Bloomberg) — Covid-19 infections in England reached their highest level in March since the pandemic began, driven by the omicron subvariant BA.2 and waning immunity among older adults, according to a new study. The overall Covid prevalence rate more than doubled last month from February when infection rates were falling from the omicron-led January peak, the React-1 study led by Imperial College London found. Since then the emergence of BA.2 — a more-transmissible version of omicron- has accelerated new infections and become the dominant strain in England, accounting for about 90% of the samples that tested positive. The higher infection rates may result in an increase in hospitalizations despite the higher levels of vaccination among the population, said Paul Elliott, director of the React program, and chair in Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine, Imperial College London. Rates of Covid-19 are growing among adults over 55 years driven by higher mobility and waning immunity given that they received their booster shots earlier compared to other age groups, the study said. The latest results are the 19th round of the React-1 study and will be the last as the program comes to an end at the same time the U.K. cuts back on free coronavirus tests. The Imperial College researchers raised concerns that it will become more difficult to detect emerging variants as the government scales back testing. “There are a lot of variants out there and it’s looking at the patterns that helps to identify variants of concerns and make sure that people see what’s coming,” said Christl Donnelly, a professor of statistical epidemiology at Imperial. NN: The scientific evidence is clear. It ain’t over. These studies prove the most effective tool we have is vaccination. And they need to be updated every 4 to 5 months.
UK hits record Covid-levels: nearly 5 million infected…… China Finds New Virus Subtype as Daily Cases Exceed 13,000
LONDON (AP) — The prevalence of COVID-19 in the U.K. has reached record levels, with about 1 in 13 people estimated to be infected with the virus in the past week, according to the latest figures from Britain’s official statistics agency. Some 4.9 million people were estimated to have the coronavirus in the week ending March 26, up from 4.3 million recorded in the previous week, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. The latest surge is driven by the more transmissible omicron variant BA.2, which is the dominant variant across the U.K. Hospitalizations and death rates are again rising, although the number of people dying with COVID-19 is still relatively low compared with earlier this year. Nonetheless, the latest estimates suggest that the steep climb in new infections since late February, when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson scrapped all remaining coronavirus restrictions in England, has continued well into March. The figures came on the same day the government ended free rapid COVID-19 tests for most people in England, under Johnson’s “living with COVID” plan. People who do not have health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the virus now need to pay for tests to find out if they are infected. “The government’s ‘living with COVID’ strategy of removing any mitigations, isolation, free testing and a considerable slice of our surveillance amounts to nothing more than ignoring this virus going forwards,” said Stephen Griffin, associate professor at the University of Leeds’ medical school. “Such unchecked prevalence endangers the protection afforded by our vaccines,” he said. “Our vaccines are excellent, but they are not silver bullets and ought not to be left to bear the brunt of COVID in isolation.” More than 67% of people 12 years old and above in the U.K. have been vaccinated and had their booster or a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Beginning Saturday, parents can also book a low-dose vaccine for children between 5 to 12 years old in England. James Naismith, a biology professor at the University of Oxford, said he believed that except for those who are completely shielded or not susceptible to the virus, most people in the country would likely be infected with the BA.2 variant by the summer. “This is literally living with the virus by being infected with it,” he said. Continue reading “UK hits record Covid-levels: nearly 5 million infected…… China Finds New Virus Subtype as Daily Cases Exceed 13,000”
FDA authorizes second booster of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID shot
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized a second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for adults ages 50 and older. People are eligible to get the additional dose at least four months after receiving their first booster, the FDA said in a statement. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is expected to release a statement signing off on the additional shot shortly. The FDA had already authorized a fourth shot for immunocompromised individuals. On Tuesday, the FDA also cleared a fifth shot, or second booster, for that group. Previously, immunocompromised individuals were authorized to receive a three-dose primary series of a vaccine followed by a booster. Tuesday’s decision bypasses the independent panel of experts from both the FDA and the CDC, which have issued recommendations to the agencies throughout the pandemic on whether they should clear additional shots, and if so, for which groups. Continue reading “FDA authorizes second booster of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID shot”
Israeli study: 2nd vaccine booster significantly lowers COVID death rate
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Senior citizens who received a second booster of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination had a 78% lower mortality rate from the disease than those who got one only, a study from Israel showed on Sunday. The country’s largest healthcare provider, Clalit Health Services, said the 40-day study included more than half a million people aged 60 to 100. Some 58% of participants had received a second booster – or two shots in addition to the basic two-shot regimen. The remainder had received only one booster. Researchers recorded 92 deaths among the first group and 232 deaths among the second, smaller group. “The main conclusion is that the second booster is lifesaving,” said Ronen Arbel, Health Outcomes Researcher at Clalit and Sapir College. The report was issued as a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed. The research excluded people who received rival Moderna’s vaccine and those who had taken oral anti-COVID therapy. Israeli health officials have put out a number of studies on vaccine efficacy throughout the pandemic that have impacted policymaking in other countries. NN: If your vaccine is more than 5 months old you have minimal protection. The updated vaccine should be out in September or October… Looks like this one will be a yearly shot. But you got to get from here to there. Say your smart enough to get your booster that the FDA will soon approve in April. Your timing will be perfect for your September/October yearly vaccine.
