The Biden administration will end both the COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency on May 11, the White House informed Congress on Monday night.

The current public health emergency is in place through April, while the national emergency is in place until March. They began in 2020, soon after the onset of the pandemic.

“At present, the Administration’s plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11, and then end both emergencies on that date. This wind down would align with the Administration’s previous commitments to give at least 60 days’ notice prior to termination of the PHE,” the administration wrote in a letter to Congress.

Read more at ABC.

Covid-19 has become the eighth most common cause of death among children in the United States, according to a study published Monday.

Children are significantly less likely to die from Covid-19 than any other age group – less than 1% of all deaths since the start of the pandemic have been among those younger than 18, according to federal data. Covid-19 has been the third leading cause of death in the broader population.

But it’s rare for children to die for any reason, the researchers wrote, so the burden of Covid-19 is best understood in the context of other pediatric deaths.

Read more at CNN.

A committee of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously on a proposal to simplify the nation’s strategy for vaccinating people against COVID-19.

The recommendation is that future COVID-19 vaccines should be interchangeable: no matter whether you’re getting your first dose or a booster, the vaccines would all have the same formulation targeting the same viral strain or strains, regardless of the manufacturer. The vote was unanimous: 21-0.

In addition, the committee considered (but didn’t vote on) proposals to have an annual COVID vaccination schedule, much like the U.S. has for the flu. If this happens, most people would be advised to get just one shot every fall with a new vaccine that’s probably been re-jiggered to try to match whatever variant is predicted to be spreading each winter. This would mean Americans would no longer need to keep track of how many shots they’ve already gotten or when.

Read more at NPR.

The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t found an increased risk of stroke for seniors who’ve received Pfizer’s omicron booster shot, a federal health official said Thursday.

The FDA launched an extensive review of federal data after investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected a possible risk of stroke for seniors who received Pfizer’s booster.

The CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink, which monitors serious reactions to vaccines, showed a possible risk of stroke in late November. The FDA independently looked at data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and its Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

Rad more at CNBC.

Classmates often stop Alma Gallegos as she makes her way down the bustling hallways of Theodore Roosevelt High School in southeast Fresno, California. The 17-year-old senior is frequently asked by fellow students about COVID-19 testing, vaccine safety and the value of booster shots.

Alma earned her reputation as a trusted source of information through her internship as a junior community health worker. She was among 35 Fresno County students recently trained to discuss how COVID vaccines help prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death, and to encourage relatives, peers and community members to stay up to date on their shots, including boosters.

When Alma’s internship drew to a close in October, she and seven teammates assessed their work in a capstone project. The students took pride in being able to share facts about COVID vaccines. Separately, Alma persuaded her family to get vaccinated. She said her relatives, who primarily had received COVID information from Spanish-language news, didn’t believe the risks until a close family friend died.

Read more at U.S. News.

A mountain of data says they are safe and effective.

Two doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine among school-aged children safely and effectively reduces COVID-19 infection risk as well as associated risks for developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome and COVID-19 related hospitalizations, new data suggests.

This study adds evidence to existing studies and “supports the safety and efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5-11 years,” authors Dr. Jun Yasuhara of the Center for Cardiovascular Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Dr. Toshiki Kuno of the Division of Cardiology at Montefiore Medical Center told ABC News.

Read more at ABC.

Cancer rates have fallen by as much as 33% in the U.S. over the last three decades, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society. 

The report credited the decline in cancer cases to improvements in cancer treatment, early detection strategies and a drop-off in smoking. It highlighted one measure in particular that has been hugely effective in combating cervical cancer, especially—namely, the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine. 

It’s been long-known that HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can cause a range of cancers. Since becoming available in 2007, the HPV vaccine has been shown to provide almost 100% protection against several high-risk strains of HPV. Specifically, the report noted that cervical cancer is down about 65% in women in their 20s from 2012 to 2019—a testament to the efficacy of the HPV vaccine.

Read more at Northeastern Global News.

I keep getting into debates with people about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. I’m not talking about anti-vaxxers (though I’ve encountered plenty of them), but level-headed, rational people who genuinely have doubts.

Usually their doubts about vaccines come from dubious sources, but there’s so much misinformation out there, often coming from people with the letters M.D. or Ph.D. after their names, that I can understand why it’s confusing.

So let me engage in what is sometimes called “both-sides-ism” (a disparaging term, of course) and consider, briefly, the pluses and minuses of vaccines. While I’m at it, I’ll include some points specific to the Covid-19 vaccines.

Read more at Forbes.

A case of measles has been confirmed in Kentucky, according to state, although the specific location is unknown.

In a release from the Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness, the case is connected to an outbreak in Columbus, Ohio, where 85 children got sick. The outbreak in Columbus started in October.  

Currently, there are no confirmed cases in Jefferson County. 

Measles can be very dangerous to babies and children. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose or red and watery eyes. Children can also suffer complications from measles including pneumonia and encephalitis. 

Read more at WDRB.