Medical Testing

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released three studies on Wednesday that federal officials said provided evidence that booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines would be needed by all Americans in the coming months.

But some experts said the new research did not support the decision to recommend booster shots for all Americans.

Taken together, the studies show that although the vaccines remain highly effective against hospitalizations, the bulwark they provide against infection with the virus has weakened in the past few months.

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Situation Report

Rise of delta variant and waning immunity are fueling breakthrough infections, experts say

Wed, 2021-08-18 10:20 — mike kraft

Rise of delta variant and waning immunity are fueling breakthrough infections, experts say Although vaccines lower risk of severe illness and death, officials see need for boosters Joel Achenbach, Ben Guarino Washington Post

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ANALYSIS: ALthough Delta surges, Covid-19 Breakthrough Cases Remain Rare

Tue, 2021-08-17 12:19 — mike kraft

WSJ News Exclusive | As Delta Surges, Covid-19 Breakthrough Cases Remain Uncommon A WSJ analysis found a higher risk of infection from the Delta strain, but research shows that vaccines still protect against most serious illness. Robbie Whelan and Jared S. Hopkins WSJ

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Analysis: Understanding the new policy authorizing extra Covid vaccine doses for the immunocompromised

Mon, 2021-08-16 18:48 — mike kraft

This much is clear: Some people in the United States with medical conditions that have compromised their immune systems are now eligible for a third dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

But the new policy from U.S. health officials, announced late last week, came together in a hurry. It addresses some questions but leaves a number unanswered, in some cases because there are no data on which to base a decision.

Some experts believe the new policy may also have created a loophole big enough to allow easier access to a third dose for non-immunocompromised people who are trying to find ways to get one.

“I worry very much that this is going to lead to vaccination chaos,” Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy, told STAT.

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ANALYSIS: How the Pandemic now ends and the difficult path

Fri, 2021-08-13 12:59 — mike kraft

How the Pandemic Now Ends Cases of COVID-19 are rising fast. Vaccine uptake has plateaued. The pandemic will be over one day—but the way there is different now. Ed Yong The Atlantic

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Study indicates that more than one-third of COVID infections are truly asymptomatic, especially among children .

Thu, 2021-08-12 18:56 — mike kraft

Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis Asymptomatic infections have been widely reported for COVID-19. However, many studies do not distinguish between the presymptomatic stage and truly asymptomatic infections. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of COVID-19 literature reporting laboratory-confirmed infections to determine the burden of asymptomatic infections and removed index cases from our calculations to avoid conflation. By analyzing over 350 papers, we estimated that more than one-third of infections are truly asymptomatic. We found evidence of greater asymptomaticity in children compared with the elderly, and lower asymptomaticity among cases with comorbidities compared to cases with no underlying medical conditions.

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California becomes first state to require COVID-19 vaccines or regular testing for teachers

Wed, 2021-08-11 17:48 — mike kraft

California becomes first state to require COVID-19 vaccines or The new rule will go into effect Thursday. School districts must be in full compliance by mid-October. Joseph Guzman TheHill

California has become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face consistent testing.

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