MORGANTOWN – Gov. Jim Justice happily noted that the FDA expanded COVID vaccine booster eligibility on Friday – a message he’d been trying to get across for the past few weeks.
“Hopefully the encouragement that we have given from West Virginia maybe helped move the needle a little bit here,” he said.
Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said Friday, “The FDA has determined that the currently available data support expanding the eligibility of a single booster dose of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to individuals 18 years of age and older. Streamlining the eligibility criteria and making booster doses available to all individuals 18 years of age and older will also help to eliminate confusion about who may receive a booster dose and ensure booster doses are available to all who may need one.”
The FDA’s announcement refers only to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but the FDA and CDC had previously said the vaccines are now interchangeable, so someone who’s received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can receive a booster of one of the other two. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines need a booster after six months, J&J needs a booster after two months.
The CDC is expected to follow suit, Justice and COVID-19 Czar Clay Marsh said.
Marsh said a just-released study shows that a vaccine offers five times more protection than natural immunity. So if you’ve had COVID, “Please choose to be fully vaccinated.” The booster itself raise immunity by 93% over the original vaccine after it’s lost potency.
Marsh also clarified a couple other ongoing questions. One is about masks. A worldwide study shows that masks are still a beneficial intervention, increasing protection against COVID spread by 53%; they’re the best protection against COVID spread apart from vaccines, and can also help prevent the spread of other viruses such as the flu.
The other question deals with the concern about men under 30 acquiring myocarditis – heart inflammation – after receiving the vaccine. Marsh sad a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the adverse effect is extremely rare: only 1 in 50,000. Heart inflammation resulting from acquiring COVID happens far more often.
The Dominion Post raised the question about those who avoid getting vaccinated out of fear of adverse effects or death. Marsh referred to data relayed by the CDC and FDA from the Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting System (VAERS).
The CDC relates: “More than 442 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from Dec. 14, 2020, through Nov. 15, 2021. During this time, VAERS received 9,810 reports of death (0.0022%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. FDA requires healthcare providers to report any death after COVID-19 vaccination to VAERS, even if it’s unclear whether the vaccine was the cause. Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem. A review of available clinical information, including death certificates, autopsy, and medical records has not established a causal link to COVID-19 vaccines.”
The CDC notes that there were five reported deaths resulting from blood clots caused by the J&J vaccine.
The CDC also addresses reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in people who have received the J&J vaccine. “GBS is a rare disorder where the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. Most people fully recover from GBS, but some have permanent nerve damage. After more than 16 million J&J doses administered, there have been around 258 preliminary reports of GBS identified in VAERS as of Nov. 10, 2021. These cases have largely been reported about two weeks after vaccination and mostly in men, many ages 50 years and older.:
Joint Interagency Task Force Director Gen. James Hoyer pointed out that 1,363 new cases were reported Friday, bringing total active case to 7,275 – the highest number since Oct. 30. Hospitalizations and ICU cases – 511 and 173, respectively – have plateaued. The state’s Rt vales is a .99, where an Rt of 1 and above indicates the virus is spreading.
We’re a Day 621 of the virus, Hoyer said. In the first 310 days, 1,780 West Virginians died. In the second 311 days, 2,946 died, with 1,753 in last 100 days. “West Virginia, the pandemic is not over.”
Tweet David Beard @dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
