The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 51 (551)

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee of the FDA discussed covid booster shots today. One source described this as a straightforward question: Is immunity waning, and will boosters restore it? This is actually a two-part question, and the research so far seems to have concentrated on the second part. Yes, boosters do increase the production of antibodies. It is not clear. though, if that is really needed. Dr. Fauci says that immunity is waning in the fully vaccinated and may offer less protection against the more severe variants of covid. Other scientists do not agree. Recommending boosters for immuno-compromised or the elderly is much less controversial. A CDC advisory committee will discuss this issue next week. Meanwhile, Israel is already contemplating a fourth shot, a booster booster.

 News Flash: FDA overwhelmingly (a vote of 16 to 2) recommended against approving a Pfizer booster for people ages 16 and older. One committee member explained, "It's unclear that everyone needs to be boosted, other than a subset of the population that clearly would be at high risk for serious disease." That sounds as if boosters for certain populations may still be open to discussion. Newer News Flash: The panel has voted in support of boosters for people 65 and older or who are at high risk of serious illness. I'm 65 now, so I guess that includes me.

New cases and hospitalizations across the US are starting to show signs of decline but remain much higher than earlier in the summer. Death numbers are still rising, averaging 1,900 per day, up almost 30 percent over the last two weeks. Vaccination rates have slowed; only 64 percent of eligible people in the US are fully vaccinated. There are new outbreaks in the Mountain West and West Virginia. Seven months ago, West Virginia was the vaccination pacesetter. Now, it has the lowest percent of people 18 and over fully vaccinated, just under 48 percent. Cases are nearing record levels, hospitalizations are approaching the state's pandemic high, and occupancy records are being set in ICUs across the state. The governor says the worst may be yet to come: "Maybe we won't peak until Halloween or Thanksgiving, and in all of that how many more are going to die, and die a horrible death, a death where you can't breathe?" Cheery, he is not.

As of October 25, in Seattle and its suburbs people attending recreational activities in most public places will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test. This will apply to outdoor events with 500 or more people and indoor activities of any size--performances, movie theaters, conferences, restaurants, bars, and so on. New York City and San Francisco have similar restrictions already in place. As to whether they work, in France close to 90 percent of adults have gotten at least one dose of vaccine. The vaccination rate took a large upturn when it was announced that vaccination would be required for visiting a cafe.

The UN's General Assembly is about to have its annual meeting. The UN requires all its staff to be vaccinated, but lets foreign dignitaries and diplomats use the honor system. Since the meeting of the General Assembly counts as a "convention center," all those attending must prove they are vaccinated. They must also show proof before dining indoors, drinking, or exercising within the 16-acre UN campus. Russia's ambassador has said that the rules violate the UN Charter in that they are discriminatory. Brazil's President Bolsinaro has been outspoken about refusing to be vaccinated but is scheduled to address the Assembly early in the meeting. The chief UN spokesman says that discussions are underway to continue the honor system "in a way that is acceptable for all."

International quick takes: France's vaccination rate has gone up, but weekly demonstrations against the vaccine mandate continue. There are 180 expected across France on Saturday. New Zealand is keeping its travel bubble with Australia closed for at least eight more weeks. While cases in New Zealand are declining, they're still rising in Australia. Alberta is home to the worst outbreak in Canada and putting in "sweeping" new restrictions. The health care system there is said to be on the verge of collapse. In the week ending September 11, one in 45 people in Scotland had covid.

Two new words I saw for the first time this week (I may be very behind the times): scamdemic and plandemic. These are apparently terms from the conspiracy theory camp.