Latest on Coronavirus

Dr. John Moore, Dr. Crystal Watson, and Dr. Zijian Chen discuss variants, vaccines and more.

The Future Of The Pandemic: Doctors Predict What Will Happen Next

Health

The future of the pandemic:

mhm. Everyone wants to know what's going to happen in this pandemic and no one truly does. We've been pretty bad at predicting what's going to happen so far. But I do think that we are going to gradually gain enough immunity in our populations in the US and around the world that any future variants of this virus are going to have less of an effect on people's health. So there will be less severe illness and less death as we go along, there could be a grim outlook. The grim outlook is that there are further variants. May be more infectious variants, may be more virulent variants, meaning we're seeing infection rates or the worst thing illness within the population. We could see after the omicron wave subsides a reappearance of a variant that is more like DELTA that was around last year. So we could see that re emerge. That's a possible scenario. There's also the pessimistic scenario in which a macron becomes more virulent, that it requires mutation that make it more like delta. In terms of its pathogenesis, viruses, especially this type of virus corona viruses, they are very good at changing. And because a random change can give it resistance to the vaccine. I wouldn't say escaping the vaccine meaning making the vaccine completely useless but they can be resistant to the vaccine in terms of vaccination for the future. I do anticipate that we will have to get re vaccinated, have additional boosters against this virus in the future. But we have to see how, when this virus settled in, it's not in an acute pandemic. How often we need those updates to our vaccines. That really depends on how frequently the virus mutates. Um, and just how, what effect that has on the population. The infection level within the population is so high that it is closing to endemic states, meaning it's going to have a pocket of, you know, virus within the population that never truly gets eradicated. And if that happens, then there could be a seasonality. Uh, to the uh to the virus kind of like flu the public often conflates endemic with harmless. Um, I mean HIV is endemic. TB is endemic. They're not exactly things you want to get. So it depends on the property of the virus. And you know, the analogy that's made with coronavirus is it becomes equivalent to the common cold viruses and they're not pathogenic. You don't generally die of a common cold. So they've adapted to the host. But the idea that viruses only ever become milder. Well, that's kind of a bit of a mess. I mean, it doesn't always isn't always true. I hope that in the spring of 2023 we will be in a much better place because we will have vaccine for anyone who wants to get it, including kids that are very young. Um, I think we will have additional immunity built up through our population and will be at a more regular tempo of dealing with this virus. So you're asking about a year's time, how much virus is there around and you adjust your behavior according to your perceived risk you've got, everyone should have by now a reasonable idea of your risk, chances are given the behavior of the virus in the past that there will be other barriers that come out. And when that happens, infection rates will go up again. And if they do cover up again, then chances are, we will have hopefully not but further restrictions and masking policies and things like that. I don't think the pandemic is over yet. Um, but as we start to come out of the really uh emergency period of the pandemic, we need to think about how our systems will hold up to the next pandemic. We really need to start to take a look back at what, what went wrong and what went right during Covid 19 and shore up our systems for the next time.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky lays out how that can happen.	

The CDC hopes to give people a break from wearing masks

We are assessing the most important factors based on where we are in the pandemic and will soon put guidance in place that is relevant and encourages prevention measures when they are most needed to protect public health and our hospitals. We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when these metrics are better and then have the ability to reach for them again. Should things worsen. If and when we update our guidance, we will communicate that clearly and it will be based on the data and the science. However, it's also important to remember regardless of the level of disease burden in your community, there are still very important times to continue to wear your mask. If you're symptomatic or feeling unwell, you should wear a mouth. If you're in the 10 days after a covid diagnosis, you should wear a mask. If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are quarantining, you should wear a mask. Ah

It’s a sub-variant of Omicron, not a new COVID variant.

“Stealth” Omicron is here, this is what you should know

The OSHA rule required workers to get COVID vaccines or periodic tests.

SCOTUS strikes down Biden's vaccine mandate: White House responds

SCOTUS strikes down OSHA vaccination rule


the Supreme Court's decision on the OSHA mandate essentially means that in the past, this pandemic is up to individual employers to determine whether their workplaces will be safe for employees and whether their businesses will be safe for consumers. Uh So President biden, you'll see this in his statement, will be calling on and will continue to call on businesses To immediately join those who have already stepped up including 1/3 of Fortune 100 companies to institute vaccination requirements to protect their workers, customers and communities. We have to keep working together in order to uh get this done to save more lives. Were already looking at this point in time of more than 71% of people have had both shots uh that to make them fully protected. Obviously we're encouraging people of course to get boosted more than 80% 83% I believe at this point have had their first shot. We're going to continue to work full speed at doing that. Obviously this was a step that we announced and we had every intention of implementing because we knew that it was the point, we're putting in place requirements in the workplace would help get more people vaccinated. The good news is that a number of companies have already decided to do that and do that successfully and the work and the effort is really going to be on their shoulders. So really it's going to depend on how effective that is

Novavax’s COVID vaccine would be the fourth approved vaccine in the U.S.

Novavax’s COVID vaccine could be coming to the U.S.


Novavax’s COVID vaccine would be the fourth approved vaccine in the U.S.


Europe had over seven million new COVID cases in the first week of 2022.


