Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #108

[katydid23]

Looks like the federal government is out of money for a fourth booster shot, and for monoclonal treatments.

Biden administration to offer COVID-19 boosters to older Americans: report

<snipped> and BBM

In an interview last Monday on "In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt," White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said there is currently no funding for fourth doses.

"Right now, we don’t have enough money for fourth doses, if they’re called for – booster shots, additional booster shots for all Americans. We don't have the funding, if we were to need a variant-specific vaccine in the future. Immediately, we don't have money to order more of the very effective monoclonal treatments," he said.

"Already, we've had to cut back allocations to our state partners by 30%, so we preserve the inventory that we do have," Zients added, calling on Congress to take action.

<snipped>

The FDA's advisory committee will meet in April to discuss what the overall vaccine strategy for the Biden administration should be during the third year of the pandemic.

I wonder if Pfizer will make it available le for cash for people who want one?

 

[Sundog]

I wonder if Pfizer will make it available le for cash for people who want one?

I wonder if health insurance will pay for it, or part of it if approved by the FDA.

 

[anneg]

Re a second booster, Dr. Eric Topol is highlighting some interesting information in his Twitter thread today:
https://twitter.com/EricTopol

https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1507777523567915008?cxt=HHwWgMCryenq2ewpAAAA

New and important report on the 2nd booster Reduction of death for people age 60+ A 78% reduction of death due to Covid in ~330,000 people who had 4th shot vs ~230,000 with 3 shots, adjusted for co-variates
https://researchsquare.com/article/rs-1478439/v1…
@ArbelRonen
@ClalitHealth

Dr. Topol notes: "This study was performed in Israel, which began administering 4th shots for age 60+ in December, and subsequently across all adult age groups. Now Israel is confronting a BA.2 wave."

IMO it will be interesting to see how well this study population does in relation to BA.2.

 

[jjenny]

I have concerns about getting the 4th shot, or 2nd booster.

I know of FOUR people who are having heart issues currently---NONE of them had previous issues. Three of them had problems after their boosters. Heart inflammation which has not totally gone away.

I am not sure if I want to get another booster or not. I uses masks and am very rarely out in public still. So I don't know if I should.

I had the fourth shot and it didn't cause any problems whatsoever. Another wave is presumably coming very soon-it already going in Europe. Heart problems have mostly been in young males. Not being a young male, I didn't worry.

 

[jjenny]

I wonder if health insurance will pay for it, or part of it if approved by the FDA.

I am presuming health insurance will have to pay for it.

 

[weepingangel]

Effectiveness of mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19 ...


Effectiveness of mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19–Associated Invasive Mechanical Ventilation and Death — United States, March 2021–January 2022 | MMWR

 

[sds71]

FDA authorizes second booster shots for adults age 50 and older - CNN

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

FDA authorizes a 2nd Covid booster shot for people 50 and older (nbcnews.com)

The move comes as fewer than half of those eligible for their first booster shot have received one.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized a second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for adults ages 50 and older.

People are eligible to get the additional dose at least four months after receiving their first booster, the FDA said in a statement.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is expected to release a statement signing off on the additional shot shortly.

The FDA has already authorized a fourth shot for immunocompromised individuals...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

A broccoli a day keeps COVID (and colds) away? Researchers are looking into it (detroitnews.com)

Baltimore — Your mom was right: Eat your vegetables!

Vegetables have long been a mainstay of a healthy diet, but there may be one more reason to eat your greens. They may stave off a bad COVID-19 infection.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center found that a chemical compound called sulforaphane found in abundance in broccoli cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts might slow growth of coronaviruses such as those that cause COVID-19 and the common cold.

At the start of the pandemic, the researchers began looking for potential treatments for the virus when they came across the compound. They haven’t tested it in humans yet, but in cells and mice they found sulforaphane was a promising weapon against severe disease because it interferes with virus replication. That’s how the virus spreads in the body...

 

[Sprockett7701]

Effectiveness of mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19 ...


Effectiveness of mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19–Associated Invasive Mechanical Ventilation and Death — United States, March 2021–January 2022 | MMWR

The conflicts of interest list is interesting…

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Americans ease up on masks, virus safeguards: AP-NORC poll (detroitnews.com)

Many Americans have taken significant steps back from once-routine coronavirus precautions, with fewer than half now saying they regularly wear face masks, avoid crowds and skip nonessential travel.

