Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Unsure If You Need A Booster? Even Experts Are Divided
The New York Times: Are Vaccine Boosters Widely Needed? Some Federal Advisers Have Misgivings
Following a series of endorsements over the last month by scientific panels advising federal agencies, tens of millions of Americans are now eligible for booster shots of coronavirus vaccines. But the recommendations — even those approved unanimously — mask significant dissent and disquiet among those advisers about the need for booster shots in the United States. In interviews last week, several advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to the Food and Drug Administration said data show that, with the exception of adults over age 65, the vast majority of Americans are already well protected against severe illness and do not need booster shots. (Mandavilli, 10/25)
Los Angeles Times: Should I Mix And Match My COVID-19 Booster Shoot?
Topping up your protection against severe COVID-19 while avoiding the risk of rare vaccine side effects should not be rocket science. But just ask the experts who advised federal regulators to authorize additional shots: There’s no simple formula to guide Americans’ decisions about booster shots. Whether you should get a booster shot and which one you should get depends on who you are, what medical vulnerabilities you have, and what vaccine you got first. The people you live with or the kind of work you do might also influence your choice. (Healy, 10/25)
Des Moines Register: Iowans Don't Need To Prove Eligibility For COVID Booster Shots: 'A Lot Of It Is On The Honor System'
Iowans seeking booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine don't need to prove they have health conditions or workplace risks that make them eligible, public health officials say. "Really, a lot of it is on the honor system," Nola Aigner Davis, spokesperson for the Polk County Health Department, said Monday. "If you feel you need the vaccine, we give you the vaccine." (Leys, 10/25)
In other vaccine development news —
The New York Times: AstraZeneca’s Vaccine Comes With A Slightly Higher Risk Of A Nerve Syndrome But Not Worse Than From Covid, A Study Finds
A study of more than 32 million Covid vaccine recipients in England published on Monday found that people given the AstraZeneca vaccine were at slightly increased risk of Guillain–Barré syndrome, a rare but potentially serious neurological condition.Even so, the coronavirus vaccine posed a far smaller risk of the disorder than did Covid itself, the researchers said.“The neurological complications of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are much rarer than the neurological complications of Covid-19,” said Dr. Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London. (Mueller, 10/26)
