(ATLANTA) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially recommended a third dose of an mRNA vaccine for immunocompromised Americans on Friday afternoon, allowing around 7 million Americans who didn’t get an optimal immune response to their initial vaccine doses of Pfizer or Moderna to gain more protection.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on the recommendation after a CDC panel voted Friday morning on the specifics of who should get an additional shot and when. The CDC approval was the final step in the process initiated by the Food and Drug Administration’s announcement late on Thursday night that immunocompromised Americans will be able to get a third shot.
“Today, I signed CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that endorsed the use of an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine for people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems after an initial two-dose vaccine series,” Walensky said in a statement.
She called the recommendation “an important step in ensuring everyone, including those most vulnerable to COVID-19, can get as much protection as possible from COVID-19 vaccination.”
The additional dose will specifically be targeted at cancer patients, transplant recipients, people with HIV and people on immunosuppressant drugs, plus a range of other conditions that similarly left vaccinated people with less immunity than expected.
Instead of the more than 90% protection from the vaccines that’s normally found in healthy people, vaccine effectiveness in immunocompromised people can be as low as 59% to 72%, the CDC said.
Some immunocompromised people even had no immune response to the vaccines — a disappointment considering the high risk they have for getting severely ill from the virus.
For example, in one U.S. study, 44% of breakthrough cases that led to hospitalization were in immunocompromised people. An Israeli study found it was around 40%.
But the CDC data shows that a booster shot could increase antibodies in an immunocompromised person by up to 50%.
“COVID-19 disease in immunocompromised people is an important public health problem. The anticipated desirable effects of an additional dose of mRNA vaccine are large, and undesirable effects expected to be minimal, favoring the intervention,” Dr. Kathleen Dooling, a medical officer at the CDC, said at the meeting on Friday.
The CDC estimated about 7 million people, or 2.7% of the population, fit into the category of moderate or severely immunocompromised. But there is no plan to require people to prove their conditions before receiving a third shot, either by prescription or a doctor’s note — it will be a matter of “self-attesting.”
CDC officials suggested that the third shot should come at least 28 days after finishing the primary two-dose series and recommend that people stick with the same vaccine they initially got, be it Pfizer or Moderna, though swapping the vaccines in instances where there isn’t ample supply is “permitted.”
Immunocompromised people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are not yet eligible for additional shots, but the CDC and FDA said they’re doing research and hope to provide more guidance soon.
The CDC also assumes the vast majority of immunocompromised people got mRNA vaccines because only 12 million people nationwide have gotten the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, while 149 million have gotten Pfizer or Moderna shots.
“We think that at least there was a solution here for the very large majority of immunocompromised individuals and we believe that we’ll probably have a solution for the remainder in the not too distant future,” Dr. Peter Marks, vaccine chief for the FDA, said at the meeting.
Experts and officials have been clear that this third shot for immunocompromised people is separate from booster shots for the general public, which people are expected to need as the protection from the vaccines wane over time. But the FDA and CDC, which are monitoring immunity in multiple groups of people across the country, said the U.S. isn’t there yet.
“As we’ve previously stated, other individuals who are fully vaccinated are adequately protected and do not need an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine at this time,” acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said in a statement Thursday. “The FDA is actively engaged in a science-based, rigorous process with our federal partners to consider whether an additional dose may be needed in the future.”
(WASHINGTON) — The State Department will begin reducing its staff levels at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the Pentagon is sending in troops “as we speak” to help facilitate those departures, the agency said Friday, as Taliban forces advance on more provincial capitals.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby wouldn’t say the advances took the Biden administration by surprise but said officials are “certainly concerned” by the speed at which the Taliban is moving.
“We’re obviously watching this just like you’re watching this and seeing it happen in real-time, and it’s deeply concerning. In fact, the deteriorating conditions are a factor — a big factor — in why the president has approved this mission to help support our — the reduction of personnel there in Kabul,” he said in a briefing from the Pentagon Friday afternoon.
