Over a dozen fully vaccinated doctors have died of Covid-19 in Indonesia, a medical association said Friday, as the Southeast Asian country battles a rash of severe cases in inoculated medical workers and highly infectious new virus strains. Infections have surged in the nation of 270 million people in the past week, passing two million cases on Monday as hospital occupancy rates soared to over 75 percent in Jakarta and other hard-hit areas. Nearly 1,000 Indonesian health workers have died from the virus since the pandemic started, with the country’s medical association confirming Friday that 401 doctors were among the victims — 14 of whom were fully vaccinated. “We are still updating the data and confirming whether the other cases had been vaccinated or not,” the association’s Covid-19 mitigation head Mohammad Adib Khumaidi told journalists. The rise of severe cases in inoculated medical workers has raised questions about the China-produced Sinovac jab, which Indonesia is heavily relying on to vaccinate more than 180 million people by early next year. This month, more than 300 vaccinated doctors and health care workers in Central Java were found to have been infected with Covid-19, with about a dozen hospitalised. The country is also grappling with new virus strains, including the highly infectious Delta variant first identified in India. Clinical symptoms suggest that strain is responsible for a surge in cases in West Java, the medical association’s spokesperson for the province, Eka Mulyana, said. “In West Java, bed occupancy rates have exceeded 90 percent. Some hospitals’ rates are even more than 100 percent,” he told reporters. “At this rate, our health system is close to collapse.” Dozens of communities in Central Java’s Kudus regency were put under lockdown after the Delta variant was detected in local testing samples, causing a sudden spike in virus cases. The surge has been partly blamed on millions travelling from that region across the Muslim-majority nation at the end of Ramadan last month, despite an official ban on the annual migration. The Indonesian medical association’s Kudus representative, Ahmad Ipul Syaifuddin, has said the mass movement of people had made it next to impossible to determine where the surge began. “We have no clue on how to trace and find the first spreader of the Delta cases because the sampling test result came out around three weeks after the mass exodus,” he said. “My sample was among the tested sampling for the Delta variant. I have already recovered and (have) tested negative now, but I still have a cough.”
UK reports 22,868 new cases, highest since January
Delta goes to Europe, First detected, October in India
United Nations/Geneva: The Delta variant of COVID-19, identified in at least 85 countries, is the ‘most transmissible’ of the variants identified so far and is spreading rapidly among unvaccinated populations, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned. “I know that globally there is currently a lot of concern about the Delta variant, and the WHO is concerned about it too,’ Director-General Ghebreyesus said at a WHO press briefing on Friday. The Delta variant was first identified in India. ‘Delta is the most transmissible of the variants identified so far, has been identified in at least 85 countries, and is spreading rapidly among unvaccinated populations,’ he said in Geneva.
He noted with concern that as some countries ease public health and social measures, ‘we are starting to see increases in transmission around the world.
‘More cases means more hospitalisations, further stretching health workers and health systems, which increases the risk of death,’ he said. While pointing out that new COVID-19 variants are expected and will continue to be reported, ‘that’s what viruses do, they evolve – but we can prevent the emergence of variants by preventing transmission.’ In a strong warning, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 Technical Lead at the WHO said the Delta variant is a ‘dangerous” virus and is more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which was itself extremely transmissible across Europe and any country that it entered. ‘The Delta variant is even more transmissible,’ she said, adding that the WHO is seeing trajectories of incidents that are almost ‘vertical” in a number of countries around the world. Many European countries are witnessing a decline in cases but there are a lot of events happening across the region, including large sporting or religious events ‘or even backyard barbecues.’ ‘All of these actions have consequences and the Delta variant is spreading readily among people who are unvaccinated,’ Kerkhove said. While some countries have high percentages of people who are vaccinated, yet the entire population of those nations is not yet vaccinated and many people have not received their second dose or the full course of dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, she said. Kerkhove underlined that COVID-19 vaccines are “incredibly effective’ at preventing severe disease and death, including against the Delta variant. ‘The virus will continue to evolve. And right now our public health and social measures work, our vaccines work,’ the diagnostics work and the therapeutics work. ‘But there may be a time where this virus evolves and these countermeasures don’t. So we need some kind of movement to pull ourselves together to drive transmission down and keep it down,’ she said.