Special Report
Putin’s Religious War
Catherine the Great converted to Christianity and was responsible for forming Russia. The capital was Kiev and she established the Orthodox Church. This war has now gone religious.
WHO slams ‘brutal’ end to COVID measures…… Air travel industry welcomes scrapping of Covid restrictions
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge stated on Tuesday that some countries lifted COVID-19 restrictions “too brutally,” resulting in a current rise in cases. He listed the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, France and Italy as examples of countries where the number of coronavirus infections has particularly rebounded. Kluge said the WHO will “remain vigilant” in the European region, reassuring he is “optimistic” about the course of the pandemic. The region, which includes some central Asian states, has seen over 5,1 million new cases and 12,496 deaths in the last seven days. Continue reading “WHO slams ‘brutal’ end to COVID measures…… Air travel industry welcomes scrapping of Covid restrictions”
CDC Get vaccinated even if you had Covid
You should get a COVID-19 vaccine even if you already had COVID-19. No currently available test can reliably determine if you are protected after being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 provides added protection to your immune system. People who already had COVID-19 and do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more likely to get COVID-19 again than those who get vaccinated after their recovery.
If you currently have COVID-19, you should wait to get your vaccine until your symptoms are gone (if you had symptoms) and you are done with your isolation period. If you are not vaccinated and were exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should wait until your quarantine is over to avoid getting others sick while you get your vaccine.
Note: CDC recommends that all people with HIV get a COVID-19 vaccination, as well as a booster shot when they are eligible. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised—including those with advanced or untreated HIV—have specific COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, which include an additional primary dose, as well as a booster shot for those eligible. NN: the first line of defense is getting vaccinated unfortunately every 5 or 6 months… It’s your body and your choice…. I believe in the war on Covid you should use ALL the weapons at your disposal. I believe setting the captives free, will be proven to be a colossal mistake by September.
Ivermectin didn’t protect people from COVID-19, study shows
WHO says global rise in covid cases tip of iceberg
Figures showing a global rise in Covid-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday, warning nations to remain vigilant against the virus. After more than a month of decline, Covid-19 cases started to increase around the world last week, the WHO said, with lockdowns imposed in Asia and China’s Jilin province as countries battle to contain outbreaks. A combination of factors was causing the increases, including the highly transmissible Omicron variant and its cousin, the BA. 2 sub-variant, as well as the lifting of public health and social measures, the WHO said. “These increase are occurring despite reductions in testing in some countries, which means the cases we’re seeing are just the tip of the iceberg,” WHO’s head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. Low vaccination rates in some countries, driven partly by a “huge amount of misinformation” also explained the rise, WHO officials said. New infections jumped by 8 per cent globally compared to the previous week, with 11 million new cases and a little more than 43,000 new deaths reported from March 7-13. It is the first rise since the end of January. The biggest jump was in the WHO’s Western Pacific region, which includes South Korea and China, where cases rose by 25 per cent and deaths by 27 per cent.