Month: August 2021

The nation’s top health officials announced Wednesday that the Biden administration is prepared to begin rolling out booster shots for many Americans the week of Sept. 20th. Citing data that show the effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against COVID-19 diminishes over time, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said at a White House briefing: “Having reviewed the most current data, it is now our clinical judgment that the time to lay out a plan for COVID-19 boosters is now.” A final plan was still contingent upon the official sign-off by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The recommendation will be that anyone who received Pfizer or Moderna vaccines should get a booster shot eight months after their second shot, with health care workers, nursing home residents and seniors first in line.  CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at the briefing that Wednesday’s decision was largely based on data showing that vaccines are still working and are the best assurances against severe illness or death — but according to CDC data, key metric could also wane in a few months.  Walensky added: “Even though our vaccines are currently working well to prevent hospitalizations, we are seeing concerning evidence of waning vaccine effectiveness over time and against the delta variant. Given this body of evidence, we are concerned that the current strong protection against severe infection, hospitalization and death could decrease in the months ahead, especially among those who are at higher risk or who were vaccinated earlier during the phase of our vaccination rollout.”

President Joe Biden said the U.S. is committed to getting every American out of Afghanistan, even if it means potentially extending the mission beyond his Aug. 31 deadline for a total withdrawal. In an interview with ABC News, anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Biden: “We’ve got like 10 to 15,000 Americans in the country right now. Right? And are you committed to making sure that the troops stay until every American who wants to be out is out?”  to which Biden replied, “Yes.”

The president did cautioned that his focus is on completing the mission by Aug. 31, but conceded to Stephanopoulos that the mission could take longer. Biden also told Stephanopoulos that in addition to the 10,000 to 15,000 Americans who need to be evacuated, there are between 50,000 and 65,000 Afghans and their families the U.S. also wants to get out. “The commitment holds to get everyone out that, in fact, we can get out and everyone who should come out. And that’s the objective. That’s what we’re doing now. That’s the path we’re on. And I think we’ll get there,” Biden said.

The Biden administration has come under fire for the chaotic situation in Afghanistan as control of the country quickly fell to the Taliban while the deadline for the final U.S. withdrawal approached.

As they held their first official news briefing on Tuesday since the seizure of Kabul, the Taliban said they wanted peaceful relations with other countries and would respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law. The Taliban suggesting a softer line then during their rule 20 years ago; during their 1996-2001 rule the Taliban stopped women from working and meted out punishments including public stoning. Girls were not allowed to go to school and women had to wear all-enveloping burqas to go out and then only when accompanied by a male relative. The U.N. Human Rights Council will hold a special session in Geneva next week to address “serious human rights concerns” after the Taliban takeover.

The Taliban press conference came as the United States and Western allies resumed evacuating diplomats and civilians the day after chaos at Kabul airport ensued. The State Department also said on Tuesday that Washington had completed a drawdown of embassy personnel from Kabul and remaining diplomats were assisting in the evacuation. U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said they had agreed to hold a virtual meeting of Group of Seven leaders next week to discuss a common strategy and approach to Afghanistan, hoping to assess how to respond to the situation.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.  According to a statement from Abbott’s office, the Texas governor is fully vaccinated and had been tested for the virus daily before he tested positive.  His office added: “Governor Abbott is in constant communication with his staff, agency heads and government officials to ensure that state government continues to operate smoothly and efficiently.”

The governor’s office also said that Abbott is currently experiencing no symptoms but is receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment, and will isolate in the governor’s mansion where he will continue to be tested daily. The governor’s wife, first lady Cecilia Abbott, tested negative; and those who have been in close contact with Abbott have been notified of his COVID diagnosis. On Monday night, Abbott had tweeted a photo of himself speaking before a crowd of maskless guests at a Republican event in Collin County.

Abbott has been engaged in a battle with local school districts after he issued an executive order in May barring governmental entities, including public health authorities, from requiring face coverings and so-called vaccine passports. Texas is experiencing a COVID-19 surge as the state reported 20,123 new cases and 96 new deaths on Tuesday with 12,227 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized.

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