What We're Reading: Expanding Pediatric Vaccine Authorization; Pfizer Approval Spurs Vaccine Mandates; Sedentary Behavior, Stroke Risk Linked

Expanding Vaccine Authorization in Children Under 12

With the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine receiving full approval yesterday from the FDA for persons aged 16 and older, an article by NBC News notes what steps remain in vaccine clinical trials for children younger than 12 years who can't yet get vaccinated. Notably, vaccinating younger children may require extra scrutiny and study, with the FDA asking for 4 to 6 months of follow-up safety data from the children’s clinical trials vs 2 months in adult trials. Ongoing studies by Pfizer on children aged 5 to 11 years are expected to be completed in September, with data on toddlers up to age 4 available soon after.

Vaccine Mandates Announced After Pfizer Approval

A flurry of vaccine mandates by entities ranging from the Pentagon to Disney were reported yesterday after the full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, with President Joe Biden encouraging private employers to similarly issue mandates at their companies. New York City also will require all Department of Education employees to be at least partially vaccinated by September 27, whereas a lawsuit challenging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ mask mandate ban will be heard this week.

New Study Reports Impact of Sedentary Behavior on Stroke Risk

As reported by CNN, a study published in Stroke found that adults under 60 years who spend 8 hours or more sitting each day and are not physically active have a 7-fold higher risk of stroke than people who report sedentary behavior for less than 4 hours and exercise at least 10 minutes each day. To curb the risk of stroke, the American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Alcohol consumption, which has been associated with stroke risk in prior research, was also noted as a modifiable risk factor.