Kerkhove warned that events that are large scale and see huge crowds ‘will have consequences. We are already starting to see some consequences of these events with increasing transmission again. The Delta variant will make that epidemic curve exponential,’ she warned.
She urged people to keep themselves safe and make decisions individually about what they need to do every day. “There’s a lot that all of us want to be doing, but there’s not a lot that we need to be doing right now,’ she said. ‘It’s not for the next couple of months. that we need to be thinking about this. We need to be thinking about it right now, because every single decision that we make, leaders make has consequences, good and bad.” The WHO chief said it’s ‘quite simple’ that more transmission means more variants and less transmission means fewer variants. ‘That makes it even more urgent that we use all the tools at our disposal to prevent transmission: the tailored and consistent use of public health and social measures, in combination with equitable vaccination,’ Ghebreyesus said. He said this is the reason why WHO has been saying for at least a year that vaccines must be distributed equitably, to protect health workers and the most vulnerable. This week, WHO had said that the Delta variant, the significantly more transmissible variant of COVID-19, continues to be detected in new countries around the world. The COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update released on June 22 by WHO said that globally, the variant Alpha has been reported in 170 countries, territories or areas, Beta in 119 countries, Gamma in 71 countries and Delta in 85 countries. ‘Delta, now reported in 85 countries globally, continues to be reported in new countries across all WHO Regions, 11 of which were newly reported in the past two weeks,’ the update said. WHO said the four current Variants of Concern being monitored closely ‘ Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta – are widespread and have been detected in all WHO regions. ‘The Delta variant is significantly more transmissible than Alpha variant, and is expected to become a dominant lineage if current trends continue.’
Europe opens lower amid pandemic woes Europe Gets Fresh Virus Warning as Delta Variant Spreads
The growing threat of the delta coronavirus variant in the European Union has prompted a fresh warning from the bloc’s disease prevention agency about the pace of vaccinations and not rushing reopenings. The mutation, first seen in India, is considered even more infectious than the alpha strain, and could hamper efforts to get past the pandemic. It accounts for at least 20% of new cases in Ireland and parts of Germany, while in localized hotspots such as Lisbon, the figure is above 60%. In a threat assessment published Wednesday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said it’s likely the variant will “circulate extensively during the summer, particularly among younger individuals that are not targeted for vaccination.” Delta has already taken hold in the U.K., and governments across the European Union have said it’s likely to become the dominant strain in their countries. But officials are somewhat in the dark about its current prevalence, given the low rates of genetic analysis in many countries. While the delta variant is increasingly dominant in Europe, that’s happening as overall Covid-19 cases are plunging across most of the continent to the lowest levels since last summer. The risk for Europe is a repeat of the dynamic that played out at the start of the year when lockdown measures had brought down Covid levels until another strain, the alpha variant, spread rapidly. That triggered a fresh wave of infections and another round of restrictions on movement and businesses.
“Modelling scenarios indicate that any relaxation over the summer months of the stringency of non-pharmaceutical measures that were in place in the EU/EEA in early June could lead to a fast and significant increase in daily cases in all age groups, with the highest incidence in those <50 years, with an associated increase in hospitalisations, and deaths, potentially reaching the same levels of the autumn of 2020 if no additional measure are taken.”
–ECDC Threat Assessment, June 23
One big difference now is that vaccination campaigns have kicked up a gear, meaning far more people are at least partially protected. Across the EU, almost 48% have got one shot. But the ECDC said that those who have only received one dose are more vulnerable to delta compared with other variants, and second doses should be administered “within the minimum authorized interval.” Despite being at the center of the delta outbreak, some U.K. figures offer reason for hope. New Covid cases are back at levels last seen in February, but there hasn’t been a corresponding increase in hospitalizations or deaths. While there’s a lag between increases in positive tests and deaths, the figures suggest the U.K. could break the link between the two, and that the situation won’t get as out of control as before. “There are still too many individuals at risk,” said ECDC Director Andrea Ammon. “Until most of the vulnerable individuals are protected, we need to keep the circulation of the delta virus low by strictly adhering to public health measures, which worked for controlling the impact of other variants.” Major stock markets in Europe opened lower on Monday, as the surge in the COVID-19 Delta variant cases in the United Kingdom prompted fears of a more widespread problem. Over the weekend, the UK registered a five-month high in the number of daily cases, as Germany is reportedly trying to push for an outright ban on Britons traveling to the European Union over the summer. Meanwhile, Germany’s import prices increased in May. The DAX traded 0.23% in the red, with Continental AG losing 0.98%. The FTSE 100 opened 0.11% lower, as Standard Life Aberdeen plc was 1.72% down. The CAC 40 dropped 0.16% at the start, led by BNP Paribas falling 0.61%. The euro stood flat against the dollar trading for $1.19394 at 9:03 am CET, while the pound increased 0.34% against the greenback selling for $1.39260 at the same time.
