters. 💉 The FDA panel unanimously recommended Pfizer’s third dose for Americans 65 and older. The FDA also recommended boosters for people with high risk of contracting severe cases.
However, the FDA ultimately rejected boosters for the broader population (Americans ages 16-65), squashing Joe Biden’s desire for a vaccine booster campaign. Biden has underscored the importance of a third shot, hoping to mitigate a more-severe resurgence of COVID in the Winter. A recent study shows that roughly 0.2% of Americans have died from COVID, with many more affected by side-effects.
$PFE stock fell 1.3% today. $MRNA stock dropped in sympathy, -2.41%. 👎 Other vaccine makers like Novavax, which has yet to release its own COVID-19 vaccine, rose 11 basis points before falling after hours.
The 7-day average number of U.S. COVID-19 cases as of Sept. 16 was 150,336. Now, the U.S. has as many cases as it did in November 2020. Those numbers lowered after the vaccine became widely distributed and last Winter came to a close. However, cases are back the rise since June 2021, elevated in-part by the more-dangerous Delta variant.
Delta has had a meaningful impact on the economy, mostly through supply chain woes and prompting higher prices on products. The virus is causing America (and other countries) to leave money on the table. The CDC is now imminently concerned about a new variant, the Mu variant.