FDA to discuss boosters for Moderna and J&J, bow and arrow shooting in Norway: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Is there enough data to prove the need and safety of booster shots for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines to the FDA? Plus, at least five people are dead after a suspect allegedly shot at people with a bow and arrow, leaders begin prepping for next month's Glasgow climate talks, more than 4 million Americans quit their jobs in August and there's one game left in the MLB division series.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Thursday, the 14th of October, 2021. Today, what's the latest on booster shots from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Plus news from Norway where a suspect killed people with a bow and arrow and more.
Taylor Wilson:
Here are some of the top headlines.
At least 46 people are dead after a fire engulfed a building in Taiwan earlier today. The cause of the fire is still unclear.
Americans drank and smoked more and exercised less during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels. That's according to a study led by UCLA researchers finding that alcohol consumption increased by 23% and exercise decreased by almost a third.
And Ray Fosse has died. The former All-Star Catcher and Oakland A's broadcaster had been battling cancer for 16 years. He was 74.
Taylor Wilson:
A federal advisory committee will meet today and tomorrow to discuss the safety and need of a booster shot for people who received a Moderna or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. And the panel will hear data on people who got booster shots from a different manufacturer than their original vaccine. Though the panel will not vote yet on mixing vaccines. The CDC last month endorsed boosters for people who got the Pfizer vaccine after data showed protection from those vaccinations may begin to wear down after about six months. In a follow-up study of participants from a research trial, Moderna found that a third shot with half the dose of the previous two gave a major immune boost. And antibody levels among Moderna vaccinated participants had waned around six months after the second shot, just like Pfizer. As for J&J, the dosage was initially given as a single shot and the vaccine may need a second dose to give better long-term protection according to data from the company.
Taylor Wilson:
Initial trial data showed that the single shot protected against more than 70% of infections in the US and nearly 100% of deaths. And in a study out last month, the company found that a second dose given two months after the first gave 94% protection against moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms while a booster six months after the single shot gives even more protection. But FDA data posted yesterday showed that only 17 people were tracked after getting a second shot at six months, while 8,000 people were studied after two months. It's not clear if that data is sufficient for the panel to approve a second shot of J&J. About 15 million Americans received the Johnson & Johnson shot compared with 153 million for Moderna and 230 million for Pfizer. Well, boosters are one issue, there are still about 67 million unvaccinated American adults and President Joe Biden and others continue to support vaccine mandates at work to try and get those numbers down. Biden says there's historical precedent to require vaccines.
President Joe Biden:
Vaccination requirements work and there's nothing new about them. They've been around for decades. We've been living with these requirements throughout our lives. Students, healthcare professionals, our troops have been required to seek vaccination from everything, from polio, to measles, to mumps, to rubella.
Taylor Wilson:
Boeing became the latest US company to say this week that its employees must get the shot, but some states are pushing back. In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order this week banning businesses from enforcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, though it's not clear if or how companies will follow the order.
Taylor Wilson:
Five people were killed yesterday in a gruesome bow and arrow attack in Kongsberg Norway, about an hour from the country's capital of Oslo. A 37-year-old Danish man is in custody and police say he's a Muslim convert who was previously flagged for being radicalized. The man shot at people in a number of locations in Kongsberg, including a grocery store and police in the town said there were complicated reasons for the motive. They did not elaborate about what exactly they meant by being radicalized. The victims were four women and one man aged 50 to 70. Officers were not able to catch the suspect until 35 minutes after the attack began and officials also now believe that he did not start killing people until police arrived on the scene. Kongsberg police chief Øyvind Aas said there are not currently any active searches for other suspects.
Taylor Wilson:
Acting Norwegian prime minister, Erna Solberg described the attack as gruesome and said it was too early to speculate on a motive. Mass killings in the country are extremely rare, but another high profile one made news in 2011 when a right-wing extremist set off a bomb killing eight people in Oslo before heading to an island where he killed another 69 people.
