College student Yufei Wu hasnt seen her family in nearly three years because of Chinas coronavirus restrictions and strict lockdowns.
Wu, 23, a senior at Texas Tech University, wasnt able to grieve with relatives when her grandfather passed away, see her younger brother grow up or celebrate traditions with her parents who were thousands of miles away.
It feels like Im losing my Chinese identity, Wu said. From the way I speak Chinese, from how much Chinese food I eat, how much I connect with my cultural roots and thats extremely difficult because that is a very big part of who I am.
But Wu remains in Texas to pursue her degree in human development and family sciences. Shes among a dwindling number of international students enrolled in American universities.
Schools across the state and the country had dramatic drops in such students as the pandemic ravaged education, but their enrollment was trending down even before COVID-19 hit.
The number of international college students enrolled in the United States schools peaked at more than 903,100 in 2016-17. But by last year, that declined by 21% to about 710,200, according to the Institute for International Education.
Many Texas schools saw similar decreases. Compared to the previous year, the University of Texas at Dallas known for drawing a large international student population saw a 22% drop in such new undergraduates and a whopping 66% decrease in new graduate students in the fall of 2020. Overall, that was a nearly 25% drop in total international students.
In the same period, Southern Methodist University saw a 21% drop in its total international student enrollment; UT-Arlington and Texas A&M Universitys groups dwindled by nearly 12% while Texas Techs decreased by about 11%.
Graduate programs were particularly hampered. Texas A&Ms international graduate student enrollment, for example, suffered the most due to a 31% drop.
Such students contributed about $1.5 billion to the Texas economy last year, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Overall, international students studying in the United States contributed $28.4 billion nationwide during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Locally, for example, international students poured more than $100 million into UT-Dallas and UT-Arlington and their surrounding communities during the same period. The students not only bring an influx of funds, but also create a more diverse campus and widen area students worldviews through their differing cultural perspectives, said Jill Allen Murray, NAFSAs deputy executive director for public policy.
Attracting international students and scholars to U.S. colleges and universities is an important way that the United States grows, Murray said.
Many students chose to delay their enrollment last year because the pandemic threw chaos into an already complicated process for international students, said Juan Gonzlez, UT-Dallas vice provost for global engagement. However, as embassies reopened and campuses informed their communities about vaccination and testing opportunities, there was a big, dramatic shift in the attitude of the students, he said.
Still, a major challenge for administrators is reassuring families that their children will be safe on the other side of the world in some instances during the pandemic.
The parents dont have that much influence on the domestic students anymore. Theyre very independent, Gonzlez said. But in the international arena, parents have a lot of influence.
The constant communication with parents goes a long way for students, like Wu, whose parents prodded her to consider dropping out of college to return home throughout the past two years because of COVID-19 concerns.
Wu transferred into the United States from Chengdu, a city in Chinas Sichuan Province, in 2016 as a junior in high school the same year former President Donald Trump was elected.
Even before the pandemic, some international students often felt waves of uncertainty regarding their status under Trumps administration because of his hard stance on immigration, said David Barron, UT-Tylers associate vice president for university enrollment management.
Trumps policies also affected those students decisions on attending college in America because of the tense political climate, Barron said.
And as COVID-19 began spreading at the end of Trumps tenure, Wu and others anxiously kept up with changing policies as universities were forced to suddenly shift to remote education.
Initially, the Trump administration issued an order that would have blocked foreign students from remaining in the United States if their classes were only online. Wu felt anxious and feared having to return to China at a moments notice until after that order was rescinded.
Meanwhile, she also felt unsafe going out in public as discrimination and violence against Asian Americans increased, which some contributed to political rhetoric surrounding the virus.
She argued with her parents as they voiced concerns over her safety and health, reminding her that returning home was an option.
Because I look the way I do from the political situation, the atmosphere during that time it was risky sometimes, she said.
One obstacle after another
Many students struggled with simply getting into the country over the past two years as international travel became heavily restricted and air traffic was reduced. Consulates and embassies across the world were closed, leaving many in a haze as they attempted to acquire student visas.
This past fall, SMU welcomed the largest first-year international class in its history, which officials say reflects the continuing desire to pursue a degree in the United States especially as higher education institutions have now adapted to the changes of the ongoing pandemic after two years.
Were not seeing a reduction in interest in our programs, said Marc Christensen, dean at SMUs Lyle School of Engineering. Were just seeing that people cannot get here to take the classes.
SMUs engineering school, for example, has about 150 students from India who have deferred their enrollment until they can obtain visas.
Applying for graduate school at the UT-Dallas from Mumbai was an anxious time for students like Punit Sanghavi, who had to navigate the process during worldwide disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
Prospective international students like him juggled school and visa applications, closed embassies and borders, vaccine requirements and their parents worries about the virus all while rushing to get into the United States in time to take their classes.
Sanghavi, who eventually secured an emergency appointment at his embassy for a visa, began classes in the fall, where he is studying business analytics. But he knows many who werent as lucky.
From flight tickets being expensive, like super expensive, to a limited number of operational flights, to looking for accommodation in the U.S. where we want to stay, he said, recalling the chaotic start of school. A lot of people didnt have the visas in time flights got canceled.
Students who couldnt make it to Texas in person, did their best to connect with classmates remotely.
For her entire freshman year in 2020, Pavani Rambachan attended classes at UT-Arlington online from her home in Trinidad and Tobago, but didnt let the distance come between her and an active student life.
A big thing that really took top priority besides my grades, she said, was to be really involved in campus so I could still be there without physically being there.
Rambachan, now 22, joined the student government, honors programs and robotics team; became a UT-Arlington ambassador, increasing awareness on campus programs and promoting the school; and even moved to bring an old club back to life the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space for which she acts as president and encouraged about 250 others to join.
The clubs allowed her to network and connect with people, take a break from class work, feel less alone and make friends on campus.
Once she arrived in Texas for the fall semester in 2021, Rambachan sorted out her affairs on campus and connected with a friend she met virtually through the student government to tour the school.
I have some really awesome friends that I met here and really did have my back, she said, adding that the connections helped her adjust to life in a new country.
Colleges continue to focus heavily on communicating constantly and clearly with such students for whom a single sign of support can make the difference making sure that they understand the puzzling process of studying abroad during a global pandemic where policies and restrictions shift rapidly.
Its something that we just have to deal with, learn from it and just be patient until we have that population back on our campuses, said Sukant Misra, Texas Techs vice provost for international affairs.
Meanwhile, students like Wu are finding ways to cope as they remain a world away from family.
She invites other international and local students to share recipes that her grandfather taught her such as dumplings with pork and leek fillings or edamame soup and whips up dishes traditionally made to celebrate holidays and festivals.
Studying abroad is really fun, and it can be really challenging but also super rewarding, Wu said. My life here is definitely not easy, but I wouldnt trade it for anything else.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Todd A. Williams Family Foundation and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Labs journalism.
With mask mandates seeming to become a thing of the past, many of us are still not ready