New COVID vaccinations approved by FDA
In hopes of protecting Americans from the latest wave of COVID-19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved yet another vaccine for everyone six months and older on Monday.
According to The Hill, the new vaccine is designed to target the XBB.1.5 variant, which experts are saying should still be effective at preventing severe infections against other variants circulating because they are closely related, despite the XBB.1.5 variant no longer being the dominant, most popular strain of the virus.
The new shots are manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech and should reach shelves along with new treatments for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infants and older adults this fall.
The new vaccines will likely have the largest impact on individuals with compromised immune systems, as well as underlying conditions for a few months before the effects start to wane. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) will release who is recommended to receive the new vaccination early in the week.
WoodTV reports more than 95 percent of the United States already experiencing levels of COVID-19 immunity. Despite this, even young people run the risk of any infection turning into “long COVID,” when symptoms remain for extended lengths of time, even years.
Invasive Carp Concerns for MI Continue
The Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) has found 18 different locations where invasive carp could enter the Great Lakes. The primary focus at this point is the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois— a key pinch point between the Mississippi River System and the Great Lakes Basin.
The GLMRIS study area includes the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins of the United States. The almost 1,500-mile-long boundary of the two watersheds holds the majority of the potential places the carp could cross into Lake Michigan. This is the primary focus of the GLMRIS study, including the Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS).
The Brandon Road Lock and Dam facility is about 25 miles southwest of Chicago, the focus point of the fight to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp, a presence that would be detrimental to the aquatic life and health of the Great Lakes.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers and other state agencies are working on a billion-dollar project devoted to patching up any places of weakness that could allow the invasive carp fish to come through, reported by WoodTv. There have been no confirmed spots of the fish crossing into Lake Michigan yet, but the concept is a great concern to the Great Lakes community and the top priority for the protection of the lakes.
