One of the most difficult aspects of COVID-19, we have maintained since the name first entered our vocabulary more than 18 months ago, is sorting through the torrent of information about the virus and choosing what to keep and what to reject.
You know what we mean: is the 1918 flu virus or Legionnaires' disease bad? Are masks our enemy or our friend? Will this end at Christmas or will it last for years? Are vaccines helpful or unsafe? And so on.
Too much information and not knowing what the truth is is why some people have avoided preventive measures and vaccines that would help them.
Now we can add Wednesday Food and Drug Administration approval from Pfizer's vaccine boosters for older people and others at high risk of contracting the virus.
But 1) Didn't the Biden administration get a slap on the hand from FDA officials recently when trying to reveal a boosters plan? and 2) Aren't people getting the boosters anyway?
Yes and yes.
However, 1) Does this mean that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has approved the boosters? 2) Does this mean that I still have to wait eight months after my last shot to get a booster, as the Biden administration said? and 3) Does this mean that I can schedule boosters for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines?
No no and no.
The FDA advisory panel rejected the administration's broad push plan last week, but on Wednesday approved more limited distribution to seniors, younger adults with underlying conditions, and people in jobs that put them at high risk of contracting. the virus. But the panel said those who are eligible could receive their booster within six months of their second vaccination, not eight months as was in the administration plan.
the CDC also met this week to come up with its own reinforcement recommendations., but it was thought that the agency might not make an immediate pronouncement.
Meanwhile, people are already getting the boosters. Maybe you've gotten one, or you certainly know someone who has. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were previously licensed for certain people with weakened immune systems. And, to be honest, some doctors are giving them to healthy Americans if they just ask for them.
However, FDA regulators and the CDC have not approved the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters for the group that the FDA sanctioned on Wednesday and do not plan to do so until a later date.
But they did say, as they did to mix the initial vaccines, that the people who got the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines shouldn't get the booster from Pfizer (and probably vice versa when approved).
"As we learn more about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, including the use of a booster dose, we will continue to assess rapidly changing science and keep the public informed," said Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock Acting FDA.
Hope for?
"Learn more?" "Safety and Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines?" "Assess rapidly changing science?"
Hers is the kind of weasel statement that makes anti-vaccines scream: "Look, even she's not sure about vaccines."
Yes, we know, we know. She was just making a confident statement, covering her, uh, bases.
We are confident that Woodcock is a 100% vaccine advocate, just like we are. It's still the best way to practically ensure that you won't get seriously ill, hospitalized, or die from COVID-19.
But his comments came on the same day that Project Veritas posted a video of an FDA economist talking about the use of a "blow dart" to vaccinate African Americans, comparing the United States' ability to force vaccines with that of Nazi Germany and rallying the anti-vaccines, putting them in Texas and shutting down "Texas from the rest of the world."
We don't imagine Taylor Lee, the economist secretly filmed by the nonprofit research organization, being close to making medical decisions about COVID-19, but such ridiculous talk doesn't make the case that gunshots are easier.
To date, although the numbers only appear to be increasing, about 64% of Americans (180 million), 44.3% of Tennesseans, and 47.28% of Hamilton County residents are fully vaccinated, And that doesn't include reinforcements.
We believe, as with the original vaccines, that people with questions about their health, eligibility for a booster shot, or concerns about any long-term or side effects should speak with their doctor and make an informed decision. decision on a third shot.