Taylor Wilson:
Major climate talks are set to take place in Glasgow at the beginning of November. They come amid more and more reports that the planet is in a climate crisis. That includes one last month from the World Bank that hundreds of millions of people may need to move by 2050 because of the effects of climate change. And one in August from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research that said the ocean's currents may be heading for disaster. The United States Climate Envoy John Kerry is one of the faces for next month's talks. He has said that the talks might represent one of the last major opportunities for world leaders to come together to find ways to dramatically cut emissions, invest in renewable energy, and provide aid to developing countries to help them switch from coal and petroleum to other energy sources. The international goal remains to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but Kerry told the AP this week that the talks might only make it more clear which countries are and are not doing their part on climate work.
John Kerry:
It would be wonderful if everybody came and everybody hit the 1.5 degrees mark. That would be terrific. But some countries just don't have the energy mix yet that allows them to do that. But I'm betting on the fact that a lot of nations are going to step up who have said they're going to step up. I think we're going to have the largest raising of ambition that we've ever seen. I don't know the full measure of it yet. There are countries that we're working with still. I'm going to Mexico in a few days. I'm going to Saudi Arabia. They're going to step up and make an announcement. Russia is going to make an announcement. So we have a lot of things to still come across the transom, and that will decide where we are overall and which countries have neglected to do what is responsible.
Taylor Wilson:
Kerry is also pushing for Congress to pass major climate provisions as part of President Joe Biden's human infrastructure legislation. Additionally, at the National Congress of American Indians this week, indigenous leaders are pushing for major climate action, saying their communities and tribes are suffering. National Congress of American Indians president, Fawn Sharp.
Fawn Sharp:
Water has encroached upon our main village. The place where our ancestors signed our treaties is now under water. And so we are having to relocate two of these villages, our ancestral villages to higher ground. So it's just been devastating for our community. I've had to declare multiple states of emergency. Climate change is real. We're confronting it. I will be traveling to Glasgow, Scotland to participate in the UN climate negotiations. We have a request with the US Special Envoy, John Kerry to serve in the US delegation. And so our mission is to have a seat at the table.
Taylor Wilson:
For more climate news, stay with usatoday.com.
Taylor Wilson:
A record breaking 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs in August. That's according to data from the US bureau of Labor Statistics out this week. The nationwide quit rate extended to 2.9% of the workforce, the highest percentage ever reported by the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Series. The 4.3 million is compared to about 3 million in August of 2020. Experts say people leaving their jobs are demanding higher pay, better employment conditions, and critical support in their daily lives. Robert Reich, a UC Berkeley Professor of Public Policy and the former US Secretary of Labor said that there's not a labor shortage, but instead a quote, "childcare shortage, a living wage shortage, a hazard pay shortage, a paid sick leave shortage, and a healthcare shortage. Until these shortages are remedied, Americans won't return to work anytime soon."
Taylor Wilson:
Job openings dropped by more than half a million from July to August to 10.4 million. But that's still a high number, especially compared with last year. In August of 2020, there were about 6.5 million job openings. The pandemic has also created a new want in the workforce, remote work. More than 50% of survey job seekers on ZipRecruiter are looking to work from home. The company's chief economist says typically only about 10% of jobs offer that opportunity and that only 37% of US jobs could be done from home.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, there's only one game left in Major League Baseball's Divisional Series round. The NLDS between arch rivals, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers will go to a critical deciding game five tonight in San Francisco. The two teams know each other all too well. They've been playing each other for 131 years and have met 23 times this year, including this series. Plus each team won 109 games so far this season, including the playoffs. On the mound, the Dodgers send the leagues only 20 game winner this year, Julio Urías to face the Giants Logan Webb. You can tune in on TBS just after 9:00 PM Eastern, 6:00 Pacific. The winner will take on the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series beginning Saturday. In the American League, the Houston Astros will take on the Boston Red Sox.
Taylor Wilson:
Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us wherever you're listening right now, including Apple Podcasts, where we ask for a five star rating and review if you have the chance. Thanks as always to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for the great work on the show. And I'll be back tomorrow with more from 5 Things on the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suspect in bow and arrow shooting identified, MLB playoffs: 5 Things podcast