WHO warns 50% of Europe could catch Omicron by March

The region saw over seven million newly reported cases of COVID-19 in the first week of 2022, More than doubling over a two week period. As of 10th January 26 countries report that over 1% of the population is catching COVID 19 each week, mortality rates remained stable and continue to be highest. In countries With high COVID-19 incidents combined with lower vaccination uptake. 50 of the 50 countries in Europe and Central Asia have no reported cases of omicron, it is quickly becoming the dominant virus in western europe and his now spreading into the Balkans. At this rate, the Institute for Health metrics and evaluation forecast That more than 50% of the population in the region Will be infected with a microphone in the next 6-8 weeks. I am also deeply concerned that as the variant moves east, we have yet to see its full impact in countries where levels of vaccination uptake or lower and where we will see more severe disease in the unvaccinated. For countries not yet hits by the omicron search, there is a closing window of opportunity to act now and plan for contingencies. Omicron moves faster and wider than any SARS cov two variants that we have previously seen. We therefore urge these countries to mandate the use of high quality masks in closed and indoor settings and ensure that vulnerable individuals have access to them. That people are supported to get a full vaccine series and booster those as soon as it becomes available, making sure health workers and other essential workers have early access to booster doses to keep services going.

Different situations can call for different tests.

Need to take a COVID test? Here are your options

But the President urges Americans to heed caution during the Omicron outbreak.

Joe Biden: We are not going back to March 2020

Politics

Joe Biden: We are not going back to March 2020


let me answer some questions but lay uh out the steps the vice president are taking to prepare for the rising number of cases experts tell us we can expect in the weeks ahead first. How concerned should you be about omicron which is now the dominant variant in this country and it happened so quickly. The answer is straightforward. If you're not fully vaccinated, you have good reason to be concerned. You're at a high risk of getting sick and if you get sick you're likely to spread it to others including friends and family. I'm the unvaccinated, have a significantly higher risk of ending up in the hospital or even dying. Almost everyone who has died from COVID-19 in the past many months has been unvaccinated because OMA crime spread so easily. We'll see some fully vaccinated people get covid potentially in large numbers but we positive cases in every office, even here in the White House. Among the, among the vaccinated, among the vaccinated from democrats, but these cases are highly unlikely to lead to serious illness. Vaccinated. People get covid make it ill but they're protected from severe illness and death. Another question folks are asking is, what can you do to make yourself and your family feel safer and be safe? The answer is simple. Get your booster shot, wear a mask. Our doctors have made it clear booster shots provide the strongest of protection. Unfortunately we still have tens of millions of people who are eligible for the booster shots. I would have not yet gotten has gotten the first two shots they're not gotten a booster. Another question that folks are asking Is are we going back to March 2020, not just last March 2021 But March 2020 when the pandemic first hit. That's why I keep getting asked. The answer is absolutely no. Three weeks ago I laid out a COVID-19 action plan for this winter prepared us for this moment. Today we're making the plan even stronger First. We're setting up our vaccination and booster efforts were stepping it up is significant in the past two weeks. We've seen the highest vaccination rates since last spring and we aren't as vaccinated as a country as we should be though. That's why we have added 10,000 new vaccination sites On top of the 80,000 sites are already, we had, we already had in place. one of the other things that we know it has to be done is more testing his omicron spreads easily, especially among the unvaccinated. It's critically important that we know who's infected. That means we need more testing on that score. We're now where we should be. Yes, we have over 20,003 testing sites. Yes, we've used the Defense Production Act And spent $3 billion dollars to greatly expand the number of at home tests available for purchase online and at your local pharmacy and yes, we made sure insurance covers the pcr tests you get in the hospital or at your doctor's office but starting next month, private insurance will all will cover also cover at home test so you can order a test online and get reimbursed. We're providing access to free at home test for those who may have insurance as well. May not have insurance, I should say as well, but it's not enough. We have to do more. We have to do better. And we will, starting this week, federal government set up emergency testing sites in areas that need additional testing capacity for christmas. The first several of these federal testing sites will be up and running to new york city.

The CDC says Omicron is more transmissible than Delta.

Fauci: Omicron “compromises the effects of a two-dose mRNA vaccine”

Fauci: Omicron compromises effects of mRNA vaccines


Fauci: Omicron “compromises the effects of a two-dose mRNA vaccine”


early data suggests that omicron is more transmissible than Delta, with a doubling time of about two days. What does this mean for individuals and families? As we head into the winter months, a time when families may be gathering with one another over the holidays? It means that it is vital for everyone to get vaccinated and boosted if they are eligible, given the increase in transmissibility. This also means continuing to be vigilant about masking in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high community transmission. The Omicron variant undoubtedly compromises the effects of a two dose M RNA vaccine induced antibodies and reduces the overall protection. However, as I showed on a prior slide, considerable protection still maintains against severe disease. The early in vitro and clinical studies that I mentioned indicate that boosters reconstitute the antibody tigers and enhance the vaccine protection against a micron. And so finally, our booster vaccine regimens work against, um, a crime. At this point, there is no need for a variant specific booster, and so the message remains clear. If you're unvaccinated, get vaccinated, and particularly in the arena of a micron. If you're fully vaccinated, get your booster shot

It doesn’t involve lockdowns or shutdowns.

President Biden’s five-point plan to fight COVID this winter

Biden’s five-point plan to fight COVID this winter


President Biden’s five-point plan to fight COVID this winter


Today. I'm back to announce our action plan to battle COVID-19 this winter. Not that any of us are surprisingly views because it's combined advice from all of you that we developed this plan and it doesn't include shutdowns or lockdowns, but widespread vaccinations and boosters and testing a lot more. There are five key actions that I want to see us take this winter. First of all, the press is expanding the nationwide booster campaign with more outreach, more appointments more hours more times and sites to walk in providing boosters shots for up to 100 and 10 million americans who are eligible for boosters for the second point is that launching new family vaccination clinics to make it easier for Children, parents and whole families to get vaccinated into one place and new policies to keep our Children in school instead of quarantining them at home. The third piece of this is making free at home test more available than ever before and having them covered by your private insurance plans available in thousands of locations and available community health centers and other sites for the uninsured don't have insurance for increasing our surge response teams that are our doctors, our nurses, I know people in this audience know incredibly well about what a search team is, but uh, medical staff into communities with rising cases and overburdened hospitals and short on personnel. The fifth thing we're doing to accelerate efforts to vaccinate the rest of the world and strengthen the strengthen international travel rules for people coming to United States. I plan to announce my plan, I'm announcing today pulls no punches In the fight against COVID-19 and it's a plan that I think should unite us. I know COVID-19 has been very divisive in this country has become a political issue, which is a sad, sad commentary. It shouldn't be, but it has been now as we move into the winter and face the challenges of this new variant. This is a moment we can put the devices behind us. I hope this is a moment we can do what we haven't been able to do enough of through this whole pandemic, get the nation to come together, unite the nation and a common purpose.

