DECEMBER 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 51
COVID-19 ROUNDUP
LATEST PANDEMIC HEADLINES
NY OFFERS VACCINE
CONTESTS FOR YOUNG
KIDS TO WIN FREE
PUBLIC COLLEGE
Young New Yorkers getting their
Covid-19 shot can enter a statewide
competition for a full scholarship at a
public city or state college, including
tuition, fees, and room and board, Gov.
Kathy Hochul announced Nov. 9.
“There’s two great gift s you can give
your children: One is the gift of good
health, and that’s what they’ll get when
you get them vaccinated; and secondly,
the shot at getting this full-ride scholarship,”
Hochul said at a press conference
in Westchester County on Nov. 9.
The fi ve-week contest dubbed “Vaccinate,
Educate, Graduate,” is open for
kids aged 5-11, who are newly eligible
for the shot, to be among 50 winners
the state will select through Dec. 20,
Hochul said.
“So if one of your children wins this, you
should probably take them to Disney
World because that’ll be a very good
thing — you’ll have extra money now,
you don’t have to be saving for college,”
said the governor.
The off er includes schools under the
City University of New York (CUNY)
and State University of New York
(SUNY) systems and parents or legal
guardians can enter their 5- to 11-yearold
to win online at governor.ny.gov/
nysvaccineincentive.
-Kevin Duggan via amNew York Metro
REGENERON’S ANTIBODY
DRUG SHOWS PROTECTION
AGAINST COVID FOR UP TO
8 MONTHS
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc said
on Nov. 8 a single dose of its antibody
cocktail reduced the risk of contracting
Covid-19 by 81.6% in a late-stage trial, in
the two- to eight-month period following
the drug’s administration.
Shares of the company were up about
1.2% on the update as the data is expected
to support the ongoing regulatory
review to extend therapy’s use in preventing
Covid-19 in people who are not
exposed to the virus.
The antibody therapy, REGEN-COV,
is currently authorized in the United
States to treat people with mild to
moderate Covid-19 and for prevention
of infection in those exposed to infected
individuals, and others at high risk of
exposure in settings such as nursing
homes or prisons.
The extended authorization could help
boost sales of Regeneron’s antibody
cocktail, in the face of competition from
oral Covid-19 pills such as those being
developed by Pfi zer Inc and Merck & Co.
Data showed that Regeneron’s drug has
the potential to provide long-lasting
immunity from Covid-19 infection, said
Myron Cohen, who leads monoclonal
antibody eff orts for the U.S. National
Institutes of Health-sponsored Covid
Prevention Network, making it particularly
helpful for immunocompromised
people and those unresponsive to
vaccines.
-Reuters
PFIZER FILES FOR U.S.
AUTHORIZATION OF
COVID-19 PILL
Pfi zer Inc said on Nov. 16 it is seeking
U.S. authorization of its experimental
antiviral Covid-19 pill that cut the
chance of hospitalization or death for
adults at risk of severe disease by 89%
in a clinical trial.
Pfi zer said it completed submission
of its application for emergency use
authorization (EUA) of the drug, Paxlovid,
with the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, including data from
the drugmaker’s clinical trial.
The oral drug could be a promising
new weapon in the fight against the
pandemic, as it can be taken as an early
at-home treatment to help prevent
Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
It could also become an important tool
in countries and areas with limited
access to vaccines or low vaccination
rates.
It is not immediately clear when U.S.
regulators will rule on Pfi zer’s application.
Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback
Biotherapeutics, which are developing
a competing pill, molnupiravir, completed
their EUA submission on Oct. 11.
-Reuters
FDA AUTHORIZES PFIZER/
BIONTECH, MODERNA
COVID-19 BOOSTERS
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
on Nov. 19 authorized booster doses of
Covid-19 vaccines for all adults who
were vaccinated with the Pfi zer Inc
and partner BioNTech SE shot and the
Moderna Inc shot.
The regulator’s decision paves the
way for millions of Americans to get
additional protection and is aimed at
addressing waning protection among
fully vaccinated Americans in the face
of Delta variant-driven breakthrough
cases of the illness.
It authorized the Pfi zer/BioNTech or
Moderna booster for all adults who
had their second dose of the vaccine
six months prior.
“Streamlining the eligibility criteria and
making booster doses available to all
individuals 18 years of age and older
will also help to eliminate confusion
about who may receive a booster dose
and ensure booster doses are available
to all who may need one,” Peter Marks,
M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for
Biologics Evaluation and Research, said
in a statement.
-Reuters
PRESS HEALTH
A person walks past a Pfizer sign amid the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City, April 1, 2021. (Carlo Allegri/REUTERS)
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