The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) advisory committee on vaccines today voted against authorizing booster shots for all adults who have gotten Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot.
The 16-2 vote against universal boosters is a blow to the Biden Administration, which called for Americans to get booster shots starting next week, in light of the highly contagious Delta variant and some data that suggest vaccine-given immunity fades over time. Data out of Israel—which has been a step ahead of the U.S. in its vaccine rollout for almost a year now—presented during today’s FDA committee meeting, for example, suggest that serious breakthrough infections are still rare, but are getting more common as time passes. Pfizer has said the science supports giving a third dose six months after a person has gotten their second shot—though it’s worth noting that there’s an obvious financial incentive for the drug manufacturer to make that case.
But other experts argue that strategy is premature, and that vaccine courses currently authorized are still working well to prevent severe disease and death. Just today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report saying that, through mid-August, the Moderna vaccine was 93% effective at preventing hospitalization among non-immunocompromised adults, with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot (88%) and the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson shot (71%) not too far behind in efficacy.
Apparently, the latter argument was more compelling to members of the FDA's advisory committee. The panel, which is composed of independent experts, may still voice support for boosters among certain high-risk groups, such as elderly adults, those with underlying conditions, and/or health care workers.
No matter how it wraps up, today’s meeting (which, as of this writing, is ongoing) won’t be the final word in the boosters debate. The FDA doesn’t have to listen to its advisory committee, though it usually does. And the CDC’s advisory committee, which is set to meet next week, may have further thoughts on how and when boosters should be rolled out, assuming the FDA authorizes them in some capacity.
And that’s all just about Pfizer’s shot; Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines aren’t even up for discussion today and it’s not clear when they might be.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
About 464.3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of yesterday afternoon, of which more nearly 384 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 54.4% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
More than 227 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 3 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 4.6 million people have died. On September 16, there were 576,498 new cases and 10,411 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 4.5 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 41.7 million coronavirus cases as of 3 a.m. E.T. today. 670,000 people have died. On September 16, there were 157,957 new cases and 3,393 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Sept. 17, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
China says it has fully vaccinated 1 billion people, or about 70% of its population. The Chinese government has been aggressive about its vaccination efforts, sending health workers door-to-door and dispatching mobile vaccine clinics to public places, the New York Times reports; some cities’ officials have also threatened consequences for those who refuse vaccination and are later found to have started an outbreak. China has relied heavily on two domestically made shots, those from Sinopharm and Sinovac.
Italy, another country that has aggressively pushed for widespread vaccination, announced yesterday that most workers will have to show proof of inoculation to go into their place of employment. Starting in mid-October, 23 million Italians who work in factories, offices, shops, restaurants and some other communal settings will have to either show proof of vaccination or submit to testing every two days.
About 250 New York City classrooms have had to pause in-person learning since the system’s first day of school on Monday, according to data from the city Department of Education. New York City requires elementary schools, where most students are too young for vaccination, to quarantine an entire classroom for 10 days if anyone in it tests positive. Given that New York City has the nation’s largest public-school system, many people have been watching it to see how a return to in-person learning will go now that Delta is the country’s dominant strain. Early indications suggest the transition may not be as smooth as many hoped.
Canadian regulators have granted full approval to Moderna’s vaccine, marking the first time the company has received full licensure from any country. The approval applies to anyone in the country at least 12 years old. In the U.S., Moderna currently has emergency-use authorization for anyone 18 or older. The company has applied for full approval for adults but the FDA has not yet reached a decision.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and edited by Elijah Wolfson
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