CDC signs off on Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids

today is a monumental day in the course of this pandemic and one that many of us have been very eager to see Ever since your vote on December 12 last year recommending COVID-19 vaccination for those 16 and older. We have been asking when we will be able to expand this protection to our younger Children In the nearly 12 months that have passed since that vote, we have learned a tremendous amount both about COVID-19 disease and the vaccines that combat it. And today you have the opportunity to review those data, discuss the benefits of expanded vaccination. Consider the risk and make a recommendation that is likely to have tremendous impact. As you review the data today, it will be key to keep in mind the specific risk to Children from this virus and this pandemic for almost two full years, school has been fundamentally changed. There are Children the second grade who have never experienced a normal school year. They're start students in middle school who missed out on school sports and extracurricular activities. There are missed proms and homecoming dances and too many missed graduations. We have watched as the education gaps that exist in this country have widened as this virus has disproportionately impacted racial and ethnic minority communities. Pediatric vaccination has the power to help us change all of that and to let us move towards schools as we once knew it and hope it can be a safe and enriching environment for all of our Children. I also think that I share with your perspective the pediatric vaccination is just one important piece to this puzzle. It is important that we also continue to vaccinate as many adults as possible to provide protection to Children in the community, including those younger than five who may not be eligible yet for vaccination.

And it greenlit the mixing of matching of different shots.

The FDA and CDC have approved the use of three COVID-19 boosters

FDA and CDC approve the use of three COVID-19 boosters

These are your COVID-19 at-home testing options

Molnupiravir would be the first pill to treat COVID.

Merck’s COVID pill shows promising results

Sharon Alroy-Preis of the Israel Ministry of Health presented the data to the FDA.

Israeli data shows booster dose increases protection against COVID 10-fold

Booster dose increases protection against COVID 10-fold


Israeli data shows booster dose increases protection against COVID 10-fold


We saw severe active cases increased by more than 10fold And among them was 60% vaccinated individuals, fully vaccinated individuals. So at that point we had to stop and ask the question exactly as the CDC officer said, Is that a delta issue or is that a waning immunity issue? So based on the evidence of winning in Israel and the trajectory exceeding national hospitalization capacity Given the rapid rise in severe cases, Israel decided to begin a third definition campaign on July 30, starting with the elderly following the administration of the boat. This was for the age of 60 and above. And we're seeing the future delays of about two weeks. We're seeing a decrease where for the other ages where the booster does will still not administered. We think the continuous rise at the end of august if we had not started booster doses at the end of july we would have come to uh the capacity of Israel hospitalization capabilities and probably have gone beyond it. We saw that the booster dose uh improves the protection by tenfold Against confirmed infection and at least for elderly against severe COVID-19. Um what we saw is basically that the post booster effect efficacy against Delta was similar to the waning efficacy against al fights like a fresh vaccine

Dr. Lee Savio Beers, president of American Academy of Pediatrics, explains.


COVID vaccine for kids: Parents should have confidence in the FDA

COVID vaccine for kids: Trust the FDA 

Across the country in Children and adults, we're seeing big increases in infection rates largely due to the delta variant, which we I think all know is much more transmissible, thankfully. Children by large do very well with COVID-19 infection. They're not as at risk for severe infection as adults are, but they can get very sick. And I say a lot, you know, a small percentage of a lot of kids is a whole lot of kids. And so what's happening is in our pediatrician's offices in our Children's hospitals. We're seeing a lot of Children who are, who are very, very ill with covid of course, vaccination is one of the most important tools in our toolbox to help prevent the covid 19 infection. We do know that there are small numbers of breakthrough infections. This is normal. That happens with every vaccine. But when we look at vaccines for Children versus adults, uh, you know, the basic vaccine really is going to be the same. The big difference is often have to do with the dose and the amount of the vaccine we give. And sometimes in the length of time between doses, we know Children are younger that there there are still growing and developing. And so we're always going to have an extra layer of caution when we're developing vaccines are really any medication for Children. And so the reason it's taking longer to get a vaccine for our younger kids is exactly that we're going through all the steps that we always do with vaccine development. You start with adults determined that the vaccine is safe and effective and adults and then you start to work backwards and figure out is the vaccine effective in younger kids and what's the right dose in the younger kids. And you have to take that step by step to make sure you have a safe and effective vaccine. Yeah. Mm. Yeah. It's not mm mm For parents who have questions about the covid 19 vaccine. I think the first thing I want to say is that's normal your your parent, um, your job is to make sure that you understand the health decisions that you're making for your child. But the FDA review and authorization process is really robust and careful and I think that any parent can feel confident that when a vaccine and authorized by the FDA that it's safe and effective for, for the people have authorized for and that includes Children. Um, I felt this way I have two teenagers at home and when when the vaccine is authorized for them, I I had them vaccinated without hesitation. But I think as a parent you should feel really confident that when a vaccine is authorized, it's safe and effective for your child. The American Academy of Pediatrics uh, you know, really recommends that that school is in person school is the best place for kids to be. We want to make sure that all Children have access to in person school and part of how we can make that happen is by implementing implementing safe and effective and layered mitigation precautions. One of those things is wearing a mask in school, all all Children and adults in school settings. We do recommend that they wear masks and there's a couple of reasons for that. One is that we know there are still lots of kids who aren't eligible to be vaccinated. Um and so we want to make sure that we're keeping them safe and that and that we're also helping to prevent the spread of covid to others because we know masks protect us as individuals, also protect our friends and those around us. Um The second reason is that, you know, this is, you know, I'm really sympathetic to teachers, right? They have a lot that they're managing right now um and to be asking them to sort of figure out and remember who's vaccinated, who's not vaccinated, you can wear a mask, you don't have to wear a mask. Um You know, that's that's that's not terribly practical or pragmatic. Well we wait for vaccines to be authorized in for our younger Children. It's one of the most important things we, as adults and adolescents can do to protect the little ones in our communities to get vaccinated ourselves if we are vaccinated, that helps decrease the spread of COVID and communities in it. And it helps protect our our little list one. Mhm

