Coronavirus updates October 2021

[Daisys and Diamonds]

so a big brave fireman can run into a burning building but is scared of a tiny needle ???

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

so a big brave fireman can run into a burning building but is scared of a tiny needle ???

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

Only something like 60% of the FDNY and not much more of the NYPD are vaccinated. It blows my mind.

 

[seaurchin]

Only something like 60% of the FDNY and not much more of the NYPD are vaccinated. It blows my mind.

I think it's because there has been a lot of deliberate misinformation spread about Covid from very high places.

I personally think the ones doing it deserve long prison sentences because their self-serving lies and propaganda is an abuse of power that's caused a lot of deaths that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

 

[seaurchin]

I wonder if they will start allowing booster shots that differ from whichever one you had originally.

I asked for the Pfizer booster when I got my flu shot last week because it's been about eight months since my last Covid shot and I was there anyway.

But my first two shots were Moderna, which is not yet available for boosters, and they would not give me the Pfizer booster. No biggie but I just didn't know they were doing it that way.

 

[missy]

Vaccine Lotteries Didn’t Move the Needle​

Several U.S. states and cities tried to boost Covid-19 vaccinations with a sweepstakes-for-shots approach, spending millions of dollars along the way. Ohio’s Vax-a-Million campaign was the first, launched in May 2021; California’s prize was the biggest, at $1.5 million to each of ten winners. A new study suggests that other methods would have been more effective. Get the full story here.

 

[missy]

So sad
RIP Colin Powell

Colin Powell, the first Black secretary of state, died from complications related to COVID-19, his family announced. (CNN)

Former President Bill Clinton was released from UC Irvine Medical Center after being hospitalized for a urinary tract infection that spread to his bloodstream. (CNN)

The FDA has delayed its decision on whether to authorize Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents (ages 12 to 17) to further investigate whether the shot may increase the risk for myocarditis in younger individuals. (Wall Street Journal)

In other FDA news, Boehringer Ingelheim announced that its adalimumab biosimilar Cyltezo received approval as the first interchangeable biosimilar to reference product Humira.

And Oyster Point Pharma said the agency approved its nasal spray -- varenicline solution (Tyrvaya) -- for treating dry-eye disease.

A late-stage trial of Biogen's amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) drug failed to hit its primary endpoint, the company said, while highlighting favorable secondary endpoints.

While COVID-19 hospitalizations break new records in Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) has stood firm in support of a state law prohibiting vaccine mandates in private workplaces. (Independent Record)

Meanwhile, Italy just began implementing one of the world's toughest workplace vaccine mandates. (Washington Post)

In Russia, the official number of COVID cases just passed 8 million, but independent data analysts say both case counts and death tolls are higher than the government is reporting. (AP/Washington Post)

As of Monday at 8 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID-19 toll reached 44,934,620 cases and 724,323 deaths, up 594,212 cases and 10,969 deaths versus this time a week ago.

 

[missy]

Children and Covid

More Children Contracted COVID-19 and Died in September

More than 6 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, with more than 1.1 million new cases recorded in September alone.

www.medscape.com

"

More Children Contracted COVID-19 and Died in September, Data Shows​

Carolyn Crist
October 18, 2021



Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center.
September was the worst month for new COVID-19 cases and deaths among children in the U.S., according to new data from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Cases peaked in early September, the data shows, as many schools reopened for in-person classes while the contagious Delta variant surged across the country.
More than 6 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, with more than 1.1 million new cases recorded in September alone.

Last week, there were more than 148,000 new cases, and children made up about a quarter of all new COVID-19 cases in the country.

