The definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ is changing to three Covid-19 doses

“It makes no sense to give boosters to healthy adults, or to vaccinate children, when health workers, older people and other high-risk groups around the world are still waiting for their first dose,” he warned last Friday.

It’s also a gamble for rich nations to rely on vaccinations in a pandemic, Dr. David Nabarro, WHO’s special envoy on Covid-19, told UK lawmakers. “It has never been done before and it would really be an inappropriate public health strategy to do so,” he said. With so much yet to be learned about the virus, using vaccines as the main weapon against Covid-19 could lead to new variants, Nabarro warned.

What needs to be done is a “combination approach” of masks and other health interventions, “which is to do everything possible to empower people to avoid being infected by the pathogen,” he said.

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED.

Q- When will the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine booster be available for all adults in the US?

A- On Tuesday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed its vaccine advisers will not be convened to consider the requested amendment to the booster’s emergency use authorization — which means the decision could come any time. 

“While the FDA cannot predict how long its evaluation of the data and information will take, the agency will review the request as expeditiously as possible,” FDA spokesperson Alison Hunt told CNN. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet Friday to discuss expanding booster eligibility for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, a CDC spokesperson told CNN Tuesday. CDC’s vaccine advisers typically meet only once a vaccine has received authorization from the FDA.  

READS OF THE WEEK

The killing of a corgi shows how government power has grown unchecked in China in the name of Covid prevention

The killing of the dog, which triggered a massive outcry on Chinese social media, is the latest example of the extreme measures taken by local authorities in China in pursuit of zero-Covid during a renewed Delta variant outbreak.

Amid the outpouring of shock and anger, the dog’s death has sparked heated debate about animal rights, as well as reflection on how far government power can be expanded during the pandemic at the expense of individual rights.

Biden administration set to purchase Pfizer’s experimental antiviral pill

The administration had initially planned to purchase about 5 million doses, but after seeing Pfizer’s data, President Joe Biden wanted to double the order, the source told CNN on Tuesday

The pill is to be administered in combination with an older antiviral drug called ritonavir and is meant to treat mild to moderate Covid-19 in patients at increased risk of hospitalization or death, the company has said. Pfizer is seeking emergency use authorization from the FDA for the pill and said Tuesday that it has signed a licensing agreement to allow for broader global access to it.

Austria imposes lockdown for the unvaccinated as Europe turns the screws on them

The new rules reflect growing exasperation across much of the European Union about those who continue to refuse a vaccination. Germany, home to one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe, may become the next country to impose stricter rules. 

Proposed measures would require Germans to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test in order to ride a bus or board a train, in an expansion of the country’s “3G” system that requires one or the other to enter certain venues and settings. 

TOP TIP

Get vaccinated if you want to enjoy New Year’s Eve in Times Square 

New York City will once again welcome thousands of people to Times Square for the famed New Year’s Eve ball drop tradition, so long as they can show proof of vaccination against Covid-19, officials said Tuesday. 

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