The emergence of a more transmissible variant has forced some Asian economies to rethink their COVID strategies, as scientists say herd immunity is no longer a realistic goal.

Delta outbreaks challenge Asia’s COVID strategies

A worker in a hazmat suit disinfects a slum community in Manila. Photo by Ezra Acayan.

The emergence of Delta has forced some Asian countries to rethink their COVID strategies, as scientists say herd immunity is no longer a realistic goal.

The emergence of a more transmissible variant has forced some Asian economies to rethink their COVID strategies.

The emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant has forced some Asian economies to rethink their COVID strategies, as scientists say herd immunity is no longer a realistic goal.

<p>We must increase vaccinations among the unvaccinated with new vaccination requirements. With nearly 80 million eligible Americans who have not gotten vaccinated, Many said they were waiting for approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA last month, the FDA granted that approval. So the time for weight is over. Way. Some of the biggest companies are already requiring this United Airlines, Disney, Tyson's Food and even Fox News. To make matters worse, their elected officials actively working to undermine the fight against COVID-19 instead of encouraging people to get vaccinated a mask up there, ordering mobile morgues for the unvaccinated dying from COVID in their communities. This is totally unacceptable. At 25% can cause a lot of damage and they are the unvaccinated overcrowd. Our hospitals are overrunning emergency rooms and intensive care units, leaving no room for someone with a heart attack or pancreatitis or cancer.</p>

It requires large companies to mandate vaccines or regular testing for employees.

Biden announces COVID-19 mandate targeting unvaccinated Americans

Biden announces COVID-19 mandate

We must increase vaccinations among the unvaccinated with new vaccination requirements. With nearly 80 million eligible Americans who have not gotten vaccinated, Many said they were waiting for approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA last month, the FDA granted that approval. So the time for weight is over. Way. Some of the biggest companies are already requiring this United Airlines, Disney, Tyson's Food and even Fox News. To make matters worse, their elected officials actively working to undermine the fight against COVID-19 instead of encouraging people to get vaccinated a mask up there, ordering mobile morgues for the unvaccinated dying from COVID in their communities. This is totally unacceptable. At 25% can cause a lot of damage and they are the unvaccinated overcrowd. Our hospitals are overrunning emergency rooms and intensive care units, leaving no room for someone with a heart attack or pancreatitis or cancer.

Experts weigh in on the science behind some of its early studies.

How would a universal vaccine work?

