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. 

While Women’s History Month may have come to an end, the contributions that women make to the world never stop and we here at Immunize Nevada will continue to celebrate them and their contributions every day.  With that being said, we’d like to leave you with one more article on the inspiriting Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett

“…Who Worked On Moderna Vaccines, Cements Her Place in History” CBS (March 31, 2022”

April brings us National Minority Health Month, please visit the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to find out how you can participate and Give Your Community A Boost!

“Uninsured Americans Could Be Faced With a Slew of New COVID-19 Expenses” Slate (April 1, 2022) – “Federal funding for measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic is currently stalling in Congress, meaning that some Americans are going to have to go it alone to an even greater extent. The COVID-19 Uninsured Program stopped accepting reimbursement claims for testing and treatment on March 22, citing the current funding stalemate in Congress. They’ll also stop accepting claims to reimburse vaccine administration on April 5 if Congress can’t come to an agreement. (And if you’ve already submitted a claim and gotten a confirmation, that doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually be reimbursed.) Currently, the government cannot pay for monoclonal antibody treatments either and says that they do not have money to cover second booster shots for everyone.”

“Covid vaccines give extra protection to previously infected, studies show” The Guardian (March 31, 2022) – “Covid-19 vaccines provide significant extra protection for people who have already been infected, according to two new studies.  The jabs have proven highly effective in protecting those who have never had Covid, but their effectiveness at preventing symptoms and severe outcomes in people who have previously been infected has, until recently, been less clear. 

“CDC Recommends Universal Hepatitis B Vaccinations for Adults” HCP Live (March 31, 2022) – “The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released new guidelines for hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, calling for universal HBV vaccination for all adults aged 19-59 years in the US…‘This is a major step forward that the Hepatitis B Foundation had strongly advocated for over many years,’ said Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, senior vice president of the Hepatitis B Foundation, in a statement. ‘These greatly expanded and simplified recommendations will improve access and make it easier to protect millions more Americans from hepatitis B. This will save countless lives and ultimately reduce health care costs.’”

“Those Who Got J&J’s COVID Vaccine Should Seriously Consider a Pfizer or Moderna Booster, Experts Say” USA Today (March 31, 2022) – “More than 16 million Americans rolled up their sleeves last year to get Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine because it promised to be a ‘one and done’ shot. But months after federal officials recommended they get a second shot to be adequately protected, newer information and booster authorizations suggest they should consider a third dose. ‘My recommendation would be for someone who received a J&J dose last year to go ahead and get two doses of (either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) vaccine, especially if the individual is in what we consider a high-risk group,’ said Brian Dixon, an epidemiologist at the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health.”

“Understanding Six Types of Vaccine Technologies” Pfizer (March 31, 2022) – “…several different methods have been created to develop successful vaccines. Today, those methods, known as vaccine technologies, are more advanced and use the latest technology to help protect the world from preventable diseases. Depending on the pathogen (a bacteria or virus) that is being targeted, different vaccine technologies are used to generate an effective vaccine. Just like there are multiple ways to develop a vaccine, they can also take on multiple forms––from needle injections and nasal sprays to oral doses, a more recent innovation. In total, there are six different vaccine technology platforms, each with its own benefits, and examples.”

 “States Close Mass Test and Vaccine Sites, but Virus May Swell Anew” New York Times (March 30, 2022) – “As Americans shed masks and return to offices and restaurants, local and state officials are scaling back the most visible public health efforts to address the coronavirus pandemic. States like Illinois are shuttering free Covid-19 testing sites after nearly two years of operation. Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Ohio have stopped releasing daily data on virus hospitalizations, infections and deaths. And, perhaps most notably, some places are diminishing their campaigns to vaccinate residents even as federal authorities announced on Tuesday that people 50 and older could get a second booster shot.”

“Should I Get the Shingles Vaccine?” Verywell Health (March 30, 2022) – “The likelihood of developing shingles increases dramatically after age 50. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all adults age 50 and over receive two doses of Shingrix to prevent shingles. The vaccine is recommended even if a person is unsure if they have ever had chickenpox. People with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for shingles. Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recently approved Shingrix vaccination for adults age 18 and older who are at risk for shingles due to immunodeficiency or immunosuppression caused by an underlying disease or medication.” 

“Why Kids’ COVID-Vaccine Results Don’t Look Like Adults’” The Atlantic (March 29, 2022) – “Last Friday, Lakshmi Ganapathi’s son turned 5, and finally became eligible for his first Pfizer COVID shot. Ganapathi’s family had been anticipating that moment for more than a year, yet as of late, she can’t help but feel the slightest bit deflated. At first, the COVID vaccines’ trickle down the age brackets felt worth the wait because the shots were doing such a stellar job at blocking symptoms. The clinical trials kept delivering knockout results: 94 percent efficacy, 95 percent efficacy, 100 percent efficacy, 91 percent efficacy—a near-perfect performance in every tested group from adults to elementary-school-age kids. Then Omicron swept in, slipping around the vaccines’ shields.”

“U.S. approves second Covid-19 booster for people 50 and older” STAT (March 29, 2022) – “The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized second Covid-19 boosters for people 50 years and older.  People 50 and older are now eligible for another shot of either the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines four months after their last dose, the FDA said.

“How the Different Types of COVID-19 Vaccines Work” Healthline (March 28, 2022) – “…World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that more than 200 COVID-19 vaccine candidates were in development in December of 2020. Since then, several vaccines have been authorized or approved for use around the world. Generally speaking, there are four different types of COVID-19 vaccines that are being used throughout the world. Keep reading to learn what these are, how they work, and more.”

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