COVID-19 second boosters now available for age-eligible county residents

CHAMPAIGN -- Champaign County residents 65 and older can now receive a second Covid-19 booster. Citizens 50 and older with an underlying medical condition are also eligible to receive a second booster.

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended on Tuesday, March 29, that "expanded eligibility for an additional booster dose for certain individuals who may be at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. Boosters are safe, and people over the age of 50 can now get an additional booster four months after their prior dose to increase their protection further."

Eligible members of the community may sign-up online at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B054CA8A82CA5F94-2ndcovid to receive the vaccination at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District office located at 201 W. Kenyon Road in Champaign.

Vaccination appointments are being booked now for April 4 – 22 from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm.

Boosters will also be available from Promise Healthcare, Carle Health, OSF Healthcare, and Christie Clinic. Patients are urged to contact their primary care provider for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Meanwhile, those under the age of 50 and interested in receiving a second booster will have to wait for government approval for the time being. In a release issued today by the CUPHD, the "CDC, in collaboration with FDA and our public health partners, will continue to evaluate the need for additional booster doses for all Americans."

Christie Clinic will offer the booster at most of their primary care offices. According to today's press release, appointments will be limited to Christie patients 50 years old and older. "If patients have an upcoming appointment, they are encouraged to discuss their eligibility with their primary care provider."

Appointments for the second Covid-19 booster at Promise Healthcare can be made by calling (217) 356-1558.

For more information visit vaccine.gov to find a vaccine site nearest to you or log into www.vaccinefinder.org for available appointments at local pharmacies.


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Vibrant Urbana soprano set to preform in April

URBANA -- Earlier this week, vocal soloist Elena Negruta revealed dates for three upcoming appearances in Urbana. A seasoned performer, Negruta was born in the Republic of Moldova. At the age of 14, she won first place at the Golden Stork International Youth Talent Festival in Nikolayev located in the now war-torn country of Ukraine.

Soloist Elena Negruta
Photo by Clark Brooks
After immigrating to the United States, she transitioned to classical music and completed her Masters in Vocal Performance at the University of Illinois School of Music. Negruta is known for her ability to captivating renditions and versatile repertoire in baroque, musical theatre, and modern opera.

The soloist's first performance in April will be at Cello Festival 2022. Hosted by Urbana's First United Methodist Church, she will perform this Saturday, April 2, at 3:30pm.

Two weeks later, Negruta returns to the stage at Smith Memorial Hall on the University of Illinois campus as a featured vocal soloist at a Doctoral recital with music director, vocal coach, and pianist Cheryl Forest Morganson. The concert starts at 7:30p and admission is free to the public on April 18.

The last of the three appearances slated for this month is a benefit concert for Ukraine on April 26 in the south lobby of the Music Building at 114 West Nevada in Urbana. The event starts at 7pm.

Below, in a video released in December 2020, the soprano sings Youkali, a piece from the musical "Marie Galante" written by German-American composer Kurt Weill.


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St. Joseph-Ogden third-quarter Honor Roll

St. Joseph-Ogden High School Honor Roll This week, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the third-quarter Honor Roll and High Honor Roll recipients. To receive honor roll recognition at SJO students must earn a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Students whose GPA soared above 3.74 are recognized as High Honor Roll students.

High Honor Roll

Freshmen

Sophomores

Juniors

Seniors

Honor Roll

Freshmen

Sophomores

Juniors

Seniors

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Make this Easter holiday 'Eggstra' special

Photo provided

Family Features -- Easter is about traditions, both old and new, as well as celebrating family and creating lifelong memories. In fact, nearly 8 out of 10 Americans will celebrate the holiday this year, according to the National Retail Federation, which often includes egg decorating amongst the fun.

Decorating eggs for Easter is a tradition that dates back to the 13th century. Eggs were once viewed as a forbidden food to some religious entities, so people would paint or decorate them to highlight the end of penance and fasting.

Yet still today, coloring eggs can help bring the whole family together and inspire simple moments of connection and creativity. From dunking eggs in neon dyes to embellishing them with paint, glitter and more, PAAS(r) brand - named after the Dutch word for Easter, "Passen" - offers these expert Easter egg dyeing tips based on its 140 years of experience.

