The data on the South African type of coronavirus is “sobering”, and current vaccines are less effective against it than the original strain or the UK type, said Dr. Anthony Fawcett said Sunday.
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, Fawcett said he knew less about the South African type than the UK version, which proved to be more transmissible than the original version of the virus.
“But we do know that it (South African diversity) avoids the defense of some monoclonal antibodies, and to some extent reduces the vaccine’s ability and effectiveness to block it.” “It doesn’t eliminate it, but it reduces it by many times.
“There’s still some pillows left,” Fawcett said, adding that the current vaccines provide some protection against it. He added that, in South Africa, there were people who became infected with the original virus, recovered and then re-infected with the South African variant. It suggests that previous infections do not protect anyone from re-aligning with the South African type, he said.
“Somewhat good news is that the vaccine seems to be better than a natural infection that will protect you from getting infected again.”
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In the headlines:
A Los Angeles County woman died shortly after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, local health officials said. Kaiser Permanent Southern California’s vaccination program director Dr. Michael E. The 78-year-old woman “died unexpectedly” on Friday after being vaccinated, Morris said in a statement. He also said that, according to his family, the woman had a history of heart disease. The county’s public health department said his death was not related to the vaccine.
– New Zealand’s largest city went into lockdown for at least three days on Sunday and police set up checkpoints at eight locations on the border of Land Caledonia. The crackdown came after three members of the family tested positive. There are currently less than 50 known cases across the country of about 5 million people.
“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not recommend the Covid-19 test currently required before domestic air travel,” the CDC said in a statement to CNN on Saturday. Federal officials said this week that they are considering home testing requirements.
►Dominic Dwyer, one of the team’s investigators, told Reuters and The Wall Street Journal that China refused to provide the World Health Organization team with raw data on the initial COVID-19 cases investigating the origin of the epidemic. The head of the WHO said on Friday that all hypotheses of the origin of the coronavirus were being investigated and analyzed, while a team of investigators said earlier this week that the theory that the virus emerged from a virology lab in Wuhan would no longer advance.
– Florida state health officials report that more than 10,000 residents and employees of long-term care facilities have died from COVID-19.
📈 Today’s number: According to data from Johns Hopkins University, U.S. More than 27.6 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,485,000 deaths have been reported in India. Global average: more than 108.7 million cases and 2.39 million deaths. More than 70 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and about 52.8 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
📘 What we are reading: People of color have suffered the most from COVID-19. But now that a vaccine is here, for the same many reasons – they are much less likely to get the first dose. read more.
Cases of COVID-19 continue to decline, but variants are increasing
New COVID-19 cases in the United States are slowly coming down from the peak several weeks ago, Nov. 4. For the first time since Friday, the average rate has been falling below 100,000 since Friday and has remained below this figure on Saturday as well. It still has more than one new case per second, but at a rate less than half that of the country reported in January.
However, the number of known coronavirus variant infections has increased in recent weeks. The 1,193 cases of variables reported on Sunday represent nearly 200 more cases than on Thursday night, doubling the total on February 4.
U.K. The first variant B.1.1.7 was found in the Kingdom, which is considered to be at least 50% more contagious than the original strain, accounting for the most known cases with 1,173. It is spreading rapidly and by the end of March the U.S. In it can be a major stress.
Florida accounts for about 1/3 of the country’s known total of 379 cases.
– Mike Stukka
Not strict with the celebration of Mardi Gras being held in New Orleans
New Reliance is tampering with its annual Mardi Gras celebrations this week and health officials in other cities are warning it will do so amid a rise in various cases of coronavirus across the country. New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell has ordered the bar closed during the Mardi Gras weekend, which began Friday and runs through Tuesday. The parade is canceled and there is a limit on gatherings.
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the annual East Lantern Bash celebrated in most parts of the Gulf Coast. Last year’s revolver is believed to have contributed to the initial upswing that made Louisiana a coronavirus hot spot.
Officials say FDA policy allows antibody tests without authority
Two FDA officials wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine on Saturday that U.S. The Food and Drug Administration’s policy of allowing companies to market their CVD-19 antibody tests without authorization was “defective” and allowed ineffective products to flood the market, two FDA officials wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine on Saturday.
In March, the agency began approving antibody tests on the market until companies notified the agency and without the FDA’s authorization for emergency use, as long as the test was operational.
“As a result, the market was flooded with serology tests, some of which performed poorly and many of which were sold in contradiction to FDA policy,” said Jeffrey Schueren and Timothy Stanzel of the FDA.
An investigation by USA Today last year found that inexperienced or suspicious companies funded due to a lack of FDA oversight, including selling vep pens and being led by a self-proclaimed technology promoter, USA Today’s investigation found last year.
– Grace Hawk
Massachusetts program for those who come with seniors to get a quick ‘abuse’ vaccination
Some people in Massachusetts are also offering rides and money for the opportunity to take advantage of state regulations, which allow for the simultaneous shooting of coronavirus vaccinations with people aged 75 and over.
Advertisement spots of people seeking to cut the vaccination line were severely reprimanded by the government’s Charlie Baker, who warned against offering help to complete strangers. “If anyone asks you to take them to the site, please report them to the authorities,” Baker said. He said seniors should only accept the help of someone they trust.
Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell said in a statement, “While it may make sense, it took less than 24 hours to abuse this new state policy.”
Representative of the democratic state. Steve Owens said a group of legislators had asked Baker to suspend the program, noting that he had seen an advertisement for someone offering $ 250 to eligible residents at a vaccination site.
Oxford University, conducts vaccine testing in children
Oxford University plans to test its Covid-19 vaccine – which is being manufactured and distributed by AstraZeneca – for the first time in children, becoming the latest vaccine developer to assess whether its coronavirus shot is effective in young people.
It was announced at the hearing on Saturday that they were recruiting 300 volunteers between the ages of 6 and 17, with up to 240 receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and the rest controlling meningitis vaccine.
Andrew Pollard, lead researcher at the Oxford vaccine trial, says most children do not become seriously ill with COVID-19, “It is important to establish a safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and adolescents because some children benefit from vaccination.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA Today: Covid News: Anthony Fauqi; South Africa variant; Mardi Gras; China
