Race To Vaccinate More Urgent Than Ever, Experts Say

Fox News: Lag Between COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters, New Variants Highlight Need For Therapeutics, Expert Says
While work on COVID-19 vaccine boosters is already underway, one expert warned that emerging variants threaten to create a "window of susceptibility," which without therapeutics could lead to more virus-inflicted death. "Of course there's a need for boosters," Dr. Jonathan Javitt, CEO of NRx and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told Fox News. "The problem with boosters is, we'll always be at least six months behind the curve." It takes six months, at best, to tweak previously authorized vaccines to target specific variants, he said, with the time frame of 12 months looking more likely. (Rivas, 6/9)

The New York Times: Reports Of Severe Covid Or Death After Vaccination Are Rare, But Not Unexpected 
Over the last few months, a steady drumbeat of headlines has highlighted the astounding real-world effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccines, especially the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The vaccines, study after study has shown, are more than 90 percent effective at preventing the worst outcomes, including hospitalization and death. But alongside this good news have been rare reports of severe Covid in people who had been fully vaccinated. (Anthes, 6/9)

The New York Times: AstraZeneca Shots Carry Slightly Higher Risk Of Bleeding Problem, New Study Says 
People receiving the Covid vaccine made by Oxford-AstraZeneca had a slightly increased risk of a bleeding disorder, and possibly other rare blood problems, researchers reported on Wednesday. The findings, from a study of 2.53 million adults in Scotland who received their first doses of either the AstraZeneca vaccine or the one made by Pfizer-BioNTech, were published in the journal Nature Medicine. About 1.7 million of the shots were the AstraZeneca vaccine. (Grady, 6/9)

CIDRAP: Real-World Study Finds 2 Doses Of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine 89% Effective
An Israeli population-based study found 89% vaccine effectiveness (VE) 7 or more days after the second dose, according to a study today in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. The researchers followed 6,286 people, of whom 30.2% weren't vaccinated, 23.0% received one dose, and 46.8% received two doses (mean ages, 36, 41, and 52 years, respectively). The follow-up period was from Jan 1 to Feb 11, during which the country's new daily infections peaked at more than 8,000 cases per day from Jan 14 to 20 and then subsided to 5,822 by the study's end. (6/9)

In case you missed it —

CBS News: William Shakespeare, First Man In The U.K. To Receive COVID-19 Vaccine, Has Died Of A Stroke At 81 
William Shakespeare – the 81-year-old man who became the second person in the U.K. to receive a COVID-19 vaccine – has died. Shakespeare, who goes by Bill, died of a stroke, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust said, according to BBC News. In December, Shakespeare became the first man to receive a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, following 91-year-old Margaret Keenan, the first person in the country to get the shot. "It could make a difference to our lives from now on, couldn't it?" he said at the time. "It's started changing our lives and our lifestyle." (O'Kane, 5/26)

KRDO: Colorado Springs Woman Who Nearly Died After Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Pushing For Change 
A Colorado Springs woman nearly died after receiving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, and she's now hoping more people understand the risks of getting the shot before making an appointment. Kendra Lippy is 38-years-old and has spent most of her life in Colorado Springs. She made an appointment to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in March because she says she wanted to protect her friends and family. (Stelle, 6/2)