Tag Archives: Vaccine

FDA authorizes 2nd COVID booster for older adults

UPDATE: Second COVID bivalent booster shots set to roll out. Here’s what you need to know

Lu Foster receives a COVID-19 booster shot at the Lynne and Roy M. Frank Residences in San Francisco in October 2021. The FDA approved a second bivalent booster dose for older adults and people with compromised immune systems. Brontë Wittpenn/The Chronicle 2021

San Francisco Chronicle, by Aidin Vaziri, April 18, 2023 [See also, this article updated: April 19, 2023]

On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a second COVID-19 booster dose for older Americans and individuals with weakened immune systems to enhance their protection this spring.

Coronavirus map: How many COVID cases are in Bay Area and California

The move comes amid concerns over newer variants of the virus causing the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths to tick back up in the United States, particularly among vulnerable populations.

Individuals age 65 or older may opt for a second shot of the bivalent vaccine targeting the omicron strains of the coronavirus at least four months after their initial dose. For those who are immunocompromised, a second booster shot may be received at least two months later, with additional doses at the discretion of their physician.

The FDA also announced that the original versions of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are outdated and will no longer be used. Instead, individuals receiving these shots will be administered the newer omicron-targeted version. For those receiving their first-ever vaccine, a single combo dose will suffice.

A Jackson, Miss., resident receives a Pfizer booster shot from a nurse at a vaccination site. The FDA approved a second bivalent booster dose for older adults and people with compromised immune systems. Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press 2022

According to Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA vaccine chief, “At this stage of the pandemic, data support simplifying the use of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The agency believes this approach will help encourage future vaccination.”

Although Britain and Canada have already recommended an additional spring booster for vulnerable populations, high-risk Americans who last received a dose in the fall have been eagerly anticipating another dose.

Booster doses continue to stave off severe disease and death, even as more contagious variants have emerged, while protection against mild infections is short-lived.

At least 250 people in the U.S. still die from COVID-19 each day, many of them older and at higher risk for the worst outcomes of the disease.

Yvonne Maldonado, an infectious disease expert at Stanford, said, “If you look at who’s dying or getting sick now, it’s people who are unvaccinated or unboosted.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must approve the latest round of boosters, and its advisers are scheduled to meet on Wednesday.

The Pfizer and Moderna boosters contain protection against both the original coronavirus strain and omicron variants known as BA.4 and BA.5. Recent studies show that the bivalent shots are still effective, even as newer omicron cousins circulate.

The FDA’s simplification also means changes for unvaccinated children. Children under 5 may receive two doses of the bivalent Moderna vaccine or three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine.

People 5 and older may get a single bivalent Pfizer shot or two Moderna doses. Children already fully or partially vaccinated with the original Pfizer or Moderna shots may get a bivalent vaccine, but the number of doses will depend on their vaccination history, the FDA said.

While over 95% of the U.S. population aged 65 and older received at least one vaccine dose, only 42.1% of those eligible have received the latest boosters, which were authorized in August, according to the CDC.

The offering of a second bivalent booster will not interfere with the Biden administration’s previously stated plan of moving the nation toward an annual COVID vaccine similar to the flu shot.

But for eligible high-risk groups, a second booster in the spring is a reasonable choice, said Dr. Matthew Laurens of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“We do have vaccines that are available to protect against these severe consequences, so why not use them?” he said. “They don’t do any good just sitting on a shelf. So let’s give them to individuals who are at the highest risk and who can benefit the most.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

COVID case numbers on the rise in Solano and Benicia

By Roger Straw, Monday, May 16, 2022

Solano County reports 675 new COVID infections, nearly 1,200 in 7 days.  Benicia and Solano continue in VERY HIGH transmission rate.

Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Monday, May 16, 2022:

DEATHS:  Solano reported no new COVID-related deaths in today’s report.  Solano has reported 5 deaths so far in May.  COMPARE: COVID deaths reported in Solano County this year: 30 in January, 15 in February, 17 in March, 7 in April.  A total of 425 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.

