Senior man looking at female nurse helping him to wear sweater in retirement home (Maskot/Getty Images)
Americans 60 and older can get a new RSV vaccine but should discuss it with their doctor first, U.S. health officials recommended Thursday.
The newly approved vaccines are expected to be ready in the fall, a time when flu shots and updated COVID-19 shots also will be available. Those eligible for the RSV vaccine should talk with their doctor to see if it is right for them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.
The CDC said adults with chronic heart or lung disease, weakened immune systems and those living in long-term care facilities are at higher risk for the respiratory infection.
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and the elderly. A surge last year filled hospitals with wheezing children. There's no vaccine yet for kids, but one for pregnant women to prevent illness in infants may be coming too, pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
On Thursday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the outgoing CDC director, signed off on a recommendation made last week by an advisory panel of outside experts for a single dose of the vaccines made by Pfizer and GSK. The FDA approved the shots last month for adults 60 and older.
The CDC panel initially considered a stronger recommendation that everyone 65 and older get the shot. But they weakened their endorsement after several members had questions about how well it works in the feeblest of patients, whether boosters will be needed and be effective, and the cost.
Drugmaker GSK told the panel that its RSV vaccine would be between $200 and $295. Pfizer has not disclosed a price. The vaccines may hold up over multiple seasons and it’s not yet clear whether boosters will be recommended.
Others wanted a stronger endorsement for those 65 and older. Asking people to consult their doctor “is an absolute impediment" to getting more people vaccinated and an extra burden on health care providers, Robert Blancato, executive director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, said Thursday.
As gas prices surge amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, other nations could potentially transition faster to using clean energy than previously expected. Philip K. Verleger, a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center, joined Cheddar News to explain how this could be a possibility in the near future. "Part of the reason I think we have this invasion and the tantrum that's being thrown by Russia, terrible tantrum, is because the Russians were trying to slow down the transition," he said. "Ironically they speeded it up."
As Russia intensifies its war on Ukraine, President Biden announced a ban on oil imported from the aggressor nation. Critics of Russia have said this would be the best way to force Putin to pull back, but curbs on Russian oil exports are expected to send already skyrocketing oil and gas prices even higher, further impacting consumers, businesses, financial markets, and the global economy. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Energy Workforce and Technology Council, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "It's certainly going to increase pricing, but it is the right thing to do," she said. "The industry itself has already pulled out of the significant portion of its operations in Russia."
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Vision Marine Technologies CEO discusses how e-boats will play a role in the fight against the climate crisis; Lasso CEO breaks down how the design behind these compression socks can prevent injuries and improve performance; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Tombs Of Egypt.'
Vaccine maker Pfizer delayed its COVID shot for kids allegedly due to a lack of data on how it would perform against the omnicron variant, according to the Wall Street Journa. Peter Pitts, professor and founder of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and a former FDA associate commissioner, joined Cheddar News Wrap to break down why the authorization can't be rushed. "Going forward, the FDA wants to look at data specifically against omicron, and it looks like that's going to be a three-shot regimen versus two, which was efficient against delta but not omicron because obviously omicron is more infectious," said Pitts.
Walker Ross, Assistant Professor of Sports Business Management at Florida Southern College, joins Business of Sports: The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, where he says that actions Beijing and other Olympic host sites have been implementing to combat climate change has simply not been enough to offset their carbon footprint.
Bamboo-based toilet paper company Cloud Paper raised $5 million in a recent funding round. Its product is a bamboo-based alternative to traditional toilet paper made from trees, and its mission is to end the deforestation caused by traditional paper products. Cloud Paper says the raise will allow it to make significant investments in its supply chain, product development, and hiring. Ryan Fritsch, a co-founder of Cloud Paper, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Space tourism company World View plans to launch its first commercial flights in early 2024, with voyages to take off from iconic locations around the world like the Grand Canyon — but seemingly at a flexible price point. Dale Hipsh, president of tourism and exploration at World View, joined Cheddar to discuss what a trip to the stratosphere would look like with his company and its much less expensive take on space travel. "Our technology allows us to be more democratic, to offer more opportunities for people to experience near space, and that overview effect," he said. "So we're really thrilled to be bringing it to market."
A recent NOAA report found America's coastline could experience a century's worth of sea rise in just 30 years. By 2050, water on the U.S. coast will be 10-12 inches higher, causing major eastern cities to be hit regularly with floods, even on sunny days. Gary Mitchum, professor of physical oceanography at the University of South Florida, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
The Biden administration is launching a new task force to promote the use of 'cleaner' construction materials with lower life cycle emissions. This comes as the White House works to speed up government purchases of greener products. Sweta Chakraborty, climate change expert and U.S. president of "We Don't Have Time," joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Stephen Gardner, director at ETF Managers Group, explains why investors shouldn't be rushing to sell vaccine stocks like Moderna or BioNTech even as the spread of COVID-19 slows down.
