COVID-19 Timeline: September 2021
June 2, 2022
At Bioethics.com we have kept up with the spread of COVID-19 and the related bioethical questions that this pandemic brings. The posts that follow highlights news from September 2021 and were originally posted at Bioethics.com. These posts focus on the bioethical issues that medical professionals, bioethicists, public health officials, and scientists grappled with as SARS-CoV-2 swept the globe.
Sept 1: “COVID-19 Vaccines Still Highly Effective Against Hospitalization, CDC Data Show” by Carolyn Crist, Medscape
“Although COVID-19 vaccines are less effective against the Delta variant, they’re still extremely effective in preventing hospitalization, according to data presented Monday to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.”
Sept 1: “North Korea Rejects Covid-19 Vaccine Doses” by Timothy W. Martin, The Wall Street Journal
“North Korea has turned down roughly three million doses of Covid-19 vaccines developed by Chinese drugmaker Sinovac Biotech Ltd., instructing that they should instead be sent to harder-hit countries.”
Sept 1: “Long-Haulers Are Fighting for Their Future” by Ed Yong, The Atlantic
“After a year and a half, the risk of long COVID, for both unvaccinated and vaccinated people, is one of the pandemic’s biggest and least-addressed unknowns.”
Sept 1: “Israel’s COVID-19 Boosters Are Preventing Infections, New Studies Suggest” by Gretchen Vogel, Science
“Israel’s nationwide campaign to provide its population with COVID-19 vaccine boosters appears to benefit recipients. A third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine significantly lowers the risk of infection, according to two new studies.”
Sept 2: “Millions of People Are Missing from CDC COVID Data as States Fail to Report Cases” by Austin Fast, NPR
“In that more detailed CDC data set, about 1 in 5 known cases — or 7 million people — are completely missing, an NPR analysis found. On top of that, about two-thirds of the data present aren’t usable, as health care providers marked fields as “Unknown” or simply left them blank.”
Sept 2: “COVID Cases Are Up 14%” by Sam Baker, Axios
“Coronavirus infections continue to climb all across the U.S., with few new solutions on the horizon. The big picture: There are some initial signs that things may be starting to get better in the South, which has experienced the worst of this wave, but America’s springtime dreams of putting the pandemic behind us seem a lot less realistic now.”
Sept 2: “US Hospitals Hit with Nurse Staffing Crisis Amid COVID” by Heather Hollingsworth and Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created a nurse staffing crisis that is forcing many U.S. hospitals to pay top dollar to get the help they need to handle the crush of patients this summer. The problem, health leaders say, is twofold: Nurses are quitting or retiring, exhausted or demoralized by the crisis.”
Sept 2: “Africa Nations Set to Miss ‘Crucial’ COVID Vaccine Goal: WHO” AFP, posted on Medical Xpress
“Most African countries are set to miss the “crucial” goal of vaccinating the most vulnerable ten percent of their populations against COVID-19 by the end of the month, the World Health Organization warned on Thursday.”
Sept 3: “Hospitals Swamped with Delta Cases Struggle to Care for Critical Patients” by Melanie Evans, The Wall Street Journal
“Soaring Covid-19 caseloads are endangering patients who need urgent medical care at some overwhelmed hospitals, according to doctors, nurses and industry executives in states where the virus has filled beds at or near record numbers.”
Sept 3: “At Least 15.1 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Wasted Since March” All Sides
“At least 15.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been thrown away in the United States since March 1, according to government data received by NBC News through a public records request.”
Sept 3: “Crowded U.S. Jails Drove Millions of COVID-19 Cases, a New Study Says” by Bill Chappell, NPR
“If the U.S. had done more to reduce its incarceration rate, it could have prevented millions of COVID-19 cases. That’s the conclusion of researchers who conducted what they say is the first study to link mass incarceration rates to pandemic vulnerability.”
Sept 3: “No Serious Health Effects Linked to mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines: Study” by Medical Xpress
“Federal and Kaiser Permanente researchers combing the health records of 6.2 million patients found no serious health effects that could be linked to the 2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.”
