Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #96

[ilovewings]

WHO urges fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks as delta spreads — CNBC

“The WHO urged fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks and practice other Covid-19 pandemic safety measures as the highly contagious delta variant spreads rapidly across the globe.

"People cannot feel safe just because they had the two doses. They still need to protect themselves," WHO official Dr. Mariangela Simao told reporters.”

Okay- I am officially now confused: I read in most other places that if you have two doses you are pretty well protected against Delta: now we read this!!! Again, the messaging is poor and confusing- which is it????

 

[GRT]

The younger ones in NSW (where the outbreak is happening) are getting angry that they can't have AstraZeneca right now, because they want to be vaccinated.

The young and the vaxless: Furious under 40s are crying out to be vaccinated

I don't blame them. We need a global effort to vaccinate everyone who wants to be vaccinated. If that means constructing new facilities for making vaccines--so be it. We need to stop messing around with this virus and take decisive steps to vaccinate as many as possible.

 

[ilovewings]

Florida hospital staff COVID-19 vaccination numbers continue to lag

It is unknown (since there is no mandate ) the percentage of hospital staff that are vaccinated in Florida hospitals. It is estimated that between 51 and 67 percent of hospital staff is vaccinated.

It is unconscionable that hospitals do not mandate that their employees get vaccinated.

 

[tabitha111]

WHO urges fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks as delta spreads — CNBC

“The WHO urged fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks and practice other Covid-19 pandemic safety measures as the highly contagious delta variant spreads rapidly across the globe.

"People cannot feel safe just because they had the two doses. They still need to protect themselves," WHO official Dr. Mariangela Simao told reporters.”

Won't happen here in the US although I still wear an N95 (I have boxes of them I ordered from a US company) in the stores.
I do worry somewhat here in the retirement home I live in. We are all double vaxxed except for a handful of folks - they are too "afraid" to get the jab and you can't talk them into it. No sympathy from me if they get Covid....which may happen as staff has become so lax around here. They let in visitors without masks, no proof of vaccine status, they will even sit down and eat with people.
I do curtail my mingling with folks here, but go down for all the meals.

 

[musicaljoke]

Two dead out of six positives in the IT department!
From Florida ...

The Manatee County Administration Building reopened Monday after the virus that causes covid-19 spread throughout the county’s IT department and forced the building to shut down on Friday. Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes, who is also an epidemiologist, said six unvaccinated employees, including five in the IT department, tested positive for the virus within a two-week period.

The two IT employees who died last week were identified in local media and obituaries as Mary Knight, 58, and Alphonso Cox, 53.

Hopes said that the one IT employee, 23, exposed to the virus who was vaccinated did not get infected.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/06/22/florida-unvaccinated-covid-outbreak

 

[jjenny]

Okay- I am officially now confused: I read in most other places that if you have two doses you are pretty well protected against Delta: now we read this!!! Again, the messaging is poor and confusing- which is it????

Well, in Israel, about half of adults infected with delta were vaccinated. Half of all infections were unvaccinated teens and children. So that would mean 25% of all infected were vaccinated.
And Israel used Pfizer. So to me that indicates delta can get through the vaccines.

 

[GRT]

Israel to reinstate indoor mask mandate next week as COVID-19 cases keep rising

Coronavirus czar Nachman Ash announced Thursday that the indoor mask mandate, obligating people to cover their mouths and noses to prevent infections, will return early next week in an effort to stem the rise in COVID-19 cases.

In a briefing with journalists Thursday evening, Ash said the outbreak had spread to Kfar Saba, Ramla, Herzliya and other cities, as Health Ministry data showed 169 had been diagnosed Thursday by 6 p.m., the highest daily tally in months.​

 

[SouthAussie]

Israel to reinstate indoor mask mandate next week as COVID-19 cases keep rising

Coronavirus czar Nachman Ash announced Thursday that the indoor mask mandate, obligating people to cover their mouths and noses to prevent infections, will return early next week in an effort to stem the rise in COVID-19 cases.

In a briefing with journalists Thursday evening, Ash said the outbreak had spread to Kfar Saba, Ramla, Herzliya and other cities, as Health Ministry data showed 169 had been diagnosed Thursday by 6 p.m., the highest daily tally in months.​

The thing they need to highlight, front and centre, is that Israel has a pretty high fully-vaccinated rate (57%) using Pfizer ... as compared to the US for example (46.2% fully vaccinated).