Keep It Clean - Wash your hands in hot, soapy water before and after handling eggs, even if they've already been cooked or decorated. This helps protect you from any bacteria that may be on the egg and protects the eggshell from oil on hands that may make the dye not adhere properly. Make sure an adult supervises all projects to ensure food safety precautions are observed.

Hard Cook, Don't Hard Boil - Although the cooking water must come to a full boil, the pan should be immediately removed from heat so the eggs can cook gently in the hot water. This method produces tender, not rubbery eggs and minimizes cracking.

Banish the Greenish Ring - This harmless but unsightly discoloration sometimes forms around hard-cooked yolks as a result of a reaction between sulfur in the egg white and iron in the yolk. It occurs when eggs have been cooked for too long or at too high a temperature. Cooking eggs in hot, not boiling water then cooling immediately helps minimize this discoloration.

Make Them "Apeeling" - To ensure easily peeled eggs, buy and refrigerate them 7-10 days in advance of cooking. This brief "breather" allows the eggs time to take in air, which helps separate the membranes from the shell.

Photo provided

Store Eggs Safely - In the shell, hard-cooked eggs can be refrigerated safely for up to one week. Refrigerating them in their original carton prevents odor absorption. Once peeled, eggs should be eaten that day. Piercing shells before cooking is not recommended. If not sterile, the piercer or needle can introduce bacteria into the egg. Also, piercing creates hairline cracks in the shell through which bacteria can enter after cooking.

Tap Into Your Creative Side - You don't have to be highly creative to create an "eggceptional" egg. Use your imagination to create appealing eggs by gluing on fun materials found at craft stores, like fake gems, sequins, trims and ribbons. You can also use paint, including gold or silver metallic paint, to make eggs special. An option like PAAS egg decorating kits can help make the process more convenient and fun.

Find more tips and ideas to bring your family together this Easter at paaseastereggs.com.

How to Hard Cook Eggs

Hard-cooked eggs are best when you want a sturdy egg for hiding and to eat when you're done. They are also easier for younger children to handle. Eggs can be hard-boiled or baked to achieve tender eggs perfect for dyeing. Consider these tips from the Easter egg decorating experts at PAAS to cook eggs for decorating:

Hard Boil Directions

  • Place eggs in saucepan large enough to hold them in single layer.
  • Add cold water to cover eggs by 1 inch.
  • Heat pan over high heat until just boiling.
  • Remove pan from burner.
  • Cover pan.
  • Let eggs stand in hot water about 15 minutes for large eggs. Time may need adjusted for smaller or larger eggs.
  • Cool completely under cold running water or in bowl of ice water.
  • Refrigerate until ready to use.


    • Baking Directions

  • Preheat oven to 325 F.
  • Place eggs individually in muffin tins to prevent them from rolling while cooking.
  • Cook 30 minutes.
  • Fill large bowl with ice water. Set aside.
  • Remove eggs from oven.
  • Transfer eggs carefully, one-by-one into ice water using tongs.
  • Remove from water after 10 minutes.
  • Refrigerate until ready to use.


    • Egg Decorating Kits to Make Egg Dyeing Easy

    There's more than one way to dye an egg. To meet various needs and interests, PAAS offers a variety of kits, including:

    Photo provided
  • Traditional Kits - Deluxe, Classic and Color Cup kits allow families to create a full spectrum of colored eggs.
  • Craft Kits - Craft kits help users create their own one-of-a-kind works of art, such as color whipping eggs, adding sparkles or speckles, or creating neon tie-dyed eggs.
  • Eggsperiment - Active Volcano - This kit allows users to dye eggs by lowering them into an overflowing volcano.
  • Craft-A-Scene - These kits, which come in multiple versions, offer not only dyes and decorations to create character eggs, but also different backdrops that can be used in stop motion movies using a free app.
  • Themed Eggs - These include Dino Eggs, Forest Friends, Rides and Superheroes kits that allow families to bring characters to life.
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    Sentinel 2021-22 All-Area girls basketball team

    Welcome to the Sentinel's 2022 All-Area Girls' Basketball Team. Our list is a compilation of the best players from three of the four area high school programs we cover.

