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3w ago

Stratus Variant Drives California COVID Wave as FDA Limits New Vaccine to High-Risk Patients

FDA cleared updated shots only for higher-risk groups, deepening confusion over who can get vaccinated.

FILE: Customers wearing face masks ride the elevator at San Francisco Centre in downtown San Francisco. 
Passengers go through a security checkpoint at San Francisco International Airport in 2022. With the new Stratus coronavirus variant spreading in California, health experts advise taking precautions like masking in crowded indoor areas to avoid contracting COVID-19.
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Overview

  • Stanford’s WastewaterSCAN reports XFG now comprises about 82% of variants at sampled Bay Area sites, with virus levels high as schools reopen.
  • California’s test positivity has climbed to 11.6% from 3.76% a month earlier, and hospital admissions have risen to 3 per 100,000 statewide and 11 per 100,000 among seniors.
  • HHS announced FDA approval of updated vaccines from Moderna (ages 6 months and up), Pfizer (5 and up) and Novavax (12 and up) only for higher-risk patients, with unrestricted access for adults 65 and older.
  • A CDC advisory panel is expected to meet in the coming weeks on recommendations as the AAP and ACOG continue to advise vaccination for children and during pregnancy.
  • WHO classifies Stratus as a variant under monitoring with no evidence of greater severity, and CDC data show about 130 COVID deaths per week nationwide.