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dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has signed off on two Covid-19 vaccines for children over 6 months and under 5 years old.

Millions of US parents — including many of my friends with children under the age of 5 — crossed their fingers again this week in hopes that the vaccines would soon be available for younger age groups. An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration unanimously voted Wednesday to recommend that the agency approve the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for use in very young children. On Friday and Saturday, CDC advisers met to discuss and voted unanimously yes.

After several delays in Pfizer’s vaccine review process, both vaccines are expected to be available early next week. The Pfizer vaccine will cover children aged 6 months to 4 years and the Moderna vaccine will cover children aged 6 months to 5 years.

Understandably, many parents of young children have questions about the vaccines and expected introduction. I spoke to three pediatric infectious disease doctors to get answers.

How are the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines different?

The Moderna vaccine is approved in two doses four weeks apart, said Dr. Debbie-Ann Shirley, Physician of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Virginia. Pfizer is approved as a three-dose series, with the first two injections given three weeks apart and the third injection given at least eight weeks later. (Pfizer’s third vaccine is not considered a booster vaccine. It’s likely that Moderna and Pfizer will eventually approve an additional booster vaccine for young children.) Both vaccines are dosed lower than the vaccines given to older children and adults.

Preliminary data released by Moderna in April suggests that two shots reduced symptomatic Covid-19 infection by 51 percent in children aged 6 months to 1 year and two shots in children aged 2 to 5 years 37 percent effectively prevent. Pfizer claimed that its three-dose series was 80 percent effective in preventing Covid-19 infection in children aged 6 months to 4 years, but that estimate was based on infections in just three children.

What are the side effects of vaccinations in young children?

The data so far suggests that side effects are milder in younger children than in older children, likely because a lower dose of the vaccine is given, said Dr. Shirley. In children under the age of 5, “the side effects were the kind of things that we might expect in children after receiving a vaccine,” she added, including increased excitement, drowsiness and pain at the injection site. When comparing the two vaccines, Pfizer’s resulted in fewer side effects overall, likely because it uses such a low dose.

No children in the vaccine studies developed heart problems such as myocarditis, a form of heart inflammation seen in a small number of older children who received the vaccine, said Dr. Shirley, but this could be because the studies weren’t large enough to identify rare side effects. It’s possible that there will be some cases once the vaccines are given to enough children, but experts don’t expect a significant number because myocarditis “is more common in teenagers and young adults than in younger children,” said Dr. Ibukun Kalu. an infectious disease pediatrician at Duke University School of Medicine. “I wouldn’t expect high rates of vaccine-related myocarditis in under-5s,” she added. dr Kalu also pointed out that the risk of myocarditis in children who contract Covid-19 is much higher than in those who receive the vaccine.

It’s important to note that the FDA didn’t approve the two-dose Pfizer vaccine in February because it didn’t work well enough, not because of safety issues. (And that’s ultimately why the vaccine now has a three-dose regimen.)

Should your child be vaccinated immediately if they recently had Covid-19?

According to the CDC, children who have recently had Covid can receive the vaccine once they are out of isolation and feeling better, said Dr. Kalu. But since “reinfection seems rare after the first few months of recovery from Covid infection,” added Dr. Adds Shirley, it is not unreasonable to wait up to 90 days after infection before getting vaccinated.

updated

Jun 18, 2022 3:15pm ET

Still, you might want to give them the shot sooner if cases are rising in your community, if you’re traveling to areas with high rates of Covid, or if your child is immunocompromised or has underlying risk factors, Dr. Shirley. If you’re not sure what to do, “contacting a trusted healthcare provider to discuss some of these issues is always a good way,” she added.

Can my child receive the Covid-19 vaccine and other vaccines on the same day?

Yes. According to the CDC, children can receive Covid-19 vaccines and other vaccinations, including flu vaccines, at the same time.

Covid-19 symptoms are often mild in young children, and they can get the virus even if they are vaccinated. So what is the point of vaccinating my young child?

