CDC says just 2% of Americans received new COVID vaccine. Pfizer undergoes $3.5 billion in cost-cutting measures as sales for COVID-19 products plummet.



Only 2% of Americans have gotten the updated COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The updated COVID vaccine created to provide more protection against current coronavirus variants circulating was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 11, 2023.

"The approval of Comirnaty (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) (2023-2024 Formula) was granted to BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH. The EUA amendment for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (2023-2024 Formula) was issued to Pfizer Inc," the FDA stated. "The approval of Spikevax (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) (2023-2024 Formula) was granted to ModernaTX Inc. and the EUA amendment for the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (2023-2024 Formula) was issued to ModernaTX Inc."

The next day, the CDC recommended that every U.S. citizen over the age of six months get the updated COVID vaccine manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.

President Joe Biden added the same day, "I encourage all Americans to stay up-to-date on their vaccines."

The CDC urged, "If you have not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past 2 months, get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself this fall and winter."

Despite the push by the government to get the new shots in the arms of Americans, just about 2% of U.S. citizens have opted to get the new booster vaccine.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed that 7 million Americans received the latest updated COVID vaccine – roughly 2% of the United States population.

CNN reported, "In comparison, when last year’s bivalent COVID-19 booster was available, more than 18 million people had received a dose by October 12, 2022, about six weeks after the CDC signed off on it, according to CDC data. By May, about 56.5 million people had received that booster, representing about 17% of the U.S. population."

The vaccination rates for the booster shots are severely lagging compared to previous iterations of the mRNA vaccine aimed at targeting COVID.

According to CDC data, over 92% of U.S. adults received the first COVID vaccine that rolled out in December 2020. Those who got the second mRNA vaccine dropped to 79%, and a mere 20% of Americans received the bivalent COVID booster.

An HHS spokesperson said, "COVID-19 vaccine distribution, which has shifted to the private market, is a lot different than it was last year when the government was distributing them. The Biden-Harris Administration, through HHS, has been working directly with manufacturers and distributors to ensure that the vaccines are getting to pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, pediatricians, and other vaccination sites, including long-term care facilities."

Despite the switch to private distribution, the HHS boasted that pharmacies and other locations have already received nearly 14 million vaccines, and that "91% of Americans 12 years and older can access the vaccine within 5 miles of where they live."

Most Americans can receive a free COVID-19 vaccine through health insurance, local health centers, and pharmacies participating in the CDC's Bridge Access Program.

On Friday, Pfizer announced that the pharmaceutical behemoth would have to cut $3.5 billion in costs due to rapidly deteriorating profits from COVID-19 products.

"Pfizer also announced that it now anticipates full-year 2023 revenues to be in the range of $58.0 to $61.0 billion, versus its previous guidance range of $67.0 to $70.0 billion solely due to its COVID products," the statement read. "Full-year 2023 revenues for Paxlovid and Comirnaty are expected to be approximately $12.5 billion, a decline of $9.0 billion versus original expectations."

Pfizer revealed that has already launched a "multi-year, enterprise-wide cost realignment program that will realign its costs with its longer-term revenue expectations." Pfizer said the cost-cutting measures will save the pharmaceutical company at least $3.5 billion – $1 billion in 2023 and $2.5 billion in 2024.

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Feds consider ending airline mask mandate this month; flight attendants union wants masks to stay, doesn't care that CDC guidance changed



Federal requirements that travelers wear masks on airplanes will be renewed if the unions have anything to say about it.

While many COVID-19 pandemic mask mandates around the country are coming down following the latest guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal requirement for masks on planes and other forms of public transportation have remained in effect. That could change in two weeks, when the Transportation Security Administration's mask mandate is set to expire on March 18.

But the largest flight attendants union in the U.S. opposes letting the mandate expire.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents more than 50,000 flight attendants at airlines including United, Alaska, Hawaiian, Spirit, and Frontier, has called for the masking requirements to be extended once again, regardless of the CDC's new recommendations.

"The conditions in aviation are the same," the union told USA Today in a statement after the CDC released its updated guidelines. "Our youngest passengers do not yet have access to the vaccine. The airplane is a unique, but controlled environment for everyone's safety. The layered approach to safety and security includes masks. Aviation is a world-wide network that harmonizes safety procedures around the world. It’s also critical that we maintain passenger confidence in the safety of air travel."

The TSA put masking requirements into place in January 2021, following an executive order from President Joe Biden. Prior to that, U.S. airlines had asked passengers to wear masks since May 2020, in accordance with recommendations from the CDC.

Nearly two years later, the state of the country is very different. COVID-19 vaccines are widely available and free for those who want protection from severe illness or death, and 75% of U.S. adults have been fully vaccinated. Cases have plummeted since the winter surge of the Omicron variant, which although highly contagious, was less severe than other strains of the virus.

