This month, CIDRAP is commemorating its 20th anniversary.

Since we first opened our doors, our team is created with now a globally renowned center, tackling the world's toughest challenges in infectious disease and public policy.

In celebration of the Smilestone anniversary, a generous CIDRAP supporter has offered a transformational matching gift to support our efforts and ensure we're able to continue our important work into the future.

For a limited time, your gift will be matched at 50%, helping to build a solid endowment to support CIDRAP's work.

Please visit cidrap.umn.edu-thord-donate.

Hello and welcome to the Ostrome Update COVID-19, a podcast on the COVID-19 pandemic with Dr. Michael Ostrome.

Dr. Ostrome is an internationally recognized medical detective and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, or CIDRAP, at the University of Minnesota.

In this podcast, Dr. Ostrome will draw on more than 45 years of experience investigating infectious disease outbreaks to provide straight talk on the COVID-19 pandemic.

I'm Chris Dahl, reporter for CIDRAP News, and I'm your host for these conversations.

Welcome back everyone to another episode of the Ostrome Update podcast.

The word of the week here on the podcast is booster.

We've been hearing a lot about COVID-19 booster shots over the past week.

In the wake of the FDA's Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting on boosters for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

And we're going to be hearing more about them in the coming days as the CDC's Vaccine Advisory Committee takes up the booster shot question.

But if your head is spinning over who can get a booster shot, when you can get one, what type of booster shot you can get, and whether we should even call it a booster, you're not alone.

This week on the podcast, Dr. Ostrome is going to try to unpack all that we've been hearing about COVID-19 booster shots, and what the FDA and CDC booster shot recommendations mean for people who are fully vaccinated.

We'll also take a look at the state of the pandemic here in the US and in the rest of the world.

Discuss breakthrough infections, answer COVID query, and address how the communication around vaccine mandates could be better.

And you'll hear the latest beautiful place submission from one of our listeners.

But first, as always, we'll begin with Dr. Ostrome's opening comments and dedication.

Thanks, Chris, and welcome to all of you back to another episode of the podcast.

This week, again, we will try to share with you the relevant and what I believe are current issues around the COVID pandemic and specifically what it means to you in your life.

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