• In today’s Recommendations for Industry, we discuss the question: Is it Safe to Get the COVID-19 & Flu Vaccines at the Same Time? Read more below.
• The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has exceeded 700,000 people.
• According to Kaiser Health News and data from the University of Iowa’s Rural Policy Research Institute, rural Americans are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 infections than those living in urban areas.
• In U.S. trials, AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine shows 74% efficacy in preventing symptomatic disease. At the same time, AstraZeneca is seeking EUA for an antibody therapy drug, AZD7442, that is said to protect people who do not have strong immune responses to the COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, this therapy could be used to add further protection.
• Merck’s most recent experimental pill reduced COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths by half. According to the NYT, “Merck said it would seek emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its drug, known as molnupiravir, as soon as possible.” CIDRAP further found that, some countries in Asia—including Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia—are in talks with Merck to purchase courses of this experimental drug.
• The FDA is set to hold advisory committee meetings to discuss EUAs for Booster shots and COVID-19 vaccinations for younger children soon. On October 14 and 15, FDA will discuss booster doses for Moderna and J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine. On October 14, the discussion will include amending the Moderna COVID-19 EUA to include a booster for those 18 years and over. On October 15, they’ll discuss the EUA for a booster for J&J and the heterologous use (mixed use) of booster doses following primary series of the three current approved COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA also is scheduling an advisory committee meeting on October 26 to begin discussing Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination use in children 5-11 years old. 
• A new model finds that natural COVID-19 immunity wanes quickly and that reinfection is likely. So even if one were to have become naturally sickened with COVID-19, it is still important to receive the vaccine.
• If you’ve noticed that food service industry growth has been slow or softened, you’re not wrong. In fact, fears associated with the COVID-19 Delta variant are part of that reason.
• European regulators are weighing in on COVID-19 boosters, highlighting that it is important to “distinguish between the extra dose for people with weakened immune systems and boosters for people without compromised immune systems.” However, the booster should be given at least 28 days after the second dose of other shots.

FLU

• According to the WHO, influenza A and B are still being detected in similar proportions; however, activity continues to remain low.
• In the U.S., flu activity continues to remain lower than usual for this time of year.

Public Health/Food Safety:

• The CDC has published, “Novel Outbreak-Associated Food Vehicles” to discuss emerging evolving pathogens relevant to changing consumption trends. The CDC examined over 14,000 reported outbreaks for info on implicated foods between 2007 – 2016. The CDC identified 28 novel food vehicles; one third of which were imported. Read TAG’s Insights article, Novel Food Outbreaks – Cause for Concern and New Discovery, for more on this topic.
• Recent research has found that there is definitive correlation between Google Trends search terms with salmonellosis. In fact, the positive correlation can be a predictor of a Salmonella

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Is it Safe to Get the COVID-19 & Flu Vaccines at the Same Time?

With flu season upon us and vaccines becoming available, TAG has been receiving a number of questions on whether people can or should get COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same time. Following is CDC’s response to these questions:

Q. Can I get a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu vaccine during the same visit?

A. Yes, you can get a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu vaccine at the same time. Even though both vaccines can be given at the same visit, people should follow the recommended schedule for either vaccine: If you haven’t gotten your currently recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccine, get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can, and ideally get a flu vaccine by the end of October.

Q. Is it safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu vaccine at the same time?

A. While limited data exist on giving COVID-19 vaccines with other vaccines, including flu vaccines, experience with giving other vaccines together has shown the way our bodies develop protection and possible side effects are generally similar whether vaccines are given alone or with other vaccines.

If you have concerns about getting both vaccines at the same time, you should speak with a health care provider.

Visit the CDC Seasonal Flu and COVID-19 FAQs for more information.

• In Thursday’s Recommendations for Industry, we discussed COVID-19 tests and the updated Risk Matrix (things are getting better). Read more here.
• Since the White House announced that all federal employees need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 22, 2021, the USDA is now required to collect proof of vaccination from each employee through a survey (to be completed by November 9, 2021 by employees).
• While the outbreak has improved in the U.S. and many parts of the world, Alaska is struggling to handle an ever-worsening outbreak. As you’ll see in the Risk Matrix, Alaska continues to see increasing case rates and Test Positive Rates.
• As the COVID-19 virus has mutated, certain COVID-19 tests have become less effective and/or have increased potential of providing an incorrect result. While we discussed that in our Recommendations for Industry, here is the FDA’s notice. To see a full list of Individual EUAs for Molecular Diagnostic Tests for SARS-CoV-2, click here.
• Two new studies, reported in CIDRAP, one from China and another from the UK have found that long COVID-19 is tied to severe initial illness. Additionally, when compared with patients who had recovered from flu, COVID-19 survivors more often reported long-lasting symptoms. The UK study found that “Males reported significantly more breathing and cognitive symptoms than females, who were more likely to report headaches, abdominal issues, and anxiety or depression. Older survivors reported more breathing problems, cognitive symptoms, pain, and fatigue than younger patients, who were more likely to report headaches, abdominal difficulties, and anxiety or depression.”
• The CDC is highly encouraging pregnant people to become COVID-19 vaccinated to prevent serious illness, death, and other adverse outcomes due to COVID-19. Read the health advisory here and spread the news.
• A new study in PLOS further highlights what we’ve discussed for a while; seven COVID-19 symptoms are more predictive of COVID-19 illness, including: loss or change of smell, loss or change of taste, fever, new persistent cough, chills, appetite loss, and muscle aches.
• While Singapore has seemingly high case rates of COVID-19, ultimately, the country – with a full vaccination rate of 82% of the population over 12 years of age – has focused more on reducing the “severity of infections and hospitalizations” rather than the number of daily cases. In fact, unlike in the U.S., with such a highly vaccinated population and despite the high daily cases, “hospitals have not become overwhelmed, with 98% of new cases either asymptomatic or with mild symptoms.” Like other countries, Singapore also feels that “reducing cases to zero was not a possible long-term solution.”
• YouTube is banning anti-vaccine misinformation and associated accounts.
• Pfizer has submitted its initial data on COVID-19 vaccines for children (5 – 11 years old) to the FDA, with authorization anticipated by late October or early November.
• A recent survey has found that the Delta variant drove 39% of unvaccinated adults to get vaccinated this summer. Other factors contributing to increased vaccinations include the overflow of hospitals and knowing someone who has become seriously ill or died from COVID-19.
• The CDC is reporting that Americans who received a third COVID-19 vaccine dose are reporting similar side effects at relatively the same rates as after second COVID-19 doses.
• COVID-19 test manufacturers are warning of potential COVID-19 rapid test shortages with the new positioning for mass-scale rapid COVID-19 testing.