US National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said that data from Israel on vaccine effectiveness waning over time helps show the need for booster shots eight months after initial vaccination.

Collins’s comments largely confirmed what was first reported by The New York Times late Monday night, that the Biden administration is poised to recommend booster shots after eight months.

“As you may have seen from the information overnight, the notion is to encourage boosters eight months after initial vaccinations,” Collins said on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”

Looking at data from Israel, “unsurprisingly, vaccine protection does gradually wane over time,” Collins said.

“And so in the Israeli data the people who got immunized in January are the ones that are now having more breakthrough cases,” he added. “Mostly of course these are symptomatic but not serious, but you’re starting to see a little bit of a trend towards some of those requiring hospitalization.”

Collins said officials, who have been meeting “almost daily,” are also reviewing U.S. data.

Biden walks fine line on vaccine mandates

The Biden administration is walking a fine line on vaccine requirements, as it encourages employers to mandate shots for their workers but stops short of promoting other measures.

The White House, in an effort to boost a vaccination rate that has slowed from its April peak, has praised businesses that are mandating vaccinations for employees. Those steps in the private sector largely followed President Biden’s requirement last month that federal workers get vaccinated or submit to regular testing.

But there are several far-reaching measures Biden could impose — and that some experts are calling for. So far, the president has decided against implementing the kind of requirements implemented by U.S. allies.

Among them:

• Requiring vaccines for air travelers, as Canada announced on Friday
• Giving a full-throated call for more cities to follow New York and San Francisco’s lead in requiring proof of vaccination for activities like indoor dining.

“I think he’s leaving a lot of effective tools on the table,” Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University, said of Biden, while giving him “high marks” for his actions on vaccines for federal workers.

Pressure ramps up: Over 100 lawmakers ask FDA about timeline for vaccines for children

A group of more than 100 House lawmakers on Tuesday sent a letter to the FDA asking for an update on its timeline on authorizing COVID-19 vaccines for children, given the current “alarming” situation.

“As transmission rates increase and schools reopen for in-person instruction, parents need to know when their kids will be able to get vaccinated,” states the letter, led by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Katie Porter (D-Calif.).

The lawmakers wrote that they “respect the scientific process and the FDA’s dedication to safety,” but say that the current rise in cases due to the delta variant adds urgency to the situation.

They request a briefing from the FDA within 10 days on its timeline and where it is in the process of reviewing data from vaccines for children under 12.

“The current situation is alarming for parents, whose children ages 2-11 will be in months of school without vaccinations available,” the lawmakers wrote.

What’s happening: Attention has been rising on the lack of vaccines for children under 12 as schools go back into session and the number of cases rise among children, though outcomes are still generally seen as less severe for them.

Read more here.

WHO warns Afghanistan’s collapse could worsen coronavirus crisis

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday that the collapse of Afghanistan’s government could worsen the COVID-19 crisis as people are displaced amid the Taliban’s takeover.

The chaos in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal of troops has sparked fear among diplomats and citizens seeking to flee the country, making coronavirus precautions difficult to maintain, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said during a United Nations briefing.

“Obviously, when we have situations with people on the move, these individual and collective measures are difficult to put in place and thus increases the risk of COVID-19 but other infectious diseases as well,” Jasarevic said.

The pandemonium at Kabul’s international airport is also “delaying urgently needed” health supplies, he said, noting that “disruption to health services can have a dire” effect.

“The ongoing conflict is setting a heavy toll on the already fragile health system in Afghanistan that has been facing a shortage of essential medical supplies and equipment in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jasarevic said.

At the same time, COVID-19 vaccinations have slowed in the country, Jasarevic noted, saying he hopes they pick up again “depending on the security situation.”

Read more here.

Masks are back: National Park Service reinstates mask mandate in buildings, crowded public spaces

The National Park Service on Monday reinstated mask requirements, ordering visitors at national parks around the country to don face coverings when they are inside buildings or in crowded outdoor spaces.

According to the National Park Service, the requirement will apply to all park-goers, regardless of their vaccination status.

“Visitors to national parks are coming from locations across the country, if not across the world,” National Park Service Deputy Director Shawn Benge said in a press release.

“Because of this, and recognizing that the majority of the United States is currently in substantial or high transmission categories, we are implementing a service-wide mask requirement to ensure our staff and visitors’ safety,” Benge added.

“Masking in addition to being vaccinated will help prevent the spread of new variants and protect those who are more at risk of severe disease,” Capt. Maria Said, an epidemiologist in the National Park Service Office of Public Health, said. “This simple act of kindness allows us to be safe while we continue to enjoy the benefits of our national parks.”

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WORLD STATS

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WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) – The United States has no current plans to deploy U.S. military personnel to Haiti after an earthquake that killed at least 1,900 people, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.

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By Jonathan Marcus

Diplomatic analyst and former BBC Defence & Diplomatic Correspondent

President Biden Press Conference

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NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (August 17, 2021) — The Nevis Tourism Authority joins the wider Nevisian community in mourning the passing of the first Minister of Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration, the Hon. Arthur Evelyn, who has died at the age of 93.

