An image shared on Instagram claims that people are largely safe from catching COVID-19 even if they dont take the vaccine.
By declining the vax, I am 100% safe from adverse reactions and 99.8% safe from COVID, the images text reads. Id say those are pretty safe [odds.]
The image appears to be a screenshot of an Instagram post. Although the account featured in the post does have several anti-vaccination posts, we could not find that specific image on its timeline.
The post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. Instagram is owned by Facebook. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
While the post doesnt give a source for the figures it cites, weve fact-checked similar claims before about unvaccinated people and their chances of survival against COVID-19.
As with the previous claims, this post appears to conflate the global survival rate for the virus with an individuals chance of survival.
Of the 290 million people in the world who have tested positive for the virus as of Jan. 3, around 5.4 million people, or fewer than 2 percent, have died, according to The New York Times. That means at least 98 percent of people in the world who had COVID-19 survived.
However, the global survival rate for the virus should not be considered the same thing as an individuals chance of survival.
A persons age, gender, health history and where they live all factor into how likely they are to survive an infection, according to Our World in Data.
No vaccine is ever 100 percent effective, but early studies showed the protection provided by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can reduce a persons risk of infection from the virus by as much as 91 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine can reduce that risk by 66 percent.
The vaccines effectiveness has waned over time and with the prevalence of more infectious coronavirus variants like delta and omicron, prompting health officials to approve booster shots. Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have said booster doses of their vaccines are able to protect against severe symptoms and hospitalization related to the omicron variant.
Health officials have also stressed the vaccines are safe to use and that serious adverse reactions are rare.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said during a November White House briefing, before this post was made, that unvaccinated people in the U.S. are six times more likely to test positive for the virus and have at least a 14 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19 compared with vaccinated people. In a December briefing following a surge in cases caused by the omicron variant, Walensky said those figures only went up: Unvaccinated people in the U.S. were 10 times more likely to test positive for the virus and were at 20 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19 compared with vaccinated people who received a booster dose. The hospitalization rate for unvaccinated adults in the country was also 17 times higher.
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Our vaccines are working really well to prevent severe disease and hospitalization and death, Walensky said. Theyre actually also working quite well to prevent cases, although we do know more breakthrough cases are happening in the context of omicron.
The latest data from the CDC also show the case and death rates of COVID-19 remain high among unvaccinated individuals compared with those who are vaccinated.
Similarly, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a July interview with NBC that unvaccinated people accounted for 99 percent of deaths in the U.S. related to the virus. And, accounting for omicron, he said in the December White House briefing that while omicron may result in less severe symptoms compared with the other variants, its increased transmissibility is still a danger, especially among unvaccinated populations.
The risk of severe disease from any circulating variant, including omicron, is much, much higher for the unvaccinated, he said.
An image shared on Instagram claimed that not getting vaccinated against the coronavirus makes a person 100% safe from adverse reactions and 99.8% safe from COVID.
The claim appears to conflate the total survival rate of the virus in the world with an individuals chance of survival.
The COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be safe and effective in reducing a persons risk of infection and hospitalization from the virus. Positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been fueled by the unvaccinated. This trend has continued even as omicron has spread.
The claim does contain an element of truth. By not getting vaccinated against COVID-19, a person does have a 100% chance of being safe from adverse reactions associated with those vaccines. However, developing a serious adverse reaction is rare. And serious health effects related to COVID-19 infection are more common.
We rate this claim Mostly False.
Tampa Bay: The Times can help you find the free, public COVID-19 testing sites in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties.
Florida: The Department of Health has a website that lists testing sites in the state. Some information may be out of date.
The U.S.: The Department of Health and Human Services has a website that can help you find a testing site.
The COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 and up and booster shots for eligible recipients are being administered at doctors offices, clinics, pharmacies, grocery stores and public vaccination sites. Many allow appointments to be booked online. Heres how to find a site near you:
Find a site: Visit vaccines.gov to find vaccination sites in your zip code.
More help: Call the National COVID-19 Vaccination Assistance Hotline.
Phone: 800-232-0233. Help is available in English, Spanish and other languages.
TTY: 888-720-7489
Disability Information and Access Line: Call 888-677-1199 or email DIAL@n4a.org.
