Category: Brief Messages or Announcements

  • Jab Who?

    Jab Who?

    I just read a news item saying that the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa is administering COVID-19 vaccine to the animals there. I wondered how that would go, especially with large animals. I figured the zoo staff would be using dart guns. Talk about vaccine hesitance. Then I saw a YouTube showing animals…

  • CDC Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

    CDC Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

    The CDC published a media statement this morning that outlines the amended Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine boosters. Late last night, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky restored the recommendation that ACIP voted down yesterday: “People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational…

  • CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Meeting This Week on COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

    CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Meeting This Week on COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

    The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet this week, Sept 22 and Sept 23 to discuss COVID-19 vaccine boosters. The agenda is posted although slides are not and the topic headings do not so far indicate a clear plan to vote on any specific booster recommendations. Recall on the August 30, 2021…

  • Try to Keep Up with the COVID-19 News (Good Luck)

    Try to Keep Up with the COVID-19 News (Good Luck)

    Things are happening fast all around the country and in Iowa when it comes to news about the COVID-19 vaccine boosters and mask mandates. It looks like the Iowa ban on mask mandates for public schools will be on temporary hold by a Federal restraining order for now according to a news item from the…

  • FDA Advisory Meeting on Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Announcement

    FDA Advisory Meeting on Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Announcement

    The FDA announcement about the Advisory Committee meeting on the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster for September 17, 2021 is here. The time will be 8:30 AM-3:45 PM ET (check your time zone provided on the FDA YouTube web page). Review materials (if available) will be posted at the FDA link provided in the announcement.

  • Comirnaty vs Comiranty Spelling Bee Issue Resolved

    Comirnaty vs Comiranty Spelling Bee Issue Resolved

    This is just an update on the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty vs Comiranty spelling issue at UIHC, which has been resolved today. It took a few emails to get it fixed. I was beginning to think I was losing my mind and that I was the only who could see the mistake. Comirnaty had apparently…

  • Comirnaty Misspelled by the Medical Community

    Comirnaty Misspelled by the Medical Community

    This afternoon I just notified somebody at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (UIHC) that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine’s name is misspelled on several of their web pages. The new name for the vaccine is Comirnaty (pronounced koe-mir-na-tee). UIHC misspells it as “Comiranty.” And it has been that way for at least a week,…

  • Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

    Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

    The messaging on COVID-19 boosters is being clarified by the CDC and the FDA in separate announcements, posted September 1, 2021. The CDC update is here. The FDA announcement is here. The FDA plans to hold a virtual meeting about the issue September 17, 2021 from 8:30 AM to 3:45 PM EST and it will…

  • The COVID-19 Delta Variant

    The COVID-19 Delta Variant

    I’m passing along the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics information about the Delta variant of COVID-19. If you’re vaccinated and you get infected with the Delta variant, you might feel like your symptoms are from allergies or a cold. If you’re not vaccinated, you’re a lot more likely to get sick enough to be…

  • Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices Meeting On Boosters Today

    Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices Meeting On Boosters Today

    Judging from the slides in Dr. Sarah Oliver’s presentation, “Framework for booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines” in the ACIP meeting this afternoon, there is limited data to support COVID-19 vaccine boosters for the general population at this time. The target populations for boosters would be the residents of Long Term Care Facilities (LTCF), health professionals,…