Two Bivalent Boosters Approved; 120 New Cases and 1 Death Since Aug. 31
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Two Bivalent Boosters Approved
The CDC’s independent advisory committee, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted late last week to recommend the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent boosters. This follows FDA’s emergency use authorization (EUA) of these two bivalent boosters on Aug. 31, 2022.
The bivalent vaccines contain two messenger RNA (mRNA) components of the COVID-19 virus, one of the original strain and the other one in common between the BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of the omicron variant.
Individuals ages 12 years and older are recommended to receive an age-appropriate bivalent mRNA booster dose at least two months after receipt of a primary series or prior booster dose.
For children five through 11 years, the previous recommendation remains unchanged and a monovalent booster continues to be recommended.
Local Distribution of Bivalent Boosters
Although the national supply of the Bivalent vaccines is robust, the initial roll out and delivery of the vaccines will be limited. Most local health care providers will begin offering these boosters this week and prefer or require appointments until supplies increase. For additional information, please contact your health care provider or pharmacy of choice for these initial distributions. Contact them directly for additional details. There are NO priority groups for these boosters.
120 New Cases and 1 Death Since Aug. 31
NEW POSITIVES
https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus/COVID-19-Reporting
- 120* new positive cases reported since Aug. 31.
- Total positive cases/individuals reported to date = 28,949
* Due to the wide availability of at-home rapid tests, the results of which are usually not reported/recorded, it is widely believed that new COVID cases are underreported. The number reported in this update is the number of new cases reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health.
MEDIUM COVID-19 COMMUNITY LEVEL
Dubuque County COVID-19 Community Level = MEDIUM
CDC Guidance for MEDIUM Community Level:
If you are immunocompromised or high risk for severe disease:
- Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions (e.g., testing)
- Have a plan for rapid testing if needed (e.g., having home tests or access to testing)
- Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you are a candidate for treatments like oral antivirals, PrEP, and monoclonal antibodies
If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for severe disease
- consider self-testing to detect infection before contact
- consider wearing a mask when indoors with them
Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters
Maintain improved ventilation throughout indoor spaces when possible
Follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19
* At all levels, people can wear a mask based on personal preference, informed by personal level of risk. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
- 6 County Hospitalizations: Today, MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center has 3 inpatients with COVID-19 and UnityPoint Health – Finley Hospital has 3 inpatients hospitalized with COVID for a total of 6 persons hospitalized with COVID in Dubuque County.
COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION LEVEL
Dubuque County COVID-19 Community Transmission Level = HIGH
The CDC's Community Transmission Level is based on the number of new cases per 100,000 population and is used by local healthcare facilities to determine internal protocol and procedures.
DEATHS
- 1 new death reported since Aug. 31.
- Total deaths related to COVID to date = 305
VACCINATIONS
- 65.5% of all county residents are fully vaccinated
- 57.8% of all county residents fully vaccinated have received a booster
Get current information on Dubuque County vaccination opportunities.
Get information on local COVID-19 testing options.
Please do not reply to this message. If you have general questions about COVID-19, please call 563-556-6200.
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