Public Health

Many public health experts were opposed to a boosters-for-all approach. The new variant is changing some minds.

Thu, 2021-12-02 11:36 — mike kraft

As recently as last week, many public health experts were fiercely opposed to the Biden administration’s campaign to roll out booster shots of the coronavirus vaccines to all American adults. There was little scientific evidence to support extra doses for most people, the researchers said.

The Omicron variant has changed all that.

Scientists do not yet know with any certainty whether the virus is easier to spread or less vulnerable to the body’s immune response. But with dozens of new mutations, the variant seems likely to evade the protection from vaccines to some significant degree.

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South Africa new Covid cases double in 24 hours as Omicron spreads

Thu, 2021-12-02 11:26 — mike kraft

Covid: South Africa new cases double in 24 hours as Omicron spreads The new Omicron variant has now become dominant, the country's top medical scientists say. BBC News

Health officials say the new coronavirus variant Omicron has now become dominant in South Africa and is driving a sharp increase in new infections.

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UK approves use of Covid antibody treatment that appears to reduce risk of hospitalization and death in some high-risk adults by almost 80%

Thu, 2021-12-02 11:20 — mike kraft

UK approves use of Covid antibody treatment that appears to reduce risk of hospitalization and death in some high-risk adults by almost 80% An antibody treatment which has been found to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from Covid-19 by up to 79% in high-risk adults has been approved for use in the United Kingdom. By Rhea Mogul, Adam Renton, Sheena McKenzie & Ed Upright, CNN CNN

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Germany shuts out unvaccinated, other internstional developments

Thu, 2021-12-02 11:11 — mike kraft

Live updates: Germany shuts out unvaccinated, eyes mandate | AP News BERLIN - Germans who aren’t vaccinated are to be excluded from nonessential stores, cultural and recreational venues. Also, Germany’s parliament is to consider a general vaccine mandate. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday the measures were necessary in light of concerns that hospitals in Germany could become overloaded with COVID-19 patients. AP NEWS

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Merkel said, “The situation in our country is serious.”

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World overview: Omicron and delta spell return of unpopular restrictions in many but not all countries

Thu, 2021-12-02 10:56 — mike kraft

Omicron and delta spell return of unpopular restrictions | AP News PARIS (AP) — Greeks who are over age 60 and refuse coronavirus vaccinations could be hit with monthly fines of more than one-quarter of their pensions — a get-tough policy that the country's politicians say will cost votes but save lives. AP NEWS

PARIS (AP) — ...

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U.S. will require private health insurance companies cover at-home COVID-19 tests

Thu, 2021-12-02 10:45 — mike kraft

U.S. to require private health insurance companies cover at-home COVID-19 tests The U.S. government will require private health insurance companies to reimburse customers for the cost of over-the-counter at-home COVID-19 tests under new measures to combat the pandemic that President Joe Biden will unveil on Thursday, administration officials said. Jeff Mason Reuters

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Previous infection protected against Delta. That doesn't seem to be the case with Omicron, South African expert says

Thu, 2021-12-02 10:32 — mike kraft

Previous infection protected against Delta. That doesn't seem to be the case with Omicron, expert says South Africa is seeing an increase in coronavirus reinfections in patients who contract the Omicron variant, Anne von Gottberg, a microbiologist from the country's National Institute for Communicable Diseases, said during a Thursday news briefing. By Rhea Mogul, Adam Renton, Sheena McKenzie & Ed Upright, CNN CNN

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US improves tracking of virus variants after a slow start.

Wed, 2021-12-01 13:30 — mike kraft

US tracking of virus variants has improved after slow start | AP News After a slow start, the United States has improved its surveillance system for tracking new coronavirus variants such as omicron, boosting its capacity by tens of thousands of samples per week since early this year. AP NEWS

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Vaccines are finally available in many African countries, but some people there, as well as in South Asia, are wary of taking them.

Wed, 2021-12-01 12:31 — mike kraft

JOHANNESBURG — The detection of the Omicron variant in Africa signals the next stage of the battle against Covid-19: getting many more people inoculated in poorer nations where vaccines have been scarcest in order to deter new mutations from developing.

But while world leaders sometimes talk about this as if it were largely a matter of delivering doses overseas, the experience of South Africa, at least, hints at a far more complex set of challenges.

Like many poor countries, South Africa was made to wait months for vaccines as wealthier countries monopolized them. Many countries still do not have anywhere near enough doses to inoculate their populations.

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