�������ýҕ�l

Americans over 60 should get a second booster shot of a coronavirus vaccine, Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the new White House Covid-19 response coordinator, said on Sunday, citing “pretty compelling” new data from Israel indicating that a fourth shot significantly reduced infections and deaths among older people there. Dr. Jha’s comments, on “Fox News Sunday,” came after the Food and Drug Administration on March 29 authorized second booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines for everyone 50 and older. (Lamb, 4/17)

The experts we interviewed almost unanimously encourage those 65 and older, as well as those of any age who are immunocompromised, to get an additional booster as soon as they’re eligible. Some also say that people between 50 and 65 who are generally healthy should consider doing so if they live or work around a lot of people, like in nursing homes or hospitals. For those who don’t fall into one of those categories, but are eligible now — for instance, over 50 and in good health or with a mild underlying condition — the optimal timing is less clear. It depends on each person’s age, health, environment and behavior, and appetite for risk. (Ho, 4/16)

Minnesota health officials are reminding everyone who’s eligible to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as the number of breakthrough cases continues to climb. State data shows in late February and early March, the last four weeks of statistics available, the majority of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 were Minnesotans who had completed their initial series of vaccines. The state does not track whether residents with breakthrough infections had a booster shot. (Magan, 4/15)

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Sunday said millions of vaccine doses will expire if Congress does not pass additional COVID-19 funding. “We are going to lose millions of doses of vaccine that will expire,” Coons told moderator Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation” when asked if vaccines will go bad should Congress not approve more funds. ... Congress, however, is currently on recess. (Schnell, 4/17)

KHN: Attendance Plummets At LA Covid Vaccination Events 

Nurse Angel Ho-king sways her head to the sound of salsa music as she waits for people willing to roll up their sleeves to get a shot. Ho-king is part of a four-person crew staffing a covid-19 vaccine table at a health fair in Rampart Village, a predominantly immigrant neighborhood about 10 minutes from Dodger Stadium. In three hours on a recent Saturday, Ho-king and Brenda Rodriguez, a medical assistant, vaccinated 16 people — far fewer than they had anticipated. Nearly everyone who showed up at the fair, organized by Saban Community Clinic, was an adult seeking a booster shot or a young child getting a first dose (children ages 5 to 11 became eligible for a vaccine late last year). (de Marco, 4/18)

Denny Mitchell couldn’t believe he tested positive for the coronavirus in January. The 45-year-old from Houston never left the house without his mask, he avoided indoor dining at all costs, and most important, he was fully vaccinated. But he still got sick. “I was surprised because I was taking so many precautions,” he said. It’s no longer unusual to hear of someone getting COVID-19 even though they’re fully vaccinated and boosted. Yet, many Americans are still shocked when it happens to them. (Rodriguez, 4/17)

The world knows Kizzmekia Corbett as one of the designers of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccines. And in her new job as an assistant professor at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Corbett plans to work on vaccine design to help the world better handle future pandemics. But the 36-year-old from Hillsborough, N.C., is also a passionate promoter of social justice and diversity in science, someone who hopes one day to advise presidents and who feels a deep commitment to public service. She’s frank, openly admitting on Twitter to being “completely in my feels” earlier this month when she was the answer of a Jeopardy question — a show she grew up watching with her grandmother. (Branswell, 4/18)