Only a small number of young children contract severe COVID-19 or die. Weekly data shows that COVID-19 deaths for ages 15 and under reached its highest level in September, with 41 deaths.
Vaccinations for young children could begin in the coming weeks, according to NBC News. Last week, Pfizer requested FDA emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11. An FDA advisory committee will discuss the authorization on Oct. 26, and the CDC's vaccine advisory committee is scheduled to meet on Nov. 2.
The White House has told governors to prepare for child vaccinations to begin as early as November, NBC News reported.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has also said that pediatricians should start preparing to vaccinate children, according to a new article released Thursday. Doctors will need to use new vials to administer the 10-microgram dose to kids, which is one-third of the dose given to adults. Pediatricians and pharmacies will soon be able to order the pediatric vaccine through their jurisdictions, the AAP said.
Jurisdictions should know by next week how many doses of the Pfizer pediatric vaccine they will be receive so they can start planning the distribution, the AAP said. Federal authorities have indicated that there will be enough vaccines for all children in the 5-11 age group to receive a shot.
About 46% of 12- to 17-year-olds in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, the AAP said.
SOURCES:

American Academy of Pediatrics: "Children and COVID-19: State-Level Data Report." "Pediatricians can start preparing to vaccinated children against COVID-19."

NBC News: "Data shows more children are getting sick and dying from Covid."

"

 

[missy]

How long Covid came to be recognized​

With a loss of smell and a high fever, New Yorker Fiona Lowenstein had a classic case of Covid-19 in early March 2020 before she knew what a classic Covid case was. But there was more the 27-year-old didn’t know: She was also about to join a burgeoning group we now know as “long haulers.” Long Covid afflicts millions of people globally in multiple and varied ways. We have no idea what proportion of Covid survivors will suffer its debilitating effects or for how long, but the evidence suggests that the lingering consequences of a SARS-CoV-2 infection will persist far longer than the pandemic itself. Our new season of the top-rated Prognosis podcast launches Tuesday. It’s called “Breakthrough” and begins with four episodes on long Covid that explore how we learned about this condition, the ways in which we’re studying and treating it, and its long-term health implications. Long Coivd now afflicts millions of people around the world. Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images On our first episode, Lowenstein takes us on her personal journey as a long hauler, and chronicles the emergence of a patient-led movement that not only initiated important research, but ensured long haulers were recognized as experts on the condition alongside the scientists and doctors studying and treating them. The story of how long Covid came to be recognized by the international medical establishment provides a lesson in humility. When a new disease emerges, we’re all learning how it works in real time—patients, doctors, scientists and health officials together. No one group has a monopoly on the facts. But patients with a lived experience of a new disease have a unique perspective and a vested interest. Gay men fought to ensure their voices were heard in the early days of AIDS—an example of activism that inspired long haulers to create networks that not only provide support, but are helping to shape public-health policy for years to come.—Jason Gale

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My FIL has COVID (vaccinated and symptomatic). He has been pretty careful but works in sanitation so is public facing. So far he says it feels similar to the flu. We're not too worried since he has been vaccinated but we're obviously hoping he recovers quickly and without needing medical intervention.

 

[junebug17]

FDA has authorized Moderna and J&J booster, says it's ok to mix vaccines

The FDA authorizes Moderna and J&J COVID vaccine boosters

The Food and Drug Administration also gave an OK to boosters that differ from the vaccine originally used to immunize people against COVID-19. A mix-and-match approach could ease the booster rollout.

www.npr.org

 

[canuk-gal]

FDA has authorized Moderna and J&J booster, says it's ok to mix vaccines

The FDA authorizes Moderna and J&J COVID vaccine boosters

The Food and Drug Administration also gave an OK to boosters that differ from the vaccine originally used to immunize people against COVID-19. A mix-and-match approach could ease the booster rollout.

www.npr.org

Just read this! Beat me to it!

 

[MamaBee]

My FIL has COVID (vaccinated and symptomatic). He has been pretty careful but works in sanitation so is public facing. So far he says it feels similar to the flu. We're not too worried since he has been vaccinated but we're obviously hoping he recovers quickly and without needing medical intervention.

@Asscherhalo_lover I hope he makes a complete recovery..

 

[MamaBee]

Just read this! Beat me to it!

Me too!

 

[dk168]

I stopped using the NHS Covid-19 app on my phone after the so-called "Freedom Day" on 19 July 2021, and have recently deleted the app from my phone completed.

DK

 

[missy]

The White House outlined a plan to vaccinate younger children against Covid-19 once the shots are approved by regulators, a critical next step for the U.S. to beat back the virus as winter approaches. The Food and Drug Administration approved more booster shots and New York City mandated vaccines for all municipal workers, including police and fire employees, many of whom have opposed vaccine requirements or even wearing masks. In a stark reminder that the pandemic is far from over, rising cases threaten new lockdowns in Europe, and Russia is struggling to control a new record outbreak and soaring deaths. Here’s the latest on the pandemic. —Margaret Sutherlin

Bloomberg is tracking the coronavirus pandemic and the progress of global vaccination efforts.