Francesco Militello Mirto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

the question on the table is can we develop what's referred to as a universal coronavirus vaccine, something that will protect us against the future epidemic or pandemic. The idea of a universal coronavirus vaccine is obviously gaining currency now and more and more people are starting to work on it. The work is all I think still in the laboratory there are not clinical trials yet of these universal vaccine ideas definitely a global effort. I mean there are research groups around the world working on this and health authorities around the world that our interest in this. The step is the coalition for epidemic preparedness innovations. Uh, it is a relatively new international organization. It is a public private partnership. It involves lots of national governments, it involves the World Health Organization and it also involves private non governmental actors such as the Melinda Gates Foundation. So with interested in creating these efforts that are happening globally to create a universal vaccine. And thinking that's going on around how you might do that. And and what happened is a grit Stone, which is this California biotechnology company caught the attention of step uh, and you know, looking at these efforts globally, obviously decided the Grit Stones effort was the furthest along maybe the most promising and it's decided to provide almost $21 million I think 20.6 million is the exact number of funding to help Grit Stone run a phase one clinical trials of its universal vaccine in South Africa. And that trial is supposed to start by the end of the year, we formed Grit Stone about six years ago. And the reason we started the company was to try and improve and extend the benefits of cancer immunotherapy using the immune system to kill us. And so as we build grit Stone we had to establish and build two technologies. The first was to identify from all of the different protein mutations that happened in the um yourself which ones could be good targets for the immune system. The second challenge was once I've identified those great targets. The technical term is antigens. How can I administer them to a human to drive a really strong killer T cell response against those antigens. We've been working on this in cancer now And we then as the Star Kobe to pandemic unfolded we realized that we could take these two technologies and potentially apply them to Sars-Cov-2 because most vaccines generate good antibody responses to the virus but not so much on the killer T cell side. And when you have a natural immune response to viral infection you make antibodies and you make killer T cells. It's a reasonable supposition that there's real value in getting the killer T cells side of the equation revved up. I don't see this as a top priority at the moment designing an annual flu vaccine. Tight shot. It's perfectly okay to do some research on this but it's not the immediate priority. I don't think if we had a universal coronavirus vaccine that would prevent any future coronavirus outbreak. Everyone should be immunized with it now on a just in case basis. That's kind of the much more extreme idea because it would basically say let's immunize uh seven billion people on a just in case basis against something that we don't know will happen or when it would happen. So the more plausible and more conservative version of the concept is to have something with reasonably likelihood of certainty of efficacy and have it available to be mass produced and rolled out as and when needed. Then you get into the details of how would you do this? Some of them seem to be based on the idea that if you have a really really strong antibody response against SARS cov two, there would be enough cross reactivity to deal with other corona viruses that are not the same but sufficiently similar. So that's one concept and that's based on making a better version of the coronavirus vaccines that we all now know about from what I've read about the Grit Stone concept, it is largely based on inducing t cell responses against conserved regions of coronavirus is Well, that's a bold concept, should we say. And it's not one that's in sync with most of the other designs or with what we know about protective immunity against coronavirus is our platform. And the reason step is interested in it is that it's a slightly different form of RNA called self amplifying RNA that carries the potential benefit that you can use lower doses to achieve the same or perhaps even better benefit. Uh And that's why dozing is important. Uh you can do that because as the name suggests, the RNA makes copies of itself which means you can use a smaller delivered dose to actually achieve the same effect. And because you actually get double stranded RNA A. That looks really foreign to your immune system and may stimulate an even stronger immune reaction, which is what makes this kind of worth studying separately from the regular M RNA vaccines. You can't really run an efficacy trial against a virus that is crossing over to humans in 20 to 50 years time. Perhaps that you just literally don't know what it is. So you can't run an efficacy trial. So you can only really gauge your success on a relative immunogenicity. What induces the strongest immune responses that are the most cross reactive against viruses? That is a reasonable expectation that a future pandemic virus might mimic. And that's the only way that I could see of doing it. What is your best estimate of a future pandemic virus based on what we know and how well might this vaccine perform against it? And no, that's going to be some degree of judgment calls? I think first of all we should say that is this worth trying. I think the answer isn't undoubted yes because the nihilistic approach and to say too hard. Don't even bother just wait for the next pandemic and we'll try and deal with it when it comes. That comes at a huge crisis in terms of human lives and economic costs and suffering as well. Do I know the answer? Of course not. I think what we're doing is developing a scientifically rational, valid approach. It's based on human data. I think that's important, optimal doses, optimal formulation, optimal content to make sure the immune response is appropriate. That's all on the table. That's what we're working on now and a skeptic might say I don't think you're going to solve that problem. Well you may be right, I hope to prove you wrong.

Dr. John P. Moore: "I certainly think it's a very good thing."

Virologist explains why uptick in vaccine mandates are coming

Virologist: Why uptick in vaccine mandates are coming

the states the full approval of the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna one is likely to follow in a month or so is going to increase vaccine uptake by americans through one of two mechanisms. Firstly, there is a subset of people who have been saying in surveys and anecdotally that they have been waiting for full approval because that gives them something more to trust. If you're of the mindset that you wanted to see full approval, well, you now have it. So that reason for not taking vaccines is gone. The second mechanism is it gives employers more legal and moral authority To introduce the vaccine mandates for employees. I think we're going to see more and more of these mandates and I certainly think it's a very good thing. I wouldn't have said that 6-9 months ago, but I think we've been forced into this position By having the best part of 100 million Americans who have been refused to be vaccinated. When America could have could have gotten itself out of the position we're in by around july when enough vaccine is available to immunize the whole country. We missed the opportunity because too many people chose to be selfish and not be vaccinated and now we're dealing with the delta wave. We're dealing with a situation in which there are 100-200,000 Americans walking around today. We're going to be dead by the end of the year and they're almost all self inflicted wounds because they refused to protect themselves and their families and friends and co workers using a free mechanism that is readily available to them.

Even if they were asymptomatic after a positive test. 

‘Long COVID’ patients experience symptoms even after the virus is gone

‘Long COVID:’ Experiencing symptoms after the virus is gone


‘Long COVID’ patients experience symptoms even after the virus is gone


most people recover from Covid and they go on maybe they're a little tired, but things are generally back to normal within a couple of weeks long covid is what happens when you've already had Covid 19 infection and you're still having persistent symptoms after the fact. So when someone has long Covid or if they're a long hauler, as sometimes they like to refer to themselves, they can have a really wide range of symptoms. It can range from things like headache, brain fog, which is this weird symptom where you can feel very sluggish and maybe have memory issues, issues when it comes to heart, your liver, kidneys and even lung function. That can all these symptoms related to long covid. So this is pretty wide ranging. It's really important to understand that long covid can happen to folks who were asymptomatic who had very little symptoms who never set foot in a hospital. In fact, a lot of long covid cases are among this population who had a fairly mild case of covid and are now hearing some symptoms weeks or months after their positive test. People are really concerned about being able to contract long covid even if they're vaccinated. And the truth is, we don't have a lot of data yet. We certainly have at least one study out of Israel that shows that of 36 health professionals that have been vaccinated about seven ended up with long covid. So while this is really early data and a very small sample size. It does seem to indicate that breakthrough cases can result in long covid and it is something that the public needs to be aware of. There is some study out of the UK, however, that is going all those who have long covid, Only a small percentage actually ends up having it to the extent that it affects their day to day ability. So the good news is while folks are getting along Covid, there may only be a very small percentage that have an impact to the extent that their daily lives are disruptive where they have to take time off, report to deal with when it comes to long covid treatments. There are a number of avenues that health professionals can explore and are exploring. In fact, there are many, many clinics and centers being set up across the US to try to help deal with the after effects of covid and long covid now and these are actually multidisciplinary clinics. So this is something where you go into the doctor and you may be actually asked things about your brain function, you may be getting scans and tests related to your kidneys and your liver function. You're actually being diagnosed for a lot of things all at once. And there are sort of specialized clinics that are popping up that can help with things like this therapy, occupational therapy and even uh neuropsychology because of course we have to understand that there are psychological impact to this disease. Certainly depression is heavy among those dealing with covid and long covid for those who have actually had a very extreme case of covid, you might be dealing with PTSD and some of the after effects of that as well. Many folks may find themselves in the position where they're going to be multiple specialists, they're going to attend multiple programs and multiple clinics in order to get back to where they were prior to contracting covid.