TRANSMISSION RATE: With today’s report, Solano continues to  experience an extremely HIGH rate of transmission, with 1,177 new cases in the last 7 days, up from 971 at last report and 2.6 times the CDC formula for HIGH transmissionCDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County’s population, 450 or more cases in 7 days places Solano in the CDC’s population-based definition of a HIGH transmission rate.  Below 225 cases in 7 days shows MODERATE community transmission.  Numbers between 225 and 450 are considered SUBSTANTIAL transmission.

ACTIVE CASES: Solano reported 1,229 ACTIVE cases today, up from 1,164 at last report and over 5 times the 244 active cases reported about a month ago (April 11).

CASES BY CITY – Monday, May 16, 2022:

  • BENICIA added 39 (!) new cases today, a total of 3,363 cases since the outbreak began.  TRANSMISSION RATE: Benicia has reported 53 new cases in the last 7 days, (see below)For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION.  14 to 27 cases is considered SUBSTANTIAL.  Below 14 is rated MODERATE.

  • Dixon added 37 new cases today, total of 4,477 cases.
  • Fairfield added 169 new cases today, total of 23,539 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 4 new cases today, total of 1,223 cases.
  • Suisun City added 48 new cases today, total of 6,188 cases.
  • Vacaville added 154 new cases today, a total of 22,456 cases.
  • Vallejo added 224 new cases today, a total of 26,605 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 0 new cases today, a total of 202 cases.

TEST RATE:  Solano Public Health no longer reports numbers of residents tested and the County’s 7-day positive test rate.  >>With so many home-tests, I agree that these numbers are no longer reliable, BUT they do give the public helpful information when compared to similar numbers for the state and nation.  NO WAY TO COMPARE: The CALIFORNIA 7-day % positive rate was 3.9% today.  [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]. The U.S. 7-day % positive rate was 11.5%. today. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.] 

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT: Solano reported the number of those currently hospitalized with COVID was 24 persons, double the 12 who were hospitalized at last report.   Current hospitalizations don’t tell the whole story, though.  Only from the increase in total hospitalizations by age and race (below) can we know how many new admissions have come into our hospitals as of this date.

TOTAL hospitalizations: Solano County did not update it’s hospitalizations by Age Group and by Race/Ethnicity today.  TREND: Solano reported 284 hospitalizations in January, 184 in February, 644 in March, and 53 in April, and 44 so far in May(NOTE: The County occasionally updates age/race hospitalization data long after the fact, which probably accounts for the huge increase reported in March.)

ICU Bed Availability Solano County reported that the number of available hospital beds rose today, from 40% at last report to 43% today, within the County’s GREEN safe zone.

Ventilator Availability in Solano County remained rose today from 77% to 80% available, in the County’s GREEN safe zone. 


HOW DOES TODAY’S REPORT COMPARE?  See recent reports and others going back to April 20, 2020 in my ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).

Click green text above or on the image.

>The data on this page is from the Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and (as of 3/14/2022) is updated Monday and Thursday between 4 and 6pm.  On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information.  Note the tabs at top for “Summary, Demographics” and “Vaccines.”  Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.

See also my BENINDY ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).  I have also archived the hundreds of full CORONAVIRUS REPORTS posted here almost daily on the Benicia Independent since April 2020.

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Solano County reports 502 new COVID infections, 195 of them in Vacaville

NOTE: The information below is not the latest.  TAP HERE for today’s latest information.

By Roger Straw, Thursday, May 12, 2022

Solano County reports 502 new COVID infections and 25 new hospitalizations. (Tap here for hospitalizations. Benicia and Solano 7-day transmission rates continue very HIGH.

Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Thursday, May 12, 2022:

DEATHS:  Solano reported no new COVID-related deaths in today’s report.  Solano has reported 5 deaths so far in May. COMPARE: COVID deaths reported in Solano County this year: 30 in January, 15 in February, 17 in March, 7 in April.  A total of 425 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

The U.S. is nearing one million COVID deaths:

 

TRANSMISSION RATE: With today’s report, Solano continues to  experience an extremely HIGH rate of transmission, with 971 new cases in the last 7 days, up from 731 at last report and more than DOUBLE the CDC formula for HIGH transmissionCDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County’s population, 450 or more cases in 7 days places Solano in the CDC’s population-based definition of a HIGH transmission rate.  Below 225 cases in 7 days shows MODERATE community transmission.  Numbers between 225 and 450 are considered SUBSTANTIAL transmission.

ACTIVE CASES: Solano reported 1,164 ACTIVE cases today, up from 829 at last report and nearly 5 times the 244 active cases reported a month ago (April 11).

CASES BY CITY – Thursday, May 12, 2022:

  • BENICIA added 14 new cases today, a total of 3,324 cases since the outbreak began.  TRANSMISSION RATE: Benicia has reported 47 new cases in the last 7 days, (see below)For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION.  14 to 27 cases is considered SUBSTANTIAL.  Below 14 is rated MODERATE.
  • Dixon added 19 new cases today, total of 4,440 cases.
  • Fairfield added 110 new cases today, total of 23,370 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 7 new cases today, total of 1,219 cases.
  • Suisun City added 31 new cases today, total of 6,140 cases.
  • Vacaville added 195 new cases today, a total of 22,302 cases. Vacaville has 23% of Solano’s population, but reported 39% of today’s new cases.  Outbreak in Vacaville?
  • Vallejo added 125 new cases today, a total of 26,381 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 1 new case today, a total of 202 cases.

TEST RATE:  Solano County’s 7-Day Percent Positive TEST RATE was 17% today, up from 14% at last report.
>> Solano Public Health announced that beginning on May 16, it will no longer report numbers of residents tested and the County’s 7-day positive test rate.  >>With so many home-tests, I agree that these numbers are no longer reliable, BUT they do give the public helpful information when compared to similar numbers for the state and nation.  COMPARE: The CALIFORNIA 7-day % positive rate was 22.7% today, up dramatically from 8.9% at last report (May 6).  [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]. The U.S. 7-day % positive rate was 9.7%. today, up from 9.6% at last report. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.] 

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT: Solano reported the number of those currently hospitalized with COVID was 12 persons, down from 19 at last report.   Current hospitalizations don’t tell the whole story, though.  Only from the increase in total hospitalizations by age and race (below) can we know how many new admissions have come into our hospitals as of this date.

TOTAL hospitalizations: Solano County’s recent and total hospitalizations must be independently discovered in the County’s occasional update of hospitalizations by Age Group and by Race/Ethnicity.  Solano updated its Age and Race charts today, adding 25 previously unreported hospitalizations, for a pandemic total of 4,444.  Note below that over half of these new hospitalizations are age 65+, a group that is only 17% of total Solano population.  TREND: Solano reported 284 hospitalizations in January, 184 in February, 644 in March, and 53 in April, and 44 so far in May(NOTE: The County occasionally updates age/race hospitalization data long after the fact, which probably accounts for the huge increase reported in March.)

ICU Bed Availability Solano County reported that the number of available hospital beds dropped today, from 45% at last report to only 40% today, still within the County’s GREEN safe zone.

Ventilator Availability in Solano County remained unchanged today at 77% available, in the County’s GREEN safe zone. 


HOW DOES TODAY’S REPORT COMPARE?  See recent reports and others going back to April 20, 2020 in my ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).

Click green text above or on the image.

>The data on this page is from the Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and (as of 3/14/2022) is updated Monday and Thursday between 4 and 6pm.  On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information.  Note the tabs at top for “Summary, Demographics” and “Vaccines.”  Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.

See also my BENINDY ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).  I have also archived the hundreds of full CORONAVIRUS REPORTS posted here almost daily on the Benicia Independent since April 2020.

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And the beat goes on… Solano experiencing fifth COVID surge, reporting nearly 500 new cases, 2 deaths

NOTE: The information below is not the latest.  TAP HERE for today’s latest information.

By Roger Straw, Monday, May 9, 2022

Solano County reports 469 new COVID infections and 2 new deaths.  Benicia and Solano 7-day transmission rates SOARING.

Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Monday, May 9, 2022:

DEATHS:  Solano reported 2 new COVID-related deaths in today’s report, both age 65+.  Solano has reported 5 deaths so far in May. COMPARE: COVID deaths reported in Solano County this year: 30 in January, 15 in February, 17 in March, 7 in April.  A total of 425 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.

TRANSMISSION RATE: With today’s report, Solano continues to  experience a very HIGH rate of transmission, with 731 new cases in the last 7 days (up from 618 at last report).  CDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County’s population, 450 or more cases in 7 days places Solano in the CDC’s population-based definition of a HIGH transmission rate.  Below 225 cases in 7 days shows MODERATE community transmission.  Numbers between 225 and 450 are considered SUBSTANTIAL transmission.

ACTIVE CASES: Solano reported 829 ACTIVE cases today, up from 798 at last report.

CASES BY CITY – Monday, May 9, 2022:

  • BENICIA added 33 new cases today, a total of 3,310 cases since the outbreak began.  TRANSMISSION RATE: Benicia has reported 50 new cases in the last 7 days, nearly DOUBLE the CDC’s HIGH rate of transmission (see below)For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION.  14 to 27 cases is considered SUBSTANTIAL.  Below 14 is rated MODERATE.
  • Dixon added 21 new cases today, total of 4,421 cases.
  • Fairfield added 121 new cases today, total of 23,260 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 7 new cases today, total of 1,212 cases.
  • Suisun City added 28 new cases today, total of 6,109 cases.
  • Vacaville added 117 new cases today, a total of 22,107 cases.
  • Vallejo added 142 new cases today, a total of 26,256 cases.
  • Unincorporated added 0 new cases today, a total of 201 cases.

TEST RATE:  Solano County’s 7-Day Percent Positive TEST RATE was 14% today, up from 12% at last report.
>> Solano Public Health announced that beginning on May 16, it will no longer report numbers of residents tested and the County’s 7-day positive test rate.  >>With so many home-tests, I agree that these numbers are no longer reliable, BUT they do give the public helpful information when compared to similar numbers for the state and nation.  COMPARE: The CALIFORNIA 7-day % positive rate was 8.9% today, up dramatically from 3.8% at last report (May 6).  [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center]. The U.S. 7-day % positive rate was 9.6%. today, up from 8.7% at last report. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.] 

HOSPITALIZATIONS:

CURRENT: Solano reported the number of those currently hospitalized with COVID more than DOUBLED today from 9 persons at last report to 19.   Current hospitalizations don’t tell the whole story, though.  Only from the increase in total hospitalizations by age and race (below) can we know how many new admissions have come into our hospitals as of this date.

TOTAL hospitalizations: Solano County’s recent and total hospitalizations must be independently discovered in the County’s occasional update of hospitalizations by Age Group and by Race/Ethnicity.  Solano did not update its Age and Race charts today, leaving unchanged the pandemic total of 4,420.   TREND: Solano reported 284 hospitalizations in January, 184 in February, 644 in March, and 53 in April, and 30 so far in May.  (NOTE: The County occasionally updates age/race hospitalization data long after the fact, which probably accounts for the huge increase reported in March.)

ICU Bed Availability Solano County reported that the number of available hospital beds dropped significantly today, from 56% at last report to only 45% today, still within the County’s GREEN safe zone.

Ventilator Availability in Solano County fell slightly today from 78% to 77% available, in the County’s GREEN safe zone. 


HOW DOES TODAY’S REPORT COMPARE?  See recent reports and others going back to April 20, 2020 in my ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).

Click green text above or on the image.

>The data on this page is from the Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and (as of 3/14/2022) is updated Monday and Thursday between 4 and 6pm.  On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information.  Note the tabs at top for “Summary, Demographics” and “Vaccines.”  Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.

See also my BENINDY ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet).  I have also archived the hundreds of full CORONAVIRUS REPORTS posted here almost daily on the Benicia Independent since April 2020.

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