PLUS: The Covid-19 headlines you need to know, a distraction, and something to read.
By Eve Sneider | 09.01.22 |
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| A programming note: The Coronavirus Update will be off next Monday for Labor Day. See you next Thursday! China instates new lockdowns, long Covid symptoms present diagnostic challenges, and the US will stop providing free at-home tests. But first, here's this week's big story: | |
Bivalent boosters are approved by the FDA Yesterday, the FDA authorized bivalent booster shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna that are formulated to target both the Omicron and original strains of the virus. Pfizer and BioNTech's shot is authorized for Americans 12 and up, and Moderna's for all adults in the US. The CDC's advisory group is expected to vote to recommend the shots today. Once the shots are also approved by the CDC's director, they will be available within days. The Biden administration has said that it plans to begin vaccinations next week. Currently, BA.4 and BA.5 are the dominant strains circulating, and the hope is that these boosters will increase protection heading into the winter months. But the approval process has caused some debate among experts, as this was the first time the FDA evaluated a vaccine's efficacy without data from studies done on people. The agency focused instead on tests in mice and results from tests in people using an earlier iteration of the bivalent shot in order to have new boosters available by fall. Even though mRNA shots are theoretically easier to update as the virus evolves, testing and manufacturing at scale takes time. | |
Headlines Millions of people across China are back in lockdown as the country attempts to uphold its zero-Covid policy. Beijing remains largely unaffected, but residents of the capital are being tested almost daily. (CBS) Clinicians dealing with long Covid care are facing a slew of challenges when diagnosing patients, given that the disease can be easily confused with countless other conditions and often makes any preexisting conditions worse. (WIRED) As of tomorrow, the US government will no longer distribute free Covid tests, due to insufficient funding and a depleted national supply. (CNBC) The UK has downgraded its Covid-19 alert level, now that cases and hospitalizations are declining, but officials are urging residents to get boosted this fall, given the likelihood of future surges. (The Guardian) The EU's drug regulator has recommended Pfizer-BioNTech's and Moderna's bivalent Covid booster shots for authorization. (ABC) | |
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| What would it take to make the internet "kid-friendly"? A new law in California aims to force tech companies to take more responsibility for protecting children from the worst of the web. | |
| In northern Europe, elaborate role-playing games known as Nordic Larps give players the chance to spend a few days living in an alternate reality. Last year, writer Jason Anthony journeyed to Denmark to take part in a particularly personal Larp that revolved around a fictitious conversion therapy camp. | |
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