 

[missy]

FDA Greenlights 'Mix and Match' COVID Boosters​

— Moderna, Johnson & Johnson boosters also get thumbs up​

by Molly Walker, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Today October 20, 2021

The FDA authorized booster doses of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines and also authorized a "mix and match" or heterologous approach to boosters for all three available vaccines (including Pfizer's) in the indicated populations, the agency announced on Wednesday.
Ultimately, the FDA went with what was recommended by their advisory panel, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), which voted for a half-dose Moderna booster in adults ages 65 and up, adults ages 18-64 at high risk of severe COVID, and adults 18-64 with frequent occupational and institutional exposure to SARS-CoV-2, at least 6 months after completing the primary series.

A booster of Johnson & Johnson vaccine is authorized for all adults ages 18 and up who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, at least 2 months after completion of the single-dose regimen.
For the heterologous boosters, the agency specified that they are authorized for "eligible individuals." These individuals may receive a booster dose of a different vaccine than their primary series "with a different available COVID-19 vaccine" if they are among the populations indicated for boosters, given at the same recommended interval (after 2 months if Johnson & Johnson was the primary vaccine, or after 6 months for Moderna or Pfizer).
The agency also clarified the Pfizer booster emergency use authorization (EUA), for the 18-64 population at high occupational or institutional risk, to more closely align with the language in the Moderna booster EUA.
At a media briefing Wednesday evening, Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, MD, said the agency was not making "preferential recommendations" on boosters, and said that "we would expect many people will get the same series they have already received."

FDA's Director for the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Peter Marks, MD, PhD, added that he expected individuals would consult with their healthcare providers if they had a question about which booster to receive.
"In some situations, there may be an issue with availability or medical considerations that a provider may decide" to recommend a certain booster "for a certain individual," he said.
Woodcock added that some individuals may want another vaccine as a booster due to an adverse reaction to the primary series.
"We wanted to provide a lot of flexibility, because some people don’t know which vaccine they got," she said.
Some members of VRBPAC had expressed interest in making boosters available to all adults as young as age 40, which was echoed by several reporters, who wondered why the agency didn't issue a broader recommendation for boosters.

Woodcock said they were monitoring breakthrough infections and waning immunity in different populations. She described it as a "dynamic situation."

Marks added that the FDA is "relatively nimble" with their EUA authority, and they could act as soon as they needed to, should the situation change.
"There is evidence to suggest that lowering the age of those eligible for boosters may make sense in the future," he said.
Data to support the Moderna booster EUA came from a phase II trial, P201. Overall, 149 adults who received the two-dose 100 μg series (the dose authorized under EUA) plus the 50 μg booster dose were evaluated for immunogenicity.
The data for Johnson & Johnson's booster dose was even thinner, with four trials submitted and only part of one independently reviewed by the FDA. However, the agency statement noted that the reason for the EUA was "based on the FDA's evaluation of immune response data in 39 participants from a clinical trial including 24 participants who were 18 through 55 years of age and 15 participants who were 65 years of age and older" who received a booster dose about 2 months after their first dose and "demonstrated a booster response."
For the "mix and match" EUA, the agency cited data from a pre-print, presented by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, that showed heterologous boosters produced an immune response, with no new safety concerns.

 

[missy]

More info about the boosters.

FDA authorizes booster shots of Moderna, Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines​

By Helen Branswell and Matthew Herper Oct. 20, 2021

Many Americans who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 will soon be able to choose which vaccine they would like as a booster after the Food and Drug Administration issued emergency authorizations Wednesday that throw open the door to mixing and matching of vaccine brands.

In newly issued emergency use authorizations for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines — and in a revision to the previous authorization of the Pfizer and BioNTech booster — the agency made clear that people do not have to get a third dose that matches their primary series.

“The available data suggest waning immunity in some populations who are fully vaccinated,” acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement. “The availability of these authorized boosters is important for continued protection against Covid-19 disease.”



