Coronavirus shots may become an annual affair
Feb 9, 2021, 19:57 IST
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Today in healthcare news: Coronavirus-fighting booster shots are expected in the UK by the fall, an analysis around why delaying second doses might be worthwhile, and the US paid $44 million to Deloitte for a glitchy vaccine appointment system.
Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images
Booster shots are likely in the UK this fall to combat coronavirus variants - a sign vaccines may become an annual affair
- Existing coronavirus vaccines may be less effective against the variant first found in South Africa.
- Vaccine developers are working on updated shots to combat such variants.
- The UK will probably distribute booster shots in the fall, then roll out new COVID-19 vaccines annually.
Read the full story from Aylin Woodward here>>
Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a White House press briefing on January 21, 2021 in Washington DC.Alex Wong/Getty Images
Scientists, including Fauci, are facing off over whether to delay 2nd vaccine doses. Here's why the risk of more mutations from delaying shots may ultimately be worth it.
- Experts are split on whether to delay the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines to get more people immunized.
- Prioritizing first doses means that more vulnerable people get some protection against coronavirus, which could save lives.
- The risk of more coronavirus mutations could be the price we have to pay.
Read the full analysis from Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce here>>
ICU nurse Megan Tschacher shows off her vaccination card at UC Health Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado on December 14, 2020.Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post/Getty Images
The US paid Deloitte $44 million for a vaccine appointment system laden with glitches. Some states are scrambling for an alternative.
- The CDC gave Deloitte $44 million as a federal contractor to build a website for vaccine appointments.
- Most states chose not to use the tool due to concerns about its performance, but nine states opted in.
- Several health officials from those states say they're experiencing technical glitches, including site crashes and canceled appointments.
Read the full story from Aria Bendix here>>
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More stories we're reading:
- Be mindful of the information you're sharing when you take your vaccine-card selfie (The New York Times)
- Biden said Trump's handling of COVID-19 was 'even more dire than we thought' after finding insufficient vaccine supplies (Insider)
- Experts think vaccine supply could exceed demand starting in April (The Wall Street Journal)
- HAPPENING TOMORROW: Hear from healthcare's biggest VCs on the future of digital health, biotech, and startups (Insider)
- Lydia