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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday said it is “very unlikely” the Pfizer omicron booster carries a risk of stroke for seniors after it launched an investigation into a preliminary safety concern detected by one of its monitoring systems. (Kimball, 1/13)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that a preliminary COVID-19 vaccine "safety signal" has been identified and is investigating whether the Bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine creates an increased risk of ischemic stroke in people 65 and older. In the Friday statement, the CDC said that the preliminary signal hasn't been identified with the Bivalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (Sabes, 1/13)

The potential risk with Pfizer’s vaccine was not seen in other safety databases, nor was it seen with Moderna Inc.’s Covid vaccine, the officials said in a statement on the Food and Drug Administration’s website. The early finding still needs more investigation, and recommendations for the vaccine have not been changed, the statement said. (Langreth and Rutherford, 1/13)

Pfizer’s new COVID-19 booster ad starring Martha Stewart is both rather odd and strangely compelling to watch in a definitive departure from its previous conservative vaccine commercials. The 30-second spot, “Unwelcome Guest,” features Stewart in her beautifully perfect kitchen calmly sharpening a massive Samurai sword. (Coey, 1/13)

The antidepressant fluvoxamine doesn't shorten the duration of COVID-19 symptoms in mildly to moderately ill adults, according to a randomized clinical trial (RCT) published yesterday in JAMA. (Van Beusekom, 1/13)

A Mayo Clinic–led meta-analysis suggests that transfusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma improves survival in hospitalized, infected patients who have impaired immune systems. The antibody-rich plasma, donated by COVID-19 survivors, may help prevent the reinfections to which these high-risk patients are susceptible, the researchers said. The study was published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (Van Beusekom, 1/13)