Kirby said the “leading elements” of one of the two Marine battalions headed to the capital city of Kabul have arrived and that “the bulk” of the 3,000 troops will be there by the end of the weekend.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has instructed all U.S. personnel to destroy items like documents and electronic devices to “reduce the amount of sensitive material on the property,” according to an internal notice obtained by ABC News.
“Please also include items with embassy or agency logos, Americans flags, or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts,” the notice said.
A State Department spokesperson is not denying this is the case, but in a statement described things as “standard operating procedure designed to minimize our footprint.”
There wasn’t any specific event that led President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to execute the plan to send troops, Kirby said Thursday afternoon as the crisis escalated, but rather the overall worsening trend in Afghanistan.
“There wasn’t one precipitating event in the last couple of days that led the president and the secretary to make this decision. It’s a confluence of events, and as I’ve been saying for now for several weeks, we have been watching very closely with concern the security situation on the ground — and far better to be prudent about it and be responsible and watching the trends to make the best decisions you can for safety and security of our people than to wait until it’s too late,” Kirby said.
The events in Afghanistan over the last 48 hours, with the Taliban pressuring major Afghan cities, were significant factors in the decision to go forward with the reduction in embassy staffing and the new military mission, a U.S. official told ABC News.
A military analysis said Kabul could be isolated in 30 to 60 days and be captured in 90 days, a U.S. official told ABC News. That timeline seemed even more accelerated Thursday as the Taliban claimed Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city. As of Friday, the Taliban had taken control of Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city, located 300 miles south of Kabul and considered the birthplace of the Taliban. The Taliban has also seized Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has urged Americans to evacuate Afghanistan immediately, amid fears that the capital could fall into Taliban hands in a matter of weeks.
“Clearly from their actions, it appears as if they are trying to get Kabul isolated,” Kirby said of the Taliban at the Pentagon Friday afternoon.
As the Taliban gained ground Friday, Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, a senior fellow for the Middle East Institute, Afghanistan war veteran and ABC News national security analyst, called on the U.S. to reverse its decision to withdraw troops in order to “prevent the country’s fall to the Taliban and the establishment of a safe haven for terrorist organizations.”
“In the absence of that, the international community must immediately establish a secure, fortified area within the Kabul region where Afghans, especially females, fleeing the Taliban can have their own safe haven,” he said.
“This should also come with a clear warning to the Taliban that if they enter the Kabul region, they will be met by military force from the United States,” he added. “This is the only thing they will understand and likely the only thing that will stop them from an assault on Kabul that will cause a major humanitarian crisis.”
Biden held a meeting with his team Wednesday night and tasked them to come up with recommendations, according to a senior administration official. Then, at a meeting Thursday morning with Austin and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the recommendations were presented to Biden and he gave the order to move forward.
The official also said the president separately spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken Thursday morning to discuss a diplomatic strategy and that Biden continues to be engaged on this issue and is staying in close contact with his team on the situation.
State Department Spokesman Ned Price said the embassy in Kabul will remain open as it reduces its civilian footprint due to the “evolving security situation.” He added that the embassy expects to draw down to a core diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.
“What this is not — this is not abandonment. This is not an evacuation. This is not the wholesale withdrawal,” Price said Thursday. “What this is, is a reduction in the size of our civilian footprint. This is a drawdown of civilian Americans who will, in many cases, be able to perform their important functions elsewhere, whether that’s in the United States or elsewhere in the region.”
The United Kingdom is also sending military personnel — about 600 paratroopers — to Kabul on a short-term basis to provide support to British nationals leaving the country, according to a joint press release from the Ministry of Defence and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The number of staffers working at the British Embassy in Kabul has been reduced to a core team focused on providing consular and visa services for those needing to rapidly leave the country.
U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Friday he believed the country was “heading towards a civil war” as the Taliban gain momentum.
