Delta is here as are some of my grandchildren, so my reports will be a bit more terse. Perhaps Milton can help me out. Tomorrow, my joke will be my all time favorite!
FROM NYT TODAY: DELTA IS EASIER TO CATCH BUT LESS LIKELY TO BE SEVER.
Good morning. The Delta variant is more contagious. It does not appear to be more severe.
“…When a variant is more contagious, it leads to a rise in the number of infections, especially among the unvaccinated. When a variant is more severe, it causes worse symptoms for the average person who gets the virus and leads to a greater percentage of cases that result in hospitalization or death…journalists and some experts talk about the new variant being “worse,” “riskier” or “more dangerous” — broad concepts that muddy the difference between contagiousness and severity..Delta. It is significantly more contagious than even Alpha by almost every measure. It does not appear to be more severe, based on the data available so far.
(J. Harris: The English experience with Delta is briefly reviewed, also.)
FROM JAMA:
Study Suggests Lasting Immunity After COVID-19, With a Big Boost From Vaccination
“…recovered health care workers who had received 1 dose of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer, or Moderna vaccines had a marked increase in neutralizing antibody levels against all 3 of these variants compared with their unvaccinated peers. “Vaccination of convalescent individuals boosted the humoral immune response [against delta] well above the threshold of neutralization… These results strongly suggest that vaccination of previously infected individuals will be most likely protective against a large array of circulating viral strains, including variant [d]elta…variants will not cause serious illness in most people who have recovered from COVID-19. Nevertheless… they should be vaccinated “because they become bulletproof when they do so…. findings suggest that the mRNA vaccine likely generates a fairly durable and broad response, although…. further evidence is needed to confirm these implications.”
[For vaccinated folks who haven’t had Covid],…“Unless COVID mutates enough to really escape the immune response…likely we will [NOT] need boosters soon…”
(J. Harris: This is a short and readable reassuring article.)
FROM BECKER:
National nurses organization urges CDC to reinstate universal mask wearing
“This comes as the delta COVID-19 variant, first detected in India, fuels surges across the U.S. As of July 14, COVID-19 hospitalizations were trending upward in 31 states.’
FROM JAMA:
(J. Harris: Most people in the United States were sero negative for Covid in January, 2021.)
FROM HOPKINS:
1. VACCINE EFFICACY IN IMMUNOSUPPRESSED POPULATIONS The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced it will co-fund a study to assess immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients aged 18 or older who are immunocompromised or who take immunosuppressive medications following an organ transplant.
2. .The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant and increased clinical severity—the jury is out
(J. Harris: This is the Alpha B.1.1.7 It not the DELTA VARIANT)
Conclusion:
“We believe the jury is still out on whether B.1.1.7 infections are associated with increased mortality, with more time and data required.”
3. Quarter-dose of Moderna COVID Vaccine Still Rouses a Big Immune Response (Nature) Two jabs that each contained only one-quarter of the standard dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine gave rise to long-lasting protective antibodies and virus-fighting T cells, according to tests in nearly three dozen people. The results hint at the possibility of administering fractional doses to stretch limited vaccine supplies and accelerate the global immunization effort.
4.. Science & Technology
A Covid Test as Easy as Breathing (NYT) The SpiroNose, made by the Dutch company Breathomix, is just one of many breath-based Covid-19 tests under development across the world. Scientists have long been interested in creating portable devices that can quickly and painlessly screen a person for disease simply by taking a whiff of their breath. Still, scientists say, advances in sensor technology and machine learning, combined with new research and investment spurred by the pandemic, mean that the moment for disease-detecting breathalyzers may have finally arrived.
PFIZER VACCINE WORKS WELL ON PREGNANT WOMEN
FROM HOPKINS AND ASSOCIATES WEBINAR:
“As the COVID-19 vaccination campaign continues, it is critical that vaccines are delivered fairly and equitably—so that everyone has access. …CommuniVax, a coalition to strengthen the community’s involvement in an equitable vaccination rollout, released a new report, Carrying Equity in COVID-19 Vaccination Forward: Guidance Informed by Communities of Color. This report provides specific guidance on adapting COVID-19 vaccination efforts to achieve greater vaccine coverage in underserved populations, and through this, to develop sustainable, locally appropriate mechanisms to advance equity in health. The report provides 5 overarching policy and practice recommendations, across two focus areas: urgently providing COVID-19 vaccines for Black and Latino communities and putting in place essential changes to provide a more robust public health system moving forward.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEASED:”
Sorry, I can’t resist this one; perhaps I have an affinity for bartenders?
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