    Among the top 15 players selected for the first and second teams, four are from the Class of 2023, and three are sophomores who we expect to rise to prominence this fall.

    The performances of our first-team members were the cornerstones to each of their team's success this season. These player's leadership, commitment, and contributions on offensive or defensive was key to earning a spot on this year's Sentinel All-Area Girls Basketball Team.


    Sentinel All-Area First Team
    St Joseph-Ogden basketball player Payton Jacob         Unity's Maddie Reed

    Lauren Miller from Unity         Urbana's Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta

    SJO's Taylor Wells         Unity's Taylor Henry

    St Joseph-Ogdent's Ella Armstrong


    First Team

    Ella Armstrong, Senior
    St. Joseph-Ogden

    Taylor Henry, Senior
    Unity

    Payton Jacob, Senior
    St. Joseph-Ogden

    Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta, Junior
    Urbana

    Lauren Miller, Junior
    Unity

    Maddie Reed, Senior
    Unity

    Taylor Wells, Senior
    St. Joseph-Ogden

    Second Team

    Destiny Barber, Junior
    Urbana

    Zineria Edwards, Senior
    Urbana

    Addison Frick, Sophomore
    St. Joseph-Ogden

    Peyton Jones, Junior
    St. Joseph-Ogden

    Ashlyn Lannert, Senior
    St. Joseph-Ogden

    Katey Moore, Sophomore
    Unity

    Raegan Stringer, Sophomore
    Unity

    Erika Steinman, Senior
    Unity

    Honorable Mention

    St. Joseph-Ogden:
    Alyssa Hamilton (Sr), Alison Kearney (Sr), Kaytlyn Baker (Jr)

    Unity:
    Hailey Flesch (Sr), Gracie Renfrow (Sr), Savannah Alagna (Sr), Calli Chandler (Sr), Bridget Henry (Sr), Addison Ray (So)

    Urbana:
    Amarah Howard (Sr), McKenzie Sprague (Jr), Teri Hall (So), Savannah Blanden (So)


    Editor's Note:

    A Certificate of Recognition is available for each of the players listed above. Players, coaches, or parents/guardians can email us at sports@oursentinel.com to receive their 2021-22 certificate.

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    Give mom the night off and make this easy savory, stuff pasta dish

    Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Bacon Pierogies
    Photo provided

    Family Features -- Whether you're celebrating a special day or simply looking for an excuse to show her the love she deserves, giving mom the gift of time to explore her hobbies and interests is a treasure she'll surely appreciate. Providing her with those extra moments can be as easy as creating a meal that gives her back the time to enjoy her passions and hobbies.

    You don't have to be an experienced chef to make a dish you'll be proud to share. Simply putting your heart into preparing a meal you can enjoy together is sure to send a strong message about how much you appreciate the time and love she pours into you. A simple, savory treat like these Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Bacon Pierogies may look and taste fancy, but you can whip them up in next to no time at all.

    Make cooking a breeze and put a smile on your mom's face with easy-to-prepare Mrs. T's Pierogies, which are pasta pockets stuffed with creamy mashed potatoes, cheesy goodness and other big, bold flavors. You can find full or mini sized versions in the frozen food section in 13 flavors. If you want to try your hand with other dishes, these pierogies are versatile; you can boil, bake, saute, fry or grill them.

    Visit mrstspierogies.com to find more recipe inspiration to celebrate mom.


    Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Bacon Pierogies

    Ingredients -

  • 4 strips bacon, chopped
  • 3 small onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 box Mrs. T's Classic Cheddar Pierogies

    • Directions -

    In pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon until tips begin to crisp.

    With bacon and drippings still in pan, add onions, mushrooms, thyme, balsamic vinegar, sugar and salt. Cook 2-3 minutes until onions begin to brown. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered with lid, 10-15 minutes; stir occasionally. Set aside.

    In clean skillet, melt butter and saute pierogies according to package directions.

    Top pierogies with caramelized onion mixture before serving.