At the Pentagon, Kirby announced Thursday the Defense Department was sending 3,000 troops from three infantry battalions — two Marine and one Army — to Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport to help out with the removal of American personnel from the U.S. Embassy. These numbers are on top of the 650 who were already in Kabul protecting the airport and the embassy.
An additional 1,000 personnel will be sent to assist with the processing of Afghans who worked as interpreters, guides and other contractors and applied for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV).
“I want to stress that these forces are being deployed to support the orderly and safe reduction of civilian personnel at the request of the State Department and to help facilitate an accelerated process of working through SIV applicants,” Kirby said. “This is a temporary mission with a narrow focus. As with all deployments of our troops into harm’s way, our commanders have the inherent right of self defense, and any attack on them can and will be met with a forceful and appropriate response.”
A brigade of 3,000 to 3,500 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne will also be sent to Kuwait to preposition in case they are needed.
Kirby called it a “very temporary mission for a very temporary purpose,” and said the DOD expects to keep no more than 1,000 troops in Kabul to protect the airport and embassy after the Aug. 31 deadline — a number that has notably crept up from the 650 troops originally set to remain.
Price said officials will continue to relocate qualified Afghans who assisted the American mission, such as interpreters and others who worked for the U.S. government, and flights will ramp up in the coming days.
Blinken and Austin spoke to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier Thursday to brief him on the U.S. plans, but the two U.S. officials did not tell Ghani to resign, according to a State Department spokesperson, who added, “Rumors indicating we have done so are completely false. Decisions about who leads the country are for Afghans to make.”
The Taliban have demanded that Ghani resign, in exchange for a reduction in violence and to lay the groundwork for a transitional government. But Ghani has said he is the democratically elected leader of the country and will remain so until negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan government reach a conclusion — an increasingly distant reality.
Shabia Mantoo, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, warned Friday at a press conference in Geneva that a worsening humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Afghanistan.
“The human toll of spiraling hostilities is immense. The United Nations Assistance Mission has warned that without a significant de-escalation in violence, Afghanistan is on course to witness the highest ever number of documented civilian casualties in a single year since the UN’s records began,” she said.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for a cease-fire in remarks on Friday.
“The message from the international community to those on the warpath must be clear: seizing power through military force is a losing proposition,” he said. “That can only lead to prolonged civil war or to the complete isolation of Afghanistan.”
“I call on the Taliban to immediately halt the offensive and to negotiate in good faith in the interest of Afghanistan and its people,” Guterres continued.
According to the U.N., some 400,000 civilians have been forced to flee from their homes since the start of the year, joining 2.9 million Afghans already internally displaced across the country at the end of last year, she said.
ABC News’ Cindy Smith, Justin Gomez, Guy Davies and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
Shy Carter’s new music video for “Beer With My Friends,” a collaboration with Cole Swindell and David Lee Murphy, looks like a honky-tonkin’ good time, and for good reason: The singer says he and his buddies were just hanging out and having fun when they made it.
“Shooting this video was a blast,” says Shy. “David Lee is the coolest guy ever, and Cole Swindell just kills it. Like the song says, I got to hang out with them and a whole bunch of other beautiful people all day!”
With sway-along gang vocals and fun-loving verses traded between the three country pals, the song is all about friendship — and the music video gives that friendship a visual element.
“We even had a line dance choreographed, which fit right in with the whole vibe of the party,” Shy continues. “So go watch the video, dance and crack a cold one!”
It’s not the first time Shy has found country magic with a musical friend. In 2019, he duetted with Tim McGraw on Tim’s “Way Down.”
On Friday, August 20, Earth, Wind & Fire will release a new, reimagined version of their 1976 hit “Can’t Hide Love,” titled “You Want My Love” that they recorded in collaboration with acclaimed producer Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Lucky Daye.
The new track, which you can pre-save now, song will be the first release as part of a new global deal between Earth, Wind & Fire and Universal Music Enterprises that will see the R&B/funk legends putting out a series of collaborative songs in the coming months.
