Boosters are coming

The Biden administration is recommending booster shots for most Americans. The Biden administration is recommending booster shots for most Americans; Haitians are struggling to access relief after an earthquake. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. TOP NEWS A mass booster campaign [A vial of a vaccine]( Leon Neal/Getty Images - Federal health officials in the Biden administration have announced that they are recommending Pfizer and Moderna recipients receive a booster shot eight months after their second shots. [[The Verge / Nicole Wetsman](] - The administration said it will begin offering booster shots on September 20 to people who were in the first priority group to receive vaccines at the beginning of the year — health care workers, nursing home residents, and older adults. [[NYT / Sharon LaFraniere and Apoorva Mandavilli](] - Authorities said the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines appears to wane by the eight-month mark, and that a booster would provide renewed protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death, particularly for higher-risk people. [[WSJ / Stephanie Armour and Jared S. Hopkins](] - Before the September rollout, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will need to approve the booster shots. [[NBC News / Erika Edwards](] - Thus far, there is no guidance for the 14 million recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Experts say they are awaiting further data on the J&J vaccine, which was rolled out later. In San Francisco, officials are offering first doses of mRNA vaccines as a booster to J&J recipients. [[CNN / Jen Christensen](] - The recommendation is based on CDC findings that mirror data on Pfizer vaccines in Israel that found the vaccine’s efficacy fades over time, and a Mayo Clinic study that found that while the Pfizer vaccine continued to provide strong protection against hospitalization, its effectiveness against mild infections weakened over time. [[Politico / Adam Cancryn, Erin Banco, and Sarah Owermohle](] - White House officials said that, like the initial vaccines, the boosters will be free, and supply will not be a challenge. [[Orlando Sentinel / Ryan Gillespie](] - Ethically, booster shots have become a thorny issue. World Health Organization personnel have called for postponing boosters until countries that have not begun initial campaigns can catch up, likening the situation to giving extra life jackets to people who already have them when many still do not. [[Washington Post / Brittany Shammas](]  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Haiti’s hospitals are overwhelmed - Between the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti over the weekend and the landfall of Tropical Storm Grace this week, UNICEF is estimating that 1.2 million Haitians have been affected by the disasters. [[NPR / Vanessa Romo and Jaclyn Diaz](] - With nearly 10,000 people estimated to be injured, Haiti’s hospitals are overwhelmed. At a hospital in Jeremie, one of the harder-hit cities, every bed is full and 84 people are waiting for treatment in a facility that's accustomed to treating 10 people per day. [[CNN / Matt Rivers, Etant Dupain, and Jack Guy](] - In more remote areas of the Haitian countryside, people in need of care and assistance are being limited by poor roads, with many unable to access a medical facility. [[AP / Mark Stevenson and Evens Sanon](] - With a caretaker government in place after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haitians have little faith that their government will be able to help. [[NYT / Anatoly Kurmanaev and Andre Paultre](] - On top of political crises and natural disasters, the earthquake has led to Haiti’s coronavirus vaccination campaign stalling. Only an estimated 21,000 people have received a vaccine dose. [[Reuters / Aislinn Laing](] MISCELLANEOUS Pentagon officials say 2,000 people were evacuated from Afghanistan over the course of the day, an increase from prior days but still far short of the Biden administration’s goal of 5,000 to 9,000 people daily. [[Washington Post / Karoun Demirjian](] - Texas’s Paris Independent School District believes it has found a loophole to Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) ban on mask mandates by adding a mask requirement to its dress code. [[Fort Worth Star-Telegram / Stefan Stevenson](] - Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) introduced a new voting rights bill in the House, though its passage in the Senate would require Democratic holdouts to support filibuster reform. [[Vox / Ian Millhiser](] - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the presidential palace over the weekend, is confirmed to be in the United Arab Emirates. [[Politico / Nick Niedzwiadek](] Support our journalism Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work from as little as $3. [Contribute $3]( VERBATIM “The fundamental, ethical reality is we’re handing out second life jackets while leaving millions and millions of people without anything to protect them.” [[WHO director of emergency health Dr. Mike Ryan, on the US plan to offer Covid-19 booster shots](] WATCH THIS [Is therapy for everyone?]( Is therapy for everyone? Fabiola Cineas explores why so many of us don’t prioritize our mental health and how we might start to break the stigma around seeking care. 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