Coronavirus vaccine and Delta variant updates for 10-19-2021

<p>This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for October 19th, 2021.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>84-year-old Colin Powell, the retired four-star general who became the country's first Black secretary of state and chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, died from complications of Covid-19. He was fully vaccinated. Powell had a cancer of a type of white blood cell.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>France's High Authority for Health decided to no longer allow the Moderna vaccine to be injected as a booster dose against Covid-19. Now only Pfizer is used for boosters in those that are eligible. Sweden and Finland had already suspended use of Moderna for those under 30 due to potential heart risks. And Denmark and Norway formally advised against it for people under 18. Iceland suspended it as a booster dose altogether.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Japan is suddenly a big coronavirus success story. And if you ask them what they did, they’ll tell you “we have no idea.” Daily cases have plummeted, bars are packed, trains are crowded, and Japan never came anywhere near a lockdown. Some speculate it’s because of a late but fast vaccination campaign, bad weather in August that kept people home, or widespread masking, which was already embraced in that country even pre-pandemic.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Thousands of California parents were expected to keep their kids home from school to protest a vaccine mandate. Some teachers were also planning on not showing up to classrooms. Nearly 40% of state employees remain unvaccinated.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The question is, if we’re going to get booster shots, why weren’t the vaccine formulas revised to more closely target the Delta variant that’s been the biggest problem? The answer: The FDA okayed Pfizer boosters of the original recipe last month because studies showed it works good enough against Delta and the doses could roll out immediately without manufacturing problems.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In the United States cases were down 22%, deaths are down 19%, and hospitalizations are down 18% over 14 days