Featured sources, January 9
Featured sources for the week of January 9 include hospital capacity, cruise ships, and severe cases averted by vaccines.
Read MoreTag: vaccine results
Sources and updates, November 28
Sources and updates for the week of November 28 include more states now reporting booster shot data, and a survey of burned-out healthcare workers.
Read MoreFDA authorizes Pfizer vaccine for younger children
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, under an Emergency Use Authorization. The agency’s vaccine advisory committee met on Tuesday to discuss Pfizer’s application and voted overwhelmingly in favor; the FDA followed this up with an EUA announcement on Friday.
Read MoreFeatured sources, October 10
Featured sources for the week of October 10 include vaccine effectiveness and children who lost their parents to COVID-19.
Read MoreAnswering your COVID-19 questions
This week, I’m answering readers’ COVID-19 questions. Including: Should I get a booster shot? Why don’t people get vaccinated? When will this end?!
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 MoreBoosters for the vulnerable: FAQs following the FDA advisory meeting
This past Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s vaccine advisory committee voted to recommend booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for all Americans over age 65 and those who are particularly vulnerable to the virus, due to their health conditions and/or work environments. This was a notable recommendation because it went against the FDA’s ask: booster shots for everyone over the age of 16. Let’s walk through the data behind this decision.
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.
Read MoreBreakthrough case reporting: Once again, outside researchers do the CDC’s job
Now, Delta is causing the vast majority of cases—and the CDC still isn’t reporting on non-severe breakthroughs. As a result, entities outside the federal government are once again compiling data from states in order to fill in gaps left by the national public health agency. On Friday, both Bloomberg and NBC published breakthrough case analyses.
Read MoreUnpacking Delta numbers from this week’s headlines
It’s no surprise that Delta (B.1.617.2) is bad news. From the moment it was identified in India, this variant has been linked to rapid transmission and rapid case rises, even in areas where the vaccination rates are high. This week, however, the CDC’s changed mask guidance—combined with new reports on breakthrough cases associated with Delta—has triggered widespread conversation about precisely how much damage this variant can do.
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