COVID booster shots: What they are and when you can get one

It is now our clinical judgment at the time. To lay out a plan for COVID-19 boosters is now nearly 100 and 69 million americans are now fully vaccinated against Covid. However, even those with full vaccinations aren't going to be protected forever and they may need booster shots down blocks. A booster shot is exactly what it sounds like. It's an additional shot that you get that boosts the immune response that an original vaccine gave you with Covid. As with so many different viral diseases, immunity towards the virus can fade over time and it can especially fade if new variants such as the delta variant with Covid began to emerge, that's why booster shots may be necessary to build up your immune response once again to your body reformulate these antibodies that can fight off the virus. Getting a booster shot does not necessarily mean that you're getting a third dose of the vaccine in the exact same way. For instance, a booster may be modified with a different dosage, a slightly different formulation or be tweaked so that it can address variants of the virus that are going around. We still don't really know how often you might need a Covid booster shot. It's entirely possible that it could end up like the flu shot where you get one every single year. However right now, public health officials in the biden administration as well as executives at companies such as Moderna Pfizer and johnson and johnson speculate that people may need a booster to address coronavirus variants about eight months after they've been fully vaccinated with their original doses. That is why today we are announcing our plan to stay ahead of this virus By being prepared to offer COVID-19 booster shots To fully vaccinated adults 18 years and older. They would be eligible for their booster shot eight months after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna MRNA. We're still not really quite sure whether or not you would have to get a booster shot from the same manufacturer as the company that made your original vaccines. Currently, there are very early stage trials underway that are mixing and matching different vaccine types. For instance, there has been some studies in other countries suggesting that vaccines which rely on the type of technology that johnson and johnson's uses may actually get a bigger boost by mixing it with an M. RNA based vaccine, which is the type that is being created by Pfizer and mature in. There is also an ethical component to booster shop booster shots right now are pretty much only available in very wealthy nations that have access to vaccines and manufacturing capacity. However wide swaths of the world haven't even received a single dose of the vaccine, which is why the director general of the World Health Organization has advocated For a moratorium on boosters at least until every single country in the world has 10% of its population with one dose of vaccine and we call on everyone with influence olympic athletes, investors, business leaders, faith leaders and every individual in their own family and community to support our call for a moratorium on booster shots until at least the end of september.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy lays out the plan.

Fully vaccinated Americans will start receiving COVID booster shots on September 20

Americans can get COVID booster shots starting September 20


Fully vaccinated Americans will start receiving COVID booster shots on September 20


having reviewed the most current data, It is now our clinical judgment at the time to lay out a plan for COVID-19 boosters is now recent data makes clear that protection against mild and moderate disease has decreased over time. This is likely due to both waning immunity and the strength of the widespread delta there. That is why today we are announcing our plan to stay ahead of this virus. By being prepared to offer COVID-19 booster shots To fully vaccinated adults 18 years and older. They would be eligible for their booster shot eight months after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna MRNA vaccines. We plan to start this program the week of September 20, 2021. This plan is pending the FDA conducting an independent evaluation the safety and effectiveness of the third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna MRNA vaccines and the C. D. C. S. Advisory committee on immunization practices issuing booster dose recommendations based on a thorough review of the evidence.

Experts detail the legality of vaccine mandates, and other steps that can be taken.




Yes, your employer can require you to get vaccinated 

Experts detail the legality of vaccine mandates, and other steps that can be taken.



