"Stanford scientists have recently confirmed California’s first known infection of a highly transmissible COVID-19 variant, known as NB.1.8.1. Detected in the state as early as April 17, its symptoms do not appear to be any more severe than earlier strains so far, and because NB.1.8.1 is an Omicron variant, the latest vaccines should provide some immunity.
"But NB.1.8.1 is more infectious: The strain has been spreading throughout Asia and Europe, and is responsible for the latest surge of infections in China. In addition to California, it has been reported in international visitors traveling through airports in Washington, New York and Virginia. Separate from airport travelers, the variant has also been reported in Ohio, Rhode Island and Hawaii.
"Amid news of this latest strain, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it will limit COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to people ages 65 and older, and people who are at high risk for severe infections. In an article published last week in The New England Journal of Medicine, FDA officials said that “the benefit of repeat dosing — particularly among low-risk persons … is uncertain.”
"Historically the vaccine has been available to almost all people ages 6 months and older, and the new policy means that the FDA is no longer recommending the vaccine to healthy children and pregnant women. The FDA is led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has had a history of spreading widely debunked anti-vaccination views.
"The FDA’s rule change comes two months after the California Department of Public Health said that President Donald Trump’s administration terminated more than $700 million in public health grants related to COVID-19 response.
"Though there is no longer a pandemic, infections do tend to spike during the summer, with California seeing some of its highest surges last summer. More than 101,000 Californians have died from COVID-19 and more than 1 million Americans have died — exceeding by a wide margin American service member casualties in every war combined."
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