KIDS AND VACCINES: Got questions about vaccinating your kid? Here are some answers.
BOOSTER SHOTS: Confused about which COVID booster to get? This guide will help.
BOOSTER QUESTIONS: Are there side effects? Why do I need it? Heres the answers to your questions.
PROTECTING SENIORS: Heres how seniors can stay safe from the virus.
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Will lottery prizes convince people to take the COVID-19 vaccine? It appears not, according to Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers.
Previous BUSM research found that Ohio's lottery system to incentivize vaccination was not associated with increased vaccinations, now a new study from the same researchers, found the same results despite expanding their data to include 15 additional states.
As in our prior study of Ohio's lottery incentive, we unfortunately did not find an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations related to lottery incentive programs in other states."
Anica Law, MD, MS, corresponding author, assistant professor of medicine, BUSM
Since it was unclear if other states (besides Ohio) might have different responses to lottery vaccine incentives, the researchers assessed changes in COVID-19 vaccination rates in 15 other states with subsequent lottery programs. Data from both the U.S. Center for Disease Control as well as individual state vaccine data was reviewed to evaluate trends in vaccination rates among adults in states with and without lottery incentive programs. No association between state-based vaccine lottery incentive programs and increased rates of COVID-19 vaccination was found.
According to the researchers, these results suggest that state-based lotteries are of limited value in increasing vaccine uptake. "Further studies and resources should be devoted to other strategies to increase vaccination rates, including those that more directly target underlying reasons for vaccine hesitancy," said Law, a physician at Boston Medical Center.
These findings appear online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
Source:
Journal reference:
Law, A.C., et al. (2022) Lottery-Based Incentives and COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in the United States. JAMA Internal Medicine. doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.7052.
Jan 4th 2022
SINCE OMICRON, a new and highly contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2, emerged in November, governments have urged their citizens to get vaccinated. In rich countries that usually means a third, booster, dose. But in poorer countries it often means getting a first.
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Data collected by the World Bank and Our World in Data, an online publication based at the University of Oxford, show that rich countries have received enough doses to vaccinate their population many times over. But poorer countries have been unable to inoculate their citizens even partially. Among countries with a gross national income (GNI) of above $12,500 (classified as high income) or between $4,000 and $12,500 per capita (upper- middle income) more than 160 vaccine doses were administered per 100 people. (This figure includes second doses and booster jabs.) Lower-middle income countries, with a GNI per head between $1,000 and $4,000, have administered about 85 doses per 100 people. Countries with a GNI of below $1,036 per capita, the low-income bracket, received 12 doses per 100 people.
Vaccine inequality began early on in the pandemic. Richer countries could afford to risk investing in drugs before their efficacy had even been proven. And COVAX, the organisation tasked with divvying up doses to poorer countries, has struggled to source the supplies with which to do so. At the end of last year supplies of vaccines to Africa, where many of the lowest income countries are, did start increasing. But distribution remains difficult. Some vaccines have to be stored at very low temperatures, which makes them unsuitable for places with unreliable electricity. CARE, a charity, estimates that for each $1 spent on the vaccine itself, $5 more will be spent on its distribution. For those who fall ill with covid-19 in poorer countries medical care tends to be worse. And vaccine-hesitancy is a problem in poor countries as well as rich ones. A survey of five west African countries last year by Afrobarometer found that on average only 39% were likely to try to get vaccinated.
The impact of the pandemic varies by income in other ways too. The Economists excess death model estimates that lower-middle income countries, which received only half as many shots per 100 people as the upper-middle and high-income countries, have the highest excess-death ratio. But the low-income countries, which administered fewer than 12 doses per 100 people, have an excess-death rate lower than even that of upper-middle income and high-income countries.
Young populations are less susceptible to severe disease from covid. And where the disease has already spread widely, some populations have achieved some natural immunity, which protects against severe covid, though less so against catching the virus (rates of re-infection with Omicron are higher than with previous variants, but previous infection still offers some protection against severe disease). So the disease has probably caused fewer deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, which has a median age of less than 20, than in older places such as Europe, which has a median age of 43 and where the prevalence of conditions such as obesity and diabetes put individuals at higher risk. And there is evidence that previous infections with malaria, which is common in much of sub-Saharan Africa, may lessen the severity of a subsequent covid infection. That is some good news for people there who are still unable or unwilling to be vaccinated.