Delta is breaking through the Pfizer vaccine in some (how many?) people , and I imagine that Delta Plus will do the same thing - as the change is that Delta Plus incorporates the highly-resistant-to-vaccine-immunity Beta spike protein.

This is, no doubt, why the WHO advisement has changed. Due to Delta/Delta Plus and the breakthrough cases.

I posted an article recently where it was predicted that this Beta variant (now found in Delta Plus also) might rise to the top, due to its resistance to the vaccines/immunity.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations - Statistics and Research

 

[ilovewings]

Well, in Israel, about half of adults infected with delta were vaccinated. Half of all infections were unvaccinated teens and children. So that would mean 25% of all infected were vaccinated.
And Israel used Pfizer. So to me that indicates delta can get through the vaccines.

That's wbat I am afraid of

 

[10ofRods]

The thing they need to highlight, front and centre, is that Israel has a pretty high fully-vaccinated rate (57%) using Pfizer ... as compared to the US for example (46.2% fully vaccinated).

Delta is breaking through the Pfizer vaccine in some (how many?) people , and I imagine that Delta Plus will do the same thing - as the change is that Delta Plus incorporates the highly-resistant-to-vaccine-immunity Beta spike protein.

This is, no doubt, why the WHO advisement has changed. Due to Delta/Delta Plus and the breakthrough cases.

I posted an article recently where it was predicted that this Beta variant (now found in Delta Plus also) might rise to the top, due to its resistance to the vaccines/immunity.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations - Statistics and Research

I read that .002% of current cases of COVID in the US are in Pfizer/Moderna vaccinated people.

 

[10ofRods]

That's wbat I am afraid of

We need to distinguish between "infected" and "seriously ill."

The only way we know about most of the breakthrough cases here in California is that there are a lot of employers who are requiring weekly COVID testing (primarily nursing homes, hospitals, but also some logistics companies). I don't recall the overall infection rate among the vaccinated, but nearly all of them were asymptomatic or had very mild cases.

It's necessary to look at how sick people get. Both Pfizer and Moderna have published their rates of about 4-5 percent of the vaccinated still getting COVID.

But here in California (and I think it's true throughout the US), only a tiny fraction of the unvaccinated end up in the hospital and of that number, not many are dying.

Breakthrough may be associated with a particular gene...

 

[GRT]

The thing they need to highlight, front and centre, is that Israel has a pretty high fully-vaccinated rate (57%) using Pfizer ... as compared to the US for example (46.2% fully vaccinated).

Delta is breaking through the Pfizer vaccine in some (how many?) people , and I imagine that Delta Plus will do the same thing - as the change is that Delta Plus incorporates the highly-resistant-to-vaccine-immunity Beta spike protein.

Some experts are saying the mRNA shots are about 88% effective against the Delta variant and that J&J and AZ are about 60% effective.

I had the J&J and now I'm wondering if I should get a booster. And, if so, which shot?

I guess 60% is better than nothing, obviously, but it's not a whole lot higher than 50% and 50% is crap shoot.

 

[ilovewings]

We need to distinguish between "infected" and "seriously ill."

The only way we know about most of the breakthrough cases here in California is that there are a lot of employers who are requiring weekly COVID testing (primarily nursing homes, hospitals, but also some logistics companies). I don't recall the overall infection rate among the vaccinated, but nearly all of them were asymptomatic or had very mild cases.

It's necessary to look at how sick people get. Both Pfizer and Moderna have published their rates of about 4-5 percent of the vaccinated still getting COVID.

But here in California (and I think it's true throughout the US), only a tiny fraction of the unvaccinated end up in the hospital and of that number, not many are dying.

Breakthrough may be associated with a particular gene...

Good points!!!

 

[jjenny]

Some experts are saying the mRNA shots are about 88% effective against the Delta variant and that J&J and AZ are about 60% effective.

I had the J&J and now I'm wondering if I should get a booster. And, if so, which shot?

I guess 60% is better than nothing, obviously, but it's not a whole lot higher than 50% and 50% is crap shoot.

You can ask your doctor. Some people are already taking boosters-either Pfizer or Moderna after J&J vaccination.

