As new Omicron subvariants fan out across the globe, a few more countries are reporting rising cases, including Portugal and India.
In US developments, Pfizer and BioNTech yesterday said they submitted an emergency use authorization (EUA) application for use of a smaller dose of their vaccine in children ages 6 months through 4 years old—a welcome development for parents, especially against the backdrop of steadily rising cases.
Cases up in multiple world regions
Portugal is reporting a fresh spike in COVID-19 activity, with a 7-day average of daily cases at 2,447, according Reuters, which said the level has reached just over one third of its Omicron variant peak in January.
Public health officials in Portugal said the BA.5 Omicron subvariant has been detected in 90% of sequenced samples from newly infected patients, a level thought to be the highest among European nations. The BA.4 subvariant has also been detected in Portugal. Both were first identified in South Africa, which recently had a modest fifth wave, but it's not clear where the two subvariants originated.
Meanwhile, India's case increase is mainly led by a surge in Mumbai, according to Reuters. The nation's cases are at their highest levels in a month. A government official said the wave is mild and involves Omicron variants, though it's not clear which subvariants are involved. So far, hospitalizations aren't rising in Mumbai.
Elsewhere, cases are rising in most parts of the Americas, except for the Caribbean region and the Atlantic islands, officials from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said yesterday at a briefing. Overall cases in the region were up 10.4% last week compared to the previous week, with deaths up 14%. South America's cases rose 43.1%.
Countries in the Americas are also battling other respiratory viruses, including influenza, PAHO said, with levels higher than expected in Mexico and Peru and flu hospitalizations up in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.
Pandemic impact, hybrid immunity
In other global COVID developments:
- The COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress toward universal energy access, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in a report. It said lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, and fiscal resource diversions affected the pace of progress toward a 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring that all people have access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy.
- A recent WHO analysis in Lancet Global Health projects that COVID-19 deaths in Africa will fall 94% this year compared with 2021 owing to vaccination, improved pandemic response, and immunity from earlier infections. Officials from the WHO African regional office spotlighted the report today in a briefing, noting that cases are estimated to drop by a little over 25%.
- The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization yesterday posted an interim assessment of hybrid SARS-CoV-2 immunity and population seroprevalence, part of an effort to help countries navigate their latest vaccination strategies. SAGE members said hybrid immunity from vaccination and infection appears to improve protection, compared to immunity from infection alone, and that high vaccine coverage is important, especially in high-risk groups.
Pfizer filing sets scene for FDA consideration
Pfizer and BioNTech said yesterday that they have finished submitting an application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use their COVID-19 vaccine in kids ages 6 months through 4 years old, according to the Washington Post.
The developments sets the scene for FDA vaccine advisers to consider the application on Jun 15, when they will also consider an EUA for the Moderna vaccine in kids ages 6 months through 5 years old.
Pfizer's EUA submission comes in the wake of findings about 2 weeks ago that found strong efficacy and good tolerability for a three-dose regimen of a child-sized dose in young children. In February, the companies abruptly delayed the EUA application for the vaccine in youngsters after a two-dose regimen showed underwhelming immune response in kids ages 2 and older, suggesting that three doses would be better.
Yesterday, the United States reported 198,403 new COVID-19 cases, along with 384 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins tracker. The nation's cases have been rising slowly but steadily since late April, partly due to a more transmissible BA.2.12.1 subvariant, which was first detected in New York.
