Health roundup: New COVID boosters, mpox, more

Published: Aug 23, 2024 Duration: 00:04:45 Category: News & Politics

Tags : sports Breaking News money entertainment international news Health politics Today Today Show Savannah Guthrie Al Roker Natalie Morales domestic news weather interviews media food home parents style concerts pets shopping Hoda Kotb

Trending searches: new covid symptoms

SATURDAY MORNING WITH YOUR HEALTH. THIS MORNING, WE'VE GOT A ROUNDUP OF SOME OF THE WEEK'S BIGGEST MEDICAL STORIES. >> FROM NEW COVID BOOSTERS TO A NASAL SPRAY FOR PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS ALLERGIES TO POX, WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE. >> WE WANT TO BRING IN MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. NATALIE AZAR. NICE TO HAVE YA. >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME. >> THE FDA THIS WEEK ANNOUNCED IT HAS APPROVED THE NEW COVID VACCINE FROM, WHAT, MODERNA AND PFIZER? >> THAT'S RIGHT. >> A LOT OF PEOPLE WONDERING IF THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO TAKE IT, IF THEY SHOULD STILL BE GETTING THE SHOT AT ALL. WHAT'S YOUR ADVISE? >> YEAH, YEAH. THE FDA'S APPROVAL THIS PAST WEEK ACTUALLY WAS THREE WEEKS EARLIER THAN THEY APPROVED THE BOOSTER LAST YEAR. THIS IS REALLY AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE SIGNIFICANT SUMMER SURGE WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. SO THE UPDATED SHOT FROM PFIZER AND MODERNA IS COVERING WHAT'S CALLED THE KP STRAIN. THAT'S JUST -- KP2 STRAIN, ANOTHER OMICRON VARIANT. WE'VE HAD MANY OF THESE THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. 32 STATES RIGHT NOW IN THE COUNTRY ARE REPORTING HIGH LEVELS OF VIRAL ACTIVITY IN THEIR WASTEWATER. DEFINITELY AN IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT. IN TERMS OF WHO SHOULD BE GETTING THE VACCINE, WELL, OF COURSE, WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE GROUPS MOST AT RISK. PEOPLE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, PEOPLE 65 AND OLDER, PREGNANT PERSONS. IF YOU'RE WONDERING, SHOULD I BE GETTING THE SHOT RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE OF THE SUMMER SURGE, A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE INFECTED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. IF YOU RECENTLY HAD AN INFECTION, WE ARE RECOMMENDING YOU CAN WAIT THREE TO FOUR MONTHS BEFORE GETTING THE SHOT. IF YOU'RE AT HIGH RISK, THE HIGH-RISK GROUPS I MENTIONED, YOU WILL PROBABLY WANT TO GET IT PRETTY MUCH WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE, WHICH WILL PROBABLY BE NEXT WEEK. IF YOU'RE LOW TO MODERATE RISK, THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO GET IT AT THE SAME TIME YOU'D GET THE FLU SHOT, THE END OF OCTOBER. WE KNOW THE PROTECTION, WHILE IT'S SORT OF AT ITS PEAK A MONTH AFTER YOU GET THE SHOT, WANES SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE MONTHS. WE ARE REALLY EXPECTING A WINTER SURGE AGAIN. >> WORTH NOTING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS ANNOUNCED IT IS GOING TO BE MAKING MORE OF THOSE FREE COVID TESTS AVAILABLE, BY THE WAY, THIS SEPTEMBER, RIGHT? >> TALK TO US ABOUT THIS NEW NASAL SPRAY. >> YES. >> IT SEEMS LIKE A POTENTIAL GAME CHANGER FOR PEOPLE WHO REALLY DON'T LIKE SHOTS. >> RIGHT. THE STANDARD OF CARE FOR TREAT ING THIS IS EPINEPHRINE, EPIPEN. THERE IS A NASAL SPRAY VERSION OF EPINEPHRINE. THIS IS FANTASTIC. IT'S LITERALLY SOMETHING YOU'D SPRAY INTO THE NOSTRIL OF YOURSELF OR SOMEONE HAVING AN ALLERGIC REACTION. THIS IS APPROVED FOR INDIVIDUALS OVER 66 POUNDS. >> NOT FOR KIDS. >> NOT FOR LITTLE ONES. THE COMPANY HOPES BY THE END OF THE YEAR TO HAVE ONE FOR 33 POUNDS AND OVER. IT IS TWO SINGLE DOSES IN A LITTLE PACK, AND IT'LL BE AVAILABLE BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES HERE? THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NEEDLE AVERSE. THIS IS A NASAL SPRAY. IT IS SMALL, SMALLER THAN AN iPHONE. PUT IT IN YOUR POCKET. STORAGE WISE, IT'LL BE GOOD FOR UP TO TWO YEARS. IT DOESN'T -- IT'S NOT DEPENDENT ON THE TEMPERATURE OF THE ROOM THAT IT IS BEING SUPPLIED IN, WHICH IS REALLY GOOD. ONE DRAWBACK, AND I NEED TO MENTION THIS, IS IT HASN'T NECESSARILY BEEN STUDIED IN THE REAL WORLD BECAUSE YOU CAN'T REALLY CONDUCT THAT STUDY. THEY BASICALLY DETERMINED THE EFFICACY BY SAYING THE LEVEL OF EPINEPHRINE IN THE BLOOD WAS THE SAME WITH THE SPRAY. IF YOU HAVE SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTIONS AND YOU HAVE THE NASAL SPRAY, YOU MIGHT STILL WANT THE EPIPEN WITH YOU UNTIL WE GET THE REAL-WORLD EVIDENCE. IT SHOULD BE AVAILABLE BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER. >> WE LITERALLY HAVE A FEW SECONDS. HOW WORRIED SHOULD WE BE FOR MPOX? >> THE AVERAGE PERSON IN THE COUNTRY, THERE'S NO NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ALARM, BUT WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON. FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TWO YEARS, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DECLARED A GLOBAL HEALTH PUBLIC EMERGENCY BECAUSE OF THE MPOX. THERE IS A STRAIN CIRCULATING WILDLY IN AFRICA, AND IT HAS BEEN NOTED IN A COUPLE OF OTHER COUNTRIES OUTSIDE OF AFRICA. IMPORTANT, A COUPLE THINGS. IF YOU HAD THE MPOX VACCINE A FEW YEARS AGO AND/OR WERE INFECTED WITH THAT STRAIN TWO YEARS AGO, YOU ARE STILL PROTECTED NOW. SECONDLY, IF YOU ARE NOT VACCINATED BUT YOU'VE BEEN EXPOSED, THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU CAN GET THE MPOX VACCINE WITHIN THE FIRST FOUR DAYS AFTER EXPOSURE, WHICH SHOULD PREVENT ILLNESS. BETWEEN 4 AND 14 DAYS LATER, IT SHOULD PREVENT SERIOUS