Even before the CDC adjusted its masking guidance on Feb. 25 to reflect this reality, states with some of the toughest pandemic restrictions in the country began ending mask mandates. The CDC still recommends that people wear face masks indoors in parts of the country with high virus transmission, but only 37% of counties in the nation meet that measure.

However, the updated guidance on masking did not change air and rail travel requirements, including the requirements to wear a mask on public transportation, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday during a press briefing.

TSA officials have indicated that the masking requirements are under review, in consultation from the CDC. The decision on whether they will remain in place will come March 18, when they are set to expire.

Previously, the mask mandate has been extended three times, often at the behest of the airline industry as well as unions representing flight attendants. It remains to be seen whether the unions or science will prevail in two weeks.

Dr. Leana Wen says 'cloth masks are little more than facial decorations'; demands all from children up wear surgical masks



Dr. Leana Wen, who has previously served as the president of Planned Parenthood, describes cloth face masks as "little more than facial decorations" and says the U.S. should require people to sport surgical masks in crowded indoor areas.

"Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations and should not be considered an acceptable form of face covering. The US should require (& distribute) medical-grade surgical masks to be worn in crowded indoor spaces," she tweeted.

"My point isn’t that we don’t need masks, but rather that we should require masks that are most effective to prevent disease transmission. Everyone, including children, should be wearing at least a 3-ply surgical mask when indoors & around others of unknown vaccination status," she said in another tweet.

Mask mandates have proliferated in connection with COVID-19, but while Wen describes cloth masks as unsuitable, many people have been wearing them throughout the pandemic.

Wen says more cities should issue mandates requiring people to furnish proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to enter certain places.

"If anyone should have their activities limited, it’s the unvaccinated," Wen wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece. "More cities should follow Los Angeles, Seattle and New York in requiring proof of vaccination to go to restaurants, concert venues and gyms. A federal vaccination mandate for plane and train travel would also incentivize vaccination and reduce the spread of future variants."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 65.4% of the U.S. population consisting of people ages 5 and older has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 77.4% of that demographic has received at least one dose.

Many people who are fully vaccinated have still contracted COVID-19, including people who have also received a booster.

"COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing infection, serious illness, and death. Most people who get COVID-19 are unvaccinated. However, since vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection, some people who are fully vaccinated will still get COVID-19," according to the CDC.

Fauci describes the word 'mandates' as 'radioactive,' but says people seem to react better to 'requirements'



During an interview on CNBC, chief medical advisor to the president Dr. Anthony Fauci described the term "mandates" as "a radioactive word," but noted, "requirements, people seem to respond better to that."

The public health figure said that "we're never gonna get outta this outbreak if we still have 50 million people who for reasons that are still very, very difficult to understand, refuse to get vaccinated when you have a virus that's killed 800,000 Americans ... So if people still do not wanna get vaccinated sometimes you have to, for the common good, make requirements."

"Mandates-that's a radioactive word. Requirements people seem to respond better to that. They work," says Dr. Fauci. "We are never going to get out of this outbreak if we still have 50 million people who for reasons that are very difficult to understand refuse to get vaccinated."pic.twitter.com/4378v2pzNe
— Squawk Box (@Squawk Box) 1639742770

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 65.2% of the U.S. population consisting of people ages 5 and above has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 77.1% of that demographic has received at least one dose.

While the current definition of full vaccination involves receiving two shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Fauci says that people should get a booster in order to achieve the best protection.

"But there's no doubt that optimum vaccination is with a booster. I mean there is no doubt about that. Whether or not the CDC is gonna change that, it certainly is on the table and open for discussion. I'm not sure exactly when that will happen," he said.

"There is no doubt that if you want to be optimally protected you should get your booster," says Dr. Anthony Fauci on what is considered as "fully vaccinated." "Whether or not the CDC is going to change that--it is certainly on the table and open for discussion."pic.twitter.com/yqRrRMnYN0
— Squawk Box (@Squawk Box) 1639740493

The CDC on Thursday endorsed the recommendation of an advisory panel that had voted unanimously to recommend mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as the "preferred" option compared to the Janssen vaccine.

"Today, CDC is endorsing updated recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the prevention of COVID-19, expressing a clinical preference for individuals to receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine over Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine," the CDC noted on Thursday.

Fauci, who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for more than three decades, has been a prominent and polarizing figure throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

During an interview on MSNBC earlier this month, Fauci said that while it would be preferable for people to get vaccinated voluntarily, if they are not willing to do so, "sometimes you've gotta do things that are unpopular but that clearly supersede individual choices and are directed predominantly at the communal good."

Vaccine mandates imposed by governments and by private sector businesses have proven to be highly controversial throughout the pandemic, with some Americans decrying them as infringements on individual liberty.

