Coronavirus weekly need-to-know: getting a COVID booster with a flu shot, cases & more
In the United States, over 95 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic as of Friday, Sept. 9, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Additionally, more than 1 million people in the U.S. have died. Worldwide, there have been more than 607 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including about 4 million in the past week, and over 6.5 million people have died.
Almost 224 million people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated as of Sept. 9 — 67.5% of the population — and over 108 million of those have gotten their first booster shot, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Most people in the country, about 67%, live in a location where COVID-19 community levels are considered medium and high, the agency says as of Sept. 9. Masks are advised in high-level regions.
About 32% of Americans reside where COVID-19 levels are considered low, according to the CDC.
The omicron BA.5 subvariant dominated U.S. cases for the week ending Sept. 3 and made up 88% of COVID-19 cases, agency data estimates show.
Pfizer and Moderna’s new, updated COVID-19 boosters target this subvariant and BA.4, another omicron version, after the Food and Drug Administration authorized the shots for emergency use on Aug. 31, McClatchy News previously reported.
Here’s what happened between Sept. 4 and 9.
Can you get a flu shot and COVID booster during the same visit? Here’s what to know
With the fall season just weeks away, you may wonder whether you can get your annual flu vaccine and a COVID-19 booster shot at the same time.
Flu season began this month, and now through October is a good time to get the seasonal shot for those 6 months and older, a Sept. 6 news release from the American Lung Association says.
If you want to get a flu shot and a COVID-19 booster during the same visit, you can, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“There is no recommended waiting period between getting a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines,” the CDC says online.
For flu vaccines, the agency recommends that these “should ideally be offered during September or October,” according to an agency report published Aug. 25.
In regards to both flu and COVID-19 shots, the CDC says: “While limited data exist on giving COVID-19 vaccines with other vaccines, including flu vaccines, experience with giving other vaccines together has shown the way our bodies develop protection and possible side effects are generally similar whether vaccines are given alone or with other vaccines.”
Keep reading here:
Can you get a flu shot and COVID booster during the same visit? Here’s what to know
When should you get the new COVID booster? What we know
This week, nearly 500,000 doses of a newly approved COVID-19 booster will be distributed to pharmacies and county health departments across North Carolina.
The updated booster formula will likely make the vaccines more effective at stopping breakthrough infections and, more importantly, preventing serious illness ahead of a potential winter surge.
Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a Duke infectious disease expert, breaks down what we know so far about the bivalent booster:
The new booster shot was developed as a response to the omicron variant, which has caused problems for the COVID-19 vaccine effort due to its constantly mutating spike protein.
The article continues below:
When should you get the new COVID booster? What we know
Judge says Fauci, Jean-Pierre have to turn over emails to social media companies to Schmitt
A federal judge in Louisiana ruled Tuesday that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Dr. Anthony Fauci will have to turn over any emails they sent to social media companies about misinformation or the censorship of social media content.
The ruling is part of a lawsuit filed in May by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, accusing the Biden administration of working with social media companies to suppress free speech, particularly surrounding COVID-19 and elections.
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Judge says Fauci, Jean-Pierre have to turn over emails to social media companies to Schmitt
Couple charged with fraud over COVID-19 loan requests on Lexington charity, church
A couple associated with a Lexington charity received more than $350,000 in coronavirus relief loans through fraudulent applications, a federal grand jury has charged.
The grand jury returned a 12-count indictment Sept. 1 against Kelly and Neal Harris. They are each charged individually with four counts of wire fraud and are named together in four other counts.
The two allegedly put false information in applications for low-interest loans meant to help businesses and non-profits with the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 in early 2020.
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Couple charged with fraud over COVID-19 loan requests on Lexington charity, church
Reporters Teddy Rosenbluth, Daniel Desrochers and Bill Estep also contributed to this report.
