A New Fund for Global Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness (Pandemic Action Network) Advocates call for a dedicated new Fund for Global Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness, which can help fill existing critical funding gaps. In this new issue brief, they explain what a new fund should do, why the world needs it, and how it can augment and bolster the existing global health ecosystem.

FDA sets tentative June dates for meeting on young kids’ vaccine The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday released tentative June dates for its advisory committee to meet to discuss authorizing COVID-19 vaccines for young children, offering a rough timel… psullivan The Hill

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The agency said it is setting aside June 8, 21 and 22 for meetings of its advisory committee for vaccines for children under 5 and will provide more details once applications from Pfizer and Moderna are complete.  

What doctors wish patients knew about the BA.2 Omicron subvariant

With the rolling back of mask requirements and physical distancing, many people have been on a search for a new normal. But there is still reason to be cautious. The highly transmissible and contagious BA.2 Omicron subvariant—dubbed “stealth” Omicron—is now the dominant strain in the United States, causing more than 85% of all COVID-19 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This has led to more questions.

Based on the CDC’s genomic surveillance, the BA.2 or stealth Omicron subvariant is responsible for most new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the U.S. BA.2 is a subvariant of the original SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), along with BA.1.1 and BA.3.