Corona Calls for 06.02.2025 – Moderna, restricted

KPFA - Corona Calls

DIscussed in this episode:

• On Friday, the Kennedy Food and Drug Administration approved a new Moderna COVID vaccine that targets a smaller section of the COVID-19 spike protein than previous vaccines, but also restricted its use.
• What’s new:
  • Moderna’s trials showed a higher antibody response than for previous COVID vaccines, and fewer side effects.
    The new vaccine uses only 1/5 the dose of the previous Moderna vaccine; that means the same manufacturing capacity can get vaccines to more people, faster.
  • The new vaccine can can be stored for up to 90 days at regular refrigerator temperatures (previous MRNA vaccines required storage at super-cold temperatures, which complicated their distribution).
  • RFK Jr’s FDA took the unusual step of limiting its approval to ue of the vaccine in people 65 and older, and people 12 and older who have unspecified underlying medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID. (Normally, the CDC would issue guidance on who should get vaccinnated).
  • Separately, Kennedy announced he had personally ended the CDC’s guidance that children and pregnant people get the COVID vaccine, a move that could have ended insurance coverage for childhood COVID vaccination. After public backlash, his CDC kept COVID vaccination on the childhood vaccination schedule, but in a “shared decision making” status that requires consultation with a medical provider.

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Podcast music credit: Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

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