Fully vaccinated people with breakthrough infections can spread the Delta variant to other people as much as unvaccinated people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The new report draws largely on an outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in which three-quarters of the people infected were vaccinated. (The New York Times)
Moderna has finalized a deal with biotech Autolus for exclusive rights to four mRNA-based immuno-oncology candidates. Autolus is best known for its “off-the-shelf” CAR-T therapies. (Endpoints News)
Booster shots may be needed for older and immunocompromised people by September, according to former FDA chief Dr. Scott Gottlieb. Gottlieb noted that the Biden administration has bought enough vaccines to provide booster shots to the entire U.S. population. (CNBC Weekly)
Critics expressed concern that the CDC’s limited ability to track breakthrough infections in vaccinated people is making it harder to curb Delta variant outbreaks. In May, the CDC stopped tracking breakthrough infections that didn’t lead to hospitalization or death. (Politico)
The COVID-19 pandemic will likely continue for much longer than originally expected. That reality is stirring anger and denial among Americans. (STAT)
