The first single-dose Covid-19 vaccine is here

by

The US is at a very real risk of losing all of its recent gains in the fight against the virus as highly contagious variants take advantage of Americans getting lax with security measures.

There are already disturbing signs. Although US Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions showed a downward trend for several weeks, they are still alarmingly high. And that downward trend now seems to have stopped. The most recent seven-day average of new cases shows an increase of just over 2% from the previous week, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, yesterday. A similar increase was reported in the most recent seven-day average of deaths, she added.

“Please hear me clearly,” Walensky said. “At this level of instances where variants proliferate, we are completely losing the hard-earned ground that we have gained. These variants pose a very real threat to our people and our progress.”

Dr. Zeke Emanuel, who was Obama’s White House health adviser and member of the Biden Transition Covid-19 Advisory Board, said Americans should stick to strict security measures for another two or three months. “We shouldn’t relax, dine indoors, large groups… allow mask mandates to be abolished,” he said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed a similar concern yesterday, after the number of new cases worldwide rose for the first time in seven weeks last week. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the increase was “disappointing but not surprising,” adding that the agency is working to better understand the increase in handover.

“Some of it appears to be due to relaxation of public health measures, continued circulation of variants, and people who have dropped their guard,” Tedros said. “Even as vaccines continue to proliferate, we urge all governments and individuals to remember that vaccines alone will not protect you.”

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWER

Ask: Q: Which Covid-19 vaccine should I get?

A: There are now three Covid-19 vaccines approved for use in the US, and many people wonder which one to get them.

We asked CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen to weigh. Her main advice: “Take the vaccine that is offered to you. All three vaccines are safe and effective. Think of other vaccines we take, such as for the flu vaccine. Most of us don’t ask which company makes it. It can only be us. care that it works. ”
Send your questions hereAre you a health professional fighting Covid-19? Send us a message on WhatsApp about the challenges you are facing: + 1347-322-0415.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TODAY

Vaccines drastically reduce the risk of hospitalization in the 1980s, real-world data shows

A single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization from Covid-19 by more than 80% in people over 80, new data from Public Health England shows.

The effect was observed three to four weeks after vaccination. People over the age of 70 were also found to have up to 61% protection against symptomatic diseases from the Pfizer-BioNTech injection and up to 73% from the Oxford-Astra-Zeneca vaccine.

The UK has given Covid-19 injections to more than 20 million people, with campaigns first targeting the over-80s most vulnerable to the disease. The new data supports the country’s decision to use both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines at a time when other countries in Europe were showing concern about the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in older people. Meera Senthilingam report

Brazilian hospitals cannot cope with new variants and are reaching a breaking point

Intensive care units across Brazil are nearing their limits as health experts and government officials beg the government to impose strict measures to reduce coronavirus transmission. The country is struggling to get the new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus under control. “The mutated virus has three times the contagion capacity, and the speed may surprise governors in terms of structure and support,” said Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello. This is the reality we have in Brazil today. “

UK is hunting individuals infected with the Covid-19 variant

British health officials are rushing to track down a person infected with a Covid-19 variant first identified in the Brazilian city of Manaus. The person is one of six cases of the P.1 variant in the UK. The variant carries a pattern of mutations that make the virus easier to transmit. The unidentified person has not filled out a registration card associated with their test, so officials cannot easily locate them.

ON OUR RADAR

  • A panel of WHO experts strongly advised against using hydroxychloroquine to prevent Covid-19 after reviewing all existing studies on this topic.
  • A batch of Covid-19 vaccines had to be rescued by boat after heavy rains threatened power to a Kentucky health facility.
  • Former US President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump received a Covid-19 vaccine at the White House in January, a Trump adviser told CNN.
  • Trader Joe’s employee says he was fired after writing directly to the chain’s CEO calling for stronger Covid-19 safety protocols in his store.
  • The first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines sent to Latin America through the COVAX program landed in Colombia yesterday.
  • The European Commission has started laying the groundwork for a vaccine passport that will allow EU citizens to travel this summer.
  • China plans to inoculate more than half a billion people by the end of June, respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan has revealed.
  • A California doctor’s trial was delayed after he appeared before a virtual court hearing while simultaneously performing surgery.

TOP TIP

While many Americans stay at home for their own safety during the pandemic, the home can be the most dangerous place for victims of domestic violence. The usual places victims escaped to in the past are not always available now.

According to an analysis by the National Commission on Covid-19 and Criminal Justice, domestic violence incidents in the US have increased by about 8.1% after the imposition of pandemic-related lockdowns.
But help is available. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline / 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) / TTY 1-800-787-3224. A worldwide directory listing is provided by UN Women. You can also find a list of national agencies on The Pixel Project.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“Being an inch away from having all your ambitions taken from you and maybe even canceling the Games altogether is heartbreaking.” – Sandi Morris, 2016 Olympic silver medalist

Nearly a year ago, athletes around the world heard that the Olympics would be postponed. For those hoping to compete in the games, navigating this extra year was challenging, especially as Covid’s restrictions required closing many professional sports facilities. Pole vaulter Sandi Morris and long jumper Tyrone Smith share their experience of training to compete in a final Olympics together, as a married couple. Listen now

Source