Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Effectiveness Of Pfizer Booster Drops After 4 Months But Still Protects Well
CNN: Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Effectiveness Wanes After Four Months But Still Offers Protection, Study Finds
Booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines are safe, and they offer high levels of protection against severe Covid-19 even though that protection can wane over time, according to two studies published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday. Evidence of waning protection "reinforces the importance of further consideration of additional doses to sustain or improve protection" against Covid-19-linked hospitalizations and emergency department visits, one of the studies says. (Howard, 2/13)
AP: Study: COVID Booster Effectiveness Wanes But Remains Strong
An early look at the performance of COVID-19 booster shots during the recent omicron wave in the U.S. hinted at a decline in effectiveness, though the shots still offered strong protection against severe illness. The report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, is considered an early and limited look at the durability of booster protection during the omicron surge that exploded in December and January but has been fading in recent weeks. (Stobbe, 2/11)
But immunocompromised people can get a booster sooner —
The Washington Post: CDC Recommends People With Weakened Immune Systems Get Booster Doses After Three Months Instead Of Five
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on Friday for some people with weakened immune systems, recommending they get a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine three months after completing the initial series of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shots, rather than the current interval of five months. The guidance also said immunocompromised people who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get an additional dose. That means two doses, at least 28 days apart, followed by a booster dose of one of the mRNA vaccines. (Sun, 2/11)
In other news about the vaccine rollout —
The Denver Channel: Many Fully Vaccinated Americans Are Saying No To The Booster
Across the country, states are loosening COVID-19 restrictions even though the federal government and the Centers for Disease Control continue to say masks should still be worn inside public spaces. So how close are we to the end of the health crisis and why are some public health experts warning of a looming booster shot problem? (St. George, 2/14)
Bay Area News Group: COVID Vaccine Hesitancy Remains In Bay Area’s Black, Latino Families
Thousands of Bay Area school kids still don’t have their COVID-19 shots despite looming school vaccine mandates, provoking uncertainty among school leaders and fear in parents about how the requirements could impact long- and short-term learning for unvaccinated students. Despite efforts to boost vaccination numbers across the region since last fall, Black and Latino teens ages 12 and up remain less likely to be vaccinated for the virus than their White and Asian classmates, a Bay Area News Group analysis of data from local school districts and public health departments found. (Jimenez and Rowan, 2/13)
Stat: Why Covid-19 Vaccines Are A Freaking Miracle
Two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s easy to lament all that has come to pass. The devastating losses. The upending of what we regarded as normal ways of life. The sheer relentlessness of it all. But let’s stop for a moment and consider something else that may have escaped you: You have witnessed — and you are a beneficiary of — a freaking miracle. That miracle is the development, testing, manufacturing, and global distribution of Covid vaccines. (Branswell, 2/14)
