COVID-19 News and Discussions

[weatheriscool]

The WHO's Chief Says It Was Premature To Rule Out A Lab Leak As The Pandemic's Origin

July 15, 202111:41 AM ET

The Associated Press
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/15/10164367 ... 6364252537

BERLIN (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization acknowledged it was premature to rule out a potential link between the COVID-19 pandemic and a laboratory leak, and he said Thursday he is asking China to be more transparent as scientists search for the origins of the coronavirus.

In a rare departure from his usual deference to powerful member countries, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said getting access to raw data had been a challenge for the international team that traveled to China earlier this year to investigate the source of COVID-19. The first human cases were identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

[weatheriscool]

COVID-19: At least 8 fully vaccinated Vegas hospital workers test positive in 'breakthrough' cluster
The cases were linked to a June 7 pool party, the hospital reportedly said
By Brie Stimson | Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/health/at-least ... gh-cluster

At least eight fully vaccinated Nevada health care workers tested positive for the coronavirus last month in a rare cluster of "breakthrough" cases, according to a report.

In all, 11 coworkers were infected after an off-site pool party on June 7, the vast majority came down with the Delta variant, which is believed to spread more easily, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, citing emails obtained from the Southern Nevada Health District.

Two out of the three who weren’t fully vaccinated had received at least one dose of the vaccine, the newspaper reported.

Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas said the employees recognized their symptoms and got tested and all of them have been able to return to work.

The hospital conducted an investigation to make sure the temperature-sensitive vaccine hadn’t been stored properly and concluded there was no improper handling.

[weatheriscool]

Protests Hit Athens and Paris Over New Coronavirus Restrictions, Vaccine Mandates
Source: Washington Post

Protests flared in France and Greece on Wednesday as residents angry over coronavirus curbs and vaccine mandates in both countries marched against new, stricter regulations that they say discriminate against people unwilling to be inoculated.

In Paris, demonstrators clashed with police after French President Emmanuel Macron announced sweeping measures to fight the pandemic earlier this week. He mandated vaccinations for all health-care workers and said new rules would require unvaccinated people to show negative coronavirus tests before entering bars, restaurants and other entertainment venues.

Also this week, Greek authorities said all medical workers would need to be immunized or face penalties, and only vaccinated individuals would be allowed to use public indoor spaces until Aug. 31, through the height of Greece's tourism season.

The policies prompted demonstrations in Athens, where thousands gathered outside parliament Wednesday under heavy police presence, Reuters reported. The unrest in France and Greece has underscored the difficulty that some leaders face in weighing public health during a pandemic against policies that appear to encroach on individual freedom...

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/20 ... t-updates/

[Time_Traveller]

Summer chaos predicted as 1.6m in England told to isolate in a week

Fri, 16 July 2021

Up to 1.6 million people in England have been told to isolate in a single week, Guardian analysis has found as the government said the Covid app is unlikely to be changed for weeks.

The number of new UK coronavirus cases climbed to 48,553 on Thursday – the highest since mid-January and the start of the third lockdown – with the upward curve showing no signs of abating, raising fears of a summer of chaos as businesses and households are hit by self-isolation. Sixty-three people were reported on Thursday to have died from the virus.

Ministers have warned the public to expect 50,000 daily cases by the time of England’s major reopening on Monday, rising to 100,000 this summer, but said the success of the vaccine rollout means restrictions should not need to be imposed.

A week ago, after forecasts that up to 10 million would be forced to isolate within a six-week period, Jenny Harries, head of the new Health Security Agency, told MPs the government planned to tweak the Covid-19 app to make it less sensitive and account for the majority of adults now being vaccinated. The need to isolate after exposure to a confirmed Covid case will be dropped for fully vaccinated people in England from 16 August.

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/summer-chaos- ... 02297.html

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[Time_Traveller]

Chris Whitty warns England could be plunged back into lockdown curbs in just 5 weeks

15 JUL 2021

Boris Johnson could be forced to order new Covid lockdown curbs in five weeks, Chris Whitty has warned just days before Monday's "Freedom Day".

The Chief Medical Officer sounded the alarm over a potential "scary" growth in hospitalisations which could leave the NHS "in trouble again surprisingly fast" once restrictions are lifted.

The top medic said if hospital admissions begin doubling and the jabs rollout was not "topping out" the pandemic, in "five, six, seven eight weeks' time" the Prime Minister may need to "look again" at restrictions.

It comes after Mr Johnson insisted Brits must "learn to live with Covid" and ignored calls to keep the legal requirement for face masks in enclosed spaces beyond Sunday.