Sept 6: “Italy’s Life Expectancy Drops 1.2 Years Over COVID” AFP, posted on Medical Xpress
“Coronavirus cut average life expectancy in Italy by 1.2 years in 2020, and by more than four years in parts of the country hit hard by the pandemic, official statistics showed Monday.”
Sept 7: “Idaho Hospitals Begin Rationing Health Care Amid COVID Surge” by Rebecca Boone, Associated Press
“Idaho public health leaders announced Tuesday that they activated “crisis standards of care” allowing health care rationing for the state’s northern hospitals because there are more coronavirus patients than the institutions can handle.”
Sept 7: “Hospitalizations for Children Sharply Increase as Delta Surge, C.D.C. Studies Find.” By Emma Goldberg and Emily Anthes, The New York Times
“Pediatric hospitalizations for Covid-19 have soared over the summer as the highly contagious Delta variant spread across the country, according to two new studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Sept 8: “Businesses Grapple with Vax Mandates and COVID Policies” by Kate Marino, Axios
“A growing number of U.S. companies have mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for employees. But in the absence of a federal mandate there’s a wide variance in what’s happening — mandates for all, some, or none — with employee demands being put front and center thanks to the Great Resignation.”
Sept 8: “Efforts Grow to Stamp Out Use of Parasite Drug for COVID-19” by Matthew Perrone, Associated Press
“Health experts and medical groups are pushing to stamp out the growing use of a decades-old parasite drug to treat COVID-19, warning that it can cause harmful side effects and that there’s little evidence it helps.”
Sept 9: “Study: Nearly 69K COVID-19 Cases, 17K Deaths at Nursing Homes Went Uncounted” by Brian P. Dunleavy, UPI
“Nearly 69,000 additional COVID-19 cases and 17,000 more deaths occured at nursing homes in the United States in 2020 than were reported, an analysis published Thursday by JAMA Network Open found. This means that at least 40% of COVID-19 cases and deaths went unreported — at least initially — at these facilities across the country, the data showed.”
Sept 10: “More Reassuring Data on COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy” by Jaleesa Baulkman, Medscape
“Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine early in pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk for spontaneous abortion, new research suggests.”
Sept 10: “Covid-19 Virus Variants Mu and Lambda Unlikely to Supplant Delta” by Robbie Whelan, The Wall Street Journal
“The Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus appears well positioned to maintain its dominance over new variants such as Lambda and Mu, virologists say.”
Sept 10: “FDA ‘Will Follow the Science’ to Approve COVID Vaccine for Kids Under 12” by Oriana Gonzalez, Axios
“The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that it is “working around the clock” to support the process of making the coronavirus vaccine available for children under the age of 12.”
Sept 13: “Brazil Moves Away from Chinese Covid-19 Vaccine” by Luciana Magalhaes and Samantha Pearson, The Wall Street Journal
“Brazil, a major buyer of China’s CoronaVac shot and a poster child for Beijing’s efforts at vaccine diplomacy, is making a speedy retreat from the Covid-19 vaccine as concerns grow over its efficacy against the Delta variant and other vaccines become more readily available.”
Sept 13: “Covid-19 Deaths in Delta Surge Trend Younger in U.S.” by Jon Kamp and Paul Overberg, The Wall Street Journal
“A surge in Covid-19 deaths caused by the highly contagious Delta variant is hitting working-age people hard while highlighting the risks for people who remain unvaccinated.”
Sept 14: “Covid-19 Study in England Shows Few Deaths Among Vaccinated People” by Jason Douglas, The Wall Street Journal
“An analysis of more than 50,000 Covid-19 deaths in England this year offers reassuring evidence on the effectiveness of vaccines, showing that mortality rates among people fully inoculated against coronavirus were a fraction of those without a shot.”
Sept 14: “FDA Vaccine Regulators Argue Against Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters in New International Review” by Andrew Joseph, STAT News
“A group of international experts — including, notably, two outgoing Food and Drug Administration vaccine regulators — argues in a new paper against offering Covid-19 vaccine boosters to the general population.”
Sept 14: “Study: Moderna COVID-19 Immunity Lasts 6 Months” by Brian P. Dunleavy, UPI
“Immunity from the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine lasts at least six months, and there is no indication that fully vaccinated people will need a booster shot, a small study published Tuesday by Science found.”
