The Biden administration’s announcement about the need for vaccine booster shots has been met with skepticism in the public health and scientific communities. “I think there’s this tidal wave building that’s based on anxiety, and I don’t think it’s based on scientific evidence that a booster is needed,” said Anna Durbin, a vaccine researcher at Johns Hopkins University. (STAT News)
Groups distributing vaccines across the globe have fallen behind in their efforts to stem the tide of COVID-19 infection. While COVAX has sent around 207 million doses to 138 countries and territories, nearly 420 million doses have been distributed in the U.S. alone. (AP)
CSL Behring’s Seqirus arm will create a new unit centered around its mRNA influenza vaccine work, the company announced on Thursday. While the company has only accumulated preclinical data so far, it believes that it will be able to commence human trials in the middle of 2022. (Endpoints News)
The top public health official in Mississippi, Thomas Dobbs, said that the state is experiencing “the worst part of the pandemic” and has few available ICU beds. Mississippi has the second-lowest vaccination rate in the U.S. (The Washington Post)
Toyota, Volkswagen and other car makers continue to experience a semiconductor chip shortage that is hobbling production. The current shortfall comes as COVID-19 cases have surged in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and other Asian countries that house auto factories and chip plants. (Reuters)
