Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Got Your Booster? You're 97 Times Less Likely To Die Than The Unvaxxed
USA Today: Boosted Americans 97 Times Less Likely To Die Of COVID Than Unvaxxed
Fully vaccinated Americans are 14 times less likely to die of COVID-19 than those who haven’t gotten the shots. Boosted Americans are 97 times less likely. Those were the figures presented Wednesday by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on reports from 25 jurisdictions in the week ending Dec. 4. For every 100,000 people, 9.7 of those who were unvaccinated were killed by the coronavirus, compared to 0.7 of those fully vaccinated and 0.1 of the boosted. She said more recent information during the omicron wave further underscores the value of getting boosted, prompting Dr. Anthony Fauci to say, “The data are really stunningly obvious why a booster is really very important.’’ (Ortiz, Bacon and Tebor, 2/2)
CIDRAP: Imaging Shows Post-Vaccine Breakthrough COVID-19 Less Severe
A study yesterday in Radiology used imaging to determine that breakthrough infections are less severe when a patient is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 compared with patients who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. (2/2)
In other updates on the vaccine rollout —
The Atlantic: How Many COVID Vaccine Doses Do Little Kids Need?
This pivot is, at first glance, bizarre. Six weeks ago, right before Christmas, Pfizer announced that late-stage trials of two mini shots had produced somewhat lackluster antibody results in 2-to-4-year-olds, and a third dose could be necessary to clinch protection. Nothing about the vaccine itself has changed since then; no new data (actually, no data at all) have been publicized. Pfizer still says that a third dose will probably be necessary, and may report results on the effects of that dose around early spring. And yet, the stance on the shots for this group of kids has shifted substantially. Somehow, we’ve gone in an instant from two doses aren’t enough to actually, they kind of are. And both statements, somehow, are meant to be true at once. (Wu, 2/2)
The New York Times: The Surgeon General Assures Parents Covid Vaccines For Young Children Will Get A Rigorous F.D.A. Review.
The surgeon general sought to reassure parents who are nervous about their toddlers and preschoolers being vaccinated against the coronavirus, after federal regulators took a step toward authorizing vaccines for young children despite questions about their effectiveness. Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, said Wednesday during a White House briefing that Pfizer’s application for emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration would “undergo the same independent, rigorous and transparent review process” that was used to authorize Covid-19 vaccines for adults. (Stolberg, 2/2)
The New York Times: Why Nasal Covid Vaccines May Make Better Boosters
Nasal vaccines may be the best way to prevent infections long term, because they provide protection exactly where it is needed to fend off the virus: the mucosal linings of the airways, where the coronavirus first lands. Bharat Biotech is among the world’s leading vaccine manufacturers. Its best known product, Covaxin, is authorized to prevent Covid in India and many other countries. But its experimental nasal vaccine may prove to be the real game changer. (Mandavilli, 2/2)
