The Booster Bulletin: Your Weekly Dose of Immunization News

We’re committed to sharing news and information from local and national media about COVID-19, available vaccines, and immunization-related topics. Each week we’ll continue to review clips from across the U.S., from various news outlets and platforms, and bring you ten timely and relevant links. 

“Vaccines cut risk of ‘long covid’ in half, major study finds” The Washington Post (September 3, 2021) 

“A new study that included more than a million adults in Britain has found that instances of people contracting the coronavirus after full vaccination are extremely rare — and that their risk of experiencing lingering symptoms of the disease in what’s known as “long covid” is reduced by almost half.” 

“CDC Warns Against Off-Label Use of COVID Vaccine” NPR (September 2, 2021) 

“Some Americans are already lining up for COVID-19 booster shots, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that administering doses of the vaccine in ways that aren't OK'd by the federal government could put health care providers at risk of lawsuits and leave patients with unexpected bills.”

“Clark County School Board authorizes employee COVID-19 vaccine mandate” Nevada Independent (September 2, 2021)  

“The Clark County School Board of Trustees authorized mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for employees during a marathon meeting that stretched into early Thursday morning, but the plan itself remains subject to negotiations with employee bargaining groups.” 

“FDA to meet with outside advisers on coronavirus booster shots Sept. 17. That’s just days before the shots are expected to become available.” The Washington Post (September 1, 2021) 

“The Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a key meeting on coronavirus boosters with its outside advisers for Sept. 17 — just a few days before the Biden administration’s planned starting date for an extra-shot campaign.”

“Mormon vaccine push ratches up, dividing faith’s members” AP News (August 31, 2021) 

“After more than a year of attending church virtually, Monique Allen has struggled to explain to her asthmatic daughter why people from their congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints don’t wear masks. Allen said she has taught her daughter that wearing a mask is Christlike, but now she worries her child feels like an outcast. 

“CDC Vaccine Panel:  Let Regulators Lead on COVID-19 Booster Shots” Politico (August 30, 2021) 

“Members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent vaccine advisory panel voiced frustration Monday with the Biden administration's plan to begin doling out Covid-19 boosters next month, arguing the announcement got ahead of federal regulators and could exacerbate vaccine hesitancy…So far, the federal government has authorized boosters only for a small number of people with compromised immune systems, including recipients of solid-organ transplants. Pfizer and BioNTech, whose vaccine received full FDA approval last week, have applied to FDA for permission to offer boosters.”  

“Nurses Are Battling Vaccine Misinformation from Their Own Colleagues”  SLATE (August 31, 2021) 

“In July, stories about Olivia Guidry’s death went viral. The 24-year-old had, earlier in the pandemic, posted a vaccine conspiracy theory to her Twitter account. ‘This vaccine has been released using recombinant DNA faster than any vaccine in the world,’ it read. ‘Do. Not. Get. It. It’s not safe.’ Then, she’d been diagnosed with COVID-19…Guidry’s story had an additional twist—she had worked as a nurse, one of the very professions that is supposed to be helping protect and save people from COVID-19, with tools like the vaccine.” 

“Getting a COVID Vaccine While Breastfeeding Protects Your Baby” Elemental (August 30, 2021) 

“More evidence now shows that people who get the Moderna or Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine while breastfeeding produce protective antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in their breastmilk, which is then passed along to their baby. While this is not the first study to show Covid antibodies develop in breastmilk after vaccination, it offers yet more proof that getting vaccinated while breastfeeding not only protects yourself but also offers protection to the baby who is nursing.” 

 “When Will COVID-19 Vaccines Be Available for Younger Kids?” TIME  (August 30, 2021) 

“No one knows exactly when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may grant one or multiple COVID-19 vaccines emergency-use authorization for children younger than 12. But Dr. Robert Frenck, director of the Vaccine Research Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and one of the investigators involved in testing Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot in kids, guesses parents will have to wait at least until October. On Aug. 24, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said pediatric shots may not be approved before the end of 2021.” 

“Having SARS-CoV-2 once confers much greater immunity than a vaccine-but vaccination remains vital” Science (August 26, 2021) 

“The natural immune protection that develops after a SARS-CoV-2 infection offers considerably more of a shield against the Delta variant of the pandemic coronavirus than two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to a large Israeli study that some scientists wish came with a “Don’t try this at home” label. The newly released data show people who once had a SARS-CoV-2 infection were much less likely than never-infected, vaccinated people to get Delta, develop symptoms from it, or become hospitalized with serious COVID-19.” 

Want this to arrive in your email in the future?  Click the icon above next to "SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG" and receive all our blog posts in your inbox.  

*Links included do not imply endorsement.