Santa Barbara beats cross-town rival
They love their pets
Dons defeat Royals in golf, Carpinteria wins in water polo and tennis. See Sports Roundup A3
Artists pose with their dogs for Westmont exhibit and book - B1
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Alisal Fire at 41% containment Progress made in fighting five-day blaze, which has burned nearly 17,000 acres
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Above left, a helicopter makes a water drop near the Gaviota Coast in an effort to fight the ongoing Alisal Fire. Above right, the sun set behind the mountains above Refugio Canyon Thursday night as the Alisal Fire continued to burn near the Gaviota Cast.
By MADISON HIRNEISEN
A DC-10 air tanker drops fire retardant on the hills above Mariposa Reina on Friday.
Crews continued to battle the blaze that fire officials say is largely wind-driven.
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Alisal Fire burned nearly 17,000 acres as of Friday evening and was 41% contained as of press time. Crews continued to battle the blaze that fire officials say is largely wind-driven. Los Padres National Forest officials reported Friday afternoon that the fire area “did not get good recovery” overnight and officials saw an increase in activity and smoke production during the day. The evacuation order for residences along Arroyo Quemada Lane and the evacuation warning for the area east of El Capitan Beach Park, west of Dos Pueblos Canyon Road and south of West
Camino Cielo were canceled Friday evening. The evacuation order remained in effect for Arroyo Hondo Canyon, Refugio Canyon, and the area between El Capitan Beach State Park and West Camino Cielo as of press time Friday. The evacuation warning was still in effect for the area west of Highway 101, which includes Gaviota Beach and Hollister Ranch. More than 1,700 personnel assigned to the fire worked to secure its eastern edge near the Sherpa Fire burn scar on Friday,
while also addressing the western portion of the fire near the Cañada San Onofre. Crews battled winds of up to 20 mph throughout the day Friday, and officials anticipate that warmer temperatures, decreased humidity and downsloping winds could impact fire behavior and activity over the next few days. Officials continued to attack the fire from the air on Friday, deploying 20 aircraft spraying flame retardant and water in conjunction with ground resources, according to Kristen Allison, a public Please see FIRE on A2
FDA advisers unanimously recommend J&J booster shot By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A panel of vaccine advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously Friday to recommend a booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to everyone over the age of 18 who got the first shot at least two months ago. The recommendation, which will go before the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prior to authorization, could pave the way for nearly 14 million Americans who received the J&J to get a booster shot. According to data from the CDC, about 15 million Americans have received the J&J to date. Of those, nearly 91% received the vaccine more than two months ago. The recommendation for the J&J booster came just one day after advisers recommended that the FDA authorize a reduced dose booster shot of the Moderna vaccine for people over the age
of 65 and younger adults with underlying health conditions or occupational risks six months after receiving the two-dose series. The recommendation for both shots will now be passed on for review by the FDA. Then the CDC’s vaccine advisors will be asked to review the data and recommendations before CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walenksy stamps final authorization. During Friday’s meeting, advisers considered study data submitted by Johnson & Johnson that showed a booster shot brings protection levels up to 94%, which is comparable to the efficacy shown in the Moderna and Pfizer when they were first given. In addition to the study data, Johnson & Johnson also presented a research letter that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Friday as part of its request for emergencyuse authorization of its booster dose. The letter detailed an in-depth
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“Regardless of whether or not (there’s) been waning or this is the true effectiveness after a single dose, the effectiveness or protection of a single dose of the J&J vaccine is not equivalent to protection at this time with either two doses of an mRNA vaccine and certainly not in those groups who have now been authorized to receive a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine,” Dr. Amanda Cohn of the CDC said Friday. The FDA advisers said Friday they did not see any evidence of serious safety concerns with the J&J booster, though they acknowledged that the panel did not have enough time to independently review all of the data that the company submitted in its authorization application. The FDA’s top official, acting commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock, is expected to issue the agency’s final determination on whether to authorize boosters within the next few days. Typically, the FDA follows its advisory panel’s recommendation.
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
An FDA advisory committee voted Friday to recommend a booster shot of the Johson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
After this authorization is declared, the recommendation will move to the CDC, whose advisers are expected to discuss
the Moderna and J&J booster next Thursday and Friday. email: mhirneisen@newspress.com
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overview of the three vaccines currently available in the U.S. — Pfizer, Moderna and J&J. According to national reports, the research reveals that Pfizer’s peak antibody response occurs at two weeks and then sharply declines by six months, and Moderna’s vaccine elicits higher neutralizing antibody response than Pfizer’s but also drops dramatically around eight months. Johnson & Johnson, on the other hand, did not produce a high antibody response when first given, but its response did not wane over time. The study notes that it’s not clear about what this means in terms of protection from infection and says more information is needed about which antibody responses correspond with real-life disease protection. A number of FDA advisers agreed Friday that a booster shot was needed because the J&J vaccine has been proven to provide less protection than the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A6
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-14-21-37-40 Mega: 23
Friday’s DAILY 4: 8-9-8-4
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 3-20-31-34-65 Mega: 18
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 8-13-16-21-24
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 11-02-07 Time: 1:42.59
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 23-29-47-59-60 Meganumber: 15
Friday’s DAILY 3: 4-3-0 / Midday 6-9-9