Fauci: Boosters aren't a luxury

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm healthcare editor Leah Rosenbaum, and today in healthcare news:

• Dr. Fauci said in a recent interview that booster shots aren't a luxury; 
• The Delta variant has caused the vast majority of COVID-19 cases worldwide over the last two months;
• A second American has come down with a rare disease called monkeypox.

If you're new to this newsletter, sign up here. Comments, tips? Email me at lrosenbaum@insider.com or tweet @leah_rosenbaum. Let's get to it... 

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Dr. Richard Schwartz celebrates after receiving his COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine booster on October 6, 2021.

Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Dr. Fauci says 'a booster isn't a luxury' — think of it as the final step in your COVID-19 vaccine regimen

• Dr. Fauci predicts that Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may, one day, be considered three shot vaccinations. 
• That's because the immune system learns better when shots are spaced several months apart.
• It's possible that "we're not going to see an absolute need to reboost every several months" after that, he said. 

Read more now>>

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A man receives a nasal swab COVID-19 test at Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport .

Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Delta variant was detected on 99.7% of sequenced tests worldwide in the past 60 days

• Of almost 800,000 sequences collected in the last 60 days, 99.7% were Delta, a WHO report said. 
• Delta is highly infectious and has mutations that help it avoid the immune response.
• It was first detected in India in October 2020 and has since spread to at least 166 countries.

Check it out>>

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Pox viruses are oval shaped, and they're typically characterized by bumpy lesions and flulike symptoms.

Roger Harris/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

A second American has come down with monkeypox, a rare virus that causes pus-filled boils

• A US resident got monkeypox after returning from Nigeria to Maryland.
• A similar but separate case was reported in Dallas in July.
• Monkeypox is rare but can be deadly, so the CDC has urged vigilance around pox-like lesions.

Dive in>>

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More stories we're reading:

• Fauci says COVID-19 cases need to fall below 10,000 per day for a 'degree of normality,' as daily cases reach 85,000 (Insider)
• Drug overdose deaths have reached an all-time high in America (The Wall Street Journal)
• Antibody tests can show whether you need a COVID-19 booster shot, some experts say — but the FDA disagrees (Insider)
• School districts invested in air purifying systems, but they may not have worked as expected (Axios) 

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-Leah

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