Crypto News: Is a sixth shot coming?

Hi folks, it's Kristen in New York. One reader wonders whether it's time to yet again repeat a ritual of the past few years. But first...

The World Health Organization said all hypotheses for Covid-19's origin are still on the table, after one US agency backed the theory that the virus originated from a lab.
The bulk of food and drinks sold by four out of five global producers across three major markets are unhealthy, according to a survey.
Walgreens won't sell abortion pills in 20 states after Republican attorneys general warned of legal action.

Is a sixth Covid vaccine available or will it be? I had all the vaccines available and have so far managed not to get Covid. -Ann

It's been more than six months since the bivalent booster came on the scene, so it's natural to wonder if it's again time to roll up our sleeves. In the US, health officials have consistently told us to re-up our Covid shots to keep immunity levels high.

"Vaccines continue to be the most important tool in our arsenal to avoid severe illness and death from Covid," says Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Fortunately, staying up to date with those shots may get easier. President Joe Biden, along with others, has advocated for a simpler US Covid vaccine strategy centered around a single, annual shot. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also discussed the proposal at a meeting last month.

Wallace says there are pros to the annual approach.

"The many booster recommendations over the past couple of years have been confusing to the public and, as a result, every subsequent booster has had a poorer uptake rate," she says.

Only about 16% of eligible Americans have gotten the bivalent booster released in the fall, even though it's equipped to specifically target the dominant omicron variant.

"The annual booster strategy would help simplify messaging," Wallace says. "People are already in the habit of getting an annual influenza vaccine in the fall, so the Covid booster could be done at the same time."

Most Americans have received at least one Covid shot, giving them at least some immunity, and newer variants tend to cause relatively mild infections, so annual shots may be enough to protect the average person. But high-risk populations may not feel so comfortable only getting jabbed once a year.

"While good arguments can be made in support of the annual shot strategy for most Americans, we do not really know whether this will be enough protection for everyone given waning mRNA vaccine effectiveness over time and the unpredictability of viral mutations," says Wallace.

If you are older or suffer from health conditions that make you more vulnerable to the virus, Wallace suggests talking with your health-care provider about possibly getting vaccinated more frequently. — Kristen V. Brown

As we enter year four of the pandemic, some scientists are looking in patients' bodies and under manhole covers for answers to key questions: namely, where do worrisome new mutants come from? And what's their role in long Covid?

"Scientists are exploring the possibility that some of the most infectious versions of the coronavirus — omicron and its descendants — came from chronically infected individuals whose immune systems were weakened by disease, drugs or both," writes Jason Gale.

There is growing evidence that the "three-parent" technique might help treat infertility — but also lead to complications. From the MIT Tech Review.

The awkward reality when your therapist is also an influencer, as reported by Wired.

Premature births fell during the Covid lockdown, from the New York Times.

Ask us anything — well, anything health-related that is! Each week we're picking a reader question and putting it to our network of experts. So get in touch via AskPrognosis@bloomberg.net.