The Med & Mic™ 01.06.22
Medical and Health News Updates
From Dr. Maria ON Speaking, LLC
A DOCTOR COACHING DOCTORS SPEAKING
Adolescent Boosters
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 13-1 to recommend a booster dose for children 12 to 17 with the Pfizer vaccine under the FDA’s emergency use authorization. Children may get the booster five months after their second shot. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on the recommendation. At previous meetings, advisors brought up the risk of heart inflammation after the vaccine, but the swell of cases from the Omicron variant swayed the committee. Citing 18-hour waits for sick children in emergency departments, Dr. Katherine Poehling says in a STAT News report, “I think this is a tool we need to use.”
Up to Date on Immunization
Rather than change the definition of “fully vaccinated,” the CDC is urging people to stay “up to date” on their vaccines by getting booster doses when eligible. Two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine constitutes full vaccination. More from the AP.
Quitters Live Longer
After a lung cancer diagnosis, people who quit smoking lived 30% longer than those who did not stop. This is based on a study of analyzing 21 other studies involving 10,000 participants with lung cancer. Dr. Andrea McKee from the American Lung Association says in a report from HealthDay, “Data such as this will hopefully incentivize policy makers and insurance companies to better reimburse for tobacco cessation services.” The study appears in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
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