Pfizer, Moderna booster shots planned for September; Joe Biden ties nursing home funding to workers' vaccinations: Latest COVID-19 updates
All Americans who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, regardless of age, will need COVID-19 booster shots eight months after getting the second shot, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday.
Officials say they are prepared to offer booster shots as early as Sept. 20, pending FDA approval. Boosters also will likely be needed for people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and a plan for those shots will come after public health and medical experts collect more data in the next few weeks, according to a HHS statement.
The initial doses will go to those who were fully inoculated earliest in the vaccine rollout, including health care providers, nursing home residents and other seniors.
President Joe Biden said at a Wednesday briefing that his administration has been preparing for this eventuality and has enough supply, adding that the booster shots, which are free, will be available at about 80,000 vaccination locations across the country.
"It will be easy. Just show your vaccination card and you get a booster,'' he said. "No other ID, no insurance, no state residency requirement.''
Other countries, including Israel, France and Germany, have also decided to administer booster shots despite opposition from the World Heath Organization, which advocates for the vaccines to be distributed more equitably throughout the globe. “We believe clearly that the data does not indicate that boosters are needed,” said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO's chief scientist.
In response, Biden pointed out the U.S. has donated more vaccine doses than the rest of the world combined, and has committed to giving away more than 600 million doses.
"We can take care of America and help the world at the same time,'' Biden said.
News of the U.S. planning to give out booster shots comes amid anxieties about the Pfizer vaccine's waning immunity and the Food and Drug Administration's approval of booster vaccines for immunocompromised people. It also comes as the delta variant rages across the country.
The variant accounts for more than 98.8% of American cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.
The report, which compiles data up to Aug. 14, was released as the U.S. hit 37 million cases since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University data. August has been the third-worst month for coronavirus cases in 2021, behind only January and February.
Meanwhile, every state has reached a partial vaccination rate of at least 50% among those eligible, ages 12 and up, with some states exceeding 80%, said White House COVID-19 Data Director Cyrus Shahpar.
But the U.S. needs "high vaccination coverage everywhere to be fully protected," he said on Twitter.
Also in the news:
►California will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours for indoor events with 1,000 or more attendees starting Sept. 20. Also Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to require city workers to be fully vaccinated unless they have a medical or religious exemption.
►Washington state's vaccine mandate will grow to include all public, charter and private school teachers and staff, plus workers at state colleges and universities Gov. Jay Inslee said those who are not fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 risk losing their jobs.
►Walt Disney World in Florida will allow visitors to choose whether to wear masks in outdoor lines, outdoor theatres and outdoor attractions after previously mandating them. Masks are still required at all indoor locations.
►Officials in Hawaii’s Big Island are considering closing beaches and cancelling the Ironman World Championship, scheduled for Oct. 9, in response to a surge of coronavirus cases on the island.
►In the latest political volley in Arizona over COVID-19 mask mandates, Gov. Doug Ducey is creating two grant programs that would provide funds to families and school districts that reject mask mandates.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has had more than 37.1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 624,300 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 209.1 million cases and 4.38 million deaths. More than 168.8 million Americans — 50.9% of the population — have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
📘 What we're reading: As more unvaccinated people lose loved ones to COVID-19, a chorus of regrets has started to resonate. Experts say those voices could persuade fence-sitters to get vaccinated – a crucial step toward ending the pandemic. Read more here.
Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY's Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox and join our Facebook group.
Federal funding to nursing homes will hinge on staff vaccinations
Nursing home personnel will have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the facilities to receive Medicare and Medicaid funding, President Joe Biden announced Wednesday.
Long-term care facilities were among the hardest-hit sectors early in the coronavirus pandemic, and some of the outbreaks were traced to staffers. However, federal data indicate 40% of nursing home workers nationwide remain unvaccinated.
Biden cited studies that show high vaccination rates among nursing home staffers are linked to at least a 30% decrease in infections among residents.
