biotechnology

A very small number of people who have been inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine have suffered blood clots.

“I think we should start lifting these restrictions as aggressively as we put them in,” said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the FDA.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said Thursday the company expects more variants of the coronavirus will emerge in the coming months.

Pfizer fell Thursday by as much as 5% from Wednesday’s close while Moderna dipped by almost 12% before both stocks recovered most of those losses.

Moderna said its Covid-19 vaccine is 96% effective in kids ages 12 to 17, according to early data released with the company’s first-quarter earnings Thursday.

Studies provide more evidence on the benefits of getting vaccinated, Fauci said.

While Covid cases are expected to increase this month, hospitalizations and deaths will likely remain low nationally, the U.S. agency said.

Moderna said its booster dose increased neutralizing antibody responses against the original virus as well as B.1.351 and P.1 variants.

The U.S. birth rate is so low, the nation is “below replacement levels,” meaning more people die every day than are being born, the CDC said.

Dr. Peter Hotez also said there is a risk in the new vaccine distribution strategy that lets states turn down doses.

Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer, said it makes sense to start with those most susceptible to Covid.

In its earnings report, Pfizer reported $3.5 billion in first-quarter sales of its Covid-19 vaccine.

WHO says it is closely following 10 Covid variants around the world.

Dr. Ashish Jha explains how the Covid outbreak in India is putting the rest of the world at risk and why there should be a global effort to help the country.

Young children could get vaccinated by the end of the year, BioNTech co-founder and chief medical officer Dr. Ozlem Tureci told CNBC.

Private businesses can still require masks and enforce social distancing and other protective measures.

Cuomo announced Friday that indoor dining capacity in New York City will be increased to 75% on May 7.

Dr. Anthony Fauci urged Americans to make sure they receive their second dose of the Covid-19 vaccines, saying the second shot provides “dramatic” benefits.

BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin told CNBC he is “confident” the company’s Covid-19 vaccine with Pfizer is effective against a variant first identified in India.

A broad majority of U.S. employers, 65%, plan to offer employees incentives to get vaccinated and 63% will require proof of vaccination.