Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Navy 'Separates' Over 1,000 Sailors Over Covid Shot Refusals
USNI News: Navy Separates More Than A 1,000 Sailors For COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal
The Navy exceeded 1,000 separations due to sailors’ continued refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The service has now approved 1,074 separations for sailors who will not get vaccinated against COVID-19 and do not have a waiver, according to the sea service’s weekly update. The Navy cannot currently separate anyone who applied for a religious exemption due to a ruling in a federal lawsuit. (Mongilio, 5/26)
WPMI: Navy Lieutenant Who Refused Vaccine Cleared Of Misconduct, Will Remain In Service
In a unanimous decision, a Navy administrative board has found that a lieutenant who refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 did not commit misconduct by doing so. ... The board, which was composed of three Navy officers, made its decision on May 20, 2022. Younts successfully argued that the order for military members to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was not a lawful order, according to the release. (Rogers, 5/23)
In other news about mandates —
Los Angeles Times: UCLA Reinstates Indoor Mask Mandate As COVID Cases Rise In L.A.
UCLA has ordered a mask mandate in indoor settings on campus, effective Friday, as coronavirus cases continue to climb in Los Angeles County. Officials said the mask order was needed to avoid disrupting in-person learning and campus activities, including graduation. “An important strategy to curb the spread of COVID-19, in addition to ongoing testing and daily symptom monitoring, is the consistent use of well-fitting masks indoors,” the campus said in a letter Thursday. (Lin II and Money, 5/26)
More on the vaccine rollout —
MarketWatch: The FDA's Decision On Novavax's COVID-19 Vaccine Could Come In Weeks
Novavax Inc. is still waiting for U.S. regulators to decide whether to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine, which some experts believe could serve as an alternative option for people who are hesitant to get a mRNA vaccine. Novavax’s vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, is a recombinant protein-based shot that is similar in design to a flu shot that’s been available in the U.S. since 2013. This type of vaccine has a different makeup than the mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna Inc., BioNTech and Pfizer Inc., as well as the adenovirus shot from Johnson & Johnson. (Lee, 5/26)
Healthline: Can I Donate Plasma After Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine?
There were close to 40 million plasma donations in the United States in 2017. Many people who regularly donate plasma know how important their donations are for use in lifesaving medical treatments. Some have raised questions about plasma donation during the coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. For instance, if you’re a regular donor, you’ll likely have heard false reports that you won’t be able to donate if you get a COVID-19 vaccination. (Behring, 5/26)
CIDRAP: 1 COVID Vaccine Dose May Boost Protection After Infection, Vaccination
Long-lasting yet flagging protection conferred by a previous COVID-19 infection or vaccination can be reinforced by even a single vaccine dose, concludes an Israeli study published yesterday in NEJM.A team led by researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa mined the Israeli Ministry of Health database for data on all patients who tested positive for COVID-19 or received any dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from August to September 2021, when the Delta variant was dominant. (5/26)
CIDRAP: Mix-And-Match Booster Shots Shown More Effective Against Omicron Strain
A letter yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists shows homologous (same-vaccine) boosting for Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine recipients was significantly less effective than mix-and-match booster doses when the Omicron strain was predominant in the United States. Approximately 18 million Americans received the one-dose J&J vaccine as their primary COVID-19 vaccine. The study tracked COVID-19 cases among J&J recipients with no booster, a J&J booster, an mRNA booster, and adults who received three doses of mRNA vaccine (a primary series plus a booster). (5/26)
