COVID-19 VACCINES - Update Week of 9/20/2021

"What pediatricians are prioritizing in Pfizer data about vaccinating kids ages 5 to 11" PBS NewsHour 9/20/2021

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SUMMARY:  Kids now account for more than one in five new COVID cases, and the highly contagious delta variant has put more children in the hospital than at any other point in the pandemic.  While there is no vaccine available yet for children below the age of 12, that may change soon thanks to new data from Pfizer.  Stephanie Sy looks at the prospects of vaccinating children with pediatrician Dr. Rhea Boyd.

Reminder:  The Pfizer vaccine is the ONLY one that kills COVID-19 virus.

 

 

"How COVID-19’s death toll and social impact compares to past U.S. pandemics" PBS NewsHour 9/21/2021

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SUMMARY:  The death toll from the COVID pandemic has put the U.S. at another tragic milestone — more than 675,000 Americans, overall, have died of COVID as of Monday.  That number surpasses the number of lives lost to the 1918 flu.  The U.S. is averaging more than 2,000 daily deaths.  William Brangham takes a wider look at COVID's toll on the country.

 

 

"U.S. plan to share Pfizer shots globally ‘too little and too late,’ ex-CDC director says" PBS NewsHour 9/22/2021

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SUMMARY:  The Biden administration announced Wednesday that the U.S. was purchasing an additional 500 million Pfizer COVID vaccines to donate to other nations.  The move is what critics and organizations like the WHO have been calling for — a much more robust effort on behalf of rich countries.  Yet some are saying this still isn’t enough.  William Brangham discusses with Tom Frieden, former Head of the CDC.

 

 

"China’s vaccine faces scrutiny as Indonesians die despite shots, U.S. pledges donations" PBS NewsHour 9/22/2021

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SUMMARY:  As the U.S. commits to vaccine distribution, Indonesia has recorded more than 4 million COVID cases.  More than 140,000 people have died.  Initially, Indonesia turned to China for vaccine aid.  But Nick Schifrin explores how the U.S. and its allies are trying to achieve vaccine inroads in China’s backyard.

 

 

"How ‘fits and starts’ of booster science, rollout may affect U.S. vaccination goals" PBS NewsHour 9/23/2021

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SUMMARY:  An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended the Pfizer booster shots for people 65 and older, nursing home residents, and younger adults with underlying health issues.  For a deeper look at that decision, Amna Nawaz is joined by Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo.  She is a physician, epidemiologist and professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

 

 

"A Brief But Spectacular take on going from crisis to opportunity post-pandemic" PBS NewsHour 9/24/2021

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SUMMARY:  Whether teaching NYU marketing students or co-hosting the podcast “Pivot," Scott Galloway rarely misses an opportunity to share his insight on the effects of big tech.  Tonight, he shares his Brief But Spectacular take on this country's response to the pandemic.  It’s also the subject of his latest book: "Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity."

PANDEMIC - COVID-19 Updates

"The CDC is warning of an ‘impending doom’ of COVID surges, deaths.  Is it warranted?" PBS NewsHour 3/29/2021

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SUMMARY:  President Joe Biden urged state and local officials Monday to keep or reinstate mask mandates amid some of the most urgent warnings yet about new COVID-19 surges.  Judy Woodruff talks to Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University, about the latest developments in the fight against the virus, which has killed almost 550,000 Americans.

 

 

"WHO report says COVID originated in bats, but critics claim the study was biased" PBS NewsHour 3/29/2021

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SUMMARY:  The PBS NewsHour has obtained a study by a group of independent researchers convened by the WHO to find the origins of COVID-19 in China.  As Nick Schifrin reports, the virus that caused the worst pandemic in a century most likely started in bats, and jumped to humans through an intermediate animal host.  The researchers call it a starting point, but their critics still say it doesn’t go far enough.

 

 

"Relative invisibility makes for uphill battle to get COVID vaccines for Americans with IDD" PBS NewsHour 3/31/2021

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SUMMARY:  People with intellectual and developmental disabilities [IDD] like Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism often have underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to COVID-19.  Plus, many receive care in group living facilities, putting them at further risk.  But despite the elevated risks for those with IDD, they face an uphill vaccination battle.  William Brangham reports.

Correction: This piece reported that only nine states and the District of Columbia report COVID-19 outcomes specifically for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to the federal government.  In fact, these states and D.C. are the only jurisdictions to report this data publicly.  It’s unclear which states, if any, report this information directly to the federal government.

 

 

"Americans with disabilities, high-risk conditions struggle with vaccine eligibility" PBS NewsHour 4/1/2021

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SUMMARY:  Even as the U.S. sets records for daily COVID-19 vaccinations, disparities in availability persist.  We cover the stories of some medically vulnerable people, most of whom are still waiting for their shot.  And for more on the reasons behind the wait, William Brangham speaks to Jen Kates, the Senior Vice President and Director of Global Health and HIV Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

 

 

"Honoring 5 phenomenal people who lost their lives to COVID-19" PBS NewsHour 4/2/2021

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SUMMARY:  As more than 550,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, we take a moment to remember five of the remarkable lives lost.

Correction: An earlier version of this story used audio of another elder in the Indian Peaks Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah speaking the traditional language while referencing Earnestine Jake Lehi.  That audio has now been replaced with audio of Earnestine speaking.  The NewsHour regrets the error.

BATS - Fate in the Ballance & Environmentally Necessary to Farming

"The fate of bats is hanging in the balance.  That could have very real consequences for us" PBS NewsHour 3/17/2021

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SUMMARY:  The World Health Organization is expected to release a report on its investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus in the coming days.  Among the many theories is the unproven belief that it was passed on from bats — leading to much public fear of the mammals.  But the growing threat to bats could mean bad news for us too.  Special correspondent Catherine Rampell reports.