Speaking at a British Science Museum event, Professor Whitty underlined that epidemics are "either doubling or they're halving", adding: "And currently this epidemic is doubling. It's doubling in cases. It is also doubling in people going to hospital, and it's doubling in deaths."

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... d-24546061

[raklian]

[weatheriscool]

'Pandemic of the unvaccinated': COVID-19 deaths up 26% over previous week in U.S.
Source: CBC

The delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain worldwide and is driving a surge of deaths around the United States, almost entirely among unvaccinated people, U.S. officials said Friday.

Cases of COVID-19 are up 70 per cent over the previous week and deaths are up 26 per cent, with most of the surge occurring in counties with below average vaccination rates, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during a news briefing.

"This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated," Walensky said, adding that 97 per cent of people entering hospitals in the United States with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

According to the officials, four states account for 40 per cent of the rise in cases, with Florida alone accounting for one in every five new national cases over the past week.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-covid1 ... -1.6105503

[weatheriscool]

First COVID-19 case found at Olympic Games athletes' village in Tokyo
Source: abc.net.au

A person has tested positive for COVID-19 at the Tokyo Olympics athletes' village, adding to concerns about infections at the Games which begin next week.

Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto confirmed that a visitor from abroad who is involved in organising the Games had tested positive. The person was placed in a 14-day quarantine.

"In the current situation, that positive cases arise is something we must assume is possible," Mr Muto said.

He would not reveal the person's nationality, citing privacy concerns.

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-17/ ... /100301868

[Time_Traveller]

COVID-19: Cautionary tale from the Netherlands' coronavirus unlocking - what lessons can the UK learn?

Friday 16 July 2021

As the UK's nations prepare to ease coronavirus restrictions, another European nation is reimposing curbs on its citizens.

The Dutch celebrated their "Freedom Day" two weeks ago only to find COVID-19 cases soaring to unprecedented levels.

The spike in case rates led the Dutch prime minister to concede that coronavirus restrictions had been lifted too soon.

While the epidemiological situation varies between the two countries and direct comparisons are difficult, is there anything the UK could learn from the Dutch experience?

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-can ... obal-en-GB

[wjfox]

Everyone should take an hour to watch this.

Especially if you live in the UK.

[weatheriscool]

Pfizer COVID vaccine significantly less effective against Delta variant
Source: The Jerusalem Post

The effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine against the Delta variant is “weaker” than health officials hoped, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Friday, as 855 people tested positive for coronavirus and more countries were listed as places of high infection.

“We do not know exactly to what degree the vaccine helps, but it is significantly less,” Bennett said.

The prime minister held a meeting of top health officials and ministers to discuss the next steps for managing the virus in light of the numbers in Israel and what Bennett described as “the Delta mutation leaping forward around the world, including in vaccinated countries such as Britain, Israel and the US.”

He said that “Britain, in recent days, we have seen a jump in the number of children who are being hospitalized on a daily basis. This is a development that we are aware of; we are dealing with it rationally and responsibly.”

Read more: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/for ... ael-674084

[weatheriscool]

New Florida COVID-19 cases nearly double over last week; positivity rate jumps
Source: Fox 13 News

TAMPA, Fla. - New Florida coronavirus cases have nearly doubled in the last week, while the state’s positivity rate has also soared, topping 11 percent over the last seven days.

Florida is now issuing coronavirus data only once a week. The Department of Health stopped reporting daily coronavirus statistics in early June at the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"COVID-19 cases have significantly decreased over the past year as we have a less than 5% positivity rate, and our state is returning to normal, with vaccines widely available throughout Florida," press secretary Christina Pushaw told The News Service of Florida at the time.

The weekly reports are issued each Friday. According to the summary released on June 16, Florida tallied 45,603 new coronavirus cases for the week of July 9-15. That’s nearly double the previous week’s total of 23,562 and roughly triple the week before that, which was 15,998.

Read more: https://www.fox13news.com/news/new-flor ... rate-jumps

[wjfox]

Covid: Younger adults still at risk of serious organ damage - study

By Jim Reed
BBC News

Published 2 days ago

Younger adults admitted to hospital with Covid are almost as likely to suffer from complications as those over 50 years old, a study has found.

Four in 10 of those between 19 and 49 developed problems with their kidneys, lungs or other organs while treated.

The research looked at 73,197 adults of all ages across 302 UK hospitals in the first wave of Covid in 2020.

"The message is that this is not just a disease of the elderly and frail," said Prof Calum Semple, who led the work.