Final approval of this booster strategy rests with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which must sign off on this plan before it can become U.S. policy. The CDC’s expert panel on vaccines, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), meets to discuss the booster authorizations Thursday and will make recommendations to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. Walensky’s signoff is needed to put the policy into play.




The authorizations will allow tens of millions of Americans to get Covid booster shots and — in a fundamental change of policy — effectively choose their booster. People in certain demographics who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine six months ago or more have been able to seek a Pfizer booster since late September. But with authorization of the Moderna and J&J boosters, people who got those vaccines too can seek a booster if, in the case of the Moderna vaccine, six months have elapsed since their second shot, and in the case of the J&J, two months have gone by since they received the single J&J jab.

The move will also give states much needed flexibility for their vaccination rollouts, effectively allowing teams of vaccinators to bring one type of shot to a nursing home, for example, rather than requiring them to try to match booster jabs to the vaccine brand each resident initially received.

But Woodcock acknowledged that messaging the different timings of boosters and the sizes of the doses — the Moderna booster shot contains half the antigen of a full Moderna job — could be confusing for the public. She said, though, that health care providers and pharmacies will be given charts to help them keep things straight.

“Although it is not simple, it also is not utterly hopelessly complex,” Peter Marks, director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said on a call with reporters Wednesday evening.


Kathryn Edwards, a vaccines expert at Vanderbilt University, applauded the decision to allow people to get a so-called heterologous boosting — following up one type of vaccine with another. “The mRNA vaccines are more immunogenic than the adeno-vectored vaccines,” like the J&J shot, Edwards said in an email. “If people had been given the J&J vaccine first they can now get an mRNA vaccine. It is likely that their immune response to the mRNA vaccine will be greater than if the booster were with the same J&J vaccine.”

For people who initially received the Pfizer and Moderna shots, boosters are, for now, available only to people aged 65 and older, people aged 18 to 64 with health conditions that put them at high risk of developing severe illness if they catch Covid, and people aged 18 to 64 whose jobs or living circumstances put them at high risk of contracting Covid. The latter group includes health care workers and teachers, as well as people living in or working in homeless shelters and prisons. Boosters are recommended for all of those who received the J&J vaccine, on the other hand.

Marks noted that the FDA is monitoring data on breakthrough infections and could move soon to lower the age at which all adults become eligible for a booster, regardless of their health conditions or occupational exposures to Covid.

The Biden administration had originally stated that boosters would be available for all vaccinated Americans; President Biden got his booster shot earlier this month. But the expert panels that advise the FDA and the CDC did not agree that the available evidence points to a need for boosters for healthy adults under the age of 65 at this point, except for those who received the J&J vaccine. Even with the restrictions they recommended, however, about 60% of people 18 to 64 meet the criteria for a booster at this point, Amanda Cohn, a CDC vaccines expert who sits on the FDA advisory committee, said last week.


Although the EUAs as issued suggest people may have free rein over what vaccine they get as a booster, the FDA officials said they expect the situation will not unfold in such a free-wheeling fashion.

“We would expect many people will continue to get the same series that they already received,” Woodcock said on the call with reporters. Marks added on the call that the agency wanted to make sure that people who couldn’t get the same shot, who believed they’d had a reaction to the earlier vaccine, or who didn’t know which vaccine they originally received would still get a booster.

Studies have suggested that using different types of vaccines could create a better and more long-lasting immune response. That appeared especially true with the J&J vaccine; following it up with a dose of one of the messenger RNA vaccines elicited substantially higher antibody levels, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health recently revealed.

But despite some discussion at a meeting last Friday of the FDA’s vaccines advisers, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), the FDA did not stipulate that people who got the one-dose J&J vaccine should receive an mRNA shot rather than another J&J jab as a booster. Instead, the authorization suggested people who got the J&J shot can opt for a Moderna half-dose booster or a full-dose Pfizer booster if they wish. Likewise, people who got one of the mRNA vaccines could choose to get the other mRNA vaccine as a booster, or the J&J jab.