FDA adds Moderna, Pfizer shot heart risk warning
Ivermectin for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 Infection
Moderate-certainty evidence finds that large reductions in COVID-19 deaths are possible using ivermectin. Using ivermectin early in the clinical course may reduce numbers progressing to severe disease. The apparent safety and low cost suggest that ivermectin is likely to have a significant impact on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic globally. Meta-analysis of 15 trials found that ivermectin reduced risk of death compared with no ivermectin (average risk ratio 0.38, 95% confidence interval 0.19–0.73; n = 2438; I2 = 49%; moderate-certainty evidence). This result was confirmed in a trial sequential analysis using the same DerSimonian–Laird method that underpinned the unadjusted analysis. This was also robust against a trial sequential analysis using the Biggerstaff–Tweedie method. Low-certainty evidence found that ivermectin prophylaxis reduced COVID-19 infection by an average 86% (95% confidence interval 79%–91%). Secondary outcomes provided less certain evidence. Low-certainty evidence suggested that there may be no benefit with ivermectin for “need for mechanical ventilation,” whereas effect estimates for “improvement” and “deterioration” clearly favored ivermectin use. Severe adverse events were rare among treatment trials and evidence of no difference was assessed as low certainty. Evidence on other secondary outcomes was very low certainty.
Japan could declare new state of emergency – minister
Tamura Norihisa said at a news conference on Friday that the number of people who are out and about at night in Tokyo was on the rise even before the state of emergency expired on June 20. He said it’s highly likely that the number of people going out at night in the capital is rising further, and cases could increase. The minister also said that vaccinations have not reached the entire population, and strict measures may be necessary to curb infections. Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials confirmed 570 new cases on Thursday. It was the second day in a row that the daily tally had increased by more than 100 from a week earlier.
Vaccines are NOT working against the Covid19 Delta Strain
Israel says the Delta variant is infecting vaccinated people, representing as many as 50% of new cases
- As many as half of new COVID-19 cases in Israel are vaccinated people, a health official suggested.
- The Delta variant, not as easily beaten by vaccines as other variants, is driving Israel’s surge.
- Although Infections among vaccinated people have alarmed Israelis, the infections appear to be milder than they are in unvaccinated people.
As Israel faces a surge in cases driven by the Delta variant, its health officials suggested that as many as half of new cases were among people who’d been vaccinated. Fully vaccinated people who’ve come into contact with the Delta variant will have to quarantine, Chezy Levy, the director-general of Israel’s health ministry, said on Wednesday, Haaretz reported. “Even though the numbers are low, the fact that this is reaching vaccinated people means … that we are still checking how many vaccinated people have also been infected,” Levy said, according to Haaretz. Levy told the state broadcaster Kan Bet that about 40% to 50% of new cases appeared to be people who had been vaccinated, Haaretz reported. He did not appear to specify a time frame for the new cases. The figure is likely an estimate, as the ministry is still analyzing the cases. On Monday, Levy said that a third of the new daily cases were people who had been vaccinated. It wasn’t clear whether those people had been fully or partially vaccinated. Although the infections among vaccinated people have alarmed Israelis, the infections do not appear to be as severe as they are in unvaccinated people. Though they are preliminary, the figures underline the worry that the Delta variant could mean the virus continues to spread even in places like Israel where large portions of the population have been vaccinated. New daily cases reported in Israel have jumped to over 100, the highest level there since May. About 70% of the cases have been caused by the Delta variant, Levy said on Monday. Israel had been ending its virus restrictions – it ended indoor masking last week as daily cases hovered in the single digits. As of Thursday, about 57% of Israel’s population had been fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University data. As of Monday, no severe cases of COVID-19 had been reported from the latest surge, Ran Balicer, an executive at the Israeli healthcare organization Clalit, said in a tweet. Of all the coronavirus variants, the Delta variant could pose the greatest risk to vaccinated people. Research suggests it’s better able to break through in people who’ve had only one dose of two-dose vaccines, such as those from Pfizer and AstraZeneca. On Monday, Mike Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization’s health-emergencies program, said the Delta variant could “be more lethal because it’s more efficient in the way it transmits between humans.” Two doses of the vaccines appear to be protective against Delta. An analysis by UK health officials found that two doses of Pfizer’s vaccine were 88% effective against Delta while a single shot was 33% effective. That’s compared with 95% efficacy against the original strain, or 52% after one shot. But no vaccine is 100% effective, and so-called breakthrough cases are still possible. With other variants, breakthrough infections were mostly mild. In the UK, where the Delta variant makes up more than 90% of cases, 26 of 73 total deaths associated with the Delta variant were among people who had been fully vaccinated,
