Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Booster Rollout To Begin Sept. 20 For Those Who Got Pfizer, Moderna
ABC News: Biden Administration To Begin Rolling Out Booster Shots The Week Of Sept. 20
The Biden administration is prepared to begin rolling out booster shots for many Americans the week of Sept. 20, the nation's top health officials announced Wednesday, citing data that show the effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against COVID-19 diminishes over time. "Having reviewed the most current data, it is now our clinical judgment that the time to lay out a plan for COVID-19 boosters is now," U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said at a White House briefing. (Flaherty, Haslett and Salzman, 8/18)
NPR: COVID-19 Booster Shots Will Roll Out In September In The U.S.
COVID-19 booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are set to become available for all U.S. adults beginning next month, the country's top health officials announced Wednesday. "We know that even highly effective vaccines become less effective over time," Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, said at a White House briefing. "It is now our clinical judgment that the time to lay out a plan for COVID boosters is now." He added, "This includes our most vulnerable populations, like our health care providers, nursing home residents and other seniors. We will also begin delivering booster shots directly to residents of long-term care facilities." (Neuman, 8/18)
CNBC: Biden Administration’s Booster Shot Guidance ‘Prudent Thing To Do To Stay Ahead Of This Virus,’ Says U.S. Surgeon General
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told CNBC that the Biden administration is recommending Covid booster shots for most vaccinated Americans beginning on Sept. 20 in order to stay ahead of the virus. “We put our heads together, the top public health and medical officials in the Department of Health and Human Services, and came to the judgement that starting booster shots at that eight month mark would be the prudent thing to do to stay ahead of this virus, and make sure people have and continue to have the protection from the vaccines that they’ve had over the last few months,” said Murthy. (DeCiccio, 8/18)
What if you got the Johnson & Johnson shot? —
Axios: WH Tells Americans With J&J Told To Sit Tight Regarding Boosters
The 14 million people who received a Johnson & Johnson shot are going to have to wait a few more weeks for answers on boosters due to lack of data, federal health officials said Wednesday. The CDC currently advises people to stay with the shot they had initially. The effects of mixing doses are still unclear, but "it is anticipated that vaccine boosters will likely be needed," the White House tweeted. (Fernandez, 8/19)
The New York Times: What To Know About Boosters If You Got The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
“For people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, we anticipate vaccine boosters will likely be needed,” Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, said at a White House news briefing on Wednesday. He added: “We expect more data on J.&J. in the coming weeks. With those data in hand, we will keep the public informed of a timely plan for J.&J. booster shots.” (Anthes, 8/18)
More details about the plan for booster shots —
The Washington Post: What To Know About Covid Vaccine Booster Shots
The Biden administration said it plans to make booster shots available to Americans starting the week of Sept. 20, pending reviews by federal health agencies. Officials said those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines can receive a booster shot eight months after the date when they got their second vaccine dose. Officials said they are waiting for additional data before setting a plan for people who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Here’s what you need to know about booster shots and the United States’ plans. (Knowles, Guarino and McGinley, 8/18)
AP: What Do We Know About Booster Shots For COVID-19?
It’s common for protection from vaccines to decrease over time. A tetanus booster, for example, is recommended every 10 years. Researchers and health officials have been monitoring the real-world performance of the COVID-19 vaccines to see how long protection lasts among vaccinated people. The vaccines authorized in the U.S. continue to offer very strong protection against severe disease and death. But their ability to prevent infection is dropping markedly during the delta surge among nursing home patients and others, according to studies the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in making the announcement Wednesday. (Johnson, 8/19)
The Hill: Questions And Answers On Biden's New Booster Shot Plan
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky pointed to a range of new studies, including data from New York showing vaccine effectiveness against infection declined from 92 to 80 percent from May to July. Data from nursing homes showed a decline from 75 to 53 percent from March to July. And data from the Mayo Clinic showed a drop to as low as 42 percent for the Pfizer vaccine from January to July. While the exact percentages differ from study to study, Walensky said the trend overall is vaccine effectiveness against getting sick with COVID-19 declines over time. (Sullivan, 8/18)
Detroit Free Press: Michigan To Use Existing Vaccine Providers If COVID-19 Boosters OK'd
Michigan will use its existing network of vaccine providers to issue third doses of COVID-19 vaccines if the booster shots are approved by federal regulators. Federal public health officials announced Wednesday they are recommending a COVID-19 booster shot for all Americans age 18 and older eight months after their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. (Hall, 8/18)
