Transmission among vaccinated people could raise the risk of a variant that can evade vaccines

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer, and today in healthcare news:

• Vaccinated transmission could raise the risk of a variant that can evade vaccines;
• We're learning more about how breakthrough cases are impacting people with weakened immune systems;
• Get the list of the 9 biggest healthcare funding rounds of the second quarter.

If you're new to this newsletter, sign up here. Comments, tips? Email me at lramsey@insider.com or tweet @lydiaramsey125. Let's get to it...

Coronavirus transmission among vaccinated people could raise the risk of an even more dangerous variant

• The CDC says vaccinated people should mask up indoors again as cases of the Delta variant surge.
• A study suggests that transmission among vaccinated people could lead to new variants that evade vaccines.
• The virus is "just a few mutations potentially away" from evading vaccines, the CDC said.

Find out more>>

CDC document offers more evidence that booster shots could help immunocompromised people in the face of Delta

• Delta will make breakthrough cases more common among immunocompromised people, a CDC document says.
• The document says mRNA vaccines are far less effective at preventing hospitalizations among people with weakened immune systems.
• US regulators may eventually recommend booster shots for immunocompromised people.

Here's what you need to know>>

The 9 healthcare startups that took in the most cash as VCs made record bets on transforming pharmacies and biotech

• Global healthcare startups raised a record $34.7 billion in 2021's second quarter.
• Caris Life Sciences, CMR Surgical, Exscientia, and Noom raised the most money.
• Top fundraisers include precision medicine companies and insurance and pharmacy startups.

Get the full list>>

More stories we're reading:

• Pfizer and Moderna increased their vaccine prices in the EU (Financial Times)
• Telehealth startups just raked in a record $5 billion. Meet the 5 investment firms that placed the most bets.(Insider)
• See the internal CDC slides about the Delta variant and breakthrough infections (Washington Post)
• Israel will roll out a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to older people, citing a drop in protection against severe disease driven by the Delta variant (Insider)

- Lydia