GENEVA, July 30 (Reuters) – The world is at risk of losing hard-won gains in fighting COVID-19 as the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads, but WHO-approved vaccines remain effective, the World Health Organization said on Friday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described the Delta variant of the coronavirus as being as transmissible as chickenpox and cautioned it could cause severe disease, the Washington Post said, citing an internal CDC document.
COVID-19 infections have increased by 80% over the past four weeks in most regions of the world, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Deaths in Africa – where only 1.5% of the population is vaccinated – rose by 80% over the same period. “Hard-won gains are in jeopardy or being lost, and health systems in many countries are being overwhelmed,” Tedros told a news conference. The Delta variant has been detected in 132 countries, becoming the dominant global strain, according to the WHO. “The vaccines that are currently approved by the WHO all provide significant protection against severe disease and hospitalisation from all the variants, including the Delta variant,” said WHO’s top emergency expert, Mike Ryan. “We are fighting the same virus but a virus that has become faster and better adapted to transmitting amongst us humans, that’s the change,” he said. Maria van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, said the Delta variant was the most easily spread so far, about 50% more transmissible than ancestral strains of SARS-CoV-2 that first emerged in China in late 2019. Japan said on Friday it would expand states of emergency to three prefectures near Olympic host city Tokyo and the western prefecture of Osaka, as COVID-19 cases spike in the capital and around the country, overshadowing the Summer Games. Ryan noted that Tokyo had recorded more than 3,000 cases in the past 24 hours, among some 10,000 new infections in Japan. “The Olympics is a part of that overall context and the risk management that is place around the Olympics is extremely comprehensive,” he said.
July 31 (Reuters) – The Olympics host city Tokyo, as well as Thailand and Malaysia, announced a record number of COVID-19 infections on Saturday, mostly driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the disease. Cases surged in Sydney as well, where police cordoned off the central business district to prevent a protest against a strict lockdown that will last until the end of August. Police closed train stations, banned taxis from dropping passengers off downtown and deployed 1,000 officers to set up checkpoints and to disperse groups. The government of New South Wales reported 210 new infections in Sydney and surrounding areas from the Delta variant outbreak. Tokyo’s metropolitan government announced a record number of 4,058 infections in the past 24 hours, topping 4,000 for the first time. Olympics organisers reported 21 new COVID-19 cases related to the Games, bringing the total to 241 since July 1. The record comes a day after Japan extended its state of emergency for Tokyo to the end of August, expanding it to three prefectures near Tokyo and the western prefecture of Osaka in light of the recent spike in infections. Olympics organisers said on Saturday they had revoked accreditation of a Games-related person or people for leaving the athletes’ village for sightseeing, a violation of measures imposed to hold the Olympics safely amid the pandemic. The organisers did not disclose how many people had their accreditation revoked, if the person or people involved were athletes, or when the violation took place. read more Malaysia, one of the hotspots of the disease, reported 17,786 coronavirus cases on Saturday, a record number of infections. More than 100 people gathered in the centre of the capital Kuala Lumpur, expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the pandemic and calling on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to quit. Protesters carried black flags and held up placards that read “Kerajaan Gagal” (failed government) – a hashtag that has been popular on social media for months. Thailand reported a daily record of 18,912 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total accumulated cases to 597,287. The country also reported 178 new deaths, also a daily record, taking total fatalities to 4,857. The government said the Delta variant accounted for more than 60% of the cases in the country and 80% of the cases in Bangkok. The Delta variant is not necessarily more lethal than other variants, but much more transmissible, Supakit Sirilak, the director-general of the Medical Science Department, told Reuters. China is also battling an outbreak of the Delta variant in the eastern city of Nanjing, traced to airport cleaners who worked on a flight from Russia. COVID-19 infections have increased by 80% over the past four weeks in most regions of the world, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday. “Hard-won gains are in jeopardy or being lost, and health systems in many countries are being overwhelmed,” Tedros told a news conference. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control said the variant, first detected in India and now dominant across the globe, is as contagious as chickenpox and far more contagious than the common cold or flu. It can be passed on even by vaccinated people, and may cause more serious disease than earlier coronavirus strains.