Fed’s Bullard: US reopening may boost inflation further
The Federal Reserve should be prepared for inflation to surprise on the high end through next year, said St. Louis Fed President James Bullard. Inflation is likely to remain above the Fed’s 2 per cent goal and may surprise further to the upside, bolstered by a faster-than-expected economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, Bullard said Monday in a virtual event hosted by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum. “We’re in a much stronger position with respect to reopening than we would have anticipated and inflation has come along with it,” Bullard said. “We have to be ready for the idea that there is upside risk to inflation and for it to go higher.” Bullard is forecasting 2.5 per cent core PCE inflation next year. The median projection of the 18 participants in the Federal Open Market Committee is for 3 per cent core inflation this year and 2.1 per cent in each of the next two years, according to estimates released last week following the central bank’s June meeting. Chair Jerome Powell sounded a hawkish note in his press conference following the meeting, saying there was a risk to inflation rising more than the FOMC’s estimates. Officials also moved up their estimates for the first rate increase, with the median now seeing two hikes in 2023.
Pfizer Far Less Effective For Delta Variant Than Earlier Strains: Lancet Study
London: People fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are likely to have more than five times lower levels of neutralising antibodies against the Delta variant first identified in India compared to the original strain, according to research published in The Lancet journal. The study also shows that levels of these antibodies that are able to recognise and fight the virus are lower with increasing age, and that levels decline over time, providing additional evidence in support of plans to deliver a booster dose to vulnerable people. It supports current plans in the UK to reduce the dose gap between vaccines since they found that after just one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, people are less likely to develop antibody levels against the B.1.617.2 variant as high as those seen against the previously dominant B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant, first found in Kent. The team, led by researchers from the Francis Crick Institute in the UK, noted that levels of antibodies alone do not predict vaccine effectiveness and prospective population studies are also needed. Lower neutralising antibody levels may still be associated with protection against COVID-19, they said. The study analysed antibodies in the blood of 250 healthy people who received either one or two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, up to three months after their first dose. The researchers tested the ability of antibodies to block entry of the virus into cells, so called ‘neutralising antibodies’, against five different variants of SARS-CoV-2. They then compared concentrations of these neutralising antibodies between all variants. Data from previous clinical studies suggests that higher antibody titres or concentration is a good predictor of vaccine efficacy and greater protection against COVID-19. The researchers found that in people who had been vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, levels of neutralising antibodies were more than five times lower against the B.1.617.2 variant when compared to the original strain, upon which current vaccines are based. This antibody response was even lower in people who had only received one dose, they said. After a single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech, 79 per cent of people had a quantifiable neutralising antibody response against the original strain, but this fell to 50 per cent for B.1.1.7, 32 per cent for B.1.617.2 and 25 per cent for B.1.351 or Beta variant first discovered in South Africa. While antibody levels decreased with age against all variants, no correlation was observed for sex or body mass index (BMI). “This virus will likely be around for some time to come, so we need to remain agile and vigilant, said Emma Wall, an Infectious Diseases consultant at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH). “Our study is designed to be responsive to shifts in the pandemic so that we can quickly provide evidence on changing risk and protection,” Wall said. The researchers noted that the most important thing is to ensure that vaccine protection remains high enough to keep as many people out of hospital as possible. The e study suggests that the best way to do this is to quickly deliver second doses and provide boosters to those whose immunity may not be high enough against these new variants, they said.