Amid another COVID-19 surge, JN.1, an omicron subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, comprises nearly half of the nation’s COVID-19 cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges Americans to receive their the updated 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccine as vaccination rates remains low not only for COVID-19 but also for other respiratory diseases.
COVAX Comes to an End
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Dec. 19 that COVAX, an initiative for equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, would end operations on Dec. 31, 2023, as COVID-19 vaccinations shift to regular immunization.
Led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; UNICEF; and WHO, COVAX delivered nearly 2 billion doses of vaccines to 146 economies and averted an estimated 2.7 million deaths since its launch in 2020.
CDC: No Link between Antivirals, Infection Rebound Risk
In a Dec. 22 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC reported no consistent link between COVID-19 oral antiviral treatment and a reduced risk of infection rebound.
However, the agency noted that rebound risk could be related to many factors, including immunosuppression, delayed viral clearance, and overall immune response, and added that possible rebounds should not deter providers from prescribing potentially lifesaving antiviral treatments.
Visit the America’s Essential Hospitals coronavirus resource page for more information about the pandemic.
Contact Senior Director of Policy Erin O’Malley at eomalley@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
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