For a look behind the scenes of our data journalism, sign up to Off the Charts, our weekly newsletter.
The vaccination and testing sites will not require proof of residency, citizenship, or insurance.
HOUSTON (KIAH) The Houston Health Department is adding dozens more, free covid-19 testing sites and as positive case numbers continue to soar. The HHD says the vaccination and testing sites will not require proof of residency, citizenship, or insurance.
Mondays, Thursdays: 10 a.m. 7 p.m.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.
Tuesdays: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Mondays, Thursdays: 10 a.m. 7 p.m.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays: 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.
Thursdays: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m. 2 p.m.
Mondays, Thursdays: 10 a.m. 7 p.m.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.
Mondays, Thursdays: 10 a.m. 7 p.m.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m. 2 p.m.
Mondays, Thursdays: 10 a.m. 7 p.m.
Tuesdays, Fridays: 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.
Wednesdays: 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.
Mondays-Saturdays: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
January 5, 2022: 5-7 p.m.
January 6, 2022: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
January 6, 2022: 2-5 p.m.
January 7, 2022: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
January 8, 2022: 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
January 8, 2022: 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
January 8, 2022: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
January 8, 2022: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
January 8, 2022: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
January 8, 2022: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
January 8, 2022: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Walk ins only
January 8, 2022: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Walk ins only
January 9, 2022: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Houston Health Department's Harris County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) has vaccinated over a thousand Houstonians in their own homes. In-home COVID-19 testing is also offered for an added layer of protection. Find out if you or a loved one is eligible: https://t.co/kpcy9CLjnS pic.twitter.com/ttpMgiUi0a
The Houston Health Department is also offering free in-home Covid-19 testing for older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans. To qualify please call 832-393-4301.
CHENGDU, China, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., (Clover; Stock code: 2197.HK), a global clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel vaccines and biologic therapeutic candidates, today announced that the first participants have been dosed with Clovers COVID-19 vaccine candidate, SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum), as a homologous booster dose following primary vaccination of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) in the ongoing global Phase 2/3 SPECTRA clinical trial. Clover reported final efficacy data for SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) in SPECTRA in September 2021 and the study is continuing to generate additional immunogenicity and safety data.
This double-blind, randomized, controlled study will evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of two formulations of SCB-2019 (full dose: 30 g with CpG 1018/Alum and half dose: 15 g with CpG 1018/Alum) as a homologous booster dose administered approximately 6 months following 2-dose primary vaccination with SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) in approximately 4,000 adult participants.
In addition, the evaluation of the immunogenicity and safety of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) for primary vaccination in the adolescent (12-18 years) subgroup has been expanded to 1,200 adolescents. Initial data on both the homologous booster arm and adolescents are anticipated in the first half of 2022.
Joshua Liang, Chief Executive Officer of Clover Biopharmaceuticals said, We are pleased to announce that the first participants have been dosed with SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) as a homologous booster in the Philippines. The data generated from this study combined with previously reported positive data on previously-infected individuals in SPECTRA as well as data from other heterologous booster studies will potentially position SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) as an attractive universal booster vaccine candidate globally.
The development of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which has awarded Clover up to $397.4 million in funding. Through this collaboration, Clover will supply up to 414 million doses of SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) to the COVAX Facility for equitable distribution.
About SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum)
SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum), our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, is anticipated to potentially be one of the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccines commercialized globally through the COVAX Facility. Employing the Trimer-Tag technology platform, Clover developed the SCB-2019 antigen, a stabilized trimeric form of the S-protein (referred to as S-Trimer) based on the original strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Clover created its COVID-19 vaccine candidate by combining SCB-2019 with Dynavaxs CpG 1018 advanced adjuvant and aluminum hydroxide (alum).
About Clover Biopharmaceuticals
Clover Biopharmaceuticals is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing novel vaccines and biologic therapeutic candidates. The Trimer-Tag technology platform is a product development platform for the creation of novel vaccines and biologic therapies. Clover leveraged the Trimer-Tag technology platform to become a COVID-19 vaccine developer and created SCB-2019 (CpG 1018/Alum) to address the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2.