Of new COVID-19 cases on Cape Cod, 74% have been among fully vaccinated people, according to a report issued Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Testing indicated the delta variant of the virus accounted for 90% of specimens from 133 patients, the report indicated. New cases have been recorded in Barnstable County, particularly in Provincetown, this month. The CDC in its report said that 469 cases of COVID-19 have been associated with multiple summer events and large public gatherings in a town in Barnstable County. “Persons with COVID-19 reported attending densely packed indoor and outdoor events at venues that included bars, restaurants, guest houses, and rental homes,” the report read. On July 3, the state Department of Public Health reported a 14-day average COVID-19 incidence of zero cases per 100,000 persons per day in residents of the town in Barnstable County. By July 17, that average increased to 177 cases per 100,000 persons per day. Among the 469 cases in Massachusetts residents, 301 (87%) were male, with a median age of 42, the CDC said. Vaccines received by those with breakthrough infections were Pfizer-BioNTech (159; 46%), Moderna (131; 38%), and Janssen (56; 16%), the report indicated. The most common signs or symptoms of those with breakthrough cases were cough, headache, sore throat, myalgia and fever. Overall, 274 vaccinated patients with breakthrough infections were symptomatic. Among five patients who were hospitalized with the virus, four were fully vaccinated, the CDC said. No deaths were reported. As of Friday, Provincetown Town Manager Alex Morse said there have been 220 cases among town residents, including 103 active cases. Of the total cases, 73% are among vaccinated individuals and 89% are men with a median age of 39. The CDC suggested that jurisdictions consider prevention strategies like wearing masks in indoor public settings, particularly during large public gatherings. “The delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmissible,” the CDC report read, “vaccination is the most important strategy to prevent severe illness and death.”
Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, warned on Friday that the number of newly registered COVID-19 cases and deaths continues to climb in numerous countries across the globe. Commenting on new coronavirus variants, Dr. Tedros argued there will be more versions of the virus as long as the spreading lasts. “Hard-won gains in fighting COVID-19 are being lost,” he insisted at WHO’s press briefing. Dr. Tedros concluded by reiterating that the WHO’s goal remains to support every country to vaccinate at least 40% of its population by the end of the year and 70% by the middle of 2022.
Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, warned on Friday that the number of newly registered COVID-19 cases and deaths continues to climb in numerous countries across the globe. Commenting on new coronavirus variants, Dr. Tedros argued there will be more versions of the virus as long as the spreading lasts. “Hard-won gains in fighting COVID-19 are being lost,” he insisted at WHO’s press briefing. Dr. Tedros concluded by reiterating that the WHO’s goal remains to support every country to vaccinate at least 40% of its population by the end of the year and 70% by the middle of 2022.
July 30 (Reuters) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described the Delta variant of the coronavirus to be as contagious as chickenpox and could cause severe illness, the New York Times reported, citing an internal CDC document.
The variant was also more likely to break through protections afforded by the vaccines, the report said, adding that the agency’s reverse course on masking guidelines for fully vaccinated Americans on Tuesday was based on this document.
However, CDC’s figures show that the vaccines are highly effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death in vaccinated people, the report said, citing experts.
New research showed the vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant carried tremendous amounts of the virus in the nose and throat, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told the Times.
The Delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu and smallpox, the report said.
The immediate next step for the agency is to “acknowledge the war has changed,” the report cited the document as saying. CDC is expected to publish additional data on the variant on Friday, the NYT said.