Studies also suggest that the order and type of shots a person receives could influence how effective a booster will be. And Barney Graham, the former deputy director of the National Institutes of Health’s Vaccine Research Center, told STAT in September that the vaccine one gets as a first or priming dose “locks you into a repertoire and a pattern of antibody, T-cell balances that carry on through subsequent boosters.”

But when asked why the FDA did not give any guidance on which sequence of vaccines would be preferable, Woodcock and Marks said it was because at this point, those data aren’t available.

“You’re talking about antibody responses and we really don’t know the connection between that and actually how well protected somebody is,” Woodcock said. Marks said it is conceivable that a booster shot that doesn’t boost antibody levels to the height of another might still result in longer and stronger protection. “Because we don’t have those data right now … we have to be non-committal about what is the best,” he said. “And we have to simply say that any one of these combinations is reasonable.”

Woodcock and Marks were asked about the decision to allow people who received the J&J vaccine initially to be boosted with Moderna’s shot, given that it is a half dose. The arm of the NIH-funded mix and match trial studied a full dose of Moderna after the J&J shot. Marks said it would be too confusing to have one version of the Moderna booster for J&J recipients and another for people who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. And he suggested “multiple lines of evidence” point to the Moderna vaccine as being an adequate booster, adding data suggests the half dose shot boosts antibodies to about three-quarters of the level that a third full dose would do.


Language added to the fact sheets provided to health care professionals about each vaccine says the shots “may be administered as a heterologous booster dose following completion of primary vaccination with another authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.” The language does not appear to offer any preference at all for having people receive a booster of their original vaccine.

It remains to be seen if the CDC — on the advice of the ACIP — turns that permissive recommendation into a preferential one, urging people who got the J&J vaccine to get an mRNA dose as their booster shot. The committee has been concerned for some time about the situation people who got the J&J’s one-and-done vaccine find themselves in, given that the vaccine is less effective than the mRNA vaccines at protecting against Covid infection.

Marks also told reporters on the call that the FDA believed, apparently based on data from Israel, that the risk of a side effect called myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, did not appear to be higher after an mRNA vaccine booster dose than with earlier doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. “In fact the profile was much more like the first dose,” he said, “and if you look globally at some other emerging evidence that seems to be the trend.”

 

[missy]

FDA panel endorses lower-dose Moderna COVID shot for booster

A panel of U.S. health advisers has endorsed booster shots for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. The advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted Thursday to recommend a lower-dose booster shot for seniors and other high-risk groups.

apnews.com

U.S. health advisers said Thursday that some Americans who received Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago should get a half-dose booster to rev up protection against the coronavirus.

The panel of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously to recommend a booster shot for seniors, as well as younger adults with other health problems, jobs or living situations that put them at increased risk from COVID-19.

The recommendation is non-binding but it’s a key step toward expanding the U.S. booster campaign to millions more Americans. Many people who got their initial Pfizer shots at least six months ago are already getting a booster after the FDA authorized their use last month — and those are the same high-risk groups that FDA’s advisers said should get a Moderna booster.

But there’s no evidence that it’s time to open booster doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine to everybody, the panel stressed — despite initial Biden administration plans to eventually do that.





The coronavirus still is mostly a threat to unvaccinated people — while the vaccinated have strong protection against severe illness or death from COVID-19.

“I don’t really see a need for a ‘let it rip’ campaign for everyone,” said Dr. Michael Kurilla of the National Institutes of Health.

As for the dose, initial Moderna vaccination consists of two 100-microgram shots. But Moderna says a single 50-microgram shot should be enough for a booster.

The agency convened its experts to weigh in on who should get boosters and when for those who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots earlier this year. The panel will discuss J&J on Friday.

The FDA will use its advisers’ recommendations in making final decisions for boosters from both companies. Assuming a positive decision, there’s still another hurdle: Next week, a panel convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will offer more specifics on who should get one.

Many U.S. scientists remain divided about exactly who needs boosters and their purpose — whether they’re needed mostly for people at risk of severe disease or whether they should be used to try to reduce milder infections, too.

The FDA panel wrestled with whether Moderna presented enough evidence backing its low-dose booster.

As the delta variant surged in July and August, a Moderna study found people who were more recently vaccinated had a 36% lower rate of “breakthrough” infections compared with those vaccinated longer ago.


