This just in from the NY Times tonight. After weeks of internal strife at the Food and Drug Administration, the agency on Wednesday authorized people over 65 who had received Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine to get a booster shot at least six months after their second injection. The F.D.A. also authorized booster shots for adult Pfizer-BioNTech recipients who are at high risk of becoming severely ill with Covid-19 or are at risk of serious complications from the disease due to frequent exposure to the coronavirus at their jobs. The F.D.A.’s decision will be followed as soon as Thursday by a recommendation from the C.D.C., which issues guidance on vaccine policy for clinicians and public health officials throughout the United States. Even if the C.D.C. takes a different stance, health care providers are now authorized to offer third shots to Pfizer-BioNTech recipients who meet the F.D.A.’s eligibility criteria. Finally, some clarity for those of us who are over 65.
On Wednesday, the State of Michigan added 6,079 confirmed cases and 81 deaths to the pandemic’s grim tolls over a two-day period, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. The tally now stands at 1,001,989 cases since Michigan confirmed its first two cases on March 10, 2020. A total of 20,781 people have died in the state.
Then there is this quote which appeared in today’s Detroit News. “The single most important thing about the pandemic is that it’s continuing at all — we have all the tools we need to control it. If we had people accepting, not fighting, vaccination; if we had people accepting, not fighting, masking rules; if we had people employing the simplest public health measures, the tools that we have available, we would not have this unnecessary prolongation of this epidemic.” said Dr. Nigel Paneth, an emeritus distinguished professor of epidemiology and pediatrics and biostatics at Michigan State University.
Here is another measure of Miguel Cabrera’s hitting greatness. When he achieves 3,000 hits early in the 2022 season, he will be the first person in MLB history who has won the triple crown, has 500 homeruns, has 1,800 RBI, and has 3,000 hits. Enjoy every milestone he reaches. There has never been a hitter like him. Although Ted Williams won two triple crowns, he did not have 3,000 hits as a result of his losing four years while he served in WW II and the Korean War.
The saga continued today with my unnamed golf friend from Plymouth, Michigan. When I picked him up this morning, I was informed that we needed to return to the Bay Harbor Golf Club because he left his golf hat in the grill following our round yesterday. He also told me that he had left his motel room key in his golf bag the night before which happened to be in the trunk of my car. Thus, he had to get an extra key from the hotel owner in order to get into his room last night. He figured it was less embarrassing telling the hotel owner what happened than to call me and have me return his key to him. As I remind him all the time, “It is only going to get worse.”
Stay safe. Wash your hands regularly. Schedule your vaccine and booster. Wear your mask. Social distance.
Orchid of the Day: FDA for finally approving the Pfizer Covid-19 booster vaccination.
Onion of the Day: Dr. Frank Patino, 66, an alligator-wrestling surgeon from Woodhaven was convicted following a jury trial and after being accused of masterminding a more than $100 million health care fraud scheme — one of the largest in U.S. history. Patino prescribed excessive amounts of opioids to patients at his Livonia clinic, subjected clients to unnecessary and painful spinal injections that yielded lucrative payments for his medical practice. Prosecutors also accused him of laundering money through a vanity diet program and spending money sponsoring mixed martial arts fighters.
Quote of the Day: “If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.” Muhammed Ali