AstraZeneca vaccine on hold in Germany
The German government on Monday suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine over new reports of blood clots, even as a U.S. official said the vaccine could win U.S. approval next month.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told Reuters that data from the 30,000-person vaccine trial were being reviewed by independent U.S. monitors to determine whether the shot is safe and effective. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration could complete its reviews and issue an emergency use authorization next month if all goes well, he said.
Collins said European regulators have indicated the clotting problems most likely were by chance and not related to the vaccine. The German Health Ministry said the suspension was a “precaution” pending further investigation.
Several other European countries have temporarily halted use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in recent days to investigate cases of blood clots. AstraZeneca has said there is no cause for concern, that there were fewer reported cases of clotting in those who received the shot than in the general population.
The U.S. has over 29.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 535,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. More than 135.8 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 109 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
Texas restaurant owner faces threats
Support is rolling in for a San Antonio man whose Noodle Tree restaurant was vandalized with racist graffiti days after he spoke out against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to rescind a statewide mask mandate.
Mike Nguyen appeared on CNN last week, saying his stance was based on the safety of his staff, himself and the community. Since that interview, he said he has faced death threats on social media. On Sunday, he arrived at his restaurant to find “no mask,” “kung flu,” and “go back 2 China” scrawled in red paint on his storefront.
“The funny thing is, I’m not even Chinese, I’m half Vietnamese, half French,” Nguyen told kens5.com, adding that, “People are rooting for us to succeed and they are there for me, so I just can’t flop down and give up.”
12M shots given, Calif. increases eligibility
California has opened vaccine eligibility to people with certain high-risk medical conditions or disabilities. An estimated 4.4 million meet the state criteria, which includes more essential workers, people who work or live in jails, homeless shelters and those with disabilities and health conditions.
San Francisco will allow people with HIV to get vaccinated, along with people who identify as deaf or disabled. The city is going beyond the state’s eligibility rules to cover developmental, medical, physical, sensory or behavioral health disabilities, including severe mental health or substance use disorders, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Duke University locks down
Duke undergraduate students have been ordered to stay-in-place until 9 a.m. Sunday as the school struggles to contain an outbreak “principally driven by students attending recruitment parties for selective living groups,” the school said. More than 180 students have been placed in isolation after testing positive in the last week; an additional 200 students are being quarantined as a result of contact tracing.