CDC endorses advisory panel's recommendation expressing preference for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines over the Johnson & Johnson vaccine



An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention voted unanimously on Thursday to recommend mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as the "preferred" options compared to the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, and the CDC has endorsed the panel's assessment.

Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine has been linked to blood clots in some people.

The government has verified the clotting issue in 37 women and 17 men, and of nine people who have died, two were men, Dr. Isaac See of the CDC said, according to the Associated Press, which also reported that See noted that two more deaths are also suspected. NBC News reported that See told the committee that through late August, 54 cases of the problem were found following vaccination with the J&J vaccine.

The CDC reports that more than 16 million people have been fully vaccinated in the U.S. with the Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine, while more than 17 million doses have been administered.

While full vaccination with the J&J vaccine involves just one shot, full vaccination for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines involves receiving two shots.

The CDC has endorsed the recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

"ACIP’s unanimous recommendation followed a robust discussion of the latest evidence on vaccine effectiveness, vaccine safety and rare adverse events, and consideration of the U.S. vaccine supply. The U.S. supply of mRNA vaccines is abundant – with nearly 100 million doses in the field for immediate use," the CDC said.

"Given the current state of the pandemic both here and around the world, the ACIP reaffirmed that receiving any vaccine is better than being unvaccinated. Individuals who are unable or unwilling to receive an mRNA vaccine will continue to have access to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine," the agency noted.

Rep. Eric Swalwell predicts that 'we can go from 60% Americans vaxxed to 80% if we require vaccines to fly'



Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California posted a tweet predicting that the percentage of vaccinated Americans would jump from 60% to 80% if vaccination was required for air travel.

"Prediction: we can go from 60% Americans vaxxed to 80% if we require vaccines to fly," Swalwell tweeted.

Some on social media approved of the idea of requiring vaccination to fly, but others decried the notion.

"Many, like my family, just simply will not fly until they make vaccines mandatory. #VaccinePassports" someone tweeted in response to the congressman's post.

"It should have been mandated months ago," someone else declared.

"Totalitarian much?" another tweet said in response to Swalwell.

"Prediction: restricting freedom of movement and travel leads to unchecked authoritarianism," someone wrote.

Prediction: restricting freedom of movement and travel leads to unchecked authoritarianism.https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/1470033755976998914\u00a0\u2026
— heidibriones.eth (@heidibriones.eth) 1639417260

"Vaccinated fliers will still catch & spread the virus," another tweet declared.

"Why would we mandate medical interventions that do not stop infection and do not stop spread?" someone else queried.

There is currently no COVID-19 vaccination mandate for domestic air travelers in the U.S.

While American citizens flying to the U.S. from abroad do not face a vaccine mandate, some noncitizens flying into America do face such a requirement.

"You must be fully vaccinated to travel to the United States by plane if you are a non-U.S. citizen, non-U.S. immigrant (not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or traveling to the United States on an immigrant visa). Only limited exceptions apply," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC reports that 60.8% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. According to the agency, 64.7% of the population consisting of individuals ages 5 and above has been fully vaccinated, while 76.5% of that demographic has received at least one dose.

US expands Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster eligibility to include 16- and 17-year-olds



The U.S. has given the green light for 16- and 17-year-olds to get a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the emergency use authorization for the vaccine to allow a booster shot for 16- and 17-year-olds at least six months after they finish their primary vaccination series.

"The FDA has determined that the benefits of a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or Comirnaty outweigh the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis in individuals 16 and 17 years of age to provide continued protection against COVID-19 and the associated serious consequences that can occur including hospitalization and death," the agency noted in its news release.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is urging individuals in that age range to get a booster dose.

"Today, CDC is strengthening its booster recommendations and encouraging everyone 16 and older to receive a booster shot," Walensky said in a statement.

"Although we don’t have all the answers on the Omicron variant, initial data suggests that COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen the protection against Omicron and other variants. We know that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and I strongly encourage adolescents ages 16 and 17 to get their booster if they are at least 6 months post their initial Pfizer vaccination series," Walensky said.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said that he expects the definition of full vaccination to eventually be expanded to include a booster.

"It's gonna be a matter of when, not if," the definition changes, Fauci said during an interview on CNN.

Full vaccination currently involves receiving two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

While 71.8% of the U.S. population consisting of individuals ages 18 and above has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, only 26.9% has received a booster, according to the CDC.

'It's gonna be a matter of when, not if': Fauci expects the definition of 'fully vaccinated' to change



Dr. Anthony Fauci anticipates that the definition of being "fully vaccinated" against COVID-19 will eventually change.

"It's gonna be a matter of when, not if," the definition changes, Fauci said during an interview on CNN.

