Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
J&J Applies For FDA OK To Administer Second Dose Of Covid Vaccine
Politico: Johnson & Johnson Seeks FDA Authorization Of Covid Booster Shot
Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize a booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine for people 18 and older. The company did not specify how long after initial vaccination the second, booster dose should be given. J&J submitted data to the FDA in September it said showed that a booster shot given two to six months after an initial dose bolstered antibody protection against Covid. (Gardner, 10/5)
The Atlantic: What Is A Booster Shot, Really? We Need A Better Name
The word booster kicked off the pandemic benign and simple, a chipper concept most people linked to things such as morale and rockets. Then, at the start of 2021, the word began to undergo a renaissance. By summer’s end, booster was a common fixture of headlines and Twitter trends; it was suddenly tethered tightly to words such as shot, vaccine, and immunity online, as experts and nonexperts alike clamored for the more, more, more promise of extra protection against SARS-CoV-2. According to Elena Semino, a linguist at Lancaster University, in the United Kingdom, English-language news reports now deploy the word booster about 20 times more often than they did in pre-COVID times. (Wu, 10/5)
In other updates on the vaccine rollout —
Fox News: Vaccines Linked To Preventing Over A Quarter-Million COVID-19 Cases, 39,000 Deaths Among Seniors: HHS Study
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Tuesday that a new agency report showed COVID-19 vaccinations may have helped to prevent more than a quarter-million coronavirus cases and tens of thousands of deaths among seniors. In a release detailing the report's conclusions, HHS said the study – conducted by researchers with HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) – found that vaccinations were linked to a reduction of approximately 265,000 COVID-19 infections, 107,000 hospitalizations and 39,000 deaths among nearly 63 million Medicare beneficiaries between January and May 2021. (Musto, 10/5)
USA Today: Kids Receiving COVID Vaccine Trending Downwards For Almost 2 Months
Children make up only 22% of the U.S. population, but account for 27% of coronavirus cases nationwide, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported Monday. The organization said the number of children receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine this week was the lowest recorded number since vaccines became available, and has been trending downwards for almost two months. Kids make up less than one percent of COVID-19 deaths, the Academy said, but there isn’t much data about the long-term effects of the coronavirus on children. 5.9 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, and less than half of eligible children have been fully inoculated. (Hayes and Tebor, 10/6)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Clark County Pivots To COVID Treatment Centers Amid Vaccine Hesitancy
Clark County is planning to fund at least one clinic for COVID-19 treatment under a potential $10 million plan that would divert patients who otherwise would end up in local hospitals. “We know we can’t test our way out, can’t vaccinate our way out (of the pandemic), so now we have to ensure that we have the treatments that are available out there,” said county Commission Chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who proposed opening the clinics throughout the county. Factoring in costs of $1,000 per treatment, Kirkpatrick said Tuesday that using up to $10 million in federal American Rescue Plan dollars would represent a “good start” and a significant cost savings from the estimated $40,000 it costs per day to treat a patient at county-run University Medical Center. (Johnson, 10/5)
Also —
The Boston Globe: Senator Lindsey Graham Told A Crowd Of Republicans They Should Consider Getting A COVID-19 Vaccine. He Was Booed
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was booed over the weekend by a crowd of South Carolina Republicans after he encouraged them to consider getting vaccinated for COVID-19. Graham on Saturday had begun to suggest to the group that they consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine when he was interrupted by the crowd, who responded at a volume high enough that he was briefly forced to stop speaking. “If you haven’t had the vaccine, you ought to think about getting it because if you’re my age...” Graham said during the event, hosted by a local Republican Party group in the state. “No!” members of the crowd yelled back at him. (Kaufman, 10/5)
Bay Area News Group: NHL's Evander Kane Probe About Fake COVID-19 Card: Report
An NHL investigation about whether Sharks forward Evander Kane violated the league’s COVID-19 protocol revolves around the alleged use of a fake vaccination card, according to a new report. Kane is facing two investigations, with one, according to an NHL news release that was posted to the league’s website on Sept. 22, involving “allegations of inappropriate behavior potentially jeopardizing the health and safety of Club members.” The other “involves serious accusations” of physical and sexual abuse raised by his wife in a recent court filing. (Pashelka, 10/5)
Bangor Daily News: A Distrust For Authority A Significant Factor For Low Vaccination Rates In Rural Maine
Residents of Somerset County were practically unanimous in saying that an opposition to being told what to do, especially by the government, played a significant factor in a desire not to get vaccinated. “People are strong-headed,” said Glenn Murray, 60 of Norridgewock, who is vaccinated. But 90 miles south, vaccine hesitancy was virtually non-existent. Jill Carlton, 27, of Portland, who was walking her roommate’s dog on Congress Street, said that she didn’t know anyone who wasn’t vaccinated. Although some had taken longer to get the shot than others, she said. (Marino Jr., 10/6)
Los Angeles Times: COVID Vaccine Disinformation A Big Reason Behind Low Inoculation Rates, Officials Say
When it comes to misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines, health advocates have heard it all. During a recent round of surveying farmworkers, there were a number of concerns ranging from misguided and inaccurate to specific and head-scratching, such as that the shots will somehow alter a recipient’s sexuality. “Every single week, it’s a new myth,” Hernan Hernandez, executive director of the Central Valley-based California Farmworker Foundation, said last week. Even with the COVID-19 vaccine campaign now nearly 10 months old, officials and immunization advocates throughout the state say persistent misconceptions and disinformation are hobbling efforts to promote the shots in certain parts of California, including among some Latino communities. (Lin II and Money, 10/5)
