Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Confusion Swirls Over Who May Get A Vaccine Booster
The Washington Post: CDC’s Rochelle Walensky Admits Coronavirus Booster Messaging Led To Confusion
The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged that seemingly contradictory messaging between her agency and the Biden administration has led to confusion among doctors and patients about who should get booster shots and when. On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan pointed to the apparent disconnect between comments from President Biden — who has suggested most Americans should get boosters — and recommendations by U.S. health agencies. Rochelle Walensky said: “I recognize that confusion.” (Pietsch and Timsit, 9/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Booster Shots Are Here, And So Is The Angst Over Who Gets One
Americans have reached the booster angst stage of the pandemic—and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement on Friday backing extra shots for some people, but not all, has left many with more questions than answers. ... “The patient portal is being overrun with emails from patients,” says Mark Fierstein, a primary care physician at NYU Langone Ambulatory Care Lake Success in New York. “There’s a lot of questions. The confusion is because every day someone comes out and says something a little different.” (Reddy and Chaker, 9/25)
The Washington Post: Changes In Covid Booster Shot Guidance Lead To Confusion, Chaos For Doctors And The Vaccinated
Even in Idaho, which has one of the lowest coronavirus vaccination rates in the country, clinics have been gearing up for an onslaught of calls and emails requesting booster shots. Administrators at the Primary Health Medical Group updated their website Thursday and then set about revising it Friday when government eligibility recommendations for boosters suddenly changed to include workers in high-risk jobs. Even then, the clinic’s chief executive had to figure out which occupations that meant. “Who’s at high risk? I had to look it up. Is it firemen? I don’t know,” said David Peterman. (Wolf, Sellers, Cusick and Mueller, 9/25)
Stat: Biden's Covid Booster Plan Pits The White House Against Scientific Advisers
The White House’s chaotic, contradictory messaging on Covid-19 vaccine booster shots has given Americans whiplash. But more concerning, experts say, is that it risks undermining President Biden’s campaign pledge that he would listen to the scientists and adhere to official approval processes. (Facher and Branswell, 9/24)
KHN: Who Qualifies For A Covid Booster? The List Is Growing Longer
On Friday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said people whose jobs put them at risk of coronavirus infection qualify for a shot to boost the protection of their covid-19 vaccination. That step to include people with “institutional and occupational exposure” overrules the recommendation of her agency’s advisory panel, and the move was a surprise to many. (9/27)
And officials say there are enough shots for all Americans —
Politico: Pfizer CEO: We Can Do Both Booster Shots And Primary Vaccines
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Sunday that first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and booster shots can be distributed simultaneously. "I think it is also not the right thing to try to resolve it with an 'or' when you can resolve it with an 'and,'" Bourla said on ABC's "This Week." "It's not, 'Shall we give boosters or give primary doses to other people?' I think the answer should be, 'Let's give both boosters and doses for other people.'" (Parthasarathy, 9/26)
AP: US Has Enough COVID-19 Vaccines For Boosters, Kids' Shots
With more than 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines available, U.S. health authorities said they’re confident there will be enough for both qualified older Americans seeking booster shots and the young children for whom initial vaccines are expected to be approved in the not-too-distant future. The spike in demand — expected following last week’s federal recommendation on booster shots — would be the first significant jump in months. More than 70 million Americans remain unvaccinated despite the enticement of lottery prizes, free food or gifts and pleas from exhausted health care workers as the average number of deaths per day climbed to more than 1,900 in recent weeks. (Richmond and Foody, 9/26)
Also —
AP: COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters Could Mean Billions For Drugmakers
Billions more in profits are at stake for some vaccine makers as the U.S. moves toward dispensing COVID-19 booster shots to shore up Americans’ protection against the virus. How much the manufacturers stand to gain depends on how big the rollout proves to be. U.S. health officials late on Thursday endorsed booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine for all Americans 65 and older — along with tens of millions of younger people who are at higher risk from the coronavirus because of health conditions or their jobs. (Murphy, 9/25)
