Influenza cases and deaths in the United States and worldwide dropped to unprecedented lows between October 3, 2020, and July 24, 2021, according to CDC data. In a typical season, 75 to 150 children die of influenza in the United States, noted pediatric infectious disease specialist Paul Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, in a recent JAMA Network article. Last influenza season, he said, one child was reported to have died.

Pfizer announced a voluntary recall of another 4 lots of varenicline (Chantix) 0.5 mg/1 mg tablets to the consumer level due to the presence of a nitrosamine, N-nitroso-varenicline, above the established acceptable daily intake level.