Spring breakers raise new concerns for Covid

Spring breakers raise new concerns for Covid

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Yes, the number of people vaccinated is steadily increasing in the USA. But now, experts say, it is critical to double attempts to decrease Covid-19’s number of cases. That means staying at home, wearing a mask and avoiding crowds.

Doctors fear that, as there are not yet enough people protected from the virus – only about 13.5% of the US population is fully vaccinated – the virus will continue to spread rapidly. This will give you more opportunities to mutate and thus increase the risk of a new variant that could make the vaccine less effective.

Public health officials are asking Americans to postpone travel, but people are hitting the road anyway. The Transportation Security Administration tracked more than 1.5 million people at airports across the country on Sunday – a new record for the pandemic era, and the 11th consecutive day it tracked more than a million people. And some states continue to lift restrictions – even though the number of cases remains high.

The director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said the White House is encouraging governors, as well as the private sector, to maintain or reimpose restrictions on coronavirus.

“We must act now and I am concerned that if we do not take the right measures now, we will have another preventable increase – just as we are seeing in Europe now and just as we are aggressively stepping up vaccination,” she said.
Europe is a cautionary tale. Several countries across the continent have been overwhelmed by new, more infectious variants of the disease and forced into new blocks. This morning, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would extend the country’s blockade until April 18 amid a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases.

Cases are increasing globally. The World Health Organization said yesterday that the number of new infections has increased for the fifth consecutive week.

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWER.

Q: I am fully vaccinated. Can I visit my unvaccinated family and friends?

ONE: Yes, but visits should be limited to one unvaccinated family at a time, officials at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

“In the scenario where unvaccinated people are from a single family and all unvaccinated people are at low risk of serious Covid-19 disease, no preventive measures are needed, so these visits can take place indoors without a mask or physical distance, “he said. said CDC epidemiologist Tami Skoff.

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WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY

AstraZeneca faces more issues in the US

US health officials raised concerns about the results of AstraZeneca’s latest vaccine trial. The drug giant said its vaccine was 79% effective against symptomatic diseases and 100% effective against serious illness and hospitalization in a new clinical trial in the United States.

A statement by the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that the Data and Security Monitoring Council “expressed concern that AstraZeneca may have included outdated information from that study, which may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data. . ”

AstraZeneca is expected to request an emergency use authorization for its vaccine in the coming weeks.

Covid-19 vaccines are on sale on the dark web

Counterfeit vaccine cards and what is being charged as Covid-19 vaccines are on sale on the dark web, according to a new cybersecurity report. Security researchers at Check Point Software said they discovered lists of Covid-19 vaccines from various brands, such as AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, for up to $ 1,000 a dose, as well as at least 20 vaccine certificates for $ 200 each. Also on sale: negative Covid-19 test results for $ 25.

The dark web is a part of the internet undetected by search engines, where cybercriminals often sell and buy illicit materials, from credit card numbers and drugs to cyber weapons and now, apparently, coronavirus-related products.

Ontario in third wave amid concerns about slow vaccine release

Health officials in Ontario, Canada’s largest province, have warned that the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic has begun. The number of cases and hospitalizations is increasing as new variants of the virus continue to spread.

Public health officials have warned that the vaccine’s launch is not going fast enough to halt a potentially devastating third wave in other areas of the country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said yesterday that vaccine shipments will continue to increase, but officials now face the possibility that vaccines will not be distributed in time to prevent a significant number of hospitalizations and deaths.

ON OUR RADAR

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin is finally being vaccinated – months after he became eligible for an injection.
  • The difference between the number of Covid-19 vaccines administered in rich and poor countries is growing and becoming “more grotesque” by the day, said the WHO chief.
  • One of the main opposition candidates in the Republic of Congo’s presidential elections died of complications related to Covid, the day after the vote.
  • US government officials are not confident that Johnson & Johnson will meet its self-imposed deadline to deliver 20 million coronavirus vaccines by the end of March, despite the company’s optimistic statements.
  • Anyone who tries to travel abroad from England next week will need a “reasonable excuse” or face a fine of almost $ 7,000 (£ 5,000), according to the proposed new legislation.
  • More women than men missed health services during the pandemic, according to a report released Monday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
  • As young people yearn to break out of the blockade, British health leaders face a new challenge: social media influencers basking in the sun in Dubai.

TIPS

Humans have never been more dependent on technology than they were last year. Some of them were fun and brilliant, others, an exhausting battle for attention.

Dr. Jenny Radesky, a behavioral development pediatrician, says this is a time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t and how we need to move on. Here are his main lessons from the digital immersion that we and our children experienced in the past year.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“We can save more lives if we share vaccines.” – Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, director of the Global Health Innovation Center at Duke University

As the wealthier nations purchased most of the world’s supply of vaccines, many low- and middle-income countries were left behind. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with Dr. Krishna Udayakumar about the challenges of bringing the vaccine to everyone around the world. Listen now.

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