Sept 15: “Data Emerge Showing More Differences Between COVID Vaccines” by Caitlin Owens, Axios
“Recent data suggests that Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine may maintain a higher effectiveness over time than Pfizer’s.”
Sept 15: “As COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Rise, Religious Exemptions Grow” by Colleen Long and Andrew Demillo, Associated Press
“Religious objections, once used sparingly around the country to get exempted from various required vaccines, are becoming a much more widely used loophole against the COVID-19 shot.”
Sept 15: “The U.S. Will Require Would-Be Immigrants to Prove They’ve Been Vaccinated for COVID” by Bill Chappell, NPR
“People applying to immigrate to the U.S. will have to show they’ve been vaccination against COVID-19 as part of a required medical exam, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says.”
Sept 16: “Parents Seek Out Covid-19 Vaccine Trials for Their Children Ahead of Official Authorization” by Jared S. Hopkins, The Wall Street Journal
“Many parents across the U.S. are racing to put their children in Covid-19 vaccine trials to try to protect them from the virus sooner rather than later. The shots haven’t been proved to work safely for youngsters, and child volunteers in later-stage trials may get a placebo, rather than the vaccine.”
Sept 16: “Study of Up to 40,000 People Will Probe Mysteries of Long Covid” by Jocelyn Kaiser, Science
“Today, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a nearly $470 million grant to enroll up to 40,000 adults and children newly and previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 in a study that will probe the causes of these postinfection effects, dubbed Long Covid, and look for clues to treatments and prevention.”
Sept 17: “New Moderna Vaccine Data ‘Support’ Booster Shot After 8 Months” by Damian McNamara, Medscape
“Moderna released new data today that it said support the argument for COVID-19 booster shots — specifically showing that people who received a first shot of their mRNA vaccine a median of 13 months ago are more likely to experience a breakthrough infection compared to individuals who received a first shot a median of 8 months ago.”
Sept 20: “CDC Study Says Moderna Vaccine More Effective Than Pfizer and J&J” Medscape
“A nationwide study of more than 3,600 adults found the Moderna vaccine does a better job at preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations than the two other vaccines being used in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Protection said Friday [September 20].”
Sept 20: “Pfizer Says COVID-19 Vaccine Works in Kids Ages 5 to 11” by Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press
“Pfizer said Monday its COVID-19 vaccine works for children ages 5 to 11 and that it will seek U.S. authorization for this age group soon — a key step toward beginning vaccinations for youngsters.”
Sept 21: “Study: Monoclonal Antibodies Reduce COVID-19 Hospitalization, Death Risk” by Brian P. Dunleavy, UPI
“Treatment with monoclonal antibodies reduced the need for hospital care in adults at high risk for serious illness from COVID-19, a study published Tuesday by JAMA Network Open found.”
Sept 21: “Delta Overwhelming Other COVID Variants of Concern: WHO” AFP, posted on Medical Xpress
“Delta has all but elbowed out the three other COVID-19 variants of concern, which now represent a tiny fraction of the samples being sequenced, the WHO said Tuesday.”
Sept 21: “’Post-Vax COVID’ Is a New Disease” by Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic
“Among the fully immunized, catching the coronavirus doesn’t mean the same thing it did last year.”
Sept 21: “’Delta Has Been Brutal’: Covid-19 Variant Is Decimating Rural Areas Already Reeling from the Pandemic” by Oliva Goldhill, STAT News
“Health inequities in rural communities across the South are continuing to determine who is most vulnerable to Covid-19 now that the Delta variant is bringing a new surge in deaths.”
Sept 21: “J&J Booster Dose of Its COVID Shot Prompts Strong Response” Associated Press
“Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday that a booster of its one-shot coronavirus vaccine provides a stronger immune response months after people receive a first dose.”
Sept 22: “Surge in New-Onset Tics in Adults Tied to COVID-19 Stress” by Daniel M. Keller, Medscape
“An unusual surge of new-onset tics in patients with no prior history of these disorders, has been tied to the psychological stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, new research suggests.”