"Jason Gallagher, an infectious diseases expert at Temple University’s School of Pharmacy, recently received a Pfizer dose at the Philadelphia vaccine clinic where he has been administering shots. He got the J&J vaccine in a clinical trial in November."
Booster may be needed for J&J shot as Delta variant spreads, some experts already taking them | Reuters

 

[SouthAussie]

Some experts are saying the mRNA shots are about 88% effective against the Delta variant and that J&J and AZ are about 60% effective.

I had the J&J and now I'm wondering if I should get a booster. And, if so, which shot?

I guess 60% is better than nothing, obviously, but it's not a whole lot higher than 50% and 50% is crap shoot.

Our govt plans to stop using AstraZeneca by October.
AstraZeneca is at least offering some protection to those of us who are lucky enough to be vaccinated, but I suspect re-vaccination will be on the cards for me also - when we have a plentiful supply of an mRNA vac.

Australia plans to shelve AstraZeneca Covid vaccine by October

 

[jjenny]

Our govt plans to stop using AstraZeneca by October.
AstraZeneca is at least offering some protection to those of us who are lucky enough to be vaccinated, but I suspect re-vaccination will be on the cards for me also - when we have a plentiful supply of an mRNA vac.

Australia plans to shelve AstraZeneca Covid vaccine by October

I got Moderna. I think we will likely be getting boosters too, presumably sometimes this fall.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Some experts are saying the mRNA shots are about 88% effective against the Delta variant and that J&J and AZ are about 60% effective.

I had the J&J and now I'm wondering if I should get a booster. And, if so, which shot?

I guess 60% is better than nothing, obviously, but it's not a whole lot higher than 50% and 50% is crap shoot.

I think those are outdated figures. Having allowed AZ time to reach full efficacy (seems it is a slower burner than Pfizer), it now appears it is 92% effective against serious illness and hospitalisation. Pfizer is 96% so not a lot in it. There will not yet be sufficient data about the other brands as they’ve barely been used here in comparison.

I think it’s reasonably to say that the vaccines are working well against Delta in the U.K. The majority of hospitalisations and deaths now are among the unvaccinated. Hopefully this means when/if Delta sweeps across the pond, the majority will be protected.

UK study finds vaccines offer high protection against hospitalisation from Delta variant

 

[SouthAussie]

I think those are outdated figures. Having allowed AZ time to reach full efficacy (seems it is a slower burner than Pfizer), it now appears it is 92% effective against serious illness and hospitalisation. Pfizer is 96% so not a lot in it. There will not yet be sufficient data about the other brands as they’ve barely been used here in comparison.

I think it’s reasonably to say that the vaccines are working well against Delta in the U.K. The majority of hospitalisations and deaths now are among the unvaccinated. Hopefully this means when/if Delta sweeps across the pond, the majority will be protected.

UK study finds vaccines offer high protection against hospitalisation from Delta variant

I truly think the new concern is the Beta variant (and Delta Plus, which has the Beta mutation).

I note that the UK govt is in recent talks with AstraZeneca to enhance the Beta protection.


UK is talking to AstraZeneca about beta variant COVID jab
The AZ/Oxford University vaccine and other shots from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are known to have less efficacy against the beta variant – also known as B.1.351 – which is estimated to be around 50% more transmissible than earlier strains.
UK is talking to AstraZeneca about beta variant COVID jab -


The Delta Plus variant contains an additional mutation called K417N on the coronavirus spike, which has been found in the Beta and Gamma variants, first found in South Africa and Brazil respectively (Beta was linked to increased hospitalisation and deaths during South Africa's first wave of infections, while Gamma was estimated to be highly transmissible).
Delta plus India: Scientists say too early to tell risk of Covid-19 variant

 

[CoverMeCagney]

I’d not heard of Delta Plus before now. If this bloody thing keeps mutating are we going to end up with Omega Plus Super Extra before we can call it a day?

Someone sent me this sort of heat map earlier, showing the age ranges of cases in the UK. Even with almost all cases being delta it is affecting our younger people significantly more now.



What’s worrying is that there will be some reluctance to Pfizer our children since the myocarditis reports, will need more research on that I think, and quickly.

 

[jjenny]

It's hard to do research against rare side effects. You'd have to vaccinate 100,000 to see one case.