Yes, your employer can require you to get vaccinated 


Covid 19 has been with us for the past 18 months and it's not going away anytime soon. And now employers have to face some difficult choices when it comes to getting people back into the workplace. Whether or not to mandate vaccines or not, mandate vaccines is legal for employers to require that the employees that vaccinated before coming back to work or the condition of employment or if you don't want to get vaccinated, then they have to be subject to constant testing to ensure that they're not carrying the virus as part of the occupational Safety and Health Act. What's called a general duty clause that requires that employers keep the workplaces safe, even if there's not a specific regulation that applies since covid is so relatively new, there aren't any formal regulations that have been adopted yet. And so that's why it falls under the general duty cause OSHA came out with guidelines in january and one of them was you know, either get your employees vaccinated or if they're not vaccinated, then follow the same safety guidelines that they've been following before hip ensures that Into concept employers that employers have to safeguard the health information of employees. It doesn't mean that um an employer cannot um make a rule around um requiring employees to provide medical notes. Um for example to come back to work or show proof of vaccination. This idea that shampoo for vaccination for other employment or admission to school college to get into an establishment is not a new one before. Covid in some place that he had a vaccination if they have a disability or they have a religious belief, they can ask their employer for an accommodation. It might look like moving them to a different department or unit of that employer. So they're not coming into contact with customers or clients, for example, at a hospital, not working directly with patients, that they were going to be at risk. But there may be some jobs that someone just can't be accommodated right. If they're dealing with a vulnerable population and they don't want to give vaccine, then that employer could be within the rights to say, you know what? We need everyone to be vaccinated. And so, uh, we can't accommodate you, especially in health care. But certainly there's a precedent in certain industries. There has been a case in texas where some hospital employees were challenging the vaccine mandate. And then there was a case, I believe it was at indiana University where um people are challenging the vaccine mandate and that's a public institution and the courts still said that they could be mandated to attack the vaccine. Well, if an employee is not vaccinated, um, the question about whether or not to be ostracized from being a full team member and a workplace, It's an interesting one and it's kind of double sided. There's a possibility that you are creating a second class of worker and that they're not fully integrated into the culture of the workplace and not going to team building exercises are happy hours. That's certainly a possibility. And, and that's why I would encourage employers to at least provide another way to ensure safety by maybe have them get tested and showing that there at least uh, three of the back of the, of the, of the virus and maybe wearing a mask so they can still participate as an employee. You still have to toe the line between um ensuring the safety of your workforce, but not ostracizing employees as well, just like any other person with a disability or religious belief that if it conflicts with their job duties and those are essential job duties, then the employer can say, well, I'm sorry you're not qualified for that position. And so they could um terminate that person. Typically a voluntary quit, um, does not enable someone to get unemployment benefits. If that's seen the, there is a voluntary quit or it might be seen as misconduct. Right? So if you engage in some other sort of misconduct at your work, you may not be eligible for unemployment benefits and, and that could be seen as misconduct in a broader sense, every state has different requirements for receiving unemployment, but I could certainly see in some states than saying no, you're not eligible because uh, you engaged in some behavior that made you lose your job

“More infections mean more children will be in the hospital.”

Fauci: More children will contract COVID because of the Delta variant

Fauci: More kids will get COVID because of Delta variant


Fauci: More children will contract COVID because of the Delta variant


the delta variant is much more highly transmissible than was alpha. So given that you'll see more Children likely get infected and since you have a certain percentage of Children, even though the percentage of small, certain percentage of Children will require hospitalization. So quantitatively you will see more Children in the hospital regarding the severity of illness. There was a uh a couple of studies mostly international which suggested that delta was more severe in adults, namely causing more relative percentage of hospitalization and more severe disease with regard to Children. This could possibly be the case, but we are not seeing this in a definitive way. The only thing we know for sure is that more infections mean more Children will be in the hospital. What we know is that where we have higher rates of infection among Children, where we have lower rates of vaccination, um in general, higher rates of community transmission. Um we do know how to keep our Children safe. We know how to do so in schools and we know that most of the infections that is coming in through into schools is coming from high rates of disease in the community. So the best way to keep our schools safe and we know how to do it is to vaccinate everyone who can be vaccinated, vaccinate. Family members of Children cannot get vaccinated. And then to follow the uh mitigation strategy in our school guidance, including masking schools

The mayors of Kansas City and St. Louis explain why they reimplemented the mandate.


The mask mandate melee in Missouri 

we want to be able to distinguish the people that are vaccinated and unvaccinated and I think to try to put everybody in the same group is not good for the system. I think it discourages the vaccine process. So I think we got to be very careful about how we move forward and start talking mandating again. I disagree with the governor while I respect him, I just don't think that that's the right approach. I mean the let's do nothing and assume everything will just get better approach isn't working. It has not worked in Missouri. It is a source of embarrassment by the way that our greatest export of late has been the delta variant. I don't see it as an either or proposition. I see it as a both and proposition. We know that masks mitigate the spread of covid amongst the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. And until Missouri has increased its vaccination rates, which we are one of the lowest states in the nation. When it comes to vaccination rates, we're going to have to employ both mitigation strategy. Very simply, we were receiving medical advice, CDC guidance and we were seeing what was happening on the ground in the state of Missouri. We have had an inspection infection spike that was growing For some time. We have had significant concerns With COVID-19 and hospitalization rates in Kansas City. Our rates have gone back to the levels that we saw in january of this year. And we had grave concerns that if we did not take intervention steps, we would be in an even deeper crisis. So that's why we acted. It wasn't a difficult decision because when we announced that he saw that I announced it dr SAM page and Dark county executives and uh obviously he's a position and I have a masters in health administration with a career that spans over decades and hospitals and health centres. So, between the two of us, coupled with the information we were getting from the pandemic Task Force, were very comfortable in making this decision. There is certainly a large anti mask, anti intervention, anti science further in our city, like many other jurisdictions in America that are against this mandate, who compare this to the flu in any number of things. But I think by and large, when I've talked to Kansas city, thank you, is what they said. And I think that the other thing that pleases me because when we talk to health professionals, they have, by and large said, you know what, this was an important step for us right now. The way that they arrived at this, these these mask mandates are arbitrary and capricious. They're not using science, they're not using fact, they're making this up as they go along. So that's the basis of those lawsuits, the governor and I, um, you know why? We may not always agree. We tend to disagree in a non threatening manner. Um, we can disagree on the issues and still work together on the things that we agree on. However, our attorney general um, decides that he wants to use the courts as a bully pulpit because he's running for us Senate and he needs a platform in order to get his name out and get on Fox News. So this is the way he's decided to do this. He's running for the United States Senate. He thinks the best line to do it is by trying to masquerade as a conservative, when he's actually fairly moderate Republican who has worked with democrats for years. But he just thinks that that can't win Republican primary forum. So he's picking on ST louis, he's picking on Kansas City by number one message to all ST louis and is to get vaccinated and educated. Talk to a health care provider that you trust. Not every jurisdiction in America is under the same crisis point. We are. A lot of other places have gotten back to normal. A lot of places are not going back to mandates. It's not about politics, it's about public health. Mhm.

Fortune’s Megan Leonhardt outlines what you need to know.