The Ministry of Tourism and the NTA offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues on the transition of this committed public servant. He will long be remembered for his dedication to enhancing the quality of life for those he served.

As a member of the Nevis Island Assembly from 1983 to 1992, Mr. Evelyn was appointed as the first Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Housing, Labour, and Tourism, serving until 1987. It was during his tenure that the first land reform programme in Nevis was implemented, giving the people of Nevis an opportunity to own land.

For his contributions to the development of Nevis and his dedication to its people, the Nevis Island Administration in 2010 renamed the Old Treasury building in his honour.

Mr. Evelyn has been an outstanding servant of the people in a number of areas and we are forever grateful for his leadership and immense contribution not only to tourism but also to various sectors of our economy.

His passion for service extended to the business community, where he served as a dentist and registered pharmacist for many years, addressing the healthcare needs of many Nevisians.

He has served the community with distinction as a founding member of the Nevis Turf and Jockey Club, an active contributor to the Mental Health Association, Culturama, The Lions Club, The Blind Light, and Visually Impaired Society, and the St. Paul’s Anglican Church Vestry. He was also a founding member of the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society and the Nevis Cooperative Credit Union.

His life has been an example of extraordinary service and we wish his immediate family and the wider tourism fraternity comfort in the days ahead, as we all reflect on a life well-lived.

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BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, August 17, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — At a colourful Investiture Ceremony held at Government House, Springfield in Basseterre, eight nationals were on Tuesday August 17 invested with the 2020 Medal of Honour (MH) by Governor General His Excellency Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton GCMG, CVO, QC, JP, LL.D.

Delivering remarks after seven of the eight honourees received the Medal of Honour, which is one of the two highest civilian honours the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis bestows on its sons and daughters, Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris informed them that their work, dedication and efforts were being publicly acknowledged and appreciated.

“We present these Medals to honour those who go above and beyond their call of duty,” said Dr Harris, who delivered his remarks under the theme ‘You are deserving of our Honour and Gratitude’. “This Medal of Honour is an acknowledgment that the recipient truly has put country before self.”

He added: “Today’s recipients have more than demonstrated this virtue. They are deserving of the Honour and they are deserving of our gratitude.”

The Prime Minister noted that in the times people are living, it is inspiring that there are people like the awardees who are prepared to put their fellow men, and the cause they believe in, first. Their example, he noted, is that service should be embraced and not avoided.

“The adversity we have all experienced this past year, a year like no other, has been more than countered by the great strength we have witnessed from many in our community, and the inspiration others have received from their service and from the example of our honourees,” pointed out the Honourable Prime Minister. “You, gathered here, are the community leaders who are inspiring all of us.”

Quoting from 2 Corinthians 9: 12-13, the Prime Minister told the honourees that the service they rendered is a lesson of what can be achieved when people are driven by their commitment to serve their people.

On behalf of the Federation he thanked the awardees for their passion, for their focus and their commitment, noting that they are truly helping to build a stronger and safer future for all the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, and that St. Kitts and Nevis as a Nation is stronger because of their collective efforts.

The awardees were Mrs Pearline Theresa Mussenden, for her role in Education; Mr Joseph Emmanuel Benders, pioneering in the field of Arts; Dr A. Linton Liburd, for his contribution in the field of Medicine; Mrs Patricia Mary Nurse-Clarke, for her role in Community Services; Mrs Pamela Elaine Brookes, for outstanding service in Nursing; Mr Charles Delvin McMaster, for outstanding Community Service; Mr Brian Dyer, for National Service in Crisis; and Dr Judy Nisbett, for National Service in Crisis.

Nevis-based Dr A. Linton Liburd was not present at the Investiture Ceremony and it was announced that he will be invested with the Medal of Honour by Deputy Governor General for Nevis Her Honour Hyleta Liburd at a later date in Charlestown, Nevis.

“Today we acknowledge, not just their service but the humility that each one brings to their area of service,” said Prime Minister Harris after he called out the names of the awardees and the areas of their service.

He told them: “Your service was not driven by a desire for attention. You did not seek reward or self-promotion. Your work was quiet and understated, driven by the motto that ‘a good deed is its own reward’.”

At the ceremony, which was co-chaired by Inspector Alphonso Hendrickson and Mrs Charisse Gumbs, Mrs Telca Wallace who is the Disaster Coordinator of the St. Kitts-Nevis Red Cross Society received the 161^st Commonwealth Point of Light Award for St. Kitts and Nevis which had been conferred to her by Queen Elizabeth II.

Mrs Wallace is currently in Guyana on an International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) assignment and was represented by her daughter, Ms Shai Wallace, who received the award from Governor General His Excellency Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton.

Present at the Investiture Ceremony were the Deputy Governor General for Nevis Her Honour Hyleta and Mr Elmo Liburd, and Governor General’s Deputy His Excellency Michael and Mrs Morton.

