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For the past several months, many people have been weighing the pros and cons of getting their second booster shots – or in some cases, their first – right away versus waiting for the long-promised omicron-tailored booster shots. That wait is nearly over: The FDA’s authorization yesterday of the new bivalent formulation clears the way for shots to begin going into arms in a matter of hours or days, pending the CDC’s endorsement. Understandably, people have lots of questions.
Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti are immunologists at the University of South Carolina who have been closely following COVID-19 vaccine development and how the immune system responds to infections and vaccines. They explain the research basis behind the FDA’s authorization and reflect on just how well the updated shots might fare in the face of a wily, unpredictably evolving virus.
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In a matter of days, eligible people will be lining up to receive the newly formulated booster shot.
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Prakash Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina; Mitzi Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina
The FDA’s authorization of the reformulated COVID-19 booster shots represents a major step in the effort to get more Americans boosted.
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Environment + Energy
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Jasmina Burek, UMass Lowell
Cutting a home’s energy waste starts with stopping the leaks. Energy-efficient appliances and windows can make a difference, too.
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Ethics + Religion
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Austin Sarat, Amherst College
In 1972, justices handed down a decision that attacked discriminatory and capricious death sentences. But it left the door ajar for states to continue the practice.
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Science + Technology
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Kathryn Kavanagh, UMass Dartmouth
Human embryos are far more likely to die than come to term, an evolutionary trait seen across species. Laws granting personhood at conception ignore built-in embryo loss, with potentially grave consequences.
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Richard Forno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Former Twitter security chief alleges in a whistleblower complaint gross security malpractice, with many employees having access to the social media platform’s code as well as user data.
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Health + Medicine
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Matthew Woodruff, Emory University
A new study finds that misdirected immune responses can persist for months in those who are suffering from long COVID-19.
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Politics + Society
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Clark D. Cunningham, Georgia State University
A government filing on August 30, 2022, alleges that efforts were likely taken “to obstruct the government’s investigation” into classified documents held at Donald Trump’s Florida home.
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Ian Anson, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Education
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Andrea Joseph-McCatty, University of Tennessee
A social work scholar researches why school suspensions disproportionately affect students from certain groups and what can be done to change that.
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