For more information, please visit Clovers website: www.cloverbiopharma.comand follow the company on LinkedIn.
Clover Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to us and our subsidiaries that are based on the beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to our management. When used in this [document], the words aim, anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, going forward, intend, may, might, ought to, plan, potential, predict, project, seek, should, will, would and the negative of these words and other similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. We give no assurance that these expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are participant to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. We caution you therefore against placing undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this document speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. Participant to the requirements of applicable laws, rules and regulations, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All forward-looking statements contained in this document are qualified by reference to this cautionary statement.
Clover Biopharmaceuticals:
Cindy MinSVP, Public Affairsmedia@cloverbiopharma.com
Naomi EichenbaumVP, Investor Relationsinvestors@cloverbiopharma.com
Bhutan, a small landlocked country with a total area of 38,394 km2, is nestled in the Eastern Himalayas between India and China. The current population of the country is projected at 756,129 with a sex ratio of 110 males to 100 females. The majority (62%) of the population lives in rural areas. The median age is 26.5years with an overall life expectancy of 70.3years [1].
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Bhutan was first confirmed on 5 March 2019, in a 76-year-old tourist [2]. Subsequently, there were sporadic cases and localized outbreaks in different parts of the country [3]. As of 15 September 2021, there were 2,596 confirmed cases and three deaths in the country (Fig.1).
Source: World Health Organization)
Daily reporting of COVID-19 cases from the beginning of the pandemic and the time period of nationwide vaccination rounds, Bhutan, 2021 (
The vaccination program in Bhutan was introduced as a part of the global initiative to eradicate smallpox [4]. Whilst diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT), oral polio vaccine (OPV) and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccines were introduced in few districts in 1976, Bhutan launched its expanded programme on immunization (EPI) in 1979 to develop and expand immunization services to achieve Universal Childhood Immunization [4]. At present, Bhutan provides vaccines against tuberculosis, hepatitis B (hepB), poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, haemophilus influenza type b (hib), measles, mumps and rubella. According to the 2020 EPI report, Bhutan has achieved more than 80% coverage for all vaccines in 20 districts without a single case of vaccine dropout for the pentavalent vaccine (DPT-hib-HepB) [5]. Recently, Bhutan expanded its national immunization schedule by introducing vaccines against human papilloma virus (2010), pneumonia (2019) and influenza (2020) [6].
Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of preventing infectious diseases, currently saving 45 million deaths every year [7]. Notwithstanding the progress of vaccines, far too many people have insufficient access to vaccines particularly in developing countries due to inadequate resources [8]. To make the situation worse, vaccination coverage remains suboptimal due to the high level of vaccine hesitancy related to complacency, barriers to accessing vaccines, a lack of trust in government authorities, misinformation, and fear of adverse effects following immunization [9]. Here, we aimed to provide our perspectives on the drives that enabled high coverage of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Bhutan.
Bhutan conducted its first nationwide COVID-19 vaccination round with the inoculation of the Covishield vaccine (Oxford-AstraZeneca) on 27 March 2021 coinciding with an auspicious day of the local astrological belief (Fig.1). For the first round, Bhutan received a total of 550,000 doses of Covishield vaccine (Oxford-AstraZeneca) from India through the vaccine Maitri initiative as a goodwill gesture of friendship between the two countries. Of the total 496,044 eligible population aged18years, 478,829 were vaccinated across 1,217 vaccination centres in 3 weeks of the campaign, achieving a vaccination coverage of 96.5% [1, 10] (Fig.2).
Source: Ministry of Health Facebook page)
Distribution of vaccination posts/centres across 20 districts during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Bhutan, 2021. The figure in the circle indicates the number of vaccination posts set up in each district (
Due to a massive surge in cases and a shortage of vaccine supply in India, Bhutan sought support from other countries to provide vaccines, including the United States (500,000 doses Moderna and 5,850 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine), Denmark (250,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine), Croatia, Bulgaria and others (~100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine), and the Peoples Republic of China (50,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine). Similar to the first COVID-19 vaccination round, the second round kicked off on the auspicious day of 20 July 2021 (Fig.1). However, during this campaign, Bhutanese had the option to choose other brands such as Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Sinopharm vaccines. A cumulative total of 473,715 people were vaccinated within 2weeks, covering 95.6% of the eligible adult population [11]. Of those vaccinated, 95% received heterologous vaccines and the remaining received homologous vaccines [12].