The agency on Thursday announced that fully vaccinated individuals can ditch their masks in most settings, but some public health experts raised concerns about how to prove vaccination. The CDC on Thursday announced that fully vaccinated individuals can ditch their masks and social distancing indoors and outdoors in most settings. Masks must still be worn “where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance,” according to the guidance. There are also exceptions for correctional facilities and homeless shelters, and people who are immune compromised should speak to their doctors before abandoning their masks. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky cited declining coronavirus cases, increasing vaccine supply and emerging data on the performance of vaccines as reasons for the guidance change. States including North Carolina, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Kentucky, Washington and Kansas all announced changes to their mandates following the CDC guidance. “Today is a great day,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper tweeted Thursday as he lifted most mandatory mask requirements for his state. “But the work is not yet done and people getting vaccinated will get it done. The CDC’s guidance affirms that getting vaccinated is the way through this. We can take this step today because the science shows our focus on getting people vaccinated is working.” But some public health experts were left with questions and concerns about unvaccinated people abandoning their masks. According to CDC data, just over 36% of Americans are fully vaccinated. “On one hand, people may feel more incentivized to get the vaccine if they see that by getting the vaccine, they no longer have to wear a mask and can resume pre-pandemic activities,” Rupali J. Limaye of Johns Hopkins University said in a statement. “On the other hand, it may not be enough of an incentive to get the vaccine, and may signal to people that they can go maskless while being unvaccinated, as there is no way to know who is vaccinated and who is not.” “This could lead to a situation where those that are unvaccinated may be maskless in settings where there are other unvaccinated individuals, leading to higher risk of exposure,” she continued. Leana Wen, a visiting professor at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, wrote in an opinion piece for The Washington Post that the CDC “has gone from one extreme to the other, from over-caution to throwing caution to the wind.” She said that the new guidance “would be very welcome if not for one big problem: There is no concurrent requirement for proof of vaccination.” Leading infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci acknowledged that “you’re going to be depending on people being honest enough to say whether they were vaccinated or not and responsible enough to be wearing … a mask, not only for their own protection but also for the protection of others.” The federal government has repeatedly said it will not require vaccine passports or similar certifications. But beyond concerns about putting trust in the public, questions swirled on the guidance. Could a fully vaccinated workforce go back to the office without wearing masks and social distancing? Should private businesses like grocery stores that currently implement mask mandates follow CDC guidance and shed the requirements for vaccinated people, or would that risk workers facing retaliation for implementing vaccine policing? The United Food and Commercial Workers, America’s largest union for front-line retail and grocery workers, criticized the guidance, calling it “confusing” and accusing the agency of failing “to consider how it will impact essential workers who face frequent exposure to individuals who are not vaccinated and refuse to wear masks.” Fauci told CNN that while some businesses might choose to require proof of vaccination, he does not suggest policing behaviors. “People feel very put upon if you are essentially judging them on the basis of whether they have been vaccinated,” Fauci added. “I think there is going to be a pushback against questioning somebody when they walk in.” And what about parents who are vaccinated who have young children who aren’t eligible for the shot yet – how will they convince the youngsters to keep their masks on as more and more people go without them? Fauci told CNN that children still need to wear masks “when they’re out there playing with their friends and, you know, particularly in an indoor situation.” Elementary school-aged children likely won’t be vaccinated until the end of the year, according to Fauci. That leaves parents to navigate starting the school year without vaccinations for their youngest kids, and both Walensky and Fauci have supported the idea of all schools holding in-person education five days a week by the fall.
July 29 (Reuters) – Mastercard Inc reported a nearly 36% jump in second quarter profit on Thursday, helped by an improvement in overall spending and a recovery in cross-border volumes. Net income, excluding exceptional items, rose to $1.9 billion, or $1.95 per share, from $1.4 billion, or $1.36 per share a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected a profit of $1.75 per share, according to Refinitiv IBES data.
Twitter is re-closing its New York and San Francisco offices shortly after they reopened, the company said Wednesday. The announcement comes amid a spike in COVID-19 cases due in large part to soaring Delta variant cases and rampant anti-vaccination sentiment. Many companies are slowing down their reopenings due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidelines that recommend masks indoors even for people who’ve received one of the vaccinations. “After careful consideration of the CDC’s updated guidelines, and in light of current conditions, Twitter has made the decision to close our opened offices in New York and San Francisco as well as pause future reopenings, effective immediately,” Twitter said, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. The social media company had just reopened the offices two weeks ago, the Chronicle said. Twitter was one of many tech companies to announce it was allowing workers to work remotely indefinitely. Google announced Wednesday it was pushing back its reopening until at least October and requiring employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The CDC stopped monitoring non-severe COVID-19 cases among vaccinated people in May.
