More COVID-19 boosters are likely on the horizon: yesterday, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee recommended a half-dose of Moderna's vaccine for those over 65, as well as younger adults with certain health conditions and those who work in high-risk settings. And today, the committee unanimously voted to recommend boosters for Janssen/Johnson & Johnson recipients who are 18 or older, at least two months after their first dose. The FDA, which previously green-lit Pfizer boosters, is expected to follow both of the committee's recommendations.
But when it comes to booster shots, one big question lingers: should people be mixing and matching by getting an extra dose of a vaccine other than the one they initially received?
As my colleague Alice Park reports, long-awaited new research makes the case for exactly that. A National Institutes of Health study of 458 people—the first to provide results on cross-dosing—indicates that certain combinations of the vaccines might generate stronger immune responses than others. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal.
According to the findings, participants who received a booster of a different vaccine than the one they originally got experienced antibody increases similar to or higher than those who received another dose of the same vaccine they were previously given. People who got the J&J vaccine saw a particularly notable spike after getting a Pfizer or Moderna booster, a result with big implications for the 15 million U.S. J&J recipients.
Mixing and matching could help the booster rollout in the U.S., since people could receive whatever vaccine their pharmacy had on hand, rather than seeking out the shot they were originally given. As Alice writes, "The findings are encouraging because they suggest that it's safe for providers to mix and match doses when it comes to boosters. ... The ability to get any of the three vaccines will ensure that more people will get the additional shot." However, at least for now, the FDA and CDC aren't even considering whether to approve mixing and matching.
About 489.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of this morning, of which more than 404.3 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker . About 56.6% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
More than 239.5 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 12:30 a.m. E.T. today, and nearly 4.9 million people have died. On Oct. 14, there were 423,418 new cases and 7,429 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 44.7 million coronavirus cases as of 12:30 a.m. E.T. today. More than 721,500 people have died. On Oct. 14, there were 83,756 new cases and 2,005 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 Oct. 15, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Italy imposed a sweeping mandate today: all public and private sector workers must get vaccinated or be tested frequently. Employees who don't comply will have to take unpaid leave. Opting for frequent swab tests will come at a cost for the unvaccinated: one woman told the New York Times she didn't know how she would pay for three $20 tests per week. As the new rules went into effect today, thousands of people protested throughout Italy's major cities and ports.
Fully vaccinated international travelers can enter the U.S. starting Nov. 8, the White House announced today. The loosened restrictions will be a boon for tourism and allow families that had been separated throughout the pandemic to reunite. Some unvaccinated travelers, including young children, will also be allowed in.
The Biden Administration has pledged $100 million to help underserved communities attract medical workers, officials announced yesterday. About 524,000 fewer people worked in U.S. health care in September compared to February 2020, with particular declines in nursing homes and other residential-care settings.
Consumer spending grew in September, despite the Delta variant and ongoing supply chain issues. According to data released today by the U.S. Department of Commerce, retail sales rose about 0.7% last month compared to August, totaling $625.4 billion. Meanwhile, consumer prices grew 0.4% in September over the previous month, and are up 5.4% from a year prior.
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 Angela Haupt and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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