Enabling factors that led to high vaccination coverage in Bhutan are described below.
The Prime Minister and the Health Minister guided and led the COVID-19 National and Regional Task Force committees responsible for planning and implementing all COVID-19 related initiatives. Perhaps, unique to Bhutan is the leadership role played by His Majesty the Fifth King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. His Majesty worked together with the government in encouraging and inspiring the public to take COVID-19 vaccines. His Majesty has also visited the diverse geographical terrains in the mountainous northern borders and the hot and humid southern borders. During these royal visits, His Majesty visited and supervised vaccination posts to ensure vaccine toolkits and other necessary resources are put into place for the safe vaccination of the population.
Planning of the National vaccination campaign began soon after the start of the pandemic, at a time when vaccine trials were initiated in other countries. The Bhutan Vaccine System (BVS) (https://bvs.moh.gov.bt/) was developed and successfully implemented to digitally enumerate the eligible population for vaccination. In addition, BVS was used to select the number of vaccination posts, their locations and automatic generation of vaccine certificates for the vaccine recipients. BVS also provided an important platform to follow up with the registered individuals and encourage them for the vaccination program. This system is managed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and is user-friendly, leading to a high proportion of people being registered in it.
For the elderly and those individuals with mobility issues, home-based vaccinations were arranged. To overcome the physical barriers of rugged, mountainous terrain and to maintain a proper cold chain of the vaccine during the transportation process, vaccination services were facilitated by the Royal Bhutan Airlines and the Bhutan Helicopter Services Limited. This meant that vaccines were available in all the vaccination posts.
A massive public education programme was undertaken using appropriate vaccine communication strategies including pamphlets, advertisements on the national television channel (BBSTV) and radio, press briefs, and notices on the Facebook page of the MoH and the Prime Ministers Office (PMO). The Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Health Minister regularly provided updates to alleviate any fear of vaccination. Further, the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination were discussed on BBSTV by vaccine experts and epidemiologists.
The Central Monk Body of Bhutan (Zhung Dratshang) and other monastic organizations led by spiritual masters (Rinpoches) played a pivotal role in building trust in COVID-19 control through vaccination and other means. The specific times of the vaccination rounds were fixed according to the advice of the Zhung Dratshang based on astrological beliefs. Through religious discourse and teachings, these organizations were able to inspire people with otherwise anti-vaccine sentiments, along with the population at large, to accept the vaccine.
A large volunteer workforce, known locally as Desuups (www.desuung.org.bt), came forward to facilitate the organization of vaccination rounds and other activities to control COVID-19 [3]. Founded by the Fifth King, Desuup trainees undergo a value-based personal development program to encourage volunteerism for community services and play an active role in building the nation. During the vaccination campaign, Desuups were deployed in every vaccination post and supported conducting online registration and verification of vaccine recipients, and ensuring compliance with the COVID-19 safety protocol. The armed forces, foresters and customs officials were also deployed to support the vaccination campaign as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain law and order in strategic locations such as crowded places and along the border to prevent illegal immigrants. It is interesting to note that many people, after receiving the vaccine, described their positive experiences on their social media platforms and the MoH web page, encouraging people to get vaccinated.
There are a few limitations worth noting in this study. Firstly, opinions expressed in this study could have been influenced by the researchers perception and understanding of the vaccination campaign. Secondly, inferences were based on the vaccination data from open sources such as the Facebook page of the MOH and the PMO. Authors believe these are credible sources with reliable information.
January 4, 2022 | Austin, Texas | Press Release
Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter announcing his intention to sue the federal government over its unconstitutional vaccine mandate for the Texas National Guard. In the letter, the Governor reminds everyone in his chain of command not to punish any member of the Texas National Guard for choosing not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This letter comes after the Biden Administration tried to subject non-federalized guardsmen to an unconstitutional COVID-19 vaccine mandate from the U.S. Department of Defense. The Governor sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin last month reaffirming that the State of Texas will not impose the Biden Administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate on members of the Texas National Guard."As the commander-in-chief of Texass militia, I have issued a straightforward order to every member of the Texas National Guard within my chain of command: Do not punish any guardsman for choosing not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine," reads the letter. "Unless President Biden federalizes the Texas National Guard in accordance with Title 10 of the U.S. Code, he is not your commander-in-chief under our federal or state Constitutions. And as long as I am your commander-in-chief, I will not tolerate efforts to compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine. Let me be crystal clear: It is the federal government that has put Texass guardsmen in this difficult position. As your commander-in-chief, I will fight on your behalf. That is why I am suing the Biden Administration over its latest unconstitutional vaccine mandate."Read the Governor's letter.
