Republicans' lies about immigrants and covid-19 2:09
(CNN) -
Vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 infection dropped from 91% to 66% once the delta variant accounted for the majority of the circulating virus, according to a study published Tuesday by the Centers for Control. and the US Disease Prevention (CDC).
"While we saw a decrease in the protection of the covid-19 vaccine against the delta variant, it is still a two-thirds reduction in risk," lead author Ashley Fowlkes, an epidemiologist in the response to covid-19, told CNN. from the CDC on Tuesday.
The study is in line with others in the US and around the world showing the growing tendency for delta to cause largely minor infections among fully vaccinated people.
Still, the effectiveness of vaccines against serious diseases, including hospitalization and death, has remained high against all known variants.
However, the current study does not cover the severity of the disease.
Instead, the new article is the latest chapter in an ongoing study that has been following "healthcare personnel, first responders, and other essential and front-line workers" receiving weekly PCR tests at eight locations in six states. The vast majority are vaccinated.
The study's reliance on regular weekly tests makes it possible to get a more complete picture of COVID-19 infections in a group, as people with mild or no symptoms may be less likely to be tested overall.
In official vaccine trials, efficacy was calculated against symptomatic COVID-19, not all infections.
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Still, the authors caution that there is some uncertainty in these estimates, in part because they found relatively few infections in the first place.
During the months when delta was predominant, the researchers found 19 infections among 488 unvaccinated people and 24 infections among 2,352 fully vaccinated people.
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While waning immunity may also contribute to some degree of reduced protection, the current study was unable to demonstrate this to a significant degree.
Independent research suggests that even if a fully vaccinated person becomes infected with the virus, they are less likely to spread it.
About 51.5% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
The study authors are planning future analyzes that compare the different covid-19 vaccines, as well as the types of symptoms that vaccinated and unvaccinated people who become infected experience.
"It's still a very powerful vaccine," Fowlkes added, especially when it comes to more serious results.
"But we are also targeting him to keep wearing masks for a little longer."
Separately, a new study from Los Angeles County reaffirms that fully vaccinated people are far less likely than unvaccinated people to be hospitalized, admitted to an intensive care unit, require mechanical ventilation or die from COVID-19.
ANALYSIS |
Fauci's new 2022 timeline for fighting covid-19 could be a political disaster for Biden and the Democrats
"On July 25, infection and hospitalization rates among unvaccinated individuals were 4.9 and 29.2 times, respectively, higher than among fully vaccinated individuals," wrote Los Angeles County Department of Public Health researchers. in the study, which was published Tuesday by the CDC.
Fauci: Covid could be 'under control' in spring
Despite these studies on the benefits of vaccination, tens of millions of people have hesitated to receive vaccines.
Because of that, hospitals in many states with lower vaccination rates are overwhelmed by an increase in patients, students are returning to the classroom only to have to isolate themselves due to exposure, and cases among children are increasing.
Mississippi reported 111 new COVID-19-related deaths on Tuesday, a record of one day, said state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers.
About 87% of new deaths occur among the unvaccinated, and more than 50% are over 65, Byers explained.
Gov. Tate Reeves said more than 1,000 healthcare workers have arrived to help with the hospital staff shortage.
"Getting more staff so quickly is a step in the right direction," he said.
Florida also reported a record average of around 212 COVID-19 deaths each day last week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Anthony Fauci urged the public to get vaccinated, saying that if the "overwhelming majority" of the population do so, the United States could have the pandemic "under control" by spring 2022.
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"We hope to be there ... but there is no guarantee because it is up to us," Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the president's chief medical adviser, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday.
It is not yet clear to health experts what proportion of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve a level of protection that can sustain a return to normal, such as safely going to restaurants and theaters, Fauci said.
So the best way forward is to vaccinate as many people as possible, he said.
Still, Fauci's spring 2022 schedule is politically discouraging for President Joe Biden, who already declared a partial victory over the virus on July 4.
Additionally, CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, questioned the definition of what it means to "control" a virus that appears to be here for the long haul.