CDC issues a new eviction moratorium for renters

Briefing

Of the moratorium for addiction is a COVID initiative by the administration does plan to issue a new eviction moratorium. The White House is issuing a targeted ban on eviction. The eviction moratorium has been largely in place in some form or another since the epidemic started about late March 2020. But the CDC actually put a probably the most encompassing version of a eviction moratorium in place last september. And that's the one that we've heard so much about. This is the one that has had extensions over the past year, has sat there and it's been the most comprehensive in the fact that it's covered a majority of ventures. It's really been the sticking point for a lot of the conversation that we've heard Now that eviction moratorium was actually let lapse on July 31 and this was for a number of reasons. Certainly there have been, you know, a lot of lawsuits and legal challenges to this. So this was something where the C. D. C. Said we're not going to renew it, this is just going to be how it ends. But that of course caused a huge uproar both between lawmakers, housing advocates. You name it potentially because you had millions of renters who are going to be put in a very vulnerable position. And at a time when the adults a variant was surging across the US the GDP came out on August three and said that they were going to put a new eviction ban in place and this one was going to be a little bit different than the previous one in that they were going to be some geographic limitations. Now, what do we mean by that? We mean that it only really covers counties in the U. S. That are experiencing substantial or high levels of covid 19 teeth. So substantial case is basically where a county is being between 50 and 99 cases of COVID among a population of about 100,000. When we're talking about high cases, that means it's over 100 covid cases per 100,000 residents within a seven day period. Communities are only covered While they're experiencing this increased number of COVID cases and if the county has a decrease for 14 days, they're no longer covered by this eviction ban. So let's talk about who's covered. I want to make it very clear that if you were covered under the previous eviction ban and you do live in one of these counties that are experiencing these high covid rates, you're probably covered this time around too. So basically applies to folks who have applied for rental assistance. They've experienced some kind of loss in income or some kind of extraordinary medical expenses. These are folks who, you know, typically make less than $99,000 of course, a little bit under $200,000 if you're married and file jointly, renters need to have been trying or at least attempting to make partial payments and on time payments as much as they're able during this time, unless it, and most importantly in this case, there needs to be a clear case that these folks will end up being homeless or sharing close quarters with other folks if they were to be evicted. We saw a lot of lawmakers really advocating to continue to protect struggling renters. Perhaps most acutely with Cori Bush, we need the moratorium on evictions to happen today. Every single day that we wait thousands, hundreds of thousands of people are receiving um eviction notices and some of them are being put out on the street. Certainly, homelessness is already a problem in the US. We certainly see at the major cities like san Francisco, but this would potentially create a rebounding effect where we have something like millions of americans potentially at risk of being homeless any very short succession. So interestingly, the Census Bureau has asked this question over the last four months and their latest research finds that about 3.65 million folks actually believe that they will be evicted in the next couple of months keep in mind that the federal eviction ban is not the only eviction moratorium out there. Many local states and cities have their own eviction bans in place that have extended that a little bit longer. We're potentially have other guidance in place for renters. So we're going to see this issue continue to pop up again and again as we work our way through the pandemic and the economic impact of all of them.

How Asian countries are fighting against COVID-19

 (Photo by Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

International

It has been a year since the first Covid 19 case was reported in Wuhan, China. Yeah, Now the virus can be detected in almost all countries. Mhm, mhm covid measures like social distancing, mandatory mask rules, border controls and lockdowns are being implemented globally. But cases keep surging. Countries hitting new piece every week. Covid 19 is still spreading out of control. But not all are bad news. Several Asian countries like Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand have done comparatively well despite being very near to and have frequent travelers from China. Seeing mask as one crucial factor in minimizing the spread, the Taiwanese government took different measures to ensure its domestic supplies for their citizens. For the shank. One woman where to go So yeah, the young woman called all the younger, trendier Chiba woman. Grenada comes up. They imposed an export ban on disposable surgical mask and set a limit for every mask purchase. The government also mobilized the military to join forces with local factories in ramping up the domestic mass production. By June 2020 Taiwan has raised a daily mass production from around 1.9 million before the pandemic it to 20 million per day. That doesn't mean that by putting on a mask, we can fully block the virus from entering the community. Governments will still need to act quickly to identify potential virus carriers and quarantine them before a massive local outbreak occurs. Yeah, Vietnam has taken a targeted approach when it comes to such measures based on potential exposure to the violence. Once the patient is identified, authorities were used. It's layered contract tracing, testing and quarantine tactics to contain a potential spread. Direct contact will be sent to mandatory quarantine in government controlled centers. In direct context will also be required to self isolate and when multiple cases are detected in the same area. Authorities were treated as a suspected virus hotspot and immediately locked down the entire area. Back in mid February, the government locked down a local community with 10,000 people for 20 days after discovering six cases. Vietnam only has 16 cases nationwide at the time. Compared to a symptom based method. Such measures have helped to reduce transmission within the local community. Over in Thailand, One unique feature of the country's collective effort will be its village health volunteers. Thailand has over a million of these volunteers acting as the bridge between authorities and local communities. These are normal Thai nationals who have received basic health training. They focus on educating and informing people about the latest covid situation and assist the government and monitoring and collecting health information from local communities facing a pandemic. It is important for authorities to act quickly to minimize the damage. Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand all have previously experienced staff outbreak in 2000 and 2 to 2000 and three. Governments can quickly identify what works and what doesn't and deport appropriate preventive measures to handle the virus. Mhm. Even with the roll out of covid 19 vaccines, it will take time until it reaches every country. What Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand are doing might not be the answer to ending a pandemic, but it can help to keep things under control until we managed to fascinate the entire world population. Mm

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