It is true that Covid-19 is far less risky for children than for older ones. But more than 440 children under the age of 4 have died from Covid-19 since January 2020, and the infection is “one of the top 10 causes of death in children in the United States,” said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Stanford Medicine, chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Infectious Diseases. Also, Covid-related hospitalization rates are higher for children under the age of 4 than for older children, and more than half of pediatric hospitalizations in children aged six months to four years are in children with no known underlying risk factors. “I’ve had a number of healthcare friends whose children have ended up in the hospital, some were on oxygen in the intensive care unit and had no risk factors,” said Dr. Maldonado.

“Vaccines are the most effective way we as clinicians have to prevent patients from developing severe forms of Covid,” said Dr. Shirley – and that includes young children.

Will Covid come back for you?

Millions of people who have already had the coronavirus may be at risk of being infected again, and their immunity may not last as long as they would like. But there’s good news: Second and third infections are likely to be shorter and less severe than the first, and there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting infected again.

Continue reading:
How long does Covid immunity last? Will a second illness be worse? How can I prepare?

When summer steals your sleep

There are many things that can affect your sleep during the summer months. One of them is daylight saving time, which exposes us to more sun in the evenings and can affect our body’s sleep signals. Warmer weather can also make it harder for our bodies to settle into a restful deep sleep. But you can improve your sleep with simple strategies like opening the curtains during the day, sticking to a consistent sleep routine, and dimming the lights at night.

Continue reading:
Why is my sleep so messed up in the summer?

The week in the well

Here are more stories not to be missed:

Let’s keep the conversation going. Write to me at [email protected].

Stay healthy!

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On Saturday on Cavuto Live, US Oil and Gas Association President Tim Stewart slammed the president’s “leadership failure” in solving record-high gas prices and called out Biden’s tongue-in-cheek move that would reverse his administration’s own energy policies.

WHITE HOUSE PRESSES BIDENS PROMISE TO GO TO WAR WITH BIG OIL AS HE NOW BLAMES THEM FOR INFLATION

TIM STEWART: Now we are at the point where the Biden administration’s inability to plan is now a significant emergency. It’s a colossal leadership failure, and it won’t be solved by accusing millions of Americans who work in the gas industry of being unpatriotic. They try to have it both ways.

US Oil and Gas Association President Tim Stewart argues that Biden’s failure to act to resolve record-high gas prices now constitutes a “major emergency” on Cavuto Live on Saturday, June 18, 2022.

I mean, if we go over the White House schedule this week, on Tuesday the White House asked Big Tech to censor all unflattering information on social media related to renewable energy. On Wednesday they accuse the oil and gas industry of price gouging and not doing enough when we are at 95% refining capacity. But on Thursday, further rentals were postponed. And on Friday we get to the point where they promise fuel cards for everyone.

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The ironic part of this particular interaction with the White House this week was that the President threatened to invoke emergency powers to boost production and production. The irony is that these emergency powers would essentially reverse their own energy policy decisions over the past 18 months. It’s incredible that we can do it when it takes it. We go this way.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW

This article was written by Fox News staff.

Mary-Sophie Harvey was aiming for a semi-final and beyond her wildest dreams a final at the opening FINA World Championships in Budapest. In a very tough race in the semifinals of the 200m individual medley, Harvey managed to come through by finishing second in his run and earning a place in the grand final.

• Also read: World Championships: Silver medal for a 15-year-old Canadian swimmer

• Also read: Aurélie Rivard: two-time world champion

The Trois-Rivières swimmer led the race for the first 50 meters before losing that lead to American Leah Hayes. The fight continued until the end of the race where Hayes eventually won.

“I knew that the race would be very difficult and I really wanted to go to the final. I didn’t want to think about the timer so I could focus on my moves and it worked. It’s time to rest and I’ll be ready for the finals,” said Harvey after his day at work.

The 200m individual medley final will be held on Sunday.

Kicking off the worlds, Mary-Sophie Harvey jumped into the pool in the fourth wave of the day. The Quebecer finished second in her group, 0.69s behind her wave’s winner, Alex Walsh. The American also took first place in qualifying. Harvey finished fourth.

“I was pleasantly surprised with my time this morning. I’m still having trouble understanding what happened in qualifying. I didn’t see the race pass but luckily it was positive.”

A busy day for Katerine Savard

A little later, the Canadian team won a silver medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay. Despite giving up her place in the Grand Finals, Quebec’s Katerine Savard called the shots in qualifying.

