Coronavirus Watch: A promising alternative to Paxlovid

An experimental COVID-19 drug given as an injection could be a promising alternative to the antiviral Paxlovid. 

The drug, called interferon lambda, prevented 51% of hospitalizations among people who have been vaccinated, according to a recent study. 

But it's not yet available in the United States. The FDA said more data was needed and the company behind the injection hasn't been able to fund another COVID-19 trial.

Read more from health reporter Karen Weintraub here. 

This is Monday's Coronavirus Watch. Here's what we're reading this week:

• The CDC added the COVID vaccine to its recommended list of vaccinations for children, adolescents and adults. The guidance is used by health care providers and schools, but it doesn't mandate vaccines. See the immunization schedule here.
• The federal government will continue providing free COVID vaccines and treatments such as Paxlovid until the summer, when its supply is expected to run out. 
• And when the public health emergency ends, labs will no longer be required to report negative COVID test results. That will affect how the the CDC tracks the percentage of positive tests in a region – a key indicator of whether a virus is surging. Read more from health reporter Ken Alltucker here.

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading the Coronavirus Watch.

— Rachel Aretakis, health editor