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From Dr. Gerald:
Once again, more good news than bad. Case counts continue to trend down slowly in most places except Greenlee County which is nearing its all-time pandemic high. Despite modest improvements in transmission, test positivity continues to inch up unexpectedly after the Labor Day holiday.
Hospital occupancy remains stubbornly plateaued. This is most likely because the biggest improvement in cases is occurring among children. So, let us hope that Arizona’s judiciary makes a good decision and blocks the governors’ and legislature’s attempts to prevent schools from requiring masking.
COVID-19 deaths topped 200 per week for the first time in a long while. While I don’t expect them to go much higher, they are still much higher than they should be.
The big news this week is that the FDA advisory panel on vaccines recommended Pfizer third dose boosters for those 65+ or at high risk but not for everyone. A lot of data appeared this week regarding vaccine efficacy and safety. A good bit of it is linked in the attached report. Short story is that all 3 vaccines continue to provide high levels of protection against severe illness resulting in hospitalization.
Yes, Moderna does appear to be separating itself from the others so Pfizer boosters are likely warranted for some now and perhaps more in the future. All safety signals continue to favor getting vaccinated versus getting infected by a LARGE margin.