"This is one of those situations where I think defining what it means to be in control of the pandemic is really important," Gupta said Tuesday.
"If we have more people vaccinated, we are likely to separate hospitalizations from cases, and maybe that's a definition of control. (If) people don't get that sick anymore and end up in the hospital, the virus starts little by little to not having places to circulate, that will be a definition of control. I think we are going to see waves of this for some time, "he added.
ANALYSIS |
As the government talks about booster vaccines, it's time to address the endemic reality of covid-19
FDA approval opens door to vaccination orders
On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to the Pfizer / BioNTech covid-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older, a move that health officials hope will convince Americans undecided to get vaccinated.
"I think the approval that the FDA announced yesterday for the Pfizer vaccine is a milestone in our vaccination efforts and reaffirms what we have been seeing for months," Dr. Vivek Murthy, US Chief Health Officer, told CNN. "Which is, the vaccines are highly effective, they have a very strong safety profile, and they are what we need to overcome this pandemic."
There are still nearly 80 million people eligible to get vaccinated who have not.
"I think there will be a modest increase, but, look, we have a long way to go to fill this gap," said Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccinologist and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor School of Medicine.
"I think having full approval will certainly convince some, but it's just one of a dozen bogus talking points put out by the disinformation campaign. And I think multiple people will just go back to one of the others."
FDA approval also opens the door for companies and government agencies to require vaccination, and some have already begun to do so.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered the vaccine for all Department of Education employees, including teachers, on Monday.
In addition, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a statement on Monday, before leaving office, calling on all New York state employers to demand the covid-19 vaccine.
The state already requires all eligible health care and government employees to be vaccinated.
Now that the FDA has granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, the next approach is to authorize a covid vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
That could happen by the end of the year under an updated emergency use authorization, authorities said.
If and when that clearance comes, at least 28 million additional children, representing about 9% of the U.S. population, would be eligible to receive the vaccine, according to a CNN analysis of federal data.
Covid-19 hospitalizations among unvaccinated cost the US health system $ 2.3 billion in June and July, according to analysis
If vaccination trends among the age group 5-11 years are consistent with those in the age group 12-15, about 7 million children ages 5-11 can receive their first dose of vaccine in a month and more than 9 million in two months.
This would increase the overall vaccination rate in the US by approximately 2 percentage points in one month and 3 percentage points in two months.
Approximately 54% of parents with children under the age of 12 said they "agree" or "totally agree" that they would vaccinate their children against covid-19 "when a vaccine is authorized and available for their age", according to a survey conducted by The Rockefeller Foundation conducted by RAND Corporation.
Florida covid-19 deaths at all time as new cases continue to rise
Family man defends use of masks with passionate 1:25 speech
Florida reported more COVID-19 deaths last week than at any time during the pandemic, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, and hospitalizations are also higher than ever.
The state broke its January record for new daily cases about two weeks ago, and that number has continued to rise to the current average of about 21,534 per day.
Just weeks after the start of the school year for many Florida districts, more than 14,000 COVID-19 cases, among 11,851 students and 2,610 employees, have been reported in the state's 15 largest school districts since the beginning of the school year, according to a CNN analysis.
As cases increase in Florida, Biden and DeSantis clash over the response to covid-19
Several school districts are challenging the governor's mask-wearing mandate restrictions, requiring all students to wear a mask with no option for parents to choose to exclude them from the order.
The Orange County school board enacted a 60-day mask mandate Tuesday night for all students and staff beginning Monday, and only medical reasons were accepted for the exemptions.
The St. Johns School District, which includes St. Augustine, announced Tuesday a mask mandate for all employees and visitors to its schools, but not its students, for the next 30 days as cases rise. of covid-19 in the area.
CNN's Kara Devlin, Jennifer Henderson, Jacqueline Howard, Virginia Langmaid, Gregory Lemos, Eric Levenson, Laura Ly, Lauren Mascarenhas, Deidre McPhillips, and Taylor Romine contributed to this report.
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