Sept 23: “FDA Authorizes Pfizer’s Covid-19 Booster for People Over 65 or at High Risk” by Helen Branswell, STAT News
“The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted an emergency use authorization to Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine booster, though for now the FDA said use of the booster should be restricted to people over the age of 65, adults 18 and older at high risk of severe Covid, and those who, like health care workers, are at higher risk of infection because of their jobs. That list includes teachers.”
Sept 24: “CDC Leader Adds People with Risky Job to COVID Booster List” by Lauran Neergaard and Mike Stobbe, Associated Press
“CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on a series of recommendations from a panel of advisers late Thursday. The advisers said boosters should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those ages 50 to 64 who have risky underlying health problems.”
Sept 24: “CDC Struggles to Expand Pandemic Response Team as Morale Plummets” by Erin Banco, Politico
“Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are increasingly reluctant to join the agency’s pandemic response team, citing debilitating burnout and fatigue after 19 months of fighting Covid-19.”
Sept 27: “Masks in School Help Prevent Covid-19 Outbreaks and Spread, CDC Studies Find” by Deidre McPhillips, CNN
“Covid-19 outbreaks are far more likely in schools that don’t require students and staff to wear masks, new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.”
Sept 27: “Covid’s Hidden Toll: One Million Children Who Lost Parents” by Ryan Dube and Luciana Magalhaes, The Wall Street Journal
“From March 2020 to April 2021, an estimated 1.1 million children lost a primary caregiver to the virus, according to a recent study in the medical journal the Lancet. Many of the most affected countries are in Latin America, which accounts for about one-third of coronavirus deaths despite having just 8% of the global population.”
Sept 27: “WHO Seeks to Revive Stalled Inquiry Into Origins of Covid-19 with New Team” by Drew Hinshaw and Betsy McKay, The Wall Street Journal
“The World Health Organization is reviving its stalled investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 virus as agency officials warn that time is running out to determine how the pandemic that has killed more than 4.7 million people world-wide began.”
Sept 28: “COVID-19 Triggers Largest Life Expectancy Decrease Since Second World War” by Nicky Broyd, Medscape
“Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science finds years of improving life expectancy have been swept away by the pandemic in countries across most of Europe, the US and Chile. The research is published in the International Journal of Epidemiology and covers 29 countries, including the UK.”
Sept 28: “The Coronavirus Made Hospitalizations More Lethal” by Bob Herman, Axios
“Hospitals saw a lot fewer patients and yet a lot more death in the early part of the pandemic, according to new federal data.”
Sept 28: “Pfizer Testing Oral Pill for Prevention of COVID” by Noah Garfinkel, Axios
“Pfizer announced Monday that it is testing an oral antiviral drug that would help prevent COVID-19.”
Sept 28: “Two Europes: Low Vaccine Rates in East Overwhelm ICUs” by Stephen McGrath, Associated Press
“Bulgaria and Romania are lagging dramatically behind as the EU’s two least-vaccinated nations, with just 22% and 33% of their adult populations fully inoculated. Rapidly increasing new infections have forced authorities to tighten virus restrictions in the two countries, while other EU nations such as France, Spain, Denmark and Portugal have all exceeded 80% vaccine coverage and eased restrictions.”
Sept 29: “Side Effect Rates from Third Covid-19 Vacccine Dose similar to Those After Second Short, Early Data Indicate” by Andrew Joseph, STAT News
“People who’ve received a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine are reporting rates of side effects similar to those after the second dose, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Sept 29: “COVID-19: Greater Mortality Among Psych Patients Remains a Mystery” by Pauline Anderson, Medscape
“Antipsychotics are not responsible for the increased COVID-related death rate among patients with serious mental illness (SMI), new research shows.”
Sept 29: “India Aims to Produce mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine This Year” by Rajesh Roy, The Wall Street Journal
“India is preparing to produce its own mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the year, in what would be a scientific breakthrough for the country’s growing pharmaceutical industry and help expand the range of global production hubs for the shots.”
Sept 29: “CDC Issues Urgent Alert: Pregnant Women Need the Covid-19 Vaccine” by Erika Edwards, NBC News
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday issued its strongest guidance to date urging pregnant women to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The guidance comes as more than a quarter million cases of Covid in pregnant women have been reported, 22,000 of whom were hospitalized, according to the CDC.”