Regulators weigh boosters, the US plans to reopen land borders, and airlines uphold vaccine mandates. Here's what you should know: Headlines The FDA prepares to discuss J&J and Moderna boosters According to documents released today, FDA staff have said that a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine administered two months after the first shot may be beneficial, though they added that the data is limited and not all of it has been independently verified by the agency. Tomorrow and Friday, the FDA's vaccine advisory committee will meet to discuss additional doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, respectively. If they sign off on the shots, the CDC's advisory committee will weigh in, likely next week. Interestingly, scientists at the FDA declined to say whether they will or won't back Moderna boosters earlier this week, given how good the current vaccines are at protecting against severe disease and death. The US will reopen its land borders to nonessential travelers next month Yesterday the White House announced that it will lift travel restrictions for the fully vaccinated at the US' land borders with Canada and Mexico starting next month. While travelers entering on planes will need to show proof of vaccination and a negative coronavirus test to enter the country, entering by land will only require the former. People who were never banned from entering from Canada or Mexico, like students and commercial drivers, will also need to show proof of vaccination starting in 2022. Biden will continue to use a different border policy for migrants. Southwest and American Airlines stand by their vaccine mandates Two Texas-based air carriers, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, have said that they will not abide by Governor Greg Abbott's ban on Covid-19 vaccine mandates in the name of following President Biden's executive order. Both companies are requiring US employees to submit proof of vaccination by the day before Thanksgiving. After United Airlines announced a similar mandate in August, six employees filed a lawsuit in federal court in Texas. Yesterday a judge issued a temporary restraining order barring the company from putting employees who had been granted a vaccine exemption on unpaid leave. Daily Distraction NASA scientists may be focused on outer space, but their work is still bound to the state of our planet. Here's how the agency is preparing for the inevitability of climate change. Something to Read Thanks to the pandemic, clinical trials are top-of-mind for many. But how exactly do these drug tests work? In the US, the system rests on contract research organizations. In a new feature for WIRED, writer Brendan I. Koerner chronicles the story of one lab that churned out false data for years. Sanity Check Suffering from writer's block? A portable digital typewriter might help you get to work. One Question Are social media platforms to blame for the spread of vaccine misinformation? Last summer, the White House accused Facebook of stoking the flames of pandemic misinformation, thereby discouraging the vaccine-hesitant from getting shots and fueling the spread of Covid-19. But it's hard to argue that any social network, even Facebook, has anything close to the impact of conservative cable news channels like Fox News on vaccine hesitancy. The issue is heavily partisan: The average vaccination rate was nearly 12 percentage points higher in counties that voted for Biden than in those that went to Trump as of early July. And nearly 60 percent of vaccine-related segments on Fox over a recent two-week period undermined vaccination efforts. Covid-19 Care Package 📦 To end this pandemic and prevent future ones, we'll need a good way to track and surveil emerging diseases. Here's a look at the latest efforts. 😷 Masks may not be mandatory where you live, but they're still recommended for many situations. Here are the best masks you can buy, and how to make one at home. 💉 Vaccines are the most effective way to protect yourself and others against Covid-19. Here's how to get an appointment in your area. 💻 Whether or not you're a work-from-home pro, here's how to stay productive without losing your mind. 💼 As employers increasingly require workers to return to the office, the routines you built during the pandemic may be thrown into disarray. Here are some tips to help you make the adjustment smoothly. 👋 So you're fully vaccinated! Congrats. Here are some ways you can let others know. 🦠Read all of our coronavirus coverage here. |
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