REUTERS is reporting that according to a nationwide Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted online between September 8-14, 2023, about half of Americans were interested in receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine. Earlier this week, US public health officials recommended updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech (22UAy.DE) and Moderna (MRNA.O), which target a recently-circulating Omicron variant.
US officials are advising a much broader use of the vaccine – by everyone age 6 months and up – as compared to the recommendations of many European countries which prioritize the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
The World Health Organization’s (“WHO”) latest advice is that additional doses beyond the first two doses and one booster are not routinely recommended other than in older adults and certain at-risk groups.
The REUTERS article may be read HERE.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) continues to recommend that everyone six months and older should be vaccinated for COVID-19, taking the position that the known risks of COVID-19 illness far outweigh the potential risks of having a rare adverse reaction to vaccination, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis. The CDC’s recommendation and recently-updated information may be viewed HERE.
My brothers and sisters, on Wednesday of this week, I attended an online meeting sponsored by the New Mexico Department of Health (“NMDOH”), during which medical officials from various New Mexico health organizations and/or hospitals (e.g., Presbyterian, Lovelace and CHRISTUS St. Vincent) spoke about updated COVID-19 vaccinations being fully available in New Mexico within about a week. NMDOH Director, Miranda Durham, MD, spoke about the availability of vaccinations for the three viruses most often linked to hospitalizations – COVID-19, RSV and flu (influenza).
The NMDOH website has posted an informational page about these vaccinations HERE, including where persons may find appointments using an interactive map at VaccineNM.org and accessing their vaccine histories.
What was striking to me during the recent online meeting was that every presenter simply said the vaccines were safe and effective – period – with no specific discussion as to why many are not so convinced. As mentioned in the REUTERS article, many European counties and the WHO itself are not so broadly recommending updated COVID-19 vaccinations, instead focusing on older persons and those with certain health conditions.
As always, we should pray for wisdom in whether to seek the updated COVID-19 vaccination, as well as the other vaccinations.
It appears that the vaccine manufacturers producing the updated vaccinations are US-based companies which profited handsomely from the initial rounds of the COVID-19 vaccinations. This inescapably raises questions as to why the US government continues to push for a broad vaccination approach in light of the substantially lower instances of hospitalization, serious illness and death as compared to the period of actual COVID-19 pandemic.
Praise Jesus forevermore!