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Those who refuse to take COVID-19 vaccines are creating a deadly domino effect, said Dr. Marschall Runge, CEO of Michigan Medicine and dean of the University of Michigan Medical School. They are getting sick, spreading the virus to loved ones and the community, filling hospital beds and using up scarce medical resources, Runge said during a Wednesday news conference. (Shamus, 12/8)

Nursing home residents and workers have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinating more employees appears key to stopping the spread in those settings, according to New England Journal of Medicine article published Wednesday. Researchers reviewed COVID-19 case rates and deaths during a 10-week period this summer and concluded that 4,775 infections and 703 deaths would've been prevented over that time had more workers been vaccinated against the virus. They reported their findings in a letter to the journal's editor. (Christ, 12/8)

More than 4,770 COVID-19 cases and 700 COVID-related nursing home deaths might have been prevented in the United States over just a two-month period this summer had more nursing home staff been vaccinated, according to a new study. The findings, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that in counties with a high prevalence of infections, nursing homes with the lowest rates of staff vaccination had more than twice the COVID-19 cases among residents and nearly three times the number of COVID-19 deaths compared to nursing homes with the highest staff vaccination rates. The disparities were consistent despite different rates of vaccinations among residents, the study found. (Lazar, 12/8)

The rate of COVID-19 vaccinations among children ages 5 to 11 has slowed considerably nationwide, according to a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The analysis shows that a little more than a month since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed off on pediatric COVID-19 vaccines, the rate of increase has leveled off. The drop-off began before Thanksgiving, and has continued since. (Weixel, 12/8)

Each cell in your body can tell what time of day it is and adjust its behaviors accordingly, such as producing hormones at night that make you sleepy and telling your brain you’re hungry around noon. Decades of research have demonstrated your immune system follows your body’s 24-hour internal clock, formally called your circadian rhythm, in ways that could affect how you respond to medications, exposure to viruses and vaccinations. (Camero, 12/8)

NIAID director Anthony Fauci told CNN Wednesday that in his personal opinion, "it's going to be a matter of when, not if," the definition of "fully vaccinated" changes. Fauci said he doesn't see the definition "changing tomorrow or next week," but he believes it's "going to be considered literally on a daily basis." (Doherty, 12/8)

Former FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn tells Axios that Americans may eventually require annual COVID vaccination boosters, although acknowledges that right now it's just his "best guess." COVID jabs could become as routine as flu shots. He says a key factor will be the virus' level of virulence as it mutates. (Primack, 12/8)

As Christmas approaches, Santa is making a list and checking it twice. He’s also ready to deliver presents around the world after receiving his COVID-19 booster shot, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert. “Santa already has great innate immunity," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told USA TODAY. "This year he is even more protected because he has been fully vaccinated and boosted. Santa will be just fine and is good to go!” That means children around the world can rest assured – Santa is ready to come down the chimney, eat cookies and participate in other traditions this holiday season. (Pitofsky, 12/8)

KHN: Health Experts Worry CDC’s Covid Vaccination Rates Appear Inflated 

For nearly a month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s online vaccine tracker has shown that virtually everyone 65 and older in the United States — 99.9% — has received at least one covid vaccine dose. That would be remarkable — if true. But health experts and state officials say it’s certainly not. They note that the CDC as of Dec. 5 has recorded more seniors at least partly vaccinated — 55.4 million — than there are people in that age group — 54.1 million, according to the latest census data from 2019. The CDC’s vaccination rate for residents 65 and older is also significantly higher than the 89% vaccination rate found in a poll conducted in November by KFF. (Galewitz, 12/9)