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    U of I tennis looking for ball runners

    URBANA -- Atkins Tennis Center is looking for ball runners for the University of Illinois home tennis matches. In addition to working the men's and women's matches, the U of I tennis facility will also host the collegiate NCAA tournament.

    Ball runners are needed for the following dates and times:

  • Friday - April 1st at 3pm, Michigan
  • Saturday - April 3rd at Noon, Michigan State
  • Saturday - April 16th, Northwestern
  • Friday - April 22nd at 3pm, Indiana
  • Sunday - April 24th at Noon, Purdue
  • NCAA Tournament May 19-28

    • No experience is necessary, t-shirts will be provided to wear and take home. Ball running is an opportunity to be a part of high-level tennis and on the same court with future professional tennis stars. Kids through between in grades 2 through 8th can sign up here to volunteer.

    For additional information, please email Sadie at spotvin2@illinois.edu or call Atkins Tennis Center at (217) 244-8562.

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    Guest Commentary | At this point we have no choice but to help

    by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

    America has always been good when it comes to helping people and more are on the way.

    Refugees from Ukraine are coming to America, up to 100,000 would be welcomed as recently announced by President Biden. The population of some communities will grow depending on where the federal government places these people.

    Since the passage of the refugee act there are already over 3 million refugees in America. They are located throughout the United States with large populations in some towns and cities.

    A refugee is "a person who is unable to return his or her country of origin because of a well- founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group." A refugee legally resides in the country of resettlement and is eligible for federally funded cash assistance for up to 8 months.

    Refugees are resettled in the United States by the federal government and are afforded specific refugee assistance to help them rebuild their lives in America. This federal funding is limited in both duration and amount. It is important to note that most refugees arrive with very little in terms of possessions, beside a few bags of luggage, and if they are lucky, all of their family members.

    All refugees arriving in the United States are entitled to 8 months of Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) from the date of their U.S. arrival. The RCA amounts vary based on the size of the family: Single person ($230/month), Family of 2 ($363/Month), Family of 3 ($485/month), Family of 4 ($611/month), etc. If a family qualifies for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), offered by the State Department of Health and Human Services, they will not receive RCA funds, but will immediately begin receiving TANF funds, which provide the same amounts of funds as outlined above for families (Refugee or American), yet unlike RCA, there is 5 year time limit to their receipt of funds which can be reviewed and extended depending on need. All TANF recipients must be participating in verified educational courses, volunteer placements, and/or employment searches in order to access these funds.

    The Ukrainian people appear to be hard working people. Once they make it to America I would not be surprised if some of our worker shortage will start to disappear. These people have nothing. If you still want a job you probably should take one and go to work.

    At this point, we have no choice but to help these people as the economy and infrastructure of the countries surrounding Ukraine cannot absorb them all.

    Can you imagine if Russia and China combined to attack America? What if we had to run to Canada to survive? We would appreciate anything anybody would do to help us.


    -----------------------------------------------------------

    Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of Grandpa's Store, American Issues, and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.

    -----------------------------------------------------------

    This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Sentinel. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.


    -----------------------------------------------------------
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    CDC’s latest guidelines on Covid risk and masking sends confusing message to Americans

    by Colleen DeGuzman, Kaiser Health News
    A shopper checks the quality of a pineapple at the supermarket. Most people have become increasingly more comfortable shopping and attending live events around the country thanks largely to the CDC's guidelines. Yet, a poll in February suggests that 49% of the population still has concerns about the relaxed public health guidance.
    Photo: Anna Shvets/Pexels
    When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month unveiled updated covid-19 guidelines that relaxed masking recommendations, some people no doubt sighed in relief and thought it was about time.

    People have become increasingly comfortable being out shopping, attending live events, or meeting up with friends at restaurants. And many are ready to cast aside their masks.

    Still, a recent KFF poll pointed to an underlying tension. Just as a large swath of the American public, 62%, said that the worst of the pandemic was behind us, nearly half were worried about easing covid-related restrictions — like indoor masking — too soon. The poll, conducted in February, found that 49% of adults were either "very worried" or "somewhat worried" that lifting pandemic restrictions would cause more virus-related deaths in their communities. About 50% were "not too worried" or "not at all worried" that death tolls would rise in their communities.