Americans are letting down their guard even as experts warn a new wave of COVID-19 cases is coming. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows fewer people taking protective measures than at any point in AP-NORC polls conducted since early 2021.

The poll found 44% say they often or always wear a face mask around people outside of their homes, down from 65% in January when infections of the highly contagious omicron variant were soaring. Just 40% say they’re largely avoiding nonessential travel, compared with 60% in January. And 47% say they regularly stay away from large groups, down from 65% in January.

Most Americans say they at least sometimes still follow those safeguards. But they're increasingly returning to pre-pandemic norms as coronavirus infections have fallen to their lowest level since July...

 

[RANCH]

New drug that prevents you from catching COVID-19 gets green light in Europe — but it’s been in the U.S. for months and hardly anyone knows about it

Unlike other antibody treatments, which are used after someone contracts COVID-19 to prevent severe illness, Evusheld would be used as an alternative vaccination for people who had a weak immune response to existing COVID-19 vaccines or for whom vaccination is not recommended, such as the immunocompromised.

 

[dmac55]

I tried to get the 4th covid booster vaccine today at both Walgreens and Walmart
Neither are administering it yet
Both said it’s a corporate decision - not an individual store decision
I’m disappointed

 

[dmac55]

Tonight-
10:00pm ET on ABC
Wednesday, March30
24 Months That Changed the World -- A Special Edition of 20/20

Exploring how COVID-19 disrupted and created lasting change across all aspects of human life; individuals who made big life choices and moved to new locations; the increase in multigenerational households; the effect of the pandemic on relationships.

 

[dmac55]

“The Biden administration on Wednesday launched a new website to provide a clearinghouse of information on COVID-19 as part of a continuing effort to prepare to live with the coronavirus.”

White House launches COVID.gov amid push for more funds, booster shots | Reuters
White House launches COVID.gov amid push for more funds, booster shots

 

[Chelly]

I tried to get the 4th covid booster vaccine today at both Walgreens and Walmart
Neither are administering it yet
Both said it’s a corporate decision - not an individual store decision
I’m disappointed

Thanks for reporting this. I planned on going to Walmart for my 4th booster. I wonder how others have gotten this dose?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Biden to receive 2nd booster as US launches covid.gov site (detroitnews.com)

Washington — President Joe Biden is set to receive a second booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, the White House announced, a day after federal regulators approved a fourth shot for those aged 50 and older.

Biden would receive the shot after his administration rolls out covid.gov, what it says is a one-stop website that will help people in the United States access COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments, along with status updates on infection rates where they live.

“Now, with a click of a button, people will be able to find where to access all of these tools,” the White House said. People will also be able to find the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on COVID-19 in their community...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

People 50 and older can get a 2nd Covid-19 booster. Fewer than half have gotten the first. (nbcnews.com)

According to an NBC News analysis, close to 1 in 2 people 50 and older have been boosted.

...An NBC News analysis shows that less than half of the people aged 50 and up — those authorized Tuesday for a second Covid-19 booster shot — have received their first booster shot and could get that shot by mid-May.

Forty-one percent of the more than 110 million people in that group who have completed a full vaccination series have not yet received their first booster, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Census Bureau. The Food and Drug Administration announcement Tuesday allows U.S. residents aged 50 and up to get an additional dose at least four months after their first booster...

 

[tabitha111]

Thanks for reporting this. I planned on going to Walmart for my 4th booster. I wonder how others have gotten this dose?

I am getting my 4th booster at Rite Aid. I was able to make the appointment online.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Who really needs a second COVID booster? Here's what to know (detroitnews.com)

Many Americans now can get a second COVID-19 booster, but it’s hard to tell who really needs another shot right now and who could wait.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized extra Pfizer or Moderna shots for anyone 50 or older and for some younger people with severely weakened immune systems. It's an effort to get ahead of a possible next coronavirus surge.

With COVID-19 cases low in the U.S., it's easy to ignore calls for another dose — or for those who aren't yet vaccinated or boosted to get up to date, said Dr. Erica Johnson, an infectious disease specialist at the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Her advice: If you're on the fence, use this lull to talk with your doctor about how protected you really are — and need to be...