The effectiveness of vaccines in the real world, updated travel guidelines for inoculants and a further increase in cases worldwide. Here’s what you should know:
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Headlines
A real-world study found that approved vaccines are highly effective as drug manufacturers work to expand access
Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control published the results of a study that found that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines appear 90 percent effective in protecting against Covid-19 in the real world. The data is another promising indicator that these vaccines work very well, but more importantly, this does not mean that they offer complete protection – masking and detachment in public are important, even if you have received both injections. As last year has made eminently clear, our understanding of this disease and how to fight it is constantly evolving, so it is important that everyone continues to take all the precautions that we know to be effective.
Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are working to expand approval and distribution. Pfizer announced this week that its vaccine appears to be safe and effective in 12-year-olds, while Johnson & Johnson has started its own test for 12-17 year olds. And on Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration announced it would allow A Moderna to put up to 50% more doses in each vial in an amendment to its emergency use authorization. The move should speed up distribution.
The CDC says that fully vaccinated people can travel if they take other precautions against the pandemic
This morning, the CDC issued new travel guidelines for people who have been fully vaccinated, saying it is low risk for them to travel internally and internationally, although they must continue to take other precautions such as wearing a mask and respecting social detachment guidelines. The possible return to activities such as air travel has raised doubts about how people will prove they have been vaccinated. There is talk of “vaccine passports” and many plans to create them are underway, but doing so in an ethical and equitable way and protecting people’s privacy can be a challenge.
This latest update to the CDC comes just days after its director warned Americans not to ease Covid-19 restrictions yet. Many Americans are dizzy with the idea of a semi “normal” summer, but until the vaccines spread, this virus will continue to evolve and spread.
Cases are increasing worldwide, with some countries instituting new blocks, while others resist taking precautions
In the past few days, countries around the world, including Turkey and Bangladesh, have recorded the highest daily case count to date. The situation in Brazil remains particularly difficult. São Paulo, its largest city, recorded record daily cemeteries this week, with cemeteries open until 10 pm and grave diggers exhuming old graves to make room for new Covid-19 deaths. Even so, President Jair Bolsonaro still refuses to impose a blockade or any other strict measure that could contain the spread of the virus.
Cases are also continuing to rise in Europe, a situation for which the World Health Organization says the region’s “unacceptably slow” vaccination efforts are to blame. At the moment, 27 European countries are in partial or total blockade, including France, which will extend its measures to cover the entire country for four weeks from Saturday.
Daily Distraction
During the quarantine, photographer Andrew Gonzales started taking pictures of the redwoods in his neighborhood. These trees may seem lonely, but their survival depends on a huge interconnected underground web.
Something to read
At the time of being named CEO of Match Group, the largest Internet dating company on the planet, in March 2020, Sharmistha Dubey earned a reputation as “a kind of oracle”. And when singles everywhere suddenly went into blockage days after her appointment, she immediately realized that online dating was not doomed – instead, the pandemic would reinvent it.
Health Check
Did the pandemic make you more concerned with keeping the air clean inside the house? Check out the new stylish air purifier from Ikea.
One question
What does social isolation do to our brains?