Walensky says CDC is “turning” language on vaccine definitions.

Axios: Walensky: CDC Language “Pivoting” to “Fully Vaccinated”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isn’t changing the definition of “fully vaccinated,” but is “shifting the language” to bring people “up to date” about their vaccinations, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday. Walensky’s comments come after health officials and Walensky himself debated whether or not to change the definition of “fully vaccinated” with the advent of the Omicron variant. (Doherty, 21.1.)

Axios: The changing definition of fully vaccinated

The definition of what it means to be “fully vaccinated” is evolving, although the CDC is careful not to officially change it. CDC officials have a job of convincing Americans who have already had two doses of the importance of booster shots, balanced with a task of convincing many Americans who still need their first doses to even get their shots brought. “We’re really working on changing the language to make sure everyone is as up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines as they could be personally and should be based on when they last got their vaccine,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said during a news conference. (Reed, 1/24)

Politico: ‘The CDC alone can’t fix this’: Walensky calls for an overhaul of the US public health system

The US needs to rethink its approach to fighting Covid-19 by rebuilding the country’s public health system, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview with POLITICO. It’s been a year since Walensky took over as the public health agency, and the country has gone through a rollout of vaccines, seen variants emerge and experienced three massive surges. For Walensky, the pandemic shows no signs of going away. An average of 740,000 infections were reported daily this week. As of Thursday, the day she spoke to POLITICO, more than 2,400 people were reported to have died from Covid-19. (Bank, 21.1.)

Some locations require the booster to be considered fully vaccinated –

CNET: Why does “fully vaccinated” for COVID-19 mean no booster shot?

Despite the CDC’s reluctance to change the definition, many organizations and governments that use the term “fully vaccinated” are adding booster requirements to their COVID-19 rules. Read on to learn which colleges, companies, and countries need boosters now. (Colby and Butler, 1/23)

Maui Now: Refresher on Maui required to be considered fully vaccinated

A COVID-19 booster shot is required for eligible individuals next Monday to be considered fully vaccinated in Maui County. Proof of a booster vaccination is required to certify that guests are “up to date” with their vaccinations if dining indoors at a restaurant or bar, or exercising at a gym. (Oscher, 21.1.)

Travel + Leisure: Spain requires a booster vaccination for travelers next month – what you should know

Travelers going to Spain will be required to show proof of a COVID-19 booster dose from next month, which is the latest country to rely on the extra dose. Beginning February 1, most international travelers, including those from the United States, will be required to provide proof that they have received a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine no later than 270 days (about 9 months) after the last dose of their first Vaccine series, according to the Spanish tourism website. (fox, 1/21)

In other news from the Biden administration –

KHN: How much of Trump’s health agenda has Biden undone after a year?

It has been a year since President Joe Biden assumed the reins of the federal executive branch and with it the power to reverse his predecessor’s health care policies. How much has this government achieved? It depends on how – and what – you count. Biden or his health officials quickly reversed many of the policies introduced by President Donald Trump that did not require formal regulations. These include the U.S. rejoining the World Health Organization, rolling back the “Mexico City” policy that banned charities or international organizations that support abortion rights, and lifting a ban on using federal funds to test fetal tissue from elective abortions. (Rovner, 1/21)

The New York Times: Biden’s pandemic fight: insights into year one setbacks

dr Rochelle Walensky was stunned. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who was working from her home outside of Boston on a Friday night in late July, had just learned from her staff that vaccinated Americans were spreading the coronavirus. Vaccines have been at the core of President Biden’s pandemic strategy since he took office. But as dr. Walensky in Provincetown, Mass., was briefed on a series of landmark cases, and the reality hit him. The Delta variant, which had devastated other parts of the world, caught on in the United States. And it turned out that vaccination wouldn’t prevent people with the variant from contracting or transmitting it. (Scissors, Stolberg, LaFraniere, and Weiland, 1/23)