The 29-year-old swimmer was the Canadian team’s last torchbearer early in the day. She took the opportunity to set a personal best of 54.05 seconds and earn her country a place in the finals by finishing first in their run. Rebecca Smith and Savard were then replaced by Margaret MacNeil and Penny Oleksiak for the finale. Kayla Sanchez and Taylor Ruck were the other two Canadian swimmers.

“I’m happy that I was able to help the team to qualify for the final. I had a lot of fun and on top of that my time was just outstanding. Off to Canada!” Savard said.

The Quebecois also featured in the 100m butterfly, where her path ended in the semifinals. She completed the distance in 57.98 seconds and placed sixth in her wave. This race was hard fought as only 7 hundredths of a second separated third from sixth place.

“I’ve had good times overall. I’m a little disappointed to have missed the final by 0.07 seconds. Overall I’m happy with my performance. I could never complain about a time of around 57 seconds,” commented Savard.

American Torri Huske was the fastest in the semifinals, covering the distance in 56.29 seconds.

Savard advanced to the semi-finals after finishing 10th in qualifying, setting the clock at 58.22 seconds.

Also in action on Saturday, James Dergousoff saw his career come to an end after being disqualified in the 100m breaststroke qualifier.

NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin fell below the psychologically important $20,000 mark on Saturday for the first time since late 2020, in a renewed sign that the cryptocurrency sell-off is deepening.

The price of the most popular cryptocurrency had fallen as much as 12% to less than $18,100 by late afternoon on the East Coast, according to cryptocurrency news site CoinDesk.

The last time bitcoin was at these levels was in November 2020, when it was on track to an all-time high near $69,000, according to CoinDesk. Many in the industry had believed it would not go below $20,000.

Bitcoin has now lost more than 70% of its value since it peaked.

Ethereum, another widely used cryptocurrency that has tumbled in recent weeks, experienced a similar tumble on Saturday.

The cryptocurrency industry has seen turmoil amid major turmoil in the financial markets. Investors are selling riskier assets as central banks raise interest rates to combat accelerating inflation.

The total market value of cryptocurrency assets has fallen from $3 trillion to under $1 trillion, according to coinmarketcap.com, which tracks crypto prices. On Saturday, the company’s data showed that the global market value of crypto was around $834 billion.

A spate of cryptocurrency collapses has sparked urgent calls for regulation of the freewheeling industry, and bipartisan legislation to regulate digital assets was introduced in the US Senate last week. The industry has also ramped up its lobbying – it poured $20 million into convention races for the first time this year, according to records and interviews.

Cesare Fracassi, a finance professor at the University of Texas at Austin who leads the school’s blockchain initiative, believes Bitcoin’s fall below the psychological threshold isn’t a big deal. Instead, he said the focus should be on the latest news from lending platforms.

One of them, Celsius Network, said this month that it was pausing all withdrawals and transfers with no indication of when it would give its 1.7 million customers access to their funds. Another platform, Babel Finance, said in a notice published online on Friday that it would suspend product redemptions and withdrawals due to “unusual liquidity pressures”.

“There is a lot of turbulence in the market,” Fracassi said. “And the reason prices are falling is because there are many concerns that the sector is overleveraged.”

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase announced Tuesday that it has laid off about 18% of its workforce, with CEO and co-founder Brian Armstrong blaming some of the blame on an upcoming “crypto winter.”

Stablecoin Terra imploded last month, losing tens of billions of dollars in value in a matter of hours.

Crypto had permeated much of popular culture prior to its recent downfall, with Super Bowl ads touting the digital assets and celebrities and YouTube personalities routinely promoting it on social media.

David Gerard, a crypto critic and author of Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain, said the recent meltdowns demonstrate a failing by regulators, who he says should have scrutinized the industry years ago. Many aspiring investors — particularly young people — are investing on false hopes that have been sold to them, he said.

“There are real human victims here who are ordinary people.”

___

Chan reported from London.

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna will have to wait until Sunday to see if they reach the final of the doubles event at the Queen’s Tournament in London, England.