It’s hard to assess Delta’s risk without knowing what mild breakthrough cases look like – or whether they’re becoming more common.
Vaccines still seem highly effective against the variant, though.
It was great news: From January to April, just 0.01% of vaccinated Americans – around 10,000 out of 100 million people – got breakthrough infections, or cases of COVID-19 diagnosed after they were fully immunized. That’s according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also indicated that certain coronavirus variants were to blame for most of these breakthrough cases. However, the CDC only had genetic sequencing for around 5% of the post-vaccine infections, and the report didn’t include data about the Delta variant. That strain, first detected in the US in March, might pose the greatest challenge to vaccine efficacy. But before more data could be collected to answer these lingering questions, the CDC stopped tracking breakthrough infections that resulted in asymptomatic, mild, or moderate cases. Since May 1, the agency has only reported and investigated coronavirus infections among vaccinated people that resulted in hospitalization or death. Sequencing efforts in the US haven’t ramped up much, either: The country is still only sequencing about 1.4% of its coronavirus cases, according to data from GISAID, a global database that collects coronavirus genomes.
That means it’s difficult to tell exactly how much of a risk the Delta variant poses to vaccinated people. Researchers still don’t know whether Delta makes breakthrough cases more common, or what the typical symptoms of a breakthrough infection caused by Delta look like.
As a result, vaccinated people may have a hard time weighing the risks of returning to normal social activities or knowing what to expect should they develop a rare breakthrough case.
In a recent blog post for Harvard Health Publishing, Robert Shmerling, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, called the CDC’s decision not to track all breakthrough cases “surprising” and “disappointing.”
“By tracking only cases requiring hospitalization or causing death, we may miss the chance to learn how people with ‘milder’ disease are affected by Delta or other variant infections, such as how long their symptoms last and how the infection may disrupt their lives,” Shmerling told Insider. He added that the US could also miss important information about which vaccines are most effective against Delta, how long vaccine protection against the variant lasts, and whether the timing of a second vaccine dose might determine one’s likelihood of a breakthrough case. The CDC told Insider that in a substantial proportion of reported breakthrough cases, data on symptoms is missing, “which is one reason why CDC is publicly reporting hospitalized and fatal cases.” The agency added that its Emerging Infections Program is still working with nine states to obtain sequencing data from breakthrough cases – including asymptomatic and mild ones. So far, data suggests that vaccines hold up extremely well against Delta: Public Health England analyses have found that two doses of Pfizer’s vaccine are 96% effective at preventing hospitalizations in cases involving the variant, and 88% effective at preventing symptomatic illness. Two doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, meanwhile, are around 92% effective at preventing hospitalizations and 60% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 from Delta. Moderna announced on Tuesday that its vaccine is also highly effective against Delta based on lab studies, though the efficacy was slightly diminished compared to the original strain. And South African researchers recently found that among people who’d received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 94% of breakthrough infections were mild – including those caused by Delta. However, Public Health England found that one shot of either Pfizer’s or AstraZeneca’s vaccines was just 33% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 from Delta. Israeli health officials also reported last week that as many as half of new COVID-19 cases in Israel are among vaccinated people, with the majority of cases being driven by the Delta variant. (However, vaccinated people in Israel appeared to develop milder cases than unvaccinated people.) Shmerling said that finding out which variants are responsible for most breakthrough cases – whether it’s Delta or another strain – could help vaccine manufacturers learn whether they need to modify their current shots or roll out boosters more quickly. “It’s possible that tracking the severe cases would give us enough information about which variants are responsible for most breakthrough infections,” he said. “But, again, the more we know about all breakthrough cases, the better we’ll understand how they occur.”