FDA expected to allow use of different vaccine types for Covid-19 boosters

Two sources have confirmed that the Food and Drug Administration is expected to allow the use of different vaccine types for boosters then what was used for the initial doses, according to NBC News.

This is occasionally referred to as “mix and match,” and has been found to be effective, as well as safe, by a National Institutes of Health study.

The sources stated that an announcement could be expected as early as Wednesday.

Last week, an FDA advisory panel voted to authorize recommendation of emergency use of Johnson & Johnson and Moderna booster shots.

People who initially received Johnson & Johnson and received booster shots by Moderna or Pfizer had stronger antibody levels than those who received Johnson & Johnson boosters, according to the NIH study.

Haiti gang demands $17M in return for kidnapped missionaries

The Haiti gang that kidnapped 17 American and Canadian missionaries has demanded $1 million per person in exchange for their release, according to CNN.

The “400 Mawozo” gang kidnapped 16 Americans and one Canadian on Sunday after they visited an orphanage that weekend.

The abducted group is made up of five men, seven women, and five children. All of these people are associated with an Ohio-based ministry called the Christian Aid Ministries.

According to a statement made by Christian Aid Ministries, the adults’ ages range from 18 to 48, and the children’s ages are eight months old, 3, 6, 13, and 15 years old.

An FBI spokesperson informed CNN that, “The FBI is part of a coordinated US government effort to get the Americans involved to safety. Due to operational considerations, no further information is available at this time.”

The Haitian Justice Minister, Liszt Quitel, told CNN that the kidnappers have been warned about harming the hostages, but they were not persuaded to back down on their demands. Quitel said, “The gang has locations where they usually keep their hostages so that they can feel the hostages are safe.”

A person who works in the Haiti security force has stated that, for the moment, all hostages are safe.

More than 20 people safely escape plane crash outside Houston

A plane departing from Houston Executive Airport crashed into a fence before taking off Tuesday morning around 10 a.m. and erupted into flames.

All passengers and crew escaped the plane safely, with only two minor injuries occurring, before firefighters extinguished the fire.

Waller County Judge, Trey Duhon, stated that one person reported back pain and another reported respiratory issues.

Duhon also stated that, according to the information he has, “The plane did not attain altitude at the end of the runway and went across Morton Road, coming to a rest in the field just north of the airport, where it caught on fire.”

The flight was departing Houston and headed to Boston for the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox game.

According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Relations, the plane is registered to James Alan Kent. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be investigating the crash, according to CNN.

Miami private school requires all students who receive Covid-19 vaccinations to stay home for 30 days.

Centner Academy has recently informed parents that all students who receive a Covid-19 vaccine will not be allowed at school for 30 days prior to receiving it, according to NBC News.

The private school previously stated that vaccinated teachers would have to avoid students back in April.

“Because of the potential impact on other students and our school community, vaccinated students will need to stay at home for 30 days post-vaccination for each dose and booster they receive, and may return to school after 30 days as long as the student is healthy and symptom-free,” the school said, according to WSVN, who first reported on the announcement.

The school urged parents to wait until the summer to have their children vaccinated in order to decrease the chances of transmission to others.

The CDC has repeated that the Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective, stating, “COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials,” the agency said on its website. “These vaccines have undergone and will continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history,” they added.

A co-founder of the school, David Centner, stated that the policy was instituted after the Parents Advisory Board thought it was worth implementing after hours of deliberation.