Another study of 344 people found a six-month booster shot restored virus-fighting antibodies to levels thought to be protective — and that included large jumps in antibodies able to target the delta variant. But that was a small study, and only about half of those people got the exact series of doses that would be offered under a Moderna booster campaign.

“The data itself is not strong but it is certainly going in the direction that is supportive of this vote,” said Dr. Patrick Moore of the University of Pittsburgh.

And several advisers worried that boosting with a lower dose might cost people some of the potential benefit of a full-strength third shot.

“That may actually have a tremendous impact on the durability,” Kurilla said.

Moderna said it chose the lower-dose booster because it triggered fewer uncomfortable shot reactions such as fever and achiness but also leaves more vaccine available for the global supply.

One very rare side effect of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines is heart inflammation, particularly among young men soon after the second dose — and one lingering question is whether another dose could spark more cases. Moderna’s booster study wasn’t large enough to spot such a rare risk.

But Israel began offering Pfizer boosters sooner than the U.S. and to more of its population. Thursday, Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis of Israel’s health ministry told the FDA panel that after 3.7 million booster doses administered, there’s no sign the extra shot is any riskier.

Because the Moderna vaccine is similar, the FDA’s advisers found that data reassuring.

While Pfizer’s boosters are only for certain high-risk groups of Americans, Israeli officials credit wider booster use in their country to stemming the delta surge.

“There is no question in my mind that the break of the curve was due to the booster dose,” Alroy-Preis said in response to FDA advisers who noted that other countries have seen a lowering of delta cases without widespread booster use.

But FDA’s advisers also highlighted one confusing issue: People with severely weakened immune systems already can get a third full dose of the Moderna vaccine soon after the initial vaccinations — so a lingering question is whether they should be eligible for a booster, too, which would be their fourth dose.

 

[Karl_K]

I was at cvs today trying to get my medications straitened out and a guy came in and asked for a covid vaccination shot.
He was told he would have to go online and make an appointment that cvs was no longer taking walk ins. He said he did not have a computer or a smart phone and left.
They did not direct him to the county location where they are taking walk-ins that is 5-6 miles away.

I get it they are extremely understaffed and not everyone is permitted to give vaccines but to not have something printed up with directions to the county location or at least give directions verbally is just beyond belief .
After waiting for a long time to get my meds my o2 tank was to low to hang around and talk to them about doing so.

Also they have been advertising walk in vaccines and still are but the fine print now says at limited locations.

 

[Calliecake]

@Karl_K , I called our local Osco today about getting my parents the booster. The pharmacist said they were taking walk-ins but said it was getting busy so scheduling an appointment would probably be best. He said appointments had to be scheduled online. They had all 3 vaccines available.

 

[missy]

​ ​

Here’s the latest news from the pandemic. China expects new Covid outbreak to widen in coming days Sunak vows more services spending to boost U.K. recovery Biden’s economic plan finally comes into focus as it shrinks

Can ex-holdouts persuade current ones?​

In this week's edition of the Covid Q&A, we look at how to persuade unvaccinated people to get the shot. In hopes of making this very confusing time just a little less so, each week Bloomberg Prognosis is picking one question sent in by readers and putting it to experts in the field. This week's question comes to us from Janice in Ottawa, Canada, who is wondering what impact the recent wave of Covid-19 cases has had on vaccine holdouts. She asks: I’ve read many testimonials of very ill or dying unvaccinated Covid-19 patients who are now encouraging others to get vaccinated. Is there any evidence these tragic stories persuade previously unvaccinated people to get the jab? Vaccine hesitancy is a huge problem in the U.S. and Canada. While in some parts of the world access to Covid vaccines is limited, in North America there are plenty of shots but not enough takers. In the U.S., about one-quarter of the eligible population still hasn’t received a first dose. But after an aggressive wave of the delta variant swept through the U.S. in the summer, hard-hit Southern states saw many previous holdouts rushing to get vaccinated. Arkansas, for example, in one single four-week period reported a 300% uptick in vaccination as many people confronted friends and family members contract the virus. There are, of course, still a large number of holdouts in those states, as there are elsewhere in the U.S. The question is how to best reach them. Demonstrators hold signs during a protest against vaccine mandates in New York. Photographer: Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg For some insight, we turned to Matt Motta, a political scientist at Oklahoma State University who studies vaccines and public opinion. “It's quite likely that Covid vaccine skeptics may be effective at reaching those who share their distrust of vaccine safety and efficacy, when they encourage others to pursue vaccination in order to avoid bodily harm,” says Motta. “But this is still, to some degree, an open question.” The key, says Motta, is source credibility. “In general, people tend to trust most those who share our views on political, social, religious, and other matters of great personal importance to us,” he says. Former holdouts, then, could be a good way to reach current ones. “Previous studies in the field of science communication find that when those with whom we have something in common — say, our political beliefs — change their minds about a particular issue — say, whether or not climate change is caused by human activities — we tend to be more likely to update our own views in response,” Motta says. In a paper by Motta and colleagues still undergoing peer review, preliminary evidence suggests that such “reversal narratives,” as Motta puts it, can increase other skeptics' confidence in both childhood and adult vaccines. In general, showing empathy and building trust are known to be two of the best approaches to help motivate vaccine-hesitant people to get the shot. Focusing on those approaches, rather than simply the facts, could go a long way toward increasing confidence in vaccines — for Covid as well as other diseases.