The World Health Organization says that it is monitoring a coronavirus variant detected in a small number of patients in France, but that, for now, there is little reason to worry about its spread.
The B.1.640.2 variant was first identified in October and uploaded to Gisaid, a database for disease variants, on Nov. 4. Only about 20 samples have been sequenced so far, experts said this week, and only one since early December.
Abdi Mahmud, a Covid incident manager with the W.H.O., told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that the variant had been on the agencys radar since November, but added that it did not appear to have spread widely over the past two months.
That virus has had a lot of chances to pick up, he said.
By contrast, the Omicron variant, which was first uploaded to Gisaid on Nov. 23, has more than 120,000 sequences in the database. (The vast majority of Omicron cases have not been sequenced.) It has been detected in at least 128 countries, according to the W.H.O., and is fueling record-high case numbers in many parts of the world.
Concerns over the variant in France arose after researchers found that it contained 46 mutations that differed from the original version of the coronavirus. Omicron also has a high number of mutations, which researchers believe made it far more transmissible.
According to a research paper that was published on a preprint server in late December, but that has not been peer-reviewed, the B.1.640.2 variant was first detected in southeastern France in a vaccinated person who had recently traveled from Cameroon. Researchers found a total of 12 cases in the area and named the variant I.H.U., after the research institute in Marseille that helped identify it.
It is too early to speculate on virological, epidemiological or clinical features of this I.H.U. variant based on these 12 cases, researchers wrote.
Numerous coronavirus variants have emerged over the past two years, and the reasons that some spread widely while others do not are complex. For now, several independent researchers say there is little reason to be concerned about the I.H.U. variant.
Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College in London, tweeted this week that, so far, this virus has had a decent chance to cause trouble but never really materialised.
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia, his wife, tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday evening, the Swedish Royal Court said in a statement Tuesday.
The king, who is 75, and the queen, who is 78, have mild symptoms and feel well under the circumstances, the statement said. Both were fully vaccinated and had received booster shots.
The statement said the royal couple had isolated themselves in the home in accordance with current rules of conduct, and infection tracking is ongoing.
Sweden has been something of an outlier in Europe in its response to the pandemic. While other European nations were imposing lockdowns in March 2020, hoping to flatten a steeply rising curve of new infections, Sweden kept the country open and asked residents to follow health precautions voluntarily.
Though Sweden remained better off than some countries that enforced strict lockdowns, the early months of the pandemic were far deadlier in Sweden than in many of its neighbors, and by December 2020 King Carl XVI Gustaf was calling the nations coronavirus policies a failure because of the lost lives.
Since then, Sweden has seen major surges in cases in the winter and spring of 2021, and new cases are soaring again now as the highly transmissible Omicron variant spreads in much of the world.
People wait in line to receive a COVID-19 test on Tuesday in New York. The U.S. recorded more than 1 million COVID-19 cases on Monday. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
People wait in line to receive a COVID-19 test on Tuesday in New York. The U.S. recorded more than 1 million COVID-19 cases on Monday.
Things might seem pretty grim on the pandemic front right now. The U.S. is only a few days into the third calendar year of the pandemic and nearly 500,000 new COVID-19 cases are being counted daily.
The country hit another record high on Monday with 1,082,549 infections. So if it's hard to find a glimmer of hope, you're not alone. But Dr. Bob Wachter has a bit of hope to share.
Wachter chairs the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and took to Twitter last week to share his thoughts and predictions on how the country "could be in good shape, maybe even great shape in six to eight weeks."