Hear Dr. Fauci react to encouraging news from Pfizer youtu.be

The current definition of full vaccination involves receiving two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, two doses of the Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

"But when you're talking about optimal protection, there's no doubt now from the data we have, that to be optimally protected you have to get a third shot of an mRNA and a second shot of a J&J," Fauci said during an interview with MSNBC.

"The discussion of whether or not the definition of fully vaccinated should include that third shot boost is certainly ongoing and it is certainly on the table. I would not be surprised at all if within a reasonable period of time that changes. But right now, we're sticking with the original definition of fully vaccinated," he said.

During an interview with Frances Stead Sellers of the Washington Post, Fauci said that he does not expect the definition of full vaccination to be changed "in the immediate future." He added, "that from a personal standpoint, optimal protection is with a booster."

While 71.8% of the U.S. population consisting of individuals 18 and older has been fully vaccinated against COIVD-19 (as per the current definition), only 26.3% of that population demographic has received a booster, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fauci, who serves as the chief medical advisor to President Biden, has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for well over three decades.

Many Americans have taken issue with vaccination mandates during the pandemic, decrying such requirements as infringements upon individual liberty.

But Fauci has said that while it would be preferable for people to get vaccinated voluntarily, if they are not willing to do so, "sometimes you've gotta do things that are unpopular but that clearly supersede individual choices and are directed predominantly at the communal good."

Fauci On Pfizer's Vaccine Data On Omicron youtu.be

Actor Rainn Wilson says the unvaccinated 'seem to be the angriest' that government has not ended the COVID-19 pandemic



Actor Rainn Wilson, who played the character of Dwight Schrute on the popular TV program "The Office," has faced pushback from some on social media after saying that those who have not been vaccinated seem to be the most angry that the government has not put a stop to COVID-19.

"People who refuse to get vaccinated seem to be the angriest that the government hasn’t 'fixed' or 'stopped' the virus by now. Please explain," Wilson tweeted on Friday.

Some of the people responding to Wilson said that they take issue with government mandates.

"This... isn't just untrue, it's (purposefully?) misrepresents the argument coming from folks," radio host Jason Rantz tweeted. "To 99% of the people pushing back, this is about MANDATES and nothing more. The same is true for the demonstrations in Europe."

This... isn't just untrue, it's (purposefully?) misrepresents the argument coming from folks. To 99% of the people pushing back, this is about MANDATES and nothing more. The same is true for the demonstrations in Europe.https://twitter.com/rainnwilson/status/1466877380518039557\u00a0\u2026
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio) 1638811495

"Wrong. We’re pissed about government overreach, Champ," another person tweeted.

"I'm not angry at the government because it hasn't stopped Covid," another response said. "The government cannot stop Covid & I don't expect them to. I'm pissed with the government for trampling people's rights for almost 2 years."

"Just want to live my life normally. Nothing is going to fix a virus. We just have to learn to live with it. If you’re vaxxed, fine. If you’re not vaxxed, fine," someone else wrote.

"I just want the government to leave me and my family alone," another person noted.

"It's actually the vaxxed that are the angriest. The non-vaxxed just want to be left alone," another tweet said.

Another person tweeted that, "the only angry ones are vaxxed screaming that the unvaxxed should be removed from the civil society."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 63.8% of the U.S. population consisting of people ages 5 and above has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 75.6% of that demographic has received at least one dose.

the only angry ones are vaxxed screaming that the unvaxxed should be removed from the civil societyhttps://twitter.com/rainnwilson/status/1466877380518039557\u00a0\u2026
— Bill (@Bill) 1638631212

'Nothing is off the table': Psaki does not rule out potential for vaccine or testing mandate for domestic air travel



White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a press briefing on Thursday that a vaccine or testing mandate for domestic air travelers remains on the table as a possible move to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Responding to a questioner who mentioned the idea of requiring either vaccination or a negative test for domestic air travel, Psaki said that "nothing is off the table ... including domestic travel."

She said that "we base our decisions on the advice of the health and medical experts, what's going to be most effective and ... what is most implementable. So we look at a range of factors as we make decisions about what steps we can put in place."

Jen Psaki holds White House press briefing youtu.be

The administration is extending a mandate that requires most people to wear face masks in various transit-related locations such as in airports, and aboard airplanes, trains, and buses. "The Transportation Security Administration will extend its implementing orders to maintain these requirements through March 18," the White House states.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 63.4% of the U.S. population, consisting of individuals ages 5-years-old and above, has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 75% of that demographic has received at least one dose.

Concerns have been sparked by a new COVID-19 variant known as Omicron.

A confirmed COVID-19 case caused by that variant was detected in a person in California who had recently been to South Africa, according to the CDC. That person "had mild symptoms that are improving," the CDC noted.

A Minnesota resident who had attended a convention in New York City contracted COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant but has recovered, the CDC has also reported.