Pfizer says it will seek FDA approval for a third dose of vaccine to be given six to 12 months after the second dose. They say that antibody levels do wane and early data suggest a third dose makes antibody levels jump five- to 10-fold. If approval is granted, public health officials would decide if a third dose is needed. Right now, US officials in the FDA and CDC say boosters are not needed. Pfizer is also working on a vaccine specific to the Delta variant.
If you're tired of hearing about Delta, have you heard about Lambda? It was first found in Peru in August 2020 and was designated a "variant of interest" by WHO on June 14. WHO says, "Lambda has been associated with substantive rates of community transmission in multiple countries, with rising prevalence over time concurrent with increased covid-19 incidence." Right now, Lambda is hitting South America the hardest though cases have been found as far north as Canada. There is not yet any evidence that Lambda poses more risk than other variants out there.
Some Asian countries are now experiencing a first surge of covid. Many put in extremely tight restrictions in 2020 and greatly reduced their number of cases then. Now, however, is another story. Of Thailand's 317,506 confirmed cases and 2,534 deaths overall, over 90 percent have come since April 1, 2021. South Korea is putting in its strongest restrictions yet including no social gatherings of three or more people after 6:00 pm, no open nightclubs and churches, no visitors at hospitals and nursing homes, and only family allowed to attend weddings and funerals. Indonesia is probably the hardest hit so far. The seven-day rolling averages of cases and deaths both more than doubled in the last two weeks. Cases and deaths continue to rise in Malaysia despite a very strict lockdown--only one person is allowed out and only to buy groceries.Vietnam kept total cases in 2020 to 2,800 and reported almost no new cases from January 1 to the end of April 2021 when the surge started. There were 22,000 new cases in the last two months. India is doing better now with both cases and deaths decreasing. Still, less than five percent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated.
The CDC said today that vaccinated children and teachers don't need to wear masks inside school buildings, though the final decision is up to school systems. The CDC is also not advising schools to require shots for eligible students as it does for measles and some other ailments. They say that, as well as whether to require that teachers be vaccinated, is up to state and local authorities. The CDC is so far offering no guidance on how teachers might know which kids have been vaccinated or how parents will know teachers' vaccination statuses. Distancing should not be required among fully vaccinated students or staff. Middle school, what I call the weak link in any school system, will be complicated. The 11-year-olds will not be eligible for vaccination while the 12- and 13-year-olds will be.
Finally, leave it to the French to come up with a great campaign to encourage vaccination. Posters show people kissing or making out atop the lines "Yes, the vaccine can have desirable effects. With vaccination, life starts again." Ya gotta love those French.
No comments:
Post a Comment