"The data reinforces the fact that Covid is not flu and we are seeing even young adults coming into hospital suffering significant complications, some of which will require further monitoring and potentially further treatment in the future."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57840825

[weatheriscool]

Canada's 2nd Dose Vaccinations Surpass U.S. As Americans Grapple With COVID-19 Surge
Source: MSN.Com

The percentage of Canadians who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has for the first time surpassed the United States.

As of the afternoon of July 17, Canada had vaccinated 48.64 per cent of the population with two doses, according to COVID Tracker Canada. By comparison, 48.4 per cent of the American population were fully vaccinated, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported. This comes less than two months after Canada eclipsed its southern neighbour in terms of single-dose coverage.

The vaccination gap between the two countries started slowly narrowing as Canada began ramping up its distribution in May. The supply of doses is now on the verge of outstripping demand, according to government officials.

On Thursday, Brig.-Gen. Krista Brodie, the military general overseeing Canada's distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, said the country was moving to a “more nuanced” approach, with more than two million doses of vaccine already being held back because provinces have said they can’t use them yet.

Meanwhile, the U.S. too has an abundance of vaccines as its vaccination rate has slowed down. Experts believe it may be because vaccine hesitancy is higher south of the border than in Canada.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/c ... li=AAggNb9

[Time_Traveller]

COVID-19: UK's third wave may not peak until 'late August, early September', minister says

Sunday 18 July 2021

The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK is not expected to peak until "late August, maybe even early September", a minister has said.

Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky News' Trevor Phillips on Sunday that cases are still rising, with more than 50,000 reported in each of the last two days.

He revealed the current government projection while encouraging people to keep the NHS COVID-19 app installed on their phones with contact tracing enabled.

Face masks won't be a legal requirement when England's restrictions end, Boris Johnson has announced

It comes after Downing Street announced that Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak would not be isolating despite coming into contact with Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who has tested positive for coronavirus.

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-uks ... s-12358231

[caltrek]

Here’s Why Kids Need Their Own Clinical Trials for a COVID-19 Vaccine

https://theconversation.com/kids-arent- ... ine-162821

Introduction:

(The Conversation) Now that two-thirds of all adults in the United States have received at least one dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine as of mid-July 2021, life seems to be returning to some semblance of pre-pandemic times. People are again traveling, eating in restaurants with friends, attending in-person gatherings and flocking to movie theaters and Major League baseball games.

Yet for parents of children under the age of 12, who are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, there is still no collective sigh of relief. Many parents have concerns about the upcoming school year and the uncertainty surrounding the delta variant.

Clinical research studies of the mRNA-based vaccines for children under 12 are ongoing, and authorization of a vaccine for this younger age group is still at least several months away. These trials are necessary because children have important differences in physiology and responses to vaccines from those of adults. Conducting separate studies in children under age 12 is a vital step toward ending the pandemic.

As a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases, I have been conducting research on common infections in children and related vaccines for over 20 years. Here at the University of Pittsburgh, our Pittsburgh Vaccine Trials Unit has carried out both adult and pediatric clinical trials for vaccines to fight COVID-19.

Conclusion:

Often we hear from our volunteers that they wanted to help bring the pandemic to an end or felt it was their personal responsibility to help others. Their willingness to participate is crucial to finding a safe and effective vaccine that will hopefully help end the pandemic and to help parents – and kids – return to the freedoms of pre-pandemic life.

[wjfox]

[Maximus]

Fact check: Do COVID vaccines protect against the delta variant?

https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-do-cov ... a-58263950

In the United Kingdom, people have died of the delta variant despite being vaccinated. Are existing COVID-19 vaccines still effective? A look at the facts shows: Yes, complete vaccinations still protect against delta.

In the United Kingdom, at least 259 people have died after contracting the delta variant of COVID-19. Of these, 116 people were fully vaccinated, according to the latest data from Public Health England (PHE), an agency of the UK Ministry of Health. That is why one of the biggest questions being raised on the internet now is: Does a vaccination still protect against the delta variant?

The good news first: Yes, a vaccination still protects you.

Long story short:

1. High proportion of vaccinated deaths are due to simply most people in the UK being vaccinated (~70% vaccinated with at least one dose). Simple game of numbers. Numbers would likely be much, much higher if proportion of UK population vaccinated was not as high.
2. Delta variant appears to be more transmissible (Israeli study shows Pfizer only 64% effective at preventing transmission).
3. Vaccines still highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death (Pfizer shows 93% effectiveness in this regard, from the same study).