Coronavirus Live Updates: New cases fall to 44,877 from Saturday’s over 50k, daily positivity rate down to 3.17%
US health regulators authorised a new antibody drug that targets the omicron variant, a key step in restocking the nation’s arsenal against the latest version of Covid-19. The Food and Drug Administration said it cleared the Eli Lilly drug for adults and adolescent patients with mild-to-moderate cases of Covid-19. Lilly announced work on the treatment late last year after testing revealed that its previous antibody therapy was ineffective against the dominant omicron variant.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 booster shots lose much of their potency after about four months, raising the possibility that some Americans — specifically those at high risk of complications or death — may need a fourth dose, data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest. Preliminary research from Israel and Britain has hinted that protection from booster doses declines within a few months. The data released Friday offer the first real-world evidence of the mRNA shots’ waning power against moderate to severe illness in the United States.
