FDA To Analyze COVID Boosters Efficacy, Dig Into Spring With Gardening Science. April 8, 2022, Part 1
Science Friday
Science Friday and WNYC Studios
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🗓️ 8 April 2022
⏱️ 48 minutes
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Summary
This week, the FDA convened a panel of independent experts to discuss COVID-19 boosters and possible variant-specific vaccines. This comes after last week’s authorization of a second booster for people over the age of 50, and some immunocompromised people.
Ira talks with Maggie Koerth, senior science writer at FiveThirtyEight, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, about the latest on boosters and other science news of the week, including a new particle measurement that might shift our understanding of physics, fish who can do math and why Mars has two different speeds of sound.
Want To Get Your Spring Garden Going? Here’s Some Expert Advice
In most parts of the U.S., it’s time to get the garden going for the year. From readying your soil to picking your plants and getting seeds started, April can require a lot of decision-making to set the stage for a successful growing season.
Have questions about choosing containers, hardening your seedlings, or dealing with excess water? Our panel of expert gardeners is here for you. Ira talks to Cornell University Extension’s Elizabeth Buck and Oregon State University Extension’s Weston Miller about common spring troubleshooting, chemical-free pest management, and even how to brace your garden against climate change.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Science Friday, I'm Ira Plato. A bit later in the hour, we're taking your questions about spring gardening, |
| 0:06.6 | whether you're in your first round of planting or still getting the soil ready. We've got answers to your |
| 0:12.2 | questions and we're back in the studio live taking your calls. Our number 1-844-724-8255 or 844-Sai Talk. |
| 0:22.9 | But first, earlier this week, the FDA convened a panel of experts to discuss the best use of COVID-19 |
| 0:29.7 | boosters and the possibility of variant-specific vaccines. This comes after a last week's authorization |
| 0:36.6 | of a second booster for people over the age of 50 and others who are immunocompromised. |
| 0:42.0 | Joining me to talk about this and other science news of the week is Maggie Curth, |
| 0:46.3 | senior science writer at 538-based in good old Minneapolis. Welcome back, Maggie, nice to have you. |
| 0:53.6 | Nice to be here. Thanks so much. Let's talk about this meeting after their meeting this week. Did the |
| 0:59.1 | FDA panel come up with any new recommendations on booster timing or new vaccine production? |
| 1:06.8 | No, I mean, some of the booster timing recommendations had actually happened before the panel |
| 1:12.8 | got together, which was something that they ended up asking the FDA about pretty early on in the |
| 1:17.4 | meeting. And they came away without about the same level of, as they went in. You know, this is |
| 1:25.3 | something where both the FDA and CDC officials have said in the past that boosting everybody, |
| 1:31.5 | every four or five months is just not a good long-term strategy, you know, just on the basis of |
| 1:35.9 | logistics and public buy-in alone. But coming out of this meeting, it seems like there's still not |
| 1:42.0 | really a good plan in place for an alternative, whether that's how we're going to get new vaccine, |
| 1:47.6 | or new variant-specific vaccines authorized, or even how we're going to decide in a really |
| 1:54.3 | evidence-based way how often people need new boosters of existing vaccines. |
| 1:58.6 | Yeah, so that meeting did not end with a concrete plan to study. |
| 2:02.8 | It did not. And it ended up with people saying we really need a concrete plan, and we need one |
| 2:08.1 | before next winter. But that plan has yet to materialize. |
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