New boosters, new guidance

Also: Racial disparities emerge in fight against monkeypox [View in browser](    [❤️]( September 27, 2022 Hi CommonHealth reader, My left arm is a little sore as I write this; I got the new COVID booster. Some people scheduled shots as soon as they were available earlier this month. Some are waiting. Others are [not interested at all](. Anyone 12 and older who is at least two months from a previous booster or primary dose is eligible for the new shot, which uses an updated formula tailored to more recent strains of the coronavirus. Public health officials and health care providers say the boosters are an important tool to protect against serious illness from COVID when immunity from prior vaccinations and infections has waned. And the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is urging people to get boosted [as soon as they're eligible](. “The basic message from all of us is: Get your booster,” Dr. Paul Biddinger, head of emergency preparedness for Mass General Brigham, told me. “It's going to help protect you and your family and your community. “And now is the right time to do it,” Biddinger said, “ahead of what we think, unfortunately, may be an increase in cases in the fall and winter.” But, he noted, there are a couple good reasons to delay. CDC [guidance]( says to consider waiting three months after a COVID infection before getting the booster. Anyone getting the monkeypox vaccine also can delay for four weeks, according to the CDC. You can, however, get a COVID booster and a flu shot at the same time. As Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID response coordinator, memorably said: “I really believe this is why [God gave us two arms]( Some experts say the booster is critical for people who are older and have underlying health concerns, but [less urgent]( for younger and healthier people. Others argue there’s little downside to getting another shot, but a significant potential upside. Don’t forget: [research is showing]( that vaccination also helps reduce the risk of [long COVID](. Maybe you're thinking about waiting to get the booster so you can reach peak immunity in time for Thanksgiving or holiday parties. It’s a reasonable approach for people with lower risks of serious illness, doctors say. But Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Medical Center, also warned against trying to outsmart the coronavirus. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this virus,” [she recently told Radio Boston]( “when you try to strategize, you often fail.” When you’re eligible for a booster, Assoumou said, “go ahead and get it.” P.S.— WBUR doesn't require a fee to receive this newsletter or listen to your favorite programs. Instead, we rely on voluntary [contributions from readers and listeners](. This week, we're asking you to think about how much WBUR — including this newsletter! — adds to your life and [consider making a donation]( so you can continue to rely on us, too. Priyanka Dayal McCluskey Senior Health Reporter [Follow]( Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [In fight against monkeypox, racial disparities emerge]( White people have received 63% of monkeypox vaccines. Black and Hispanic residents have received less than 20% — but they represent nearly half of all cases identified in Massachusetts. [Read more.]( [In fight against monkeypox, racial disparities emerge]( White people have received 63% of monkeypox vaccines. Black and Hispanic residents have received less than 20% — but they represent nearly half of all cases identified in Massachusetts. [Read more.]( [Why the White House wants to put nutrition labels on the front of food packages]( The Biden administration unveiled its plan to end hunger and diet-related diseases in eight years — 40 pages of ideas to make nutritious food easier to get in America. [Read more.]( [Why the White House wants to put nutrition labels on the front of food packages]( The Biden administration unveiled its plan to end hunger and diet-related diseases in eight years — 40 pages of ideas to make nutritious food easier to get in America. [Read more.]( [Biogen will pay $900M over kickback allegations]( A federal lawsuit claims the company over-billed Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs when it gave kickbacks to doctors who prescribed its medications. [Read more.]( [Biogen will pay $900M over kickback allegations]( A federal lawsuit claims the company over-billed Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs when it gave kickbacks to doctors who prescribed its medications. [Read more.]( [Telemedicine abortions just got more complicated for health providers]( Prescribing medical abortions across state lines is now risky for doctors. "We're talking about something that's a protected right in one state and a felony in a sister state," says one legal scholar. [Read more.]( [Telemedicine abortions just got more complicated for health providers]( Prescribing medical abortions across state lines is now risky for doctors. "We're talking about something that's a protected right in one state and a felony in a sister state," says one legal scholar. [Read more.]( [Flu is expected to flare up in U.S. this winter, raising fears of a 'twindemic']( After virtually disappearing for the last two years, there are troubling clues that the flu could come roaring back this year, to cause trouble alongside COVID. [Read more.]( [Flu is expected to flare up in U.S. this winter, raising fears of a 'twindemic']( After virtually disappearing for the last two years, there are troubling clues that the flu could come roaring back this year, to cause trouble alongside COVID. [Read more.]( What We're Reading 📚 Canadians are trying some fascinating — and controversial — new approaches to reducing opioid overdose deaths. And Americans are paying attention. STAT’s Andrew Joseph [recently visited a health center in Toronto]( where clients receive prescriptions for government-funded opioids they can use to feel euphoria, or at least avoid withdrawal. That follows Stephanie Nolen's reporting in the New York Times about a [legal fentanyl dispensary in Vancouver](. It’s called “safer supply.” The idea is to prevent people from turning to street drugs, which could be laced with deadly levels of fentanyl. "The goal of a safer supply program is really to keep people alive," the Toronto health center’s executive director, Angela Robertson, told STAT. The concept may be difficult to grasp in the United States, where such a program would be illegal. But advocates say safer supply is an important strategy for helping people who use drugs avoid the most dangerous consequences. Meanwhile in the U.S., almost 108,000 people [died from drug overdoses]( in 2021 — 15% more than the previous year. You can read and listen to more on this topic from [NPR’s Brian Mann]( and [The New York Times' The Daily podcast.]( "It favors people who are connected to the information channels where they would hear about it quickly." — Dr. Kevin Ard, of Massachusetts General Hospital, on [the distribution of the monkeypox vaccine](. ICYMI [Hospitals have many disease specialists, but often not for addiction. Now, that's changing]( Hospitals typically employ heart, lung, kidney and other specialists. But there are few hospitals where patients can see someone who specializes in addiction medicine — even as overdose deaths reach record highs. That's changing, slowly. [Read more.]( [Hospitals have many disease specialists, but often not for addiction. Now, that's changing]( Hospitals typically employ heart, lung, kidney and other specialists. But there are few hospitals where patients can see someone who specializes in addiction medicine — even as overdose deaths reach record highs. That's changing, slowly. [Read more.]( 🧠💥 Did you know...💥🧠 Your posture matters when you’re [taking pills](. Researchers have found that leaning to the right could speed absorption of a pill, while leaning left could slow absorption. It has to do with the shape of the stomach and gravity. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news     Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here.](  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.