    The CDC’s move triggered some of the same mixed feelings from the public that the poll uncovered and laid bare a split within the health care community.

    On the one hand, there’s applause.

    The CDC’s protocol change is an indicator that the nation is approaching a "transition from the pandemic phase to an endemic phase," said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. Rather than pushing messages of prevention, Benjamin said, the agency is changing its focus to monitoring for spikes of infection.

    On the other hand, there is criticism — and worry, too.

    "When I hear about relaxing regulations," said Dr. Benjamin Neuman, a Texas A&M University professor and chief virologist at its Global Health Research Complex, "it sounds a lot like people giving up. And we’re not there yet, and it’s a little bit heartbreaking and a little bit hair-pulling."

    What Are the New Guidelines, and How Are They Different?

    Before the update, the CDC considered a community at substantial or high risk if it had had an infection rate of 50 or more new cases for every 100,000 residents in the previous week.

    According to the agency’s new community-based guidance, risk levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking — over a seven-day period — at three factors: the number of new covid cases in an area, the share of hospital beds being used, and hospital admissions.

    This change had a profound impact on how covid risk was measured across the country. For example, the day before the CDC announced the new guidelines, 95% of the nation’s counties were considered areas of substantial or high risk. Now, just 14% of counties fall into the high-risk category, according to the agency.

    The CDC doesn’t make specific mask recommendations for areas at low risk. For areas classified as medium risk, people who have other health problems or are immunocompromised are urged to speak to their health care provider about whether they should mask up and take other precautions. In areas deemed to be high risk, residents are urged to wear masks in indoor public spaces.

    "This more stratified approach with this combination of those factors gives us a better level of understanding of covid-19’s impact on our communities," said Keri Althoff, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Specifically, the impact of severe disease and death."

    But people shouldn’t get rid of their masks yet, she said. Even as the nation’s infection rates fall, the virus continues to spread on a global scale. "We have to fully recognize that there are so many people on this Earth who are unvaccinated internationally, and this is where the variants come from," Althoff said.

    Roses and Thorns From Experts

    The same week the CDC rolled out its new guidelines, it reported a national seven-day average of about 71,000 new covid cases, along with 5,400 hospital admissions. Around 2,000 people were dying because of the disease every day.

    It’s numbers like these that led some public health experts to question the CDC’s timing.

    "I think we have prematurely opened and prematurely unmasked so many times at this point, followed by remasking and reclosing and just seeing our hospitals absolutely swamped, that I don’t really trust this," said Texas A&M’s Neuman.

    Health News on The Sentinel

    There have been "too many times," he said, when the CDC has put down its guard and the virus came back stronger. "We’re basically taking our foot off the accelerator in terms of what we’re doing to slow down the virus, and that just means that there will be more virus going around and it’s going to keep swirling around," he said.

    The CDC’s goal for easing mask mandates, Neuman speculated, was to create regulations that are more appealing and easier for people to abide by, because "it’s hard to sell prudence as something really attractive." Plus, public health officials need to have a program that the entire country can follow, he said. The battle against the virus can’t be won with policies "that people follow in blue states but not in red states," he added, "because the virus is very much a collective risk."

    There also are questions about how effective the new approach is at signaling when risk is increasing.

    Joshua Salomon, a professor of health policy at Stanford University’s medical school, said that although the CDC designed its new guidance to incorporate a stronger indicator of surges, it has "a very late trigger."

    Salomon, along with Alyssa Bilinski, an assistant professor of health policy at Brown University, looked into the delta and omicron surges and found that a rough rule of thumb during that period was that 21 days after most states rose to the high-risk level, the death rate hit three people for every million. That equals about 1,000 deaths a day at a national level.

    The updated CDC guidance "is intended to provide a sort of warning that states are entering a period in which severe outcomes are expected," he said. But the new approach would not sound that alarm until death rates were already reaching that "quite high" mark.

    Others, though, point to another set of numbers. They say that with 65% of Americans fully vaccinated and 44% boosted as of March 8, relaxing covid protocols is the right decision.

    The new strategy is forward-looking and continues to measure and track the virus’s spread, said the APHA’s Benjamin. "It allows a way to scale up and scale back the response."

