CDC Recommends Pfizer COVID-19 Booster for Children 5-11 Years of Age

On Tuesday, the FDA authorized the emergency use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster for children 5-11 years of age, with the CDC confirming and recommending the same on Thursday. The recommendation states that the booster shot should be at least 5 months after their primary series. Since the pandemic began, the CDC noted that around 15,000 children have needed hospitalization due to COVID-19, with over 180 deaths from COVID-19. In addition, data presented to the CDC showed that those in this age group had a much lower incidence of myocarditis than teens and young adults. If your child is eligible, please get a booster shot when you can!

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U.S. Households Can Order Another 8 Free At-Home COVID-10 Tests

On Tuesday, the Biden Administration announced that U.S. households can now order an additional eight free at-home COVID-19 tests. Tests can be ordered at https://www.covid.gov/tests and are delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over and cases are rising, and we encourage everyone to order their free tests.

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White Supremacist Kills 10 in Buffalo, NY

Last Saturday, a white 18-year-old man traveled to a predominantly Black community and shot 13 people, killing 10, at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY. 11 of those shot were Black. Based on the available evidence, the mass murder was racially motivated. In a manifesto attributed to the killer, he describes himself as a white supremacist, Nazi, and antisemite. The document heavily references a far-right white nationalist conspiracy theory known as the "Great Replacement," which claims that there is a genocide in progress against white people, via non-white immigration and changing birth rates. The manifesto states that Buffalo was targeted because it has more Black residents than other cities in the area. The killer used a modified semi-automatic rifle, he wore body armor, and had a camera mounted to a helmet that he used to livestream the attack. The killer's gun reportedly had the n-word written on it, and was purchased legally after passing a background check. The suspect had previously been investigated for threatening to kill students in high school, but was not put on any lists that would have stopped him from passing a background check to buy a gun, nor did police remove guns from his possession at the time of the threat. Police confronted the killer, but didn't shoot at him, and he surrendered. He has been charged with first-degree murder, and the FBI is investigating it as a hate crime.

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Anti-Asian Shooting in Dallas

On Tuesday, police in Dallas arrested a man for shooting three women of Korean descent at a hair salon in Dallas' Koreatown on Wednesday, May 11th. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime by the FBI. The alleged shooter, a Black man in his 30s, reportedly has "delusions that the Asian mob is after him or attempting to harm him," according to his girlfriend, and has previously verbally attacked people of Asian descent. She indicated that he had been admitted to multiple mental health facilities due to the delusions.

Anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S. increased from 2020 to 2021, with 12.5% of Asian Americans having experienced a hate crime in 2020, and 15% in 2021, according to survey data from AAPI Data. An increasing number of people blame Asian Americans for COVID-19, as well. According to data from Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the U.S. (STAATUS), 11% of people said that Asian Americans, as a group, are at least partly responsible for COVID-19 in 2021, but that number nearly doubled to 21% in 2022.

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Mass Shooting at Taiwanese Church Being Investigated as Hate Crime

Last Sunday, a man opened fire at a Taiwanese church in Orange County, California, killing one person and injuring five. The suspect, who is an immigrant from China, reportedly targeted Taiwanese people in a politically motivated hate attack, according to authorities. The government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan have been at odds since 1949. The PRC claims ownership of Taiwan, has increased political and military pressure on Taiwan recently, and regularly employs propaganda targeting the island. Many fear that the PRC will invade Taiwan in the near future.

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Coalition Calls for Federal Investigation into Detroit Police Department over Racism and Violence

On Thursday, the Coalition for Police Transparency and Accountability called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the Detroit Police Department for a pattern of racism, killings, and excessive force. The letter includes data and details on a large number of killings by police.

Members of the Coalition include the ACLU of Michigan; Black Legacy Coalition; Detroit and Michigan Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild; Detroit Council of Elders; Detroit Justice Center; Detroit Will Breathe; East Michigan Environmental Action Council; The Hush House Black Community Museum; James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership; Michigan Coalition for Human Rights; Michigan Liberation; Moratorium Now Coalition; National Conference of Black Lawyers, Michigan Chapter; Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit; Riverwise Magazine; Wayne County Criminal Defense Bar Association; We The People of Detroit. The Wayne State University Department of African American Studies, General Baker Institute, Rising Voices, and Michigan Poor People's Campaign joined in the call for intervention by the Department of Justice.

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Increased Risk of COVID-19 Reinfection With Omicron Variants

In a recent paper published in the journal Science, data out of South Africa has shown an increase in cases, particularly during the period of Omicron variant predominance. Of note, this recent surge of cases due to the Omicron variant showed a much greater rate of reinfection in those with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this population-level data, a total of 105,323 individuals out of 2,942,248 confirmed cases were suspected reinfections. This differed from previous waves of COVID-19 infections such as with the Beta and Delta waves, where reinfections were relatively rare.

Several experts have noted that this may be how COVID-19 might be in the future if everything remains the same, with the virus continually evolving and reinfections reoccurring frequently, as shown by some individuals getting reinfected multiple times within a year. With every infection, there is also a chance of developing long COVID as well. Current data does show prior infection provides some immunity, but the safest ways to protect yourself and others is through staying up to date on your vaccinations. The pandemic is not over, and data suggest reinfection is more likely now than before, so also continue to wear good masks and socially distance when possible.

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This Week's QM Round-Up Contributors (in alphabetical order):

    • Wilfredo Flores (he/him/his), PhD in Writing and Rhetoric, M.A. Technical Communication

    • Grey L. Pierce (they/them); M.A., Cognitive Psychology; Chair, Power of We Consortium

    • Francis Yang (he/him/his), M.S.-Global Medicine, Third-year medical student