To Booster Or Not To Booster, That Is The COVID-19 Question Of The Day

A person holding a stethoscope in their hand.


Scientific advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are meeting tomorrow to decide which Americans should get COVID-19 booster shots and when.  The decision will be closely watched after advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Friday overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to offer Pfizer booster shots to all Americans over the age of 16 and then unanimously voted in favor of third doses for those over 65 and some high risk groups.  The experts confirmed that a third dose does boost antibody levels, although it’s unclear how long that increase lasts or whether it translates to a meaningful boost in protection against severe disease.

FDA Approves Two COVID-19 Vaccines

A vial of influenza vaccine next to two syringes.


At last, the FDA has approved both the Pfizer and the BioNTech vaccines.  They are no longer approved only for experimental use which will shoot down one of the last excuses that anti-vaxers have been using as an excuse not to get vaccinated.  This is where the rubber meets the road and those not getting vaccinated are going to have to try and come up with another excuse for doing what the majority of Americans have done—get vaccinated against the coronavirus.  Shortly after the approval, the Pentagon announced that it would require all active-duty military to be vaccinated (only 64% now are) and President Biden put the pressure on private companies to do the same.  “Today I’m calling on more companies in the private sector to step up with vaccine requirements that will reach millions to do that,†he said.  Johnson & Johnson and Moderna are expected to submit paperwork to get full approval by the end of the year.  This is definitely great news as hospitalizations from COVID-19 are surging as the Delta variant continues to spread.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-approves-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-for-people-16-and-older-11629726322?mod=djemwhatsnews

Monterey, CA Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver


There were just 53 new cases of coronavirus reported in Monterey County today, bringing the total to 42,628 cases, with one new death reported.  Moderna announced today that the first children have been vaccinated in their KidCOVE study, which is testing the effectiveness of the vaccine on children from 6 months of age to 11 years old.  Moderna is running a separate trial on children 12-17.  Currently, the drug company only allows the vaccine to be given to people 18 and older.  Nationally, the numbers are not looking that good.  There were 57,083 new cases, significantly higher than the 38,034 reported the day prior.  That brings the grand total to 29.486 million and deaths rose by 1.114 to 535,997. In California, there were 2,554 new cases for a total of 3.626 million, while deaths rose by 75 to 55,621.  The number of cases are still significant so please stay home and stay safe as much as possible.

Monterey, CA Elder Abuse Alert : Preying On Those Unable To Get COVID-19 Vaccination

A close up of some blue and yellow cells


been able to get vaccinated yet.  They are touting that they can get you vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine for just $30.  It’s not true.   The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has arrested three people and charged them with conspiracy to commit fraud.  But it’s not over.  These scams are very common so stay on the alert.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccine-scams-grow-leveraging-confusion-about-how-to-get-the-shot-11614076200?tpl=cybersecurity