He joined NPR's All Things Considered to talk about the current case rates and hospitalization rates and how they might trend, the new antiviral COVID-19 pills and what the omicron variant will likely mean for the unvaccinated population.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Yeah, I think that's the likeliest outcome. I should always caveat it by the fact that over the past two years, every time things have started looking good, something bad happens. So it's possible that will happen again. There'll be another variant that will be a curveball. But if that doesn't happen, I think the likeliest outcome for February and March is that we'll be in pretty good shape.
This virus being so transmissible but now, as we understand it, being milder than the prior variants could turn out to be very good news after a very awful January.
What's happening now is the cases are exploding, as we've never seen before, and that really is a manifestation of how extraordinarily infectious omicron is. What we're not seeing is the same relationship between cases and hospitalizations. So the average case of omicron has about a 60% lower chance of landing you in the hospital than the average case of delta.
Now you might hear that and say that doesn't make sense. Why are the hospitals filling up? And the reason is, even if the average case is less likely to land you in the hospital, if there are twice or three or five times as many cases, then you will have more people laying in the hospital. So the short-term risk and we're seeing it all over the country is the hospitals will get filled with patients with omicron.
A fair number of doctors and nurses will be out sick with omicron. And so we have a pretty miserable month, even though the average patient has a lower chance of ending up in the hospital than he or she would have had if they had a case of delta, particularly if they're vaccinated.
But very importantly, for the people that chose not to be vaccinated I think a very terrible choice, but who made that choice there's a pretty good chance they're going to get a case of omicron, which will give them some immunity. And it's those two things combined the fact that the average case is going to be milder, and more and more people are going to be immune to this virus that gets us out of this pickle, I think, in February.
Yeah, it's an important new part of our armamentarium. Up till now, we've really just had monoclonal antibodies to give to people at very high risk who got COVID but were not sick enough yet to be in the hospital. But two new pills have come out. The Pfizer is a much bigger deal than the Merck. The Merck lowers the probability that someone who gets a case of omicron will land in the hospital by 30%, the Pfizer by 90%.
So, it's in short supply. The supply is growing. Within a month or two, there will be a decent supply. So that is another very important tool that we'll have.
[They're] just starting to be available. We have them in some of our pharmacies, but we're having to triage them quite severely and be very selective about who gets them, but I think they'll become more and more available over time. It's a pretty tricky chemical compound to produce. So it is taking the company some time to produce them, but the supply should grow steadily over the next couple of months.
If you are unvaccinated and you're not being super careful, by which I mean wearing an N95 mask all the time if you're going indoors, it's almost hard to believe that you will not get this virus.
The problem is, people who are unvaccinated are hearing that the average case of omicron is milder. It is milder, but it's particularly milder for people that are vaccinated. For the people that are unvaccinated, the best estimates from the science so far are that maybe it's about 25% less likely to land you in the hospital, and you might say, "That's OK, good, it's milder." But if it's 25% less likely to land you in the hospital and you have a five times greater chance of becoming infected in the next month, that math doesn't land you in a good place.
That means that there are going to be more and more unvaccinated people who get omicron. A lot of them will end up in hospitals. A lot of them unfortunately will end up in ICUs, and a fair number of them will be the ones who die over the next four to six weeks as this hurricane sort of rampages through our country.
Yeah, I can understand how people would feel that, but that's just not right. The vaccines and boosters are miraculous, and they are miraculous because what they do is markedly lower the probability that you will get very sick, go to the hospital, go to the ICU, end up on a ventilator and die.
There's no question that there are more breakthrough cases. This virus is very good at sidestepping some of your immunity, but the kind of case that you're going to have if you've had particularly three shots is so much more likely to be a mild case of a couple of days of cold or flu symptoms than it would be for the unvaccinated person. Those are the ones who are landing in the hospital, landing in the ICU, and ultimately, the deaths that we will have from omicron will be almost entirely in unvaccinated people.
Sure. Two big questions going forward in terms of how rosy the future might be. One is, how good is the immunity that a case of omicron gives you against another case of either omicron or another variant? I'm sure it'll be fine for a while. But does it last for three months or a year? That will make a difference in terms of whether the risk goes up, let's say, next winter.
And the second, of course, is this great unknown, which is, will there be another variant? And anybody who tells you they can predict that is making it up because nobody I know predicted delta. Nobody I know predicted omicron. And all that means is there could be something even nastier than omicron on the horizon. And that will change the projections. But for now, I think things look pretty good.
