What We're Reading: FDA Stands Fast on COVID-19 Vaccine Dosing; Haven Dissolves; Moderna Boosts Dose Supply

FDA Advises Against Changing Vaccine Dose Schedules

Amid discussions surrounding the possibility of administering limited half doses to immunize more people against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the FDA issued a statement warning health care workers against any changes to the authorized dosing schedules of COVID-19 vaccines. The FDA said that potential changes would be premature and without evidence of their comparable efficacy to the approved 2-dose vaccine schedule. Currently, 4.5 million people have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, falling short of the 20 million people that were projected by White House officials to be vaccinated by the end of 2020.

Amazon-Backed Health Care Venture, Haven, Disbands

After being launched by Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and Berkshire Hathaway in 2018, the joint health care venture Haven is dissolving with operations set to cease at the end of February. Reported by STAT, the health care company was marred by halting progress and high rates of employee turnover, with nearly each member of its executive suite leaving. Moreover, recent health initiatives implemented by Amazon, such as Amazon Care, were noted to overlap significantly with the goals of providing virtual and in-person care sought by Haven.

Moderna to Add 100 Million Doses to COVID-19 Vaccine Supply

Reported by The Hill, Moderna announced it will increase production of its COVID-19 vaccine from 500 million doses to 600 million doses for 2021, as well as allocate resources to produce 1 billion vaccine doses overall this year. So far, the company has supplied the US government with approximately 18 million doses of its vaccine following emergency approval by the FDA in December, with projections of nearly 100 million doses being made available to Americans by the end of the first quarter of 2021.