    Since the guidelines are based on seven-day averages, he added, they are a good way to monitor communities’ risk levels and gauge which set of mandates is appropriate. "So if a community goes from green to yellow to red," he said, referring to the CDC’s color-coded map that tracks counties’ covid levels, "that community will then need to modify its practices based on the prevalence of disease there."

    The guidelines, Benjamin said, are "scientifically sound, they’re practical." Over time, he added, more communities will move into the low and moderate categories. "The truth of the matter is that you just cannot keep people in the emergency state forever," he continued. "And this is never going to get to zero risk. … [Covid’s] going to be around, and so we’re going to have to learn to live with it."

    What About Those Who Are Not Eligible for a Vaccine or Are Immunocompromised?

    The CDC’s relaxed recommendations do not prevent anyone from wearing a mask. But for millions of Americans who are immunocompromised or too young to receive a vaccine, less masking means a loss of a line of defense for their health in public spaces.

    Children younger than 5 are not eligible to receive a vaccine yet, and people who are immunocompromised and are susceptible to more severe cases of the disease include cancer patients undergoing active treatment and organ transplant recipients. People living with chronic illnesses or disabilities are also vulnerable.

    "You only have control of so much," Neuman said. "And if you’re exposed to enough of the virus and you’re doing all the right things, you can still sometimes end up with a bad result."

    Masks are most effective when everyone in a room is wearing one, Neuman added, but the new mandate is similar "to victim-blaming — basically saying, ‘You have a problem and so here’s the extra burden to go with your problem.’"

    KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

    Subscribe to KHN's free Morning Briefing.

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    Prep Sports Notebook: Rockets blank Comets in first home game of the season

    Three home runs power Unity over Oakwood

    Hailey Flesch, Reece Sarver, and Ruby Tarr hit one home run apiece in the bottom of the third inning to lead Unity past Oakwood 18-0 on Monday.

    With the Rockets already up 15-0, Tarr's three-run bell-ringer was the icing on the cake in the non-conference victory.

    Attention high school coaches

    We need your help covering your team this spring to help keep fans, college recruiters, and area readers informed. Send us your game or meet results for our Prep Sports Notebook and weekly stats leaders for our All-Area team selection at the conclusion of the season.

    If you are a coach at Unity, Urbana Uni-High, Urbana High School or St. Joseph-Ogden, the best way to send us box scores and other info is via email to sports@oursentinel.com or editor@oursentinel.com.

    Do you have a player on the verge of breaking a school record, signing an LOI, or have a story idea? Don't hesitate to email us.


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    4th Covid shot approved for immunocompromised and those 50 & over

    American Heart Association

    Dallas, TX -- Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved the use of a second COVID-19 booster shot for adults over age 50 and certain immunocompromised individuals, including heart transplant patients. While not issuing a direct recommendation, the agencies instead issued emergency authorization for a fourth shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to provide additional protection against the coronavirus and its variants for certain people. The American Heart Association continues to align with guidance from the CDC, the nation’s pandemic control experts, and supports the use of this fourth shot, as indicated.

    Health News on The Sentinel

    According to the CDC, the additional booster should be given at least four months after the initial booster. There is still little research on the use of a fourth dose of the vaccine, however, emerging evidence finds the effectiveness against COVID-19 and its variants may start to diminish three to six months after receipt of an initial booster dose.

    The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, a global force for longer, healthier lives for all, remains concerned about the continuing gaps in COVID-19 vaccination among people from all eligible age groups in the U.S., including people from diverse racial and ethnic groups and pregnant people.

    "Individuals eligible for COVID vaccination who are not yet fully immunized are urged get the series of vaccines at least up through the first booster. People who are eligible for the second booster should call their clinical care office to discuss the need for a second booster," said American Heart Association volunteer President Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Sc.M., FAHA, chair of the department of preventive medicine, the Eileen M. Foell Professor of Heart Research and professor of preventive medicine, medicine and pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "It is also important to ensure you are up to date on controlling other health issues including any cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, that can put you at increased risk for heart disease, stroke and COVID-19."

    For more information on COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease, visit www.heart.org/covid19.

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