“You Want My Love” features a vocal performance from Daye and guitars by Edmonds, who also co-produced the song with Demonte Posey.
Earth, Wind & Fire lead singer Philip Bailey says, “I am super hyped about this all-star collaboration — Earth, Wind & Fire, Lucky Daye, and Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds producing. It was an honor to join forces with these two superstars, and I truly believe we’ve created a winner all the way.”
Adds Edmonds, “We really wanted to bring a tremendous, iconic song that is unmistakably Earth, Wind & Fire into the contemporary world of Lucky Daye. The goal was to create a reimagined version of this classic song that reflects Lucky’s unique voice and musical style, while still honoring the original.”
Earth, Wind & Fire, along with Daye and Babyface, will give “You Want My Love” its live debut when they perform together at the star-studded We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert, taking place in New York City’s Central Park on Saturday, August 21.
“Can’t Hide Love” was written by Skip Scarborough and was originally recorded by the soul group Creative Source in 1973. EWF’s version appeared on their 1975 album Gratitude, and peaked at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following year.
While Bennifer fans are elated by Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez‘s reunion, Matt Damon may be the biggest supporter of them all.
During an appearance on The Carlos Watson Show, the host asked if he thought the couple was going to last. “No one’s pulling harder than I am. They’re both great,” Matt responded. “I just want for their happiness, and they seem pretty happy right now.”
Ben and Jennifer met on the set of Gigli in 2001 and he later appeared in the video for her signature hit, “Jenny from the Block.” The couple was engaged for two years before breaking it off in 2004. The two rekindled their romance earlier this year after Jennifer and her former fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, ended their engagement.
Matt and Ben have been friends since they met in high school. The two famously co-wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, which was named Best Original Screenplay at the 1998 Academy Awards.
Jennifer Hudson is celebrating the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, with more than just a film based on her life.
On Friday, the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Respect was released, featuring 17 uplifting songs sung by Hudson. Some of those soulful ballads include renditions of Aretha’s hits “Respect” and “Chain of Fools,” as well as the inspirational hymn “Amazing Grace.” Additionally, Hudson shared the music video for the original song “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” — which she wrote along with four-time Grammy winner Carole King and Jamie Hartman. Respect, also starring Forest Whitaker and Marlon Wayans, is now in theaters. The soundtrack is available now on CD, vinyl and digital platforms.
In other music-related news, after squaring off during a Verzuz battle in June, rappers Bow Wow and Soulja Boy have reunited for a new music video aptly titled “Bow Wow vs. Soulja Boy.” The video, set at a mansion pool party, shows the two artists enjoying a lavish lifestyle that includes high-end cars, plenty of cash being thrown around, and — of course — a bevy of scantily clad women standing around and posing.
Finally, producer Swizz Beatz has unveiled his latest song from the forthcoming Godfather of Harlem Season 2 soundtrack. Titled “Brick by Brick,” the new track features rappers Westside Gunn and Fabolous talking about the harsh realities of life. Godfather of Harlem, starring Forest Whitaker, airs Sunday nights on Epix. New music from the soundtrack will be released weekly ahead of each episode.
Back in February, Morgan Wallen’s promising arc towards country superstardom came screeching to a halt after doorcam video footage emerged that showed him shouting the n-word as he said goodbye to a car full of friends at the end of a night of partying.
In this week’s installment of People’s People in the ‘90s podcast, Darius Rucker recalls his reaction to the incident, which led to Morgan’s being benched by his label and many country stations, and cost him his eligibility at multiple awards shows. Like many others, Darius says he was “shocked” by the singer’s behavior.
“I know Morgan and I like Morgan,” he explained. “It’s one of those things that where you know that all over the country, there’s a lot of people that use that word flippantly.”
But that doesn’t mitigate the seriousness of Morgan’s use of the word, Rucker continues.
“Even if they say they don’t mean it in a derogatory way, you just don’t use it. You don’t say it,” Darius stresses.
