Is omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against COVID-19? Experts say it’s not likely that the highly transmissible variant – or any other variant – will lead to herd immunity.
Here’s why. https://t.co/AGnmKINS1y
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 23, 2022
“People are just over it. They’re tired of it.” The vaccination drive against COVID-19 in the U.S. is grinding to a halt. Lagging demand is stark in conservative areas of the nation where many people weren't interested in the shots in the beginning. https://t.co/qtUxZimSlX
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 23, 2022
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Negotiations on new rules for dealing with pandemics will begin at the World Health Organization on Thursday, with a target date of May 2024 for a treaty to be adopted by the U.N. health agency's 194 member countries. https://t.co/BeJFNWgL2u
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) February 24, 2022
For the first time since the #COVID19 #pandemic began, supply of #vaccines now exceeds demand.https://t.co/sYbEZpQ9YE
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) February 23, 2022
What went wrong with Hong Kong's Covid plan? https://t.co/IXesADGJO3
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 23, 2022
Hong Kong’s coronavirus surge leaves the most vulnerable without a place to isolate https://t.co/UENBmQ32oZ
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 23, 2022
Hong Kong rolls out vaccine passport and tighter COVID measures https://t.co/EuEdSfbLPj pic.twitter.com/jtlwndd1Do
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 24, 2022
Further international coverage of parents and children being separated in Hong Kong under the city's strict isolation policies as coronavirus cases surge https://t.co/CIUm3QDmpC
— Jerome Taylor (@JeromeTaylor) February 24, 2022
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it has set up a hub in South Korea to train low- and middle-income countries to produce their own vaccines and therapies, and is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine project to a further five nations. https://t.co/PNeZ8eqvmx
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) February 23, 2022
Thailand reports record 23,557 new coronavirus cases https://t.co/jhvyZQ36qZ pic.twitter.com/x7AmQDTKIa
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 24, 2022
COVID surges in New Zealand, protesters against mandates chase away Ardern https://t.co/h1QlixqSTB pic.twitter.com/Bd4H4dXB20
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 24, 2022
Romania will donate 1.1 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Algeria and Libya, the health ministry said on Wednesday. https://t.co/wjknzkeEdB
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) February 23, 2022
Slovakia will lift most COVID-19 restrictions over the next month, beginning with loosening measures for the unvaccinated before cancelling crowd limits in a later phase, according to plans approved by the government on Wednesday. https://t.co/cszkHeGF4F
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) February 24, 2022
The Italian government will end the COVID-19 state of emergency on March 31, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Wednesday, promising a gradual return to normal after more than two years of the health crisis. https://t.co/9g9WwSXP4c
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) February 24, 2022
Two years after Italy’s first covid lockdown, bikers trace a nearly 50-mile route through the red zone https://t.co/pMorbV8NpD
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 23, 2022
A few weeks ago, Denmark became the first major country to lift the last of its COVID-19 restrictions. Now, they have more cases per capita than nearly anywhere else in the world, and both COVID hospitalizations and deaths have shot up by about a third.https://t.co/jzpx0mN3nJ
— Kim Siever (@kim_siever) February 22, 2022
As we know from the US example, it's not just merely vaccines but *vaccination* that helps save lives.
Vaccination requires supply, yes, but also logistics, resources, *trust* and follow-up. It would be a shame to forget this as we transition out of the vaccine scarcity phase.— zeynep tufekci (@zeynep) February 23, 2022
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned on Wednesday that the Caribbean was falling behind in its effort to fight COVID-19 as only 63% of its eligible population was vaccinated and large regional discrepancies persist. https://t.co/VrPR0L4C5n
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) February 24, 2022
AstraZeneca plc signed an agreement with Canada for 100,000 doses of its antibody therapy for prevention of COVID-19 in some high-risk patients, the country's government said on Wednesday. https://t.co/NG4LgmctoL
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) February 23, 2022
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A new Covid vaccine has shown 100% efficacy against severe disease & hospitalizations. Vax is made by the European-based companies Sanofi & GSK, which got billions of development dollars from Operation Warp Speed, the Trump program to speed vax development https://t.co/xi1q5Od6xD
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) February 23, 2022
Two doses of a new Covid vaccine that is based on a conventional approach achieved 100 percent efficacy against severe disease and hospitalizations, and it could be an effective booster after other Covid shots, the vaccine’s manufacturers announced on Wednesday…
The new vaccine had an efficacy of 75 percent against moderate-to-severe disease. It showed 58 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease in its Phase 3 clinical trial. Although that number is lower than was observed for the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in their initial trials, it is “in line with expected vaccine effectiveness in today’s environment dominated by variants of concern,” Sanofi and GSK said in a statement. The number of infections observed in the trial was small, however, and the efficacy may have been lower in a bigger trial.
Used as a booster dose after one of the other available coronavirus vaccines, the Sanofi-GSK shot increased antibody levels by 18- to 30-fold. The companies intend to submit the vaccine for authorization to regulatory authorities in the United States and Europe, they said on Wednesday…
In laboratory studies, two doses of the Sanofi-GSK vaccine stimulated the production of more neutralizing antibodies than an approved mRNA vaccine, according to the companies. The data have not yet been published. The vaccine was safe and well-tolerated by adults of all ages, the companies said…
Hopkins researchers have found that remdesivir improved clinical outcomes and reduced mortality for COVID-19 patients.https://t.co/lasWRgxu9U
— Johns Hopkins University (@JohnsHopkins) February 23, 2022
U.S. FDA limits use of GlaxoSmithKline-Vir COVID-19 drug https://t.co/aX2usls6nW pic.twitter.com/ERQiHYmC91
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 23, 2022
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) and Vir Biotech’s (VIR.O) COVID-19 antibody treatment should not be used in places with circulation of variants that are not susceptible to the drug.
Vir has said the drug, sotrovimab, retains neutralizing activity against the emerging BA.2 form of the Omicron coronavirus variant…
The GSK-Vir drug is one of the few COVID-19 treatments shown to have worked against the original Omicron variant, spurring demand.
The United States had briefly paused the distribution of other antibody drugs from Regeneron (REGN.O) and Eli Lilly (LLY.N) over concerns they do not work against Omicron.
COVID raises risk of mental health problems; new Omicron version not making people sicker in S. Africa https://t.co/SdaQI59zIC pic.twitter.com/fwlOQouJyQ
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 23, 2022
U.S. pregnancy deaths show outsized toll on Black women in pandemic's first year, report shows https://t.co/kGolUmrjfA pic.twitter.com/OKoSTEgjTb
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 24, 2022
Covid shots are an unlikely cause of a rare inflammatory disorder in kids, according to new research. Condition is multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children —MIS-C, a post-Covid disorder. Some speculated Covid shots might cause it. Data says 'no' https://t.co/6pNNhFwnZt
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) February 23, 2022
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Masks are coming off in blue states. Some say it’s long overdue.
Others worry that political pressure to return to normal is endangering the immunocompromised, elderly and young children not yet eligible for vaccines. https://t.co/OmbYshy71h
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 23, 2022
Google allows Bay Area employees to work from office, eases COVID-19 norms https://t.co/LoE5VyLYwd pic.twitter.com/IY8JoTweDB
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 24, 2022
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Wednesday / Thursday, Feb. 23-24Post + Comments (27)