It is beautiful and crisp in New York” this morning. And quiet. I love calm days in New York. And I love days without much on the agenda. We have cheeses, chips and guacamole, hummus and veg. We’ll throw a duck in the oven later and make some mushroom pasta and roast potatoes for the vegetarians. #- Obviously I’ll keep an eye on things as we all do but right now the science for a healthy adult under 50 to get a Covid booster looks weak to me. The CDC permits these boosters but (for healthy adults under 50) does not recommend them. (Update - This has changed, see below.) Said a New York Times story six days ago:#
- The extra shots are unlikely to offer much benefit to adults under 65, who remain protected from severe illness and hospitalization by the initial immunization, the experts said. #
- “Overall protection remains high for severe disease and hospitalization,” said Dr. Sara Oliver, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C., told the scientific advisers meeting on Friday. #
- Wrote former longtime NYT health reporter Donald McNeil last month: #
- Dr. Michael J. Ryan, the widely admired head of the W.H.O.’s emergency program, has acidly observed that booster doses amount to “handing out extra lifejackets to people who already have lifejackets while leaving others to drown.”#
- Although he is correct, most Americans are convinced that their lifejackets are leaky. Speaking rationally to them is no more effective than speaking rationally to vaccine denialists.#
- McNeil does think the effectiveness of the original vaccine will eventually wane for non seniors so it’s something I will keep an eye on. For all the issues surrounding my shot — J&J — its profile was one of strengthening protection in the initial months rather than diminishing protection. As a UCSF infectious disease expert put it, “After one dose, across all populations, even in older people, the antibody response and T-cell response were excellent and increased over time.” A lot of people underestimate the J&J vaccine. #
- I want my health decisions to be guided by reason rather than fear. #
- Update, Jan. 21: After the CDC strengthened its position on boosters for healthy adults under 50, I went ahead (a couple of weeks ago) and got the shot at a local independent pharmacy (which on a weekday took less than 10 minutes to complete the whole appointment, and maybe 1-2 minutes to receive the actual shot). Today NYT reports on a study showing:#
- "Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization with the Omicron variant fell to just 57 percent in people who had received their second dose more than six months earlier, the authors found. A third shot restored that protection to 90 percent."#
- #
It is beautiful and crisp in New York” this morning. And quiet. I love calm days in New York. And I love days without much on the agenda. We have cheeses, chips and guacamole, hummus and veg. We’ll throw a duck in the oven later and make some mushroom pasta and roast potatoes for the vegetarians. #- Obviously I’ll keep an eye on things as we all do but right now the science for a healthy adult under 50 to get a Covid booster looks weak to me. The CDC permits these boosters but (for healthy adults under 50) does not recommend them. (Update - This has changed, see below.) Said a New York Times story six days ago:#
- The extra shots are unlikely to offer much benefit to adults under 65, who remain protected from severe illness and hospitalization by the initial immunization, the experts said. #
- “Overall protection remains high for severe disease and hospitalization,” said Dr. Sara Oliver, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C., told the scientific advisers meeting on Friday. #
- Wrote former longtime NYT health reporter Donald McNeil last month: #
- Dr. Michael J. Ryan, the widely admired head of the W.H.O.’s emergency program, has acidly observed that booster doses amount to “handing out extra lifejackets to people who already have lifejackets while leaving others to drown.”#
- Although he is correct, most Americans are convinced that their lifejackets are leaky. Speaking rationally to them is no more effective than speaking rationally to vaccine denialists.#
- McNeil does think the effectiveness of the original vaccine will eventually wane for non seniors so it’s something I will keep an eye on. For all the issues surrounding my shot — J&J — its profile was one of strengthening protection in the initial months rather than diminishing protection. As a UCSF infectious disease expert put it, “After one dose, across all populations, even in older people, the antibody response and T-cell response were excellent and increased over time.” A lot of people underestimate the J&J vaccine. #
- I want my health decisions to be guided by reason rather than fear. #
- Update, Jan. 21: After the CDC strengthened its position on boosters for healthy adults under 50, I went ahead (a couple of weeks ago) and got the shot at a local independent pharmacy (which on a weekday took less than 10 minutes to complete the whole appointment, and maybe 1-2 minutes to receive the actual shot). Today NYT reports on a study showing:#
- "Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization with the Omicron variant fell to just 57 percent in people who had received their second dose more than six months earlier, the authors found. A third shot restored that protection to 90 percent."#
- #