• Also read: Shocked Eugenie Bouchard withdraws from Wimbledon

• Also read: Finished in Halle for Félix Auger-Aliassime

• Also read: Halle: Medvedev in half without shaking

After losing the first set 7-5 to Britain’s Lloyd Glasspool and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, Shapovalov and Bopanna saw their play interrupted by the rain.

In the event of a comeback on Sunday, the pair must also play the final on the same day.

Second-placed Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have already reached the final.

In the WTA, Canadian Bianca Andreescu and her German teammate Sabine Lisicki lost in two sets 6:1 and 6:3 to Storm Sanders and Katerina Siniakova in the semifinals of the doubles tournament at the Berlin Lawn Championships.

Concerned investors should stock their portfolios with stocks that have the best chance of weathering market volatility and represent good long-term buying opportunities, analysts said this week. These companies have certain characteristics that Wall Street analysts believe will allow them to emerge on the other side of the turmoil. CNBC Pro scoured the best Wall Street research to find some top stocks to buy for the long term. These include ServiceNow, Pinterest, Wheels Up, Victoria’s Secret, and Coinbase. Pinterest Shares of Pinterest have fallen 75% over the past year, but investment firm Loop Capital says not to give up on the stock just yet. “While signals are mixed and advertisers are more cautious, our reviews so far show little evidence of a meaningful and broad-based pullback,” wrote analyst Rob Sanderson. Some short-term headwinds are to be expected, the analyst said, particularly after social media giant Snap warned in late May that it would miss certain earnings targets for the quarter. “Although macro concerns remain elevated, we think near-term expectations are reasonable,” Sanderson added. Still, Sanderson said investors should buy Pinterest stock. The company sees several positive catalysts that investors may not be aware of. For example, Sanderson is optimistic about Pinterest’s push to shop on its platform. He called it an undefined but “meaningful” opportunity. “Shopping activity and GMV (gross margin value) have expanded significantly in the three years since the IPO,” he continued. Idea Pins, which allow users to create short story-like video sequence clips, has dragged down revenue growth, but Sanderson sees long-term benefits. Bottom line, the “long-term opportunity remains promising,” he wrote. Coinbase Bitcoin continues to take investors on a wild ride, crashing more than 20% to around $20,500 over the past week. Meanwhile, shares of crypto company Coinbase are also down almost 80% this year. But JMP analyst Devin Ryan says that despite the volatility, there’s still a lot to like about the stock. The company says that Coinbase is very “well positioned to weather a very challenging moment in the market” and even gain shares from smaller competitors. “We believe crypto adoption will be tested but not broken,” he said. Ryan reminded investors that Coinbase really is an exchange with an excellent balance sheet and almost no lending. Coinbase is one of the “best houses on the block at an uncertain time,” he wrote. Not every digital company will survive, Ryan acknowledged, but Coinbase represents a “long-term opportunity for strong companies to gain share and further differentiate themselves,” he added. In his view, the analyst said that macro factors are really to blame for the recent crypto sell-off. “Ultimately, the current environment underscores the value of companies that can provide safety and resilience in challenging market conditions,” Ryan wrote. Coinbase is the right stock at the right time, the company said. Wheels Up Goldman Sachs is adding to the shares of the private aviation company. The company began coverage on the stock earlier this week with a buy rating and a price target of $5 per share. Demand for Wheels Up services remains robust, and analyst Noah Poponak called the overall addressable market “significant.” “The pandemic has proven to be a catalyst for the accelerated adoption of private travel, and as Wheels Up scales its business model and capitalizes on technological efficiencies, it can unlock even more demand through intelligent supply and dynamic pricing,” he wrote. However, investors need to remain patient and overlook near-term headwinds, the analyst said. Shares are down nearly 44% this year, and Poponak sees an “attractive entry point.” “The business has significant upside potential to normalized margins and cash flows that aren’t that far off,” he said. The market is unnecessarily skeptical about the long-term adoption of private jets, the company added. “Great long-term opportunity,” exclaimed Poponak. Victoria’s Secret – Jefferies, Buy Review “VSCO is on the path to recovery with increasing sales momentum and improving brand sentiment. While the company’s initiatives are working, the near-term top-line trends are being partially pressured by supply chain headwinds, which may obscure underlying brand recovery efforts. While we do not expect a linear recovery, we believe VSCO’s long-term opportunity remains flat and we believe VSCO has the ability to recover lost sales while regaining margins.” Pinterest Loop, Purchase Rating “Long-term opportunity remains bright. … .While signals are mixed and advertisers are hesitant, our reviews so far show little evidence of a meaningful and broad-based pullback…. While signals are mixed and advertisers are more cautious, our reviews so far show little evidence of a significant and broad-based pullback…. While macro concerns remain elevated, we think near-term expectations are reasonable….Shopping activity and GMV have expanded significantly in the three years since the IPO.” ServiceNow – Deutsche Bank, Buy rating “We attended the Kn owledge 2022 and ServiceNow Financial Analyst Day in Las Vegas and feel good about the company’s long-term opportunity and relative strength in a challenging environment. With several software companies showing early signs of macro deterioration, ServiceNow is holding up strong so far, which appears to be the result of multiple forces.” Wheels Up – Goldman Sachs, Purchase Review “Significant TAM Opportunity. …. The pandemic has acted as a catalyst for accelerated adoption from private travel, and as Wheels Up scales its business model and capitalizes on technological efficiencies, it can capture even more demand through intelligent supply and dynamic pricing….The business has significant potential for expansion to normalized margins and cash flows not far away are. … .Great long-term opportunity.” Coinbase- JMP, Market Outperform Rating We believe crypto adoption will be tested but not broken. ….these moments represent a long-term opportunity for strong companies to gain market share and further differentiate themselves from the crowd. Confidence in the platform is still required to support an investment in COIN stock, but we find that the company is incredibly liquid in an uncertain time and is one of the best houses on the block, and we currently believe that COIN is well positioned to weather a very challenging moment in the market & potentially even take market share from weaker competitors who are ill prepared for a market downturn. … .Ultimately, the current environment underscores the value of companies that can offer security and solidity in difficult market conditions.”

