Booster shots are working.Developed countries want to supercharge their deployment

In the United States Pfizer-BioNTech We are seeking an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration to distribute boosters to all people over the age of 18. The drug company said on Tuesday that the results of a phase 3 trial involving 10,000 participants provided “superb” results in favor of the third shot. Boosters showed 95% efficacy against symptomatic Covid-19 compared to a two-dose schedule, they said.

In France, after nearly 150,000 people booked booster effects French President Emmanuel Macron said On Tuesday, a third dose will be required to revalidate the health path. The National Health Pass is essential for the government to increase vaccination rates, ban access to public transport, and ban various public and private spaces for those without evidence of complete vaccination. Tool. People over the age of 65 must show third evidence by mid-December, Macron said. That age group has had access to booster shots since the beginning of September.

And in Germany, health officials extended the booster vaccine program to all adults on Friday, receiving a record of daily infectious disease “worries.” On Monday, Germany recorded the highest 7-day incidence since the pandemic began.

Meanwhile, the world’s poorest nations continue to bear the brunt of unfair global expansion, and an increase in booster shots only amplifies that significant gap.

WHO warned that vaccine inequality would prolong the pandemic, and senior leader Dr. Bruce Aylward said last month that such disparities could “easily drag the pandemic into 2022.”

You asked, we answered

Q: Which booster shot do I need to get?

Some of the initial data suggest that booster immunization with a different vaccine type than the first series may result in a stronger response, but this is only preliminary data. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that it expects most people to get the same vaccine that they originally got as a booster. That’s fine. All groups in an ongoing study by the National Institutes of Health comparing three US-approved vaccines had significantly improved immunity approximately 15 days after being given a booster shot.

However, you may want to use a different type of vaccine. For example, a young man who was first vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine may want to be boosted with Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine. RNA vaccines like Pfizer and Modana are associated with a small risk of heart inflammation called myocarditis, whereas J & J is not. Men under the age of 40 are at increased risk of myocarditis. Women under the age of 50 may also prefer to vaccinate booster shots with the mRNA vaccine. This is because the J & J vaccine has a slightly higher risk of rare blood clotting conditions that are likely to affect young women.

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The U.S. travel ban has been lifted due to a surge in European incidents

The United States reopened its borders on fully vaccinated international travelers on Monday, ending a 20-month travel ban on immigrants from 33 countries, including the United Kingdom and most of Europe.

Europe is on the verge of a fifth wave of pandemics, with some countries deregulating and vaccine deployments at a loss, a wide range of continents fighting to defeat the surge in delta variants. increase. WHO warns that 500,000 Europeans could die from Covid-19 in a potentially catastrophic winter, and the U.S. virus spreads as transatlantic flights land on U.S. soil. Some people question whether to import more.

What does the end of the pandemic look like?

But there will come a day when it is no longer a pandemic, cases are no longer out of control, and hospitals are not at high risk of being flooded with patients. Many experts predict that the coronavirus epidemic will look and feel like seasonal flu. What is not clear is when and how it happens. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, told the US Senate at a hearing Thursday: It has no significant impact on public health or our lives. “If more people around the world get vaccinated sooner,” Forch said, “hopefully, within a reasonable period of time, we’ll reach a point where we can sometimes go up and down in the background.” Does not rule us in the right way now. ”

However, to transition from a pandemic to endemic, the population needs to build immunity to the coronavirus. In addition, the transition may take some time as the vaccine continues to hesitate and the population refuses to wear masks.

Unvaccinated man apologizes to medical staff for saving lives

Unvaccinated graphic artist Solis spent 28 days on a hospital ventilator and heart monitor in late August and most of September. He is now fully vaccinated and encourages people to get vaccinated. This is not only because of what he experienced, but also because of the “heavy burden” of the medical staff. Many medical staff work in shifts for 12 hours and have little time. off.

“I’m convinced that the virus is true, and if it’s not vaccinated, it can actually kill people,” Solis said. “I personally know it because I wasn’t vaccinated. I didn’t act, I wasn’t sure, and I almost lost my life,” he said.

Today’s top tips

The United States lifted the travel ban this week, but strict immigration rules continue to apply. Here’s what you need to know before you fly:

Vaccination is an important requirement for most international travelers wishing to enter the country. Children under the age of 18 are exempt.

Air travelers over the age of 2 are also required to submit proof that the Covid-19 test is negative, regardless of nationality. Passengers must test negative for Covid-19 within 3 days of departure of the flight.

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