Also present were Speaker of the National Assembly the Hon Michael Perkins, Deputy Speaker Senator the Hon Dr Bernicia Nisbett, Cabinet Ministers – the Hon Eugene Hamilton, the Hon Jonel Powell, the Hon Alexis Jeffers, and the Hon Vincent Byron Jr. and Cabinet Secretary Mrs Josephine Huggins.

Others present included Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan, His Excellency Michael Lin, Commander of the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force Lt. Col J. Anthony Comrie, and Commissioner of Police Mr Hilroy Brandy.

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TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras—A mysterious, highly contagious and lethal disease is spreading across the coral reefs of the Caribbean Sea, alarming scientists and leaving a trail of skeletons in its path.

 

Its advance from Florida to the far reaches of the Caribbean could wipe out the majority of the hard coral across the sea, decimating reefs and the marine life they support for generations to come. The environmental damage would also disrupt the lives of millions of people in coastal communities who depend on the reefs for food or jobs.

“It’s basically like a coral Covid,” said Gabriela Ochoa, program manager at the Roatan Marine Park on the Bay Islands of Honduras, describing the disease’s rapid transmission. Affecting more than 20 species of hard coral, the harm that stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) threatens to slow-growing coral reefs and their fragile ecosystems is irreparable.

“The only difference is the mortality rate of COVID doesn’t even compare to what we’re seeing in the reefs,” added Ochoa. In some coral species, the mortality rate reaches as high as 100 percent.

The first sign that a coral is infected is the appearance of a small lesion where the tissue, or the skin, is absent, revealing the bone. Patric Lengacher/Roatan Marine Park

While other more well-known factors such as pollution and climate change have caused the loss of an estimated 60 percent of coral coverage in the Caribbean over the past three decades, the new disease is killing it at a much faster rate.

Once a colony is infected, death can come very quickly. “You can lose colonies that were growing for hundreds of years in just weeks or months,” said Melina Soto, Mexico Coordinator for the Healthy Reefs Initiative.

SCTLD was first discovered in 2014 off the coast of Florida, where it has since infected roughly half of the state’s reefs. The cause is unknown but humans are a likely culprit.

Theories divide along two main tracks. The first is that factors such as climate change and rising sea temperatures along with contaminants like untreated sewage and even sunscreen have reduced the reefs’ resiliency, making coral susceptible to existing bacteria. The second centers around the idea that a new pathogen emerged as a result of human activity.

In the end, the answer could be all of the above. “Like COVID, when you have other health problems, then you’re at higher risk when you get COVID,” said Ochoa.

Over the past seven years, the disease has spread across the Caribbean Sea, often traveling against currents, which suggests that the pathogen may be reaching new areas by clinging to boats. “One of the points that almost always repeats itself is that the first cases are found near ports,” said Soto.

In 2018, SCTLD was discovered in Mexico off the coast of Puerto Morelos, situated between the tourist hotspots of Cancun and Playa del Carmen near the northern tip of the Mesoamerican Reef — the world’s second largest. The disease has since spread hundreds of miles along the reef’s hard coral colonies all the way to its southernmost point around the Bay Islands in Honduras, where it was first detected in September 2020.

Brain corals have been the most affected, according to the Healthy Reefs Initiative, and the disease has put one rare species, pillar coral, at the brink of extinction. The first sign that a coral is infected is the appearance of a small lesion where the tissue, or the skin, is absent, revealing the bone. As the disease progresses, the coral is stripped of all tissue, leaving nothing but a dead skeleton.

Once an infection is present, the disease can spread across a reef system from coral to coral, or by fish or scuba divers hopping from an infected site to a healthy site.

Mitigating the effect is a costly, nearly insurmountable task. An antibacterial cream that is applied to the lesions has shown some success in stopping an infection, but it doesn’t provide any immunity to subsequent infections and the application is extremely labor intensive and expensive.

Instead, organizations are building coral nurseries in water tanks on land to conserve genetic diversity and breed new species with the hope of restoring reefs in the future. But with growth rates of just a couple centimeters per year, full restoration could take hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Soft corals, such as the elegant fan corals that sway with the current, are not affected by SCTLD. But the loss of hard corals is about more than just their genetic diversity

Hard corals are “reef builders” that are essential to a reef’s formation. As the hard corals die off, they erode and compact, reducing the protection against coastal erosion, flooding and hurricane storm surges provided by the reefs. Declining coral cover is also a loss of habitat for marine wildlife, including some 1,500 species of fish.

The damage to the Mesoamerican Reef and others across the region will have an impact that extends beyond the sea. “If we don’t have corals, then we don’t have everything else associated with them,” said Ochoa. Reef-related tourism alone generates about $8 billion for Caribbean economies each year.

Although there have been massive coral die-offs in the past, as well as other diseases that have affected reefs, the devastation caused by SCTLD is unprecedented. “We’ve never seen 23 different species of corals getting sick at the same time,” said Ochoa.

In many places, coral coverage has been reduced to half of what it was before the disease arrived and algae is taking over. What once was a flourish of bright colors is now dull and green.

The spread of such a contagious and lethal disease foreshadows a similar fate for reefs across the Caribbean Sea. “Reefs as we knew them will no longer be” in existence, said Ochoa.

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