 

[Karl_K]

@Karl_K , I called our local Osco today about getting my parents the booster. The pharmacist said they were taking walk-ins but said it was getting busy so scheduling an appointment would probably be best. He said appointments had to be scheduled online. They had all 3 vaccines available.

that is kewl
The big problem at cvs was not the vaccine itself but people to give it.
The county site is staffed by the national guard.

 

[missy]

COVID Vaccine Recipients Also Less Likely to Die of Other Causes​

Study found downstream health effect for vaccination​

People who were vaccinated against COVID-19 were also less likely to die from non-COVID-19-related causes compared with unvaccinated people, researchers found.
The adjusted relative risk of non-COVID-19 mortality ranged from 0.31 (95% CI 0.30-0.33) for those who received two doses of Moderna to 0.54 (95% CI 0.49-0.59) for Johnson & Johnson recipients, reported Stanley Xu, PhD, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena, and colleagues.
There was no increased risk of COVID-19 mortality among vaccine recipients either, the authors wrote in an early edition of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.


They noted that prior research suggested a downstream effect of vaccination, in which nursing home residents who received an mRNA vaccine had lower all-cause mortality compared with unvaccinated residents, but this had not been replicated in a "general population setting."
The authors examined data from 11 million people enrolled in seven sites of CDC's Vaccine Safety Datalink from December 2020 to July 2021. They looked at vaccination status for individuals ages 12 and up as of May 31, but interestingly, drew the unvaccinated cohort from people who received at least one influenza vaccine in the last 2 years "to ensure comparable health-seeking behavior," they said.
Non-COVID-19 deaths were defined as those that did not occur within 30 days of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test via RT-PCR or rapid test or an incident COVID-19 diagnosis.
Overall, the cohort was comprised of 6.4 million vaccinated people and 4.6 million unvaccinated people. Among the 3.5 million who received the Pfizer vaccine, 9% were ages 12 to 17. All told, 2.6 million people received Moderna, and 342,169 people received Johnson & Johnson.

After excluding COVID-19-associated deaths, the standardized mortality rates were 0.35 and 0.34 per 100 person-years for Pfizer and Moderna recipients, respectively, compared with 1.11 per 100 person-years for unvaccinated individuals. The rate for Johnson & Johnson recipients was 0.84 per 100 person-years versus 1.47 per 100 person-years for the unvaccinated comparison group.
There were no significant differences in standardized or adjusted mortality rates among adolescents ages 12 to 17 who received the Pfizer vaccine compared with unvaccinated adolescents. Men and women had comparable adjusted relative risks "across vaccine type and dose," and all racial and ethnic groups who received the vaccine had lower mortality risks than their unvaccinated counterparts, Xu and colleagues noted.
This reinforces the safety profile of COVID-19 vaccines, they said. "The lower mortality risk after COVID-19 vaccination suggests substantial healthy vaccine effects ... which will be explored in future analyses."

