Coronavirus News Update – August 13: FDA Gives Green Light to Third Dose for People with Compromised Immune Systems
Supreme Court, Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized an extra dose of coronavirus vaccine for people with fragile immune systems. The action, announced Thursday, means that booster shots for the immunocompromised could be available as soon as this weekend. It also paves the way for others including the elderly to get booster shots in the not-too-distant future.
As of Friday morning, the world has recorded 206.5 million Covid-19 cases and 4.34 million deaths, according to Worldometer, a service that tracks such information. In addition, 185.3 million people worldwide have recovered from the virus.
The average daily number of new coronavirus cases in the United States over the past 14 days is 125,894, an 76% change and a trend that is fueled by the highly contagious India, or Delta, variant. The average daily death toll over the same period is 616, an increase of 92%.
Since the start of the pandemic the United States has recorded 37.2 million cases, a higher figure than any other country and one that is followed by India, which now has 32.1 million officially recorded cases and 430,285 officially recorded deaths, although experts believe that both number are in reality significantly higher.
Since the start of vaccinations at the end of last year over 4.58 billion doses have been administered across the globe as of Friday morning, an increase of 0.06 billion and the equivalent of 60 doses for every 100 people, which is virtually unchanged over the previous 24 hours.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that, as of Friday, 196.5 million people in the United States – or 59.2% – have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Of that population, 50.4%, or 167 million people, are now fully vaccinated, and the total number of doses that have been dispensed in the United States is now 353.9 million. Breaking this down further, 71.5% of the population over the age of 18 – or 184.6 million people – has received at least a first inoculation and 61.3% of the same group – or 158.4 million people – is fully vaccinated.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett dismissed a challenge to a college’s mandate without comment. A group of eight students at Indiana University had sought an emergency injunction from the Supreme Court against their college’s vaccine mandate. The move could have broad implications for vaccine mandates across the nation.
In France, 22 vaccination centers and pharmacies have been vandalized and damaged since mid-July. at a time when tens of thousands of people have been taking to the streets to protest the governments pass sanitaire policy. The health pass limits access to restaurants, museums, and fitness centers to those who are fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it would require 25,000 employees – all healthcare workers – to get vaccinated. The action includes volunteers and contractors.
Finally, the secretary of veterans affairs, Denis McDonough, said that the Department of Veterans Affairs is expanding its vaccine requirement to encompass more employees, contractors, and volunteers. The order will affect 245,000 employees, in addition to 115,000 previously ordered to be vaccinated.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