“It’s shocking how prevalent it is. Racism still lives,” the singer continues. “It lives strong in some people and it’s sad. It should be getting better and it’s getting worse.”
One of country music’s few mainstream Black stars, Darius — who’s also the frontman of rock group Hootie & the Blowfish — debuted as a solo artist in the genre in 2008.
Last month, Morgan gave his first major interview since the scandal, sitting down with Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan to talk about the incident and share what he’s been doing during his time away from the spotlight.
The seventh annual Stand Up to Cancer telethon will feature a performance by Stevie Wonder and rapper Common during the hour-long special.
Brittany Howard also will be taking the stage during the charity event, set to air on Saturday, August 21. Ken Jeong and his wife, Tran Ho, as well as Anthony Anderson and Sofia Vergara, will serve as the night’s hosts.
Reese Witherspoon, alongside husband Jim Toth, have signed on as the fundraiser’s executive producers.
Other recognizable names participating in the Stand Up to Cancer telethon to help raise funds will be Matthew McConaughey, Tony Hale, Jennifer Garner, Katie Couric, Jaime Camil, Max Greenfield, Chandra Wilson, Kate del Castillo and MJ Rodriquez.
In addition to the star power, those personally affected by cancer will share their experiences with the disease.
The commercial-free fundraiser will be telecast across all major networks on August 21, including ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, as well as major streaming networks, starting at 8 p.m. ET.
To date, Stand Up to Cancer has raised over $600 million for its mission to fund research aimed at curing the disease, which has led to several new therapies and hundreds of clinical trials.
Back in May, Jimmie Allen and his wife, Alexis, gathered with family and friends for a gorgeous wedding celebration. But as it happens, that wasn’t their actual wedding.
In a new interview with People, the couple admits that that event was simply the first chance they had to celebrate their union with a group of people. In fact, they legally tied the knot almost a year beforehand — on June 18, 2020, which is also Jimmie’s birthday.
“We’ve actually been married for a year,” Alexis says, but adds that taking their marital status public made this summer especially sweet. “Actually being publicly Mr. and Mrs. has been really exciting! I thought it was going to be the same, but I feel like it’s a new honeymoon stage for us. We get to wear our rings out in public.”
For his part, Jimmie says he was a little caught off guard by how much he enjoys being a married man.
“I wanted to be a dad and do music,” the singer explains. “…The whole husband thing was not something I ever wanted to do. But Alexis changed that. Now I like it. It gives me some security — she can’t just be like, ‘I’m done.’ Divorce is a lot of paperwork!”
Speaking of family life, the couple is currently in the process of growing their family. Jimmie is dad to 7-year-old Aadyn, and he and Alexis are parents to 2-year-old Naomi. This summer, they announced they’re expecting a third child — another girl.
Remember that story late last year that Lady Gaga was in talks to join Brad Pitt in a movie called Bullet Train? Well, when the movie’s release date was announced not long ago, Gaga’s name wasn’t among the cast members listed. Now, we apparently know why.
The website Collider, which originally reported on Gaga’s Bullet Train casting, is now reporting that it was true at the time. However, as COVID-19 wrecked shooting schedules across the industry, Collider reports that Gaga had to drop out of Bullet Train because she had to start preparing to shoot another movie, House of Gucci.Collider reports that the part Gaga was meant to play in Bullet Train has now been taken over by Sandra Bullock.
Bullet Train, which is due out April 8, 2022, is an action thriller that stars Pitt as one of a group of assassins who board a bullet train in Tokyo, with their individual missions are all connected in some way. According to Collider, Bullock will play the role of Maria Beetle, Pitt’s handler.
As for Gaga’s House of Gucci, that film, co-starring Adam Driver,Al Pacino, Jared Leto and Jeremy Irons, will debut November 21 and is expected to be a major awards contender. Before that, though, Gaga will release Love for Sale, her joint album with Tony Bennett, on October 1. Earlier this week, she also teased a long-rumored Chromatica remix album.