 

[dk168]

I had a call from my mum in Vancouver last night, asking me to postpone my trip there in November 2021 indefinitely due to some new Covid-19 restrictions for un-vaccinated local residents.

Both my mum and brother are un-vaccinated as advised by their family doctor due to existing medical conditions.

They are not able to go out and about to places such as restaurants, shopping malls and entertainment venues, for their own protection.

I do not know if this is entirely true as I have not looked into this myself.

However, she is adamant that I should not go and visit them in November 2021 as she has other more taxing issues to address, such as the need to relocate by the end of May 2022 etc ...

Nevermind.

Cases are going up in the region where I live, a town about 17 miles away is spiking and has been in the news for being a hot spot.

The booster programme is likely to be accelerated to provide those who have had 2 doses with better immunity against current and emerging new variants of concern.

I suspect I shall be offered to have a booster very soon.

Covid-19 definitely has not gone away, so please be careful and vigilant.

DK

 

[missy]

@dk168 I'm so sorry.
I know you were looking forward to seeing them.
Hopefully soon..better postpone now and you can see them safely later.
But I know it must be super disappointing. (((Hugs))).

 

[dk168]

@dk168 I'm so sorry.
I know you were looking forward to seeing them.
Hopefully soon..better postpone now and you can see them safely later.
But I know it must be super disappointing. (((Hugs))).

Thanks missy.

I know I often say visiting my mum is duty and not a holiday, however, for once I am disappointed not being able to go.

Nevermind.

DK

 

[missy]

Thanks missy.

I know I often say visiting my mum is duty and not a holiday, however, for once I am disappointed not being able to go.

Nevermind.

DK

I totally get that @dk168
I love my parents dearly.
But at times it is stressful visiting them.
But the thought of not being able to see them distresses me greatly.
During the pandemic though we live only about 2 and a half hours away from them we have only seen them a few times.
And I hope we can all see our loved ones as often as we want to in short order. Fingers and toes crossed.

 

[blingmeupscotty]

My husband is in the medical field [that's all I can say about it]. And I have sat silently by, watching the pandemic unfold. As the daily cases throughout the globe ebb and flow, and the debate over safety and political views never ends I sit silently by and watch the patients die one by one. Each having their own incredible stories, each wanting a chance to live, each not knowing how or why they've contracted the virus. No one wanting to be sick, and certainly no one wanting to leave this earth so soon. Illness does not discriminate. It doesn't care who your president is, or who created it, be it nature or man made. But when it arrives, it will do like any other living organism tries to do, and that is live. And every week as my husband returns home [I am his soundboard for sanity] and his relief, I hear him sigh..and say "another one lost..and another..and another". And at the end of that statement, it is always followed up with "they told me they wished they got it and now its too late". My heart breaks every time. And there is nothing anyone can do. I celebrate him EVERY time he comes home and says "I convinced another to get the vaccine today". We make it a triumphant event. Because maybe, just maybe we helped save one persons life that day.

When it all began, we were hoping it would be gone by 2021. And now, we know we'll be fighting it for another 2 years. I am extremely grateful for the medical and first responder professionals. I never thought we would be living through something that will be in the history books of our grandchildren to learn about in school in decades to come.

I am also very grateful to the PS community.. you make the sparkly obsession a joy. Have a great day all.

 

[missy]

And at the end of that statement, it is always followed up with "they told me they wished they got it and now its too late". My heart breaks every time. And there is nothing anyone can do

First of all thank you and your DH for all he does. Without people like him where would we be? I shudder to think.

Second of all there is something we can do. Everyone (with very few exceptions) should get vaccinated. I know I am preaching to the choir. But I repeat myself over and over and over just in case it might finally hit home with one person.

GET VACCINATED.
Vaccines SAVE lives.
Over and over we hear stories of people on their deathbed, dying from Covid, who say if they could do it all over again they would have gotten vaccinated.
Please learn from their horror.
Get vaccinated.
For yourself.
For your loved ones.
For all those who cannot get vaccinated due to real contraindications.

PLEASE get vaccinated if you haven't already done so.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Also 78% of our 12-15 year olds have received their first doses (51% fully vaccinated) which I think is pretty decent!!!!!

Don't know if we'll hit 95% though. It's a slow. climb from here.