Share your thoughts

Related Transcripts

Election workers in Georgia seek Rudy Giuliani’s assets

Category: News & Politics

Everyone, everywhere. >> doing all the fun things. >> all well deserved. >>> let's check the headlines. two georgia election workers defamed by rudy giuliani are seeking his most valued assets right now. a filing on friday says they say they're entitled to giuliani's $2 million claim for legal... Read more

Kamala Harris picks up surprise endorsement from Dick Cheney

Category: News & Politics

State and a meet-and-greet style working to earn every single vote, laura. >> aaron, the vp picked up a huge republican endorsement on friday. a former vp himself, dick cheney, days after his daughter, liz cheney, endorsed harris. >> reporter: the endorsement wasn't a total surprise here. the former... Read more

Ryan Reynolds talks ‘Deadpool,’ parenthood, his late dad’s Parkinson’s

Category: News & Politics

>>> so what made you finally wear an honest to god costume? mine's red so they can't see me bleed. i can see how yellow would be useful, too. >> have you been checked for adhd? is. >> ryan reynolds with hugh jackman in "deadpool & wolverine," the movie that has shattered box office records... Read more

Flash Floods Strand 1,000 People In California’s Death Valley National Park

Category: News & Politics

What an incredible run. he will be missed. >>> we begin this half hour with the check of the begin with recn the hottest and driest spot in north america. death valley national park was hit with 1.5 inches of rain on friday. it triggered flash floods and stranding about 1,000 visitors and workers.... Read more

Carson Daly gives moving speech about his mental health journey

Category: News & Politics

I do want to give a little context to my relationship to project healthy minds and this this this whole movement here i had sort of the privilege of being around when phm as we call it was born it was actually six years ago this month uh my friend logic had performed his song at the vmas in 2017 1800... Read more

Biden responds to death of Hamas hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin

Category: News & Politics

Getting this unthinkable news. matt, thank you. >>> nbc's gabe gutierrez is at the white house with reaction now from president biden. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: willie, good morning. president biden overnight saying he is devastated and outraged. this comes, of course, after months of frustrating... Read more

FDA authorizes newest version of COVID vaccine

Category: News & Politics

Rights tour. >>> the fad authorizing the newest version of the covid vaccine from novavax. the updated vaccine will target the dominant strain of the virus the one called jm 1 authorized for use in people 12 and older and w Read more

Presidential campaign tensions rise ahead of Labor Day

Category: News & Politics

Administration. >> gabe gutierrez at the white house for us. gabe, thank you, as always. kristen welker is the moderator of "meet the press." kristen, good morning. good to see you as always. we often say voters don't really pay attention to the presidential campaign until after labor day. well,... Read more

SpaceX’s historic all-civilian Polaris Dawn crew returns to Earth

Category: News & Politics

♪♪ >>> this morning four civilian astronauts splashed down safely in the gulf of mexico off of the florida coast after a five-day mission to outer space. the spacex polaris dawn mission included the first-ever civilian space walk conducted by a billionaire who stepped out for a ten-minute stroll... Read more

Watch: Simone Biles throws out first pitch at Astros game

Category: News & Politics

>>> now headed out to the mound please give a huge welcome to the greatest of all time in u.s. women's gymnastics, seven-time olympic gold medalist, simone biles. and another strike, simone biles. >> oh, how great is that. i'd be so happy just to get it to the mound. >> look at those boots!... Read more

Ryan Seacrest shares his plans as new host of ‘Wheel of Fortune’

Category: News & Politics

>>> the winner of "american idol" 2002 is -- kelly clarkson. >> remember that? ryan seacrest announcing kelly clarkson as the very first winner of "american idol," 21 years ago this month. some 23 million people watched that finale of the cultural phenomenon made stars of both clarkson and seacrest.... Read more

Putin threatens war with NATO if Ukraine attacks inside Russia

Category: News & Politics

Potential for rough surf. >> thank you, angie. >>> we turn to the war in ukraine and fears of a wider conflict. president biden and uk's prime minister met on friday allowing ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike deep inside russia, but vladimir putin is warning of severe consequences... Read more