COVID source callout: CDC’s breakthrough case data
The CDC has not updated its breakthrough case data since September. A full two months ago.
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Sources and updates, November 21
Sources and updates for the week of November 21 include vaccinations for kids 5-11, breakthrough cases, and Long COVID.
Read MoreBoosters for all adults: Why eligibility expanded, and what it means for you
On Friday morning, the FDA authorized booster shots of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines for all adults in the U.S., six months after their first two doses. The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee voted to support this expanded booster eligibility that afternoon, and CDC leadership signed off on it a few hours later.
Read MorePublic health data in the US is “incredibly fragmented”: Zoe McLaren on booster shots and more
This week, I had a new story published at the data journalism site FiveThirtyEight. The story explores the U.S.’s failure to comprehensively track breakthrough cases, and how that failure has led officials to look towards data from other countries with better tracking systems as they make decisions about booster shots. In the CDD, I’m sharing one of the interviews I did for that story.
Read MoreSources and updates, October 31
Featured sources and updates for the week of October 31 include booster shot data, polling on vaccines, testing in prisons, breakthrough cases, and more.
Read MoreUnpacking Delta AY.4.2: Are we prepared for the next variant?
Recently, a new offshoot of the Delta variant has been gaining ground in the U.K. It’s called AY.4.2, and it appears to be slightly more transmissible than Delta itself. While experts say this variant doesn’t differ enough from Delta to pose a serious concern, I think it’s worth exploring what we know about it so far—and what this means for the future of coronavirus mutation.
Read MoreBooster shots: What we’ve learned—and what we still don’t know
This week, the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee had a two-day meeting to discuss booster shots for Moderna’s and Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines. From the outside, these meetings may have appeared fairly straightforward: the committee voted unanimously to recommend booster shots for both vaccines. But in fact, the discussions on both days were wide-reaching and full of questions, touching on the many continued gaps in our knowledge about the need for additional vaccine doses.
Read MoreNew study demonstrates potential for measuring breakthrough risk
Adults with substance use disorders have an increased risk of breakthrough cases, according to a new study published this week in the journal World Psychiatry. Though the chances of a COVID-19 case after vaccination were very low in this group, these patients’ odds of a breakthrough case were about twice as high as the odds for adults without substance use disorders, researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found.
Read MoreThe data problem underlying booster shot confusion
Why has the booster shot decision-making process been so confusing? Why don’t the experts agree on whether booster shots are necessary, or on who should get these extra shots? From my (data journalist’s) perspective, the booster shot confusion largely stems from a lack of data on breakthrough cases.
Read MoreU.S. moves to approve booster shots despite minimal evidence
This week, the federal government announced that the U.S. intends to provide third vaccine doses to all Americans who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. This booster shot distribution will start in September, with adults becoming eligible once they hit eight months after their second shot. Many epidemiologists, vaccine experts, global health experts, and other scientists have criticized the decision.
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