With the spread of the omicron variation, Monday marks a Anniversary of the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine out of Pfizer’s manufacturing facilities and heading to hospitals across the country to kickstart U.S. immunization efforts.
More than 239 million people have since received at least one dose, and 60.8% of Americans are fully immunized since the vaccine’s rollout, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. data.
However, only 26% of the population received a booster dose. Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday told ABC News Preliminary data on omicrons suggest that the variant may “dodge” some of the protection the vaccine provides, but that the booster dose “raises the level of protection high enough to then be against the omicron.”
He added: “If you want optimal protection, absolutely use boosters.
When asked if annual boosters would be required, Fauci said he expects current boosters to increase the protective endurance to more than six months but it remains unclear how long they will provide protection. long. If another dose is needed, “then we’ll have to deal with it when that happens,” Fauci said.
Also on Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reported the first known death from the omicron variant. The news comes after Johnson said Sunday he would open booster shots to all adults as the country faces a “tide wave” of omicron cases.
“I fear it is now clear that two doses of a vaccine are simply not enough to provide the level of protection we all need,” Johnson said in a statement Sunday in the United Kingdom announcing. on a new timeline for the country’s booster drug rollout.
Also in the news:
►Omicron recently reported in North Carolina and Ohio. The CDC says the new variant has now been detected in 27 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
► South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is being treated for mild COVID-19 symptoms after testing positive for the disease on Sunday, his office said.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has recorded more than 49.9 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 797,300 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global total: More than 270 million cases and 5.3 million deaths. More than 201.9 million Americans – 60.8% of the population – are fully immunized, According to CDC.
📘 What we are reading: A year ago, trucks rolled out of the Pfizer Portage, Michigan, plant, carrying First doses of COVID-19 vaccine distributed in the US. For many people working in immunology and infectious diseases, the realization that humanity has a chance against the virus is surreal.
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Study: Young people recover quickly from rare COVID-19 vaccine side effects
Some young men 21 years of age and younger have developed a suspected form of heart inflammation from the COVID-19 vaccine tend to have mild illnesses and recover quickly, according to new research described by Intermountain Healthcare officials last week.
The new study, published in the American Heart Association’s journal “Circulation,” compared patient data and medical records at 26 pediatric medical centers across the United States, including in Utah, and found that one in five patients was admitted to intensive care units, most with similar symptoms, but none died and most were released after two or three days.
“As the COVID vaccine became available around the world, we started hearing reports in the spring about it,” said Dr. Dongngan T. Truong, associate professor of pediatrics in the department of cardiology at the University of Utah. cases of heart inflammation or myocarditis. Health and a pediatric cardiologist at Intermountain Elementary Children’s Hospital, during a press conference about the study.
The majority of patients, more than 90%, are male, and nearly every case is diagnosed after the patient is vaccinated with mRNA. Chest pain is the most common symptom, seen in more than 99% of patients, while about a third of patients also have fever or difficulty breathing.
“The recovery time in the hospital is quite short with minimal medication to treat myocarditis,” says Zhang.
– Elle Cabrera, St. George Spectrum & Daily News
New York mandates wearing of masks indoors unless businesses require vaccines to enter
Governor Kathy Hochul last week announced Masks will be required to be worn in all indoor public locations in New York unless the business or place of fulfillment requires the vaccine to be imported.
The new mask and vaccine mandates come as the number of COVID-19 cases statewide spikes more than 43% since Thanksgiving, straining the health care system amid shortages personnel, according to the governor’s office.
The new mask requirements extend to both patrons and employees. The measure went into effect Monday and will be in place until January 15, after which the state will reevaluate based on current conditions.
The mandate is to limit the COVID-19 outbreak during the holidays when more time is spent shopping and gathering indoors, where the virus can spread more easily, Hochul said in a statement. dad.
– David Robinson, USA TODAY Network New York
Contribution: Associated Press
