Three things for September 6
1. Local schools struggle to contain COVID-19
On Wednesday, Sept. 1, Cleveland City Schools reported 102 active cases of COVID-19 while the Bradley County School District reported 230 active cases on Friday, Sept. 3.
There have been 482 cases of COVID-19 among school-aged residents in Bradley County over the last 14 days.
Bradley County Schools continue to encourage masks.
Effective Sept. 7, Cleveland City Schools will require all students and employees to wear masks while indoors.
This decision comes after the Cleveland City Board of Education unanimously voted to enact the mandate in hopes of preventing a return to virtual learning.
On Wednesday, 635 students were absent in Cleveland City Schools.
2. Taliban seizes Panjshir
On Monday, the Taliban reported that they seized Panjshir, the last anti-Taliban holdout.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban, said, “we tried our best to solve the problem through negotiations, and they rejected talks, and then we had to send our forces to fight.”
Thousands of Taliban fighters overran eight districts of Panjshir overnight according to witnesses from the area.
Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the Resistance Front, reported that the resistance forces are still present in Panjshir, in an audio recording on his Facebook page.
3. Pfizer booster shot on schedule for distribution
The Pfizer booster shot is on schedule to begin distribution the week of Sept. 20.
Moderna’s booster will likely be delayed, pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
“Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told CBS. “We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it, so we could do it simultaneously.”
“But if not, we’ll do it sequentially,” said Fauci. “So the bottom line is, very likely, at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be.”
The U.S. currently recommends a booster shot eight months after finishing a round of Pfizer or Moderna vaccinations.
The COVID-19 booster shots for Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations are identical to the first two shots in the vaccine round.
A booster shot is recommended by the vaccine companies and health officials to ensure a patient has the initial level of protection from COVID-19 variants eight months after their initial vaccine round.
The eight-month booster is not equivalent to the third shot recommended for moderate to severely immunocompromised patients. Every patient should receive the eight-month booster per Centers for Disease and Control recommendation.
Janssen Pharmaceuticals is also poised to recommend an eight-month booster for their single-dose Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccine companies are testing other vaccine formulas to offer better protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants that may be vaccine-resistant against the current vaccine formulas.
