Top in ID: New rapid COVID-19 test, Johnson & Johnson booster

Last week’s top story in infectious disease was about the emergency use authorization of a rapid COVID-19 test. Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said the authorization could lead to a significant increase in at-home testing.

Another top story was about Johnson & Johnson’s request for the FDA to approve a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine. Amesh A. Adalja, MD, said that data suggest a two-dose regimen might be superior to the original one-dose regimen in protecting against serious disease.

Read these and more news in infectious disease below:

FDA says newly authorized COVID-19 test could double capacity for rapid at-home testing

The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for a rapid COVID-19 test that it said could dramatically increase at-home testing capacity in the United States. Read more.

Johnson & Johnson asks FDA to authorize booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Johnson & Johnson said last week that it has asked the FDA to authorize a booster dose of its one-shot COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 18 years or older. Read more.

Pace of pediatric vaccine trials leaves children ‘stuck in neutral’

Research to develop successful vaccines to help slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has taken place very publicly and at a historically fast pace. Read more.

‘Historic moment’: WHO recommends malaria vaccine for children

WHO recommended the widespread use of a malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and other areas heavily impacted by the mosquito-borne disease, which kills more than 400,000 people a year. Read more.

People with HIV do not respond as well to COVID-19 vaccines, study finds

People with HIV have a less robust response to COVID-19 vaccination than those without HIV, data presented at IDWeek suggest. Read more.