A former Amazon Web Services (AWS) engineer has been found guilty of hacking into customers’ cloud storage systems and stealing data in connection with Capital One’s massive breach in 2019. A US district court in Seattle on Friday found Paige Thompson guilty of seven counts of computer and wire fraud, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Thompson, also known online as “Erratic,” was arrested for performing the Capital One hack in July 2019. The breach was one of the largest on record, exposing the names, dates of birth, social security numbers, email addresses, and phone numbers of over 100 million people across the US and Canada. Capital One has since been fined $80 million for allegedly failing to back up users’ data and charged affected customers over $190 million.

A Department of Justice (DOJ) press release said Thompson developed a tool that scanned AWS for misconfigured accounts and then used those accounts to gain access to the systems of Capital One and dozens of other AWS customers. Prosecutors also say Thompson “hijacked” companies’ servers to install cryptocurrency mining software that would transfer all earnings to her personal crypto wallet. She then “bragged” about her wrongdoing on online forums and over text messages.

“She exploited bugs to steal valuable data and tried to enrich herself”

There was some debate at the time as to whether Thompson was an ethical hacker or a security researcher because she was unusually open about her role in the Capital One attack online – she posted sensitive customer data on a public GitHub page and shared the details of the breach on Twitter and Slack. Earlier this year, the Justice Department clarified that it would not prosecute security researchers under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. But US prosecutors were apparently unconvinced that Thompson’s actions fell under that exception.

“Far from being an ethical hacker trying to help companies with their computer security, she exploited bugs to steal valuable data and attempted to enrich herself,” US Attorney Nick Brown said in a statement . Thompson’s sentencing hearing will be held on September 15, 2022.

Quebec swimmer Aurélie Rivard, already a two-time world champion, added a third medal to her harvest on Saturday in Portugal.

• Also read: World Championships: Silver medal for a 15-year-old Canadian swimmer

• Also read: Aurélie Rivard: two-time world champion

Rivard, 26, won bronze in the 100m backstroke at the World Para Swimming Championships in the S10 category, although it’s not a specialty for her.

The athlete from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, who won the 50m and 100m freestyle earlier this week, clocked a time of 1 minute. 10.24s She was beaten by Hungary’s Bianka Pap (1:08.84) and France’s Anaelle Roulet (1:09.83).

Dutchwoman Lisa Kruger just missed the podium, 25 hundredths of a second behind Rivard.