Vax for kids: It’s official

The FDA gave an emergency-use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, making it available to 28 million children in the U.S.

There was one abstention in the final decision, so might as well explain that.

Dr. Michael Kurilla, an infectious disease expert with the NIH, abstained because he was concerned that, when the vaccine began to wear off, thanks to certain people* it “may negatively impact public perception of vaccines.”

* You know who they are

Delta: the big easy

Fully vaccinated people can still easily transmit the good ol’ delta variant to the people they’re in contact with — including others who’ve been vaccinated. That’s the result of a study out of the UK’s Imperial College London.

Not surprisingly, transmission was much lower to people who had been vaccinated (and they also recovered faster).

The big takeaway: Delta is pretty darned transmissible.

WellStar’s got antibodies

Until Merck’s (or someone else’s) Covid-fighting pill is approved, one of the best treatments for early-stage, mild Covid-19 is monoclonal antibodies.

Good news: WellStar will be expanding access to monoclonal antibody infusion treatments, starting at Wellstar Cherokee Health Park, then expanding over the coming weeks.

If you’re doing well, how about doing good, too?

The Georgia Pharmacy Foundation does a heck of a lot of good — but it (obviously!) needs your help to do it. Pay it forward, how about? Give to the foundation, and you’re giving back (and forward) to Georgia pharmacy.

“My name is Caleb Rich and I am from Swainsboro, Georgia. I have wanted to be a pharmacist from a young age, and to see my goal coming to fruition is extremely fulfilling. A few of my passions in pharmacy include patient advocacy, direct patient care, and disease state management. I hope to pursue a residency position after graduation and eventually work in ambulatory care. Thank you to the Georgia Pharmacy Foundation for playing a part in my journey.”

Well would ya look at that

Feeling a little sick of the pandemic? Penn State researchers know how to cure what ails ya: memes. Yep. The word used to actually mean something, but now it just means “Pictures with funny captions.” Regardless, looking at those pictures…

…generated higher levels of positive emotions such as feeling calm, relaxed, content, amused, delighted, cheerful. Participants who experienced these positive emotions, in turn, were more likely to feel confident in their ability to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.

To be fair, this doesn’t make me less stressed

But wait, there’s more

Participants who viewed memes with COVID-related captions were also less likely to feel nervous, stressed, and anxious about Covid-19.

So:

Feel better?

Parkinson’s mystery

The death rate from Parkinson’s disease has jumped over the past two decades — we’re talking 63% higher from 1999 to 2019.

Researchers found mortality increased significantly across all age groups, both sexes, various racial and ethnic groups and different urban-rural classifications. However, death rates were twice as high in men as in women.

They’ve got all sorts of different breakdowns of the data, but the one thing missing is why. They just don’t know.

Speaking of Parkinson’s…

Could it start in the nose? The University of Ottawa just got a $9 million grant “to investigate whether scent-processing nerves that connect the inside of the nose to the brain may play a role in the development of Parkinson’s disease.”

Elsewhere: UK Smokes edition

Britain could be the first country to license electronic cigarettes as prescription medication to help smokers quit. The UK’s equivalent to the FDA is inviting e-cig makers “to submit their products to go through the same regulatory approvals process as other medicines available on the health service.”