Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, on October 21, endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation for a booster of COVID-19 vaccines in certain populations. For individuals who received Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, the following are eligible…
Editor's Note This Israeli study finds that in healthcare workers (HCWs) vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine who had breakthrough infections, the suspected source was an unvaccinated person. Among 11,453 fully vaccinated HCWs, 1,497 had RT-PCR testing during the study period. Of the tested HCWs, 39 breakthrough cases were found.…
Editor's Note This study by researchers at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, identifies three themes centered on trust and addressing barriers to COVID-19 vaccine access in Black and Latinx communities in the US. The study involved 72 participants—56 women, 16 men, 36 Black, 28 Latinx, and 8…
Editor's Note This study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that adverse reactions after the third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine were similar to those after the second dose. Of 12,591 participants who completed a survey after all three doses: 79.4% and 74.1% reported local…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 22 amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine to allow for use of a single booster to be administered at least 6 months after completion of the primary series in those: 65 years of age and older…
Editor's Note In this study, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers report on the comparative effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against hospitalization of US adults without immunocompromised conditions. Included in the case-control analysis were 3,689 adults aged 18 years and older who were hospitalized at 21 US hospitals between…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on September 17 voted that there was not enough safety and effectiveness data to approve a third Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose for those 16 years and older. The committee did vote to recommend approval of…
Editor's Note A total of 95.19% of US counties are reporting high COVID-19 transmission rates, with at least 100 new cases per 100,000 people in the past 7 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The surge in COVID-19 cases is being driven largely by the Delta…
Editor's Note The American Nurses Association (ANA) on September 1 wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), urging the agency to declare the ongoing shortage of nurses in the US a national crisis, citing the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant as a factor. In…
Editor's Note A survey at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC) finds that 30% of nurses would quit their jobs if the hospital mandates COVID-19 vaccines, the September 1 Dayton Daily News reports. Of 456 nurses surveyed, 136 said they would leave over a vaccine mandate. UCMC agreed to…