Moderna says its jab protects 12-yr-olds

WASHINGTON/LONDON: Moderna said on Tuesday that its Covid-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, a step that could put the shot on track to become the second option for that age group in the US.

Earlier this month, the US and Canada authorised another Covid-19 vaccine, the shot made by Pfizer and BioNTech, to be used starting with those aged 12.

Moderna aims to be next in line, saying it will submit its teen data to the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulators next month. The company said it studied over 3,700 12 to 17-year-olds. Preliminary findings showed the jab triggered the same signs of immune protection in kids as it does in adults.

US intelligence studying Wuhan infection reports

US intelligence agencies are examining reports that researchers at a Chinese virology laboratory were seriously ill in 2019 a month before the first infections of Covid-19 were reported, according to American government sources who cautioned that there is still no proof that the disease originated at the lab.

Hong Kong likely to trash millions of vaccine doses

Hong Kong may have to trash millions of Covid-19 vaccine doses because they are nearing expiry date and not enough people have signed up for vaccination, an official has warned. Distrust of the government and online misinformation has led to rising vaccine hesitancy and a slow inoculation drive.

The UK government has been accused of introducing local lockdowns by stealth after it introduced tighter curbs for eight areas in England that it says are hot spots for the coronavirus variant first found in India.