"Now, if you visit, live or work in a nursing home, you should not be at a high risk of contracting COVID from unvaccinated employees,'' he said.
The administration has been looking for ways to use mandates to encourage vaccine holdouts to get shots. The new requirement, in the form of a regulation to be issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, could take effect as soon as next month.
Vaccine effectiveness declines over time, three new studies find
Protection provided by COVID-19 vaccines declines over time, but protection against the most severe effects of the disease, including hospitalization and death, remains strong, according to three studies published Wednesday by the CDC.
The research, released as three articles in the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, show the vaccines' effectiveness against the delta variant is also "generally decreased," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday. The drop in effectiveness varies depending on the cohort, but the data consistently demonstrates a reduction.
A study of 10 million New Yorkers found effectiveness decreased from 92% in May to about 80% in late July, Walensky said. Data from Mayo Clinic Health System facilities showed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine’s effectiveness declined from 76% to 42% and Moderna's declined from 86% to 76%, she added. Plus, reports from thousands of nursing homes showed effectiveness dropped from 75% in March to 53% in on Aug. 1 among the most vulnerable populations during the months when delta was the dominant strain, she said.
But an analysis of patients at 21 hospitals in 18 states found "sustained high protection from severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization" through July.
Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday the data indicates that antibody levels decline over time regardless of the variant, but a booster dose increases antibody levels tenfold. Higher levels of antibodies correspond with higher levels of vaccine efficacy and may be needed to protect against the delta variant.
"All of this support the use of a third booster mRNA immunization," Fauci said.
Mississippi, with low vaccination rate, leads US in cases per capita
Mississippi, whose vaccination rate of 36% ranks among the nation's lowest, holds the dubious distinction of reporting the highest number of coronavirus infections per capita. The state recently opened its second field hospital to treat a surge of coronavirus patients, with 32 beds under tents set up in a garage at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Mississippi edged out neighboring Louisiana with about 798 cases per 100,000 in the week ending Tuesday. Louisiana's infection rate dropped a bit to 759 per 100,000 per week, while Florida came in third worst at 706.
Community transmission in the U.S. is regarded as "high" at 100 cases per week. Maine is the only state below that mark.
– Mike Stucka
Two more Florida school districts defy governor, adopt mask mandates
Hillsborough and Miami-Dade counties became the third and fourth school districts in Florida to adopt stricter mask mandates Wednesday, a day after school boards in Broward and Alachua counties faced threats of severe penalties for defying Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.
At a Wednesday news conference, DeSantis said Broward, Miami-Dade and other districts that impose mask mandates are violating a law passed by the state legislature and signed by him that says it is up to parents to make health decisions.
School districts could face possible loss of funding, removal of local officials and further action from the legislature.
Texas school district uses dress code to skirt mask mandate ban
A small Texas school district added masks to its dress code for students and employees to circumvent the governor's executive order banning mask mandates in public schools.
The board of the Paris Independent School District voted during an emergency meeting Tuesday to change the dress code before its nearly 4,000 students return to class this week. The dress code will be reconsidered at each monthly board meeting, the Paris News reported.
"The Board believes the dress code can be used to mitigate communicable health issues, and therefore has amended the PISD dress code to protect our students and employees," board members said in a statement.
As the legal battle over masks in schools continues in the state, at least four school districts have closed campuses because of COVID-19 outbreaks.
Pope Francis calls COVID-19 vaccination 'a gesture of love'
Pope Francis and six Catholic cardinals and archbishops made a public service announcement released Wednesday in which they urged people to get a COVID-19 vaccine. "Thanks to God's grace and the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19," the Pope said in the video, seated at a desk in the Vatican and wearing a white cassock and skull cap.
"Getting vaccinated is a simple yet profound way to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable," he said. "I pray to God that each of us can make his or her own small gesture of love." Read the full story.
– Elizabeth Weise
Contributing: The Associated Press
