Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Confusion Persists Over When To Boost 5- to 11-Year-Olds; Lack Of Jabs Angers Parents Of Under-5s
The Washington Post: Should 5- To 11-Year-Olds Get Boosters Now Or Wait Until The Fall?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended last week that 5- to 11-year-olds receive booster doses if it’s been at least five months since their first two shots of the coronavirus vaccine. While this policy simplifies federal guidance — everyone 5 and older is now recommended to receive at least one booster — it doesn’t answer the pressing question on many parents’ minds: Should their child receive the booster now, or wait until the fall? (Leana S. Wen, 5/25)
The New York Times: Vaccinating Our Youngest Kids Shouldn’t Take This Long
The Food and Drug Administration last week announced authorization of a third Covid vaccine dose — a single booster — for children 5-11. This comes as parents of kids under 5 still wait for vaccine authorization for their children, after months of hard-to-decipher announcements, from both the F.D.A. and pharmaceutical companies. According to reporting from Sharon LaFraniere in The Times at the end of April, the F.D.A. said that it understood the urgency of protecting children under 5, “and that it would act quickly ‘if the data support a clear path forward following our evaluation.’” (Jessica Grose, 5/25)
Chicago Tribune: What A Trip To Peru Taught Me About The Pandemic
When the plane touched down in Chicago, I sighed with relief. After meticulous planning, we were returning from a two-week trip to Lima, Peru. We hadn’t seen my partner’s sister — soon to turn 91 years old — for five years and felt that with thorough precautions, we could keep ourselves and our loved ones safe while in Peru during the pandemic. That sigh of relief soon turned to alarm as we deplaned and saw virtually no one masked or practicing social distancing in the terminal. It was as if the pandemic was over, and any precautions had long been forgotten. I felt I had entered the Twilight Zone. (Barbara Shaw, 5/24)
Also —
The New York Times: How Abortion Benefits Men
Matt Lavallee was in college when he learned his girlfriend was pregnant. “The news scared me,” he said, acknowledging that an unintended pregnancy was an even more daunting prospect for his girlfriend. “But there was no question that abortion was the best option for us.” (Andrea Becker, 5/26)
San Francisco Chronicle: At 23, I Already Know I Might Need Fertility Treatments. But If Roe V. Wade Is Overturned, My Options May Be Severely Limited
The political climate energized by the potential fall of Roe v. Wade isn’t just going to prevent the ability of many women to choose whether or not to carry a pregnancy, it might also prevent millions of people from trying to conceive in the first place. Think I’m being alarmist? Thirteen states have “trigger laws” banning abortion immediately or shortly after Roe falls. Some, like one that Oklahoma lawmakers passed, define life as beginning at “the moment of fertilization.” (Téa Francesca Price, 5/25)
The New York Times: Justice Alito And His Allies Don't Care To Look At The Future For American Women
Now that the Oklahoma State Legislature has voted to ban abortion from the moment of conception, I have a few questions for Justice Samuel Alito and any others who would join him in overturning Roe v. Wade: What is your reaction to the news from Oklahoma? The State Legislature gave final approval last Thursday to a bill that would prohibit nearly all abortions, starting at fertilization. It now awaits the signature of the governor, who has pledged to make Oklahoma “the most pro-life state in the country.” Does it thrill you to see the project of your judicial lifetime about to come to fruition? Or does it trouble you, even just a bit, to see what your judicial activism has unleashed? (Linda Greenhouse, 5/24)
