COVID News: CDC says 4th dose may be needed for immunocompromised people

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The CDC is now signaling that some people may need a fourth vaccine shot.

According to the CDC's website, people whose immune system is compromised and have already gotten a booster shot may need a fourth dose six months later.

Medical conditions and treatments can make it harder for immunocompromised people to build immunity.

Here are more of today's COVID-19 headlines:

FDNY unions plan to protest vaccine mandate outside Gracie Mansion

With 48 hours to go before the vaccine mandate deadline for all NYC municipal workers, the union leaders representing New York's Bravest sent a clear message.

They oppose the mayor's order and they will express that opposition with a major rally outside Gracie Mansion on Thursday.

Excessive drinking during pandemic leading to spike in liver transplants

People have been drinking more during the pandemic, leading to a huge spike in the need for liver transplants.

Researchers say those receiving transplants or on a wait list due to alcoholic hepatitis went up 50% higher than what was predicted.

Alcoholic hepatitis causes the liver to stop processing alcohol, which could lead to irreversible liver damage. It normally takes years of heavy drinking to prompt this condition, but it can also happen after a short period of excess.

Court hears arguments on nurses' vaccine mandate challenge

The Constitution of the United States does not require healthcare employers to allow religious exemptions to New York's vaccine mandate, the state argued Wednesday as it sought to overturn a lower court's injunction.

"This is not hostility to religion," Steven Wu of the New York Attorney General's office argued before a three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals. "This is a neutral, generally applicable law that is sustained under the Free Exercise clause even if it does impose some burdens."

17 healthcare workers who are mainly Catholic said they could not consent to COVID-19 vaccines "tested, developed or produced with fetal cell lines derived from procured abortions" but the judges noted the rubella vaccine, also created from fetal cell lines, has faced no similar objections.

Immunocompromised may need 4th dose of COVID vaccine: CDC

People with certain health conditions that make them moderately or severely immunocompromised may get a fourth mRNA COVID-19 shot, according to updated guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC authorized a third dose for certain immunocompromised people 18 and older in August. It said a third dose, rather than a booster -- the CDC makes a distinction between the two -- was necessary because the immunocompromised may not have had a complete immune response from the first two doses.

CDC extends cruise ship COVID rules until mid-January

Federal health officials extended for nearly three more months its rules that cruise ships must follow to sail during the pandemic.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the extension makes only "minor modifications" to rules already in effect. The agency said that after Jan. 15, it plans to move to a voluntary program for cruise companies to detect and control the spread of COVID-19 on their ships.

Stamford, CT lifts indoor mask mandate

Stamford, Connecticut has lifted its indoor mask mandate, effectively immediately. Mayor David Martin announced the change Tuesday, citing a steady decline in Covid-19 cases. "The use of masks over the past few months has served to significantly decrease the spread of this virus in Stamford," Martin said in a statement. "In lieu of mandatory masks, residents should practice reasonable safety precautions and social distance when possible."

Assemblyman Ron Kim's mother dies from coronavirus complications

Assemblyman Ron Kim announced Tuesday that his mother, 68-year-old Sun Hee Kim, died from complications to COVID-19. Kim released the following statement: "After a long battle with breakthrough COVID, my mother passed away peacefully with her family by her side. Like so many immigrant stories, my mother's journey was rife with struggle but one thing always remained: the love and attention she showered over me. I always believed my mother had many more years to dote over our family, which is why this is all so difficult. The idea that my daughters will move through this world without her is utterly heartbreaking. Grief hurts, and it is inside all of us - especially now. I would like to extend that grace to all of you because we're all in it. It can last a lifetime, and that's okay. I will be taking some time to be with my family and start building a life without my mom. We will hold a private service for our family and friends in the coming days.

US details new international COVID travel requirements, including vaccine mandate

Children under 18 and people from dozens of countries with a shortage of vaccines will be exempt from new rules that will require most travelers to the United States be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Biden administration announced.

The government said Monday it will require airlines to collect contact information on passengers regardless of whether they have been vaccinated to help with contact tracing, if that becomes necessary.

FDA vaccine advisers vote to recommend Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11

Vaccine advisers to the FDA voted 17-0 with one abstention Tuesday to recommend Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 11. Vaccine advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted 17-0 with one abstention Tuesday to recommend Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 11. Members of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee agreed that the benefits of vaccinating younger children appeared to outweigh the risks, but some members appeared troubled about voting to vaccinate a large population of younger children based on studies of a few thousand.

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