Michael De Lucca, president, Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc.
Last week: Last Sunday, Richard Branson and five crew members reached the edge of space and returned to Earth on a Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. rocket plane. On board were pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci; both have flown to space on previous flights. They crossed one threshold of space, climbing 53.5 miles above Earth’s surface, and had approximately three minutes of weightlessness before plunging back into the atmosphere to land in Virgin’s New Mexico launch site. This launch marked Unity’s 22nd test flight, its fourth trip to space, Virgin’s first with a six-person crew on board, and the first for Branson.
Looking ahead: The CDC, FDA and NIH recently released a statement regarding COVID-19 vaccine boosters. At this time, Americans who have been fully vaccinated don’t need a booster shot. These companies are constantly following laboratory, clinical and cohort data to identify when a booster shot would be necessary to distribute to the public. They’re fully prepared for booster doses if and when the science demonstrates they’re needed. The vaccine has proven to protect people from severe disease and death, including the new variants circulating around. For anyone not vaccinated, it’s encouraged to get vaccinated to help protect themselves and their community.
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