A second booster for people <50
Biden administration is indifferent to data
WaPo is reporting the Biden administration plans to push a second booster through for healthy people <50; Here is how the European CDC judges the evidence for that claim
I would have no objection to offering a second booster to people <50 if someone proved to me that giving this shot offered a benefit to recipients or the community.
Unfortunately, when it comes to community benefit, no amount of vaccination is able to stop spread, and the virus will keep circulating, so there is no benefit to others with time.
When it comes to personal benefit, the surgeon general offers these data, but of course they are flawed. People who rush to get the 4th dose are different than those that don’t. There is no assurance that is the 4th dose effect rather than the types of unique individuals who are desperate for it.
Moreover, the ECDC rejects this claim, based on other datasets that stratify by age, but all of these analyses are likely too optimisitc. We need randomized data.
Paul Offit says it best in WaPo
Instead, the white house disregards these analyses and pushes this dose. The worry of course is that need to be seen as offering something for political rather than medical reasons. They need to limit cases right at the moment of the midterm elections.
The other concern is that clearly Pfizer has excess product, and this move will help them unload that supply. Are they merely working in Pfizer’s best interest? When the terms end for people like Marks-Walensky-Jha will they end up working for Pfizer? Serving on the board of directors?
The final concern is that they continue to play fast and loose with the FDA’s credibility. They are spending it like monopoly money. Unfortunately, the massive decline in public acceptance of other vaccines, which is in progress, will be, in part, attributable to their actions.
Ironically Biden has done what we feared Trump would. Interfere repeatedly in vaccine authorization, possibly for political rather than public health reasons.
On Twitter, Eric Topol said that authorizing 2nd boosters for all would be "better than discarding doses."
I responded:
"Why is it better than discarding doses?
Sometimes when I've had a couple alcoholic beverages and I'm done drinking but there's still wine in my glass, I dump it in the sink. I don't think, 'Might as well use my body as a drain!' The harms of that would outweigh the benefits."
My daughter had to get boosted yesterday in order to attend Santa Clara University. She feels awful today. I’m beyond livid. I will never again get a flu vaccine etc because of how they have treated us during covid. I have ZERO faith in our government and it’s 100% their fault.