High demand for COVID-19 vaccine from Florida seniors
Seniors in Florida who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine are struggling to make appointments due to high demand. For some, who spend hours a day accessing websites from different health departments, there is no hope; Robert Sherman reports
The potential new head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that at least one new strain of coronavirus has shown resistance to treatments, but insists that vaccines are still effective.
A series of new strains of COVID-19 emerged last month, raising concerns that current treatments and vaccines are not effective. These concerns are largely unfounded, Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan.
“We have known for a long time that viruses mutate, not just the coronavirus, but any virus,” said Walensky, who was appointed by President-elect Joe Biden to be the next head of the CDC. “So far, the UK one seems to be more transferable.”
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – DECEMBER 8: Dr. Rochelle Walensky, choice of President-elect Joe Biden to head the Centers for Disease Control, speaks during a press conference at the Queen Theater on December 8, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. With the new coronavirus pandemic continuing to devastate the country with daily records of infections and deaths, members of Biden’s health team said they would make combating COVID-19 a priority. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
“We have no information if he evades our vaccines,” continued Walensky. “We have indications that it probably won’t.”
Walensky promised that there are “additional studies” examining the effectiveness of several new strains, but Brennan has raised a specific report that South Africa’s new strain of COVID-19 is resistant to antibody therapies.
Walensky confirmed that he “heard similar things” about antibodies used in treatments like Regeneron therapy used to treat President Donald Trump.
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“I think there is concern not only about South African and Brazilian strains, but that other future strains may be resistant to these antibodies,” said Walensky. “Not removing all effectiveness, but decreasing effectiveness”.
Walensky argued that the best way to deal with possible problems arising from mutations is to detect them as quickly as possible, asking Biden to ensure that the public health system has the necessary resources to be effective.
The main concern would be that the lack of investment would delay the opening of public schools – one of the main goals for Biden’s first 100 days in office. The new strain of the virus in the UK has proven to be more transmissible and this can be problematic to ensure a safe environment in schools.
Management will “carefully examine” how best to invest resources to ensure that schools are able to cope with the demands of a safer environment.
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The government plans to vaccinate educators and ensure that transmission and disease rates fall before pushing for a large-scale reopening.