It’s hard to believe it’s been one week since Omicron broke the news. While we continue to wait on lab evidence, we’re getting a substantial amount of epidemiological data every day. Here’s an update since my last… 1. Reinfections are high against Omicron
Thanks for all the info. So if they aren’t tracking cases where infection occurred within the last 90 days does that mean the assumption is that those folks are reasonably protected?
I’m not sure how detailed our info is on how SA tracks vaxxed vs non-vaxxed, but would you think it is at least safe to assume it’s much more likely an “unknown” would be non-vaxxed r/t the documentation that goes with vaccination?
YLE, Thanks for your November 21 Thanksgiving family gathering guidance. I believe so much has happened, especially with Omicron that updating this guidance would be very helpful. Specifically, you may want to consider the following:
All attendees at indoor gatherings should be fully vaccinated (+booster, if possible) except for <5 years old.
All attendees, even if vaccinated should take instant antigen home test within 24 hours before the event. (Given breakthrough infections with Delta and reinfections with Omicron)
Cracking open window + recommended (I use Blueair) air purifier (scaled to room size, if possible).
Lastly, it would be great to develop a notification template that could be used to effectively communicate Covid-19 "house rules" to friends and relatives invited to indoor holiday festivities. This is important because many of us are so uptight and politicized on this topic that important public health information too often is not shared with friends and relatives, and as a result, the virus flourishes and mutations continue. Making it easier with a template or a variety of several templates to choose from would go a long way. CDC should engage communications companies to get this done and spread the word to help reduce the number of Christmas and New Years' celebrations that spread Delta and Omicron instead of Joy events
As a new subscriber, I want to thank you for all your are doing with YLE - I pass it on.
Just wanted to say - thank you from one health scientist to another. Your blog is the perfect level of detail for a scientifically literate person to understand with enough detail to satisfy. I'm able to share general impressions from your blog with my team each week, and it makes a difference. So again, thank you. (PS: Finally found the donation button - could be more prominent).
How is it possible that the vaccination status of 75% of hospitalised Covid patients is unknown?? Is that not tracked by their national statistics office?
The data re unvaccinated in South Africa hospitals needs to be interpreted in the context of the proportion of the population vaccinated. 24% sounds good, but if that's similar to the proportion of vaccinated people in the population, then it sounds really bad (ie immunization is not reducing hospitalization).
Would you be able to write something up on underlying physical properties of viruses that make them more transmissible, virulent, immune evasive etc? It seems thar a lot of the descriptions of which genes do what involve "extrinsic" characteristics - "when this mutation is present, the virus appears to infect more people more quickly". Yeah, but...why? Does it float better? Last longer on surfaces? Etc
What do we know about the progress on research and approval of a vaccine for the next age bracket? Are there any predictions about when it might be available? 6 months to 4 years old, right?
Please, where does the CDC say full vaccinated = boostered? Their travel page still says 2 weeks after 2 doses (1 JnJ). They also are still saying in articles that full effect is at 2 weeks, despite other studies out there saying 3…I just saw 4 even, re booster. Thank you!
Thank you! I hadn’t read this before and didn’t understand why. Thank you for clarifying! My almost 17yo is 8.5 moths post V2. So waining and not fully vaxxed now. “Only 59.7% of the United States is fully vaccinated (which the CDC defines as not having a booster, which really needs to change)”. Doesn’t the CDC also say that only fully vaxxed should be the ones traveling (even domestic)? If approved soon (it’s taking too long), how many days post booster would be full “enough”? I read a study that said it takes 3 weeks (for Pfizer I think) to reach its full protection.
Thanks for my weekend dose of PANDEMIC XANAX. We also have two unvaccinated little ones and my anxiety keeps escalating!
Thank you for this information!
Thanks for all the info. So if they aren’t tracking cases where infection occurred within the last 90 days does that mean the assumption is that those folks are reasonably protected?
I’m not sure how detailed our info is on how SA tracks vaxxed vs non-vaxxed, but would you think it is at least safe to assume it’s much more likely an “unknown” would be non-vaxxed r/t the documentation that goes with vaccination?
YLE, Thanks for your November 21 Thanksgiving family gathering guidance. I believe so much has happened, especially with Omicron that updating this guidance would be very helpful. Specifically, you may want to consider the following:
All attendees at indoor gatherings should be fully vaccinated (+booster, if possible) except for <5 years old.
All attendees, even if vaccinated should take instant antigen home test within 24 hours before the event. (Given breakthrough infections with Delta and reinfections with Omicron)
Cracking open window + recommended (I use Blueair) air purifier (scaled to room size, if possible).
Lastly, it would be great to develop a notification template that could be used to effectively communicate Covid-19 "house rules" to friends and relatives invited to indoor holiday festivities. This is important because many of us are so uptight and politicized on this topic that important public health information too often is not shared with friends and relatives, and as a result, the virus flourishes and mutations continue. Making it easier with a template or a variety of several templates to choose from would go a long way. CDC should engage communications companies to get this done and spread the word to help reduce the number of Christmas and New Years' celebrations that spread Delta and Omicron instead of Joy events
As a new subscriber, I want to thank you for all your are doing with YLE - I pass it on.
Alan Brownstein, MPH
Cold Spring, NY
Just wanted to say - thank you from one health scientist to another. Your blog is the perfect level of detail for a scientifically literate person to understand with enough detail to satisfy. I'm able to share general impressions from your blog with my team each week, and it makes a difference. So again, thank you. (PS: Finally found the donation button - could be more prominent).
Brilliant update.
My county is 87% (Bergen county) which bodes really well for herd immunity.
The National rate means little to me given how well vaccinated my area is.
Before we get anxious about the National vaccination rate shouldn’t we check out town and county? (Even the state rate is meaningless.)
How is it possible that the vaccination status of 75% of hospitalised Covid patients is unknown?? Is that not tracked by their national statistics office?
The data re unvaccinated in South Africa hospitals needs to be interpreted in the context of the proportion of the population vaccinated. 24% sounds good, but if that's similar to the proportion of vaccinated people in the population, then it sounds really bad (ie immunization is not reducing hospitalization).
Would you be able to write something up on underlying physical properties of viruses that make them more transmissible, virulent, immune evasive etc? It seems thar a lot of the descriptions of which genes do what involve "extrinsic" characteristics - "when this mutation is present, the virus appears to infect more people more quickly". Yeah, but...why? Does it float better? Last longer on surfaces? Etc
Hi :) thoughts on nature’s immunity w/ Omicron
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2vI4XczqZ8
What do we know about the progress on research and approval of a vaccine for the next age bracket? Are there any predictions about when it might be available? 6 months to 4 years old, right?
Please, where does the CDC say full vaccinated = boostered? Their travel page still says 2 weeks after 2 doses (1 JnJ). They also are still saying in articles that full effect is at 2 weeks, despite other studies out there saying 3…I just saw 4 even, re booster. Thank you!
Thank you! I hadn’t read this before and didn’t understand why. Thank you for clarifying! My almost 17yo is 8.5 moths post V2. So waining and not fully vaxxed now. “Only 59.7% of the United States is fully vaccinated (which the CDC defines as not having a booster, which really needs to change)”. Doesn’t the CDC also say that only fully vaxxed should be the ones traveling (even domestic)? If approved soon (it’s taking too long), how many days post booster would be full “enough”? I read a study that said it takes 3 weeks (for Pfizer I think) to reach its full protection.