Month: September 2023

On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the new COVID-19 boosters for Americans, with the updated vaccines set to become available within days. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is set to meet Tuesday to make recommendations on who should get the new booster shots. Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, could sign off soon after, allowing vaccinations to begin.

The updated COVID vaccines are each fully approved for those 12 and older and are authorized under emergency use for individuals 6 months through 11 years of age. Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 shot, along with the flu shot and newly approved RSV shots, are part of a three-pronged public health strategy to tame the spread of all three viruses this coming winter.  Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a news release: “Vaccination remains critical to public health and continued protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. The public can be assured that these updated vaccines have met the agency’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality. We very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated.”

The boosters target the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant; while that is longer the dominant variant circulating currently, variants that are spreading are closely related, and health experts say this booster will still offer some protection.  Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO, said in a company news release: “This decision comes at a time when COVID-19 cases are once again climbing. Now, most people 6 months or older in the U.S. are eligible to receive this season’s COVID-19 vaccine, even if they have never been vaccinated against COVID-19 before.” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a company news release: “As the primary circulating strain continues to evolve, updated vaccines will be critical to protecting the population this season. We appreciate the FDA’s timely review and encourage individuals who intend to get their flu shot to also get their updated COVID-19 vaccine at the same time.”

Additionally, the federal government is not covering costs of the shots for the first time.  Most people with private and public health insurance should still be able to receive them for free, while those who are uninsured may be able to get them at community health centers. The full price is expected to be $110 to $130 per dose.  The Biden administration has also announced a “bridge” program to offer uninsured people access to free boosters through 2024.

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22 years since the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, the FDNY continues to count deaths related to post-9/11 illnesses resulting from the recovery efforts after the attacks. The Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York shared that 343 New York City firefighters died on Sept. 11, 2001, and in the 22 years since, 341 more members of the FDNY have died from related causes.

The Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York wrote on Facebook: “Today is the 22nd anniversary of the September 11th Terrorist Attacks, a day that we will always remember as one of the saddest days for our city and our country, and the worst day for the FDNY. There are no words that can fully express how much we miss the people we lost on September 11th 2001, and all those who have died because of illnesses caused by the World Trade Center toxins.”

As a result of the actions on 9/11 from the Al Qaeda terrorist group that hijacked four planes, crashing two into the Twin Towers at New York City’s World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and one into a Pennsylvania field, nearly 3,000 people were killed. Subsequently, hundreds of subsequent deaths have occurred as a result of the toxins at Ground Zero, the site where the Twin Towers once stood.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum was built in downtown Manhattan where the towers once stood to honor those who died on that day and since. The names of all the victims are etched into the memorial, and the FDNY announced last week that this year another 43 names of those who died from illnesses related to the event were added — the second-largest group to be added to the memorial since it opened in 2011, when 55 new names were added.

Dr. Michael Crane, an associate professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said nearly 10,000 first responders who were in the area that day had been diagnosed with cancer since. The number of post-9/11 deaths attributed to complications from that day were expected to top the number of deaths on 9/11.

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