Wednesday, September 7, 2023
The fall virus season is approaching. Which vaccines should you get? Cindy Krischer Goodman South Florida Sun Sentinel A new COVID variant is circulating. Flu season is about to begin. Respiratory syncytial virus (known as RSV) is becoming a greater cause of hospitalizations. But this fall, something is different. The country has new vaccines for COVID, influenza and RSV, the three fall respiratory viruses that hospitalize and kill hundreds of thousands annually. “Go get those vaccines and it will make a dramatic difference in your getting sick this winter,” Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID response coordinator told NPR. “We are going to be dealing with respiratory viruses forever but we are getting better at building treatments and vaccines. No one loves getting shots but these shots are literally saving lives.” Here’s a guide to fall vaccines, how to time them right, and where they are available. Seasonal influenza (flu) Doctors recommend an annual flu shot before the start of the season. In Florida, the 2022–23 flu season began in early October and went through May 20. What’s new this year: Each year the influenza vaccine is reformulated, but it doesn’t always match perfectly with the circulating virus. Katelyn Jetelina, founder of Your Local Epidemiologist, a viral newsletter, says she is optimistic that this year’s is a good match because the vaccine composition matches flu strains that recently circulated in Australia, which tends to be a predictor of what happens in the United States. Who should get it: Everyone ages 6 months and older is eligible for the basic flu vaccine. For those over 65, there is a high-dose influenza vaccine specially formulated to provide added protection to older adults. (AARP estimates that 70% to 85% of flurelated deaths and 50% to 70% of flu-related hospitalizations occur in people 65 and older.) Bianca Perez at CVS Minute Clinic in Miramar said she also administers a specially formulated flu shot for people 50 to 64. “We have all three types at the Minute Clinic but it depends on insurance. Some don’t cover this one.” The American Academy of Pediatrics urges all children over 6 months to get vaccinated and wants to see at least 70% immunized. Last year only about 55% were vaccinated. “We know for children under age 5, influenza is unpredict-
able, it can be very serious, it leads a lot of children into the hospital and unfortunately we see tragic pediatric flu deaths every year,” said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a medical expert for Good Morning America. “We are encouraging those young children to get vaccinated starting now until the end of October.” When is the optimal timing: Pharmacies and doctors’ offices in Florida already have the flu shot in stock. However, you don’t want to get your shot too early and see your immunity wane before flu activity peaks. For most people, early October is the best time to get vaccinated so you have protection before the season fully kicks in, yet can keep your immunity until it ends, experts say. When timing your shot, consider it takes about two weeks after being vaccinated before you develop peak level of antibodies. What else to know: You can get a flu shot at the same time as a COVID booster. Some Florida pharmacies offer coupons when you get vaccinated. CVS pharmacies and clinics are offering $5 off a $20 store purchase with a flu shot. At the CVS pharmacies in Target you can use your coupon at any Target store. “I am hoping this year we will have an uptick in people who get a flu vaccine,” Perez said. “We even had flu in Florida in the middle of summer which was rare. We had a very sick summer, and if that’s any precursor of what’s to come in the fall, it’s going to be a sick winter as well.” COVID-19 vaccine What’s new this year: The fall COVID-19 booster will have an updated formula targeting the newer omicron variant, XBB.1.5. Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax all plan to have boosters on the market this fall. The exact timing hasn’t been released but CDC director Mandy Cohen has said the booster should be available for most people by the third or fourth week of September. While vaccine makers have been manufacturing updated vaccines that target XBB to ensure enough doses are ready by the fall and winter season, several new variants emerged. One of those new variants, BA.2.86, also known as “Pirola,” appears more likely to infect people who have been vaccinated or have had previous infections. So how much protection will the booster give you? The manufacturers say early findings indicate that because the newer variants are still part of the Omicron family, the vaccines made to target XBB should still be effective against them, and the booster should offer some protection against BA.2.86 See Virus on page 8
Marcus Conrad OSU will roll out the new nationally updated FAFSA form in December.
FAFSA facelift: New form to be rolled out Lauren King Staff Reporter
rector of enrollment management communications, said the purpose of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is to support students and families by making the Oklahoma State University financial aid process easier. financial aid is updating its Free “The FAFSA Simplification Application for Federal Student Act represents a significant overAid forms. haul of the processes and systems These user friendly changes used to award federal student aid follow a national update to the starting with the 2024–25 award form that aims to create to make year,” Smith said. “This includes application easier and more user- the Free Application for Federal friendly. Student Aid form, need analysis FAFSA allows students to and many policies and procedures determine how much funding they for schools that participate in fedare able to receive from federal eral student aid programs.” and state sources. Students can With this act, changes also use FAFSA to gain informa- and updates will be made to the tion for additional scholarships. FAFSA form. One of the largest Charly Smith, assistant dichanges will be a modification in
terminology, in which parent and student spouse will be called a contributor. There will be fewer questions on the application and a simpler way to transfer tax information directly from the IRS. The Expected Family Contribution with the Student Aid Index and how the needs analysis is calculated will also be different, allowing an expansion for Federal Pell Grants to be offered to more students. For students, changes to the FAFSA form will affect those who will be enrolling for the 20242025 school year. See FAFSA on page 6
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham says OSU defense ‘can’t be simulated until you play it’ Braden Bush Sports Editor Kenny Dillingham and Jaden Rashada each are in their first season at Arizona State, and two games in, they’re facing an unknown defense. Everyone knows about the 3-3-5 defense by now, but Dillingham isn’t feeling completely sure about OSU defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo’s defense. That’s because in OSU’s opening game, the Cowboys stuck to a basic package on defense and didn’t dig deep into the play book. There’s film on Nardo from his time at Gannon, but things change, and his sample size at OSU is small. That adds a challenge for the freshman quarterback and his first-year coach, who previewed Saturday’s game with
the media on Monday. “We only have one game,” Dillingham said. “So we have a freshman quarterback who has one game to watch and then he gets to watch film from (Nardo’s) last school, and you get to watch 12 games of different people. I think that’s the challenge. When you play new coordinators early in years is you’re watching different people run the scheme. Well, how much is he running this scheme because the people he has at his last school and the schemes he is facing at his last school versus how much is he gonna change at this new school? Dillingham faced the 3-3-5 scheme while as an offensive coordinator at Memphis, but it’s a relatively unknown defense for the 33-year-old coach. “This defense hasn’t hit the Pac-12,” Dillingham said. “That’s the reality is this defense isn’t in
the Pac-12. This defense is in the Big 12. I don’t even know if it’s, I can’t even process, I never faced it in any other league other than the Big 12. This is a predominantly Big 12 and American Conference defense — I faced it in the American, too. So those are the only two leagues that really run this, and you can’t simulate it until you play it. It’s like triple option, so it is very difficult from that standpoint.” One thing sticks out about the defense, though. Size. “They’re big. They’re extremely big,” Dillingham said. “When you talk up front, their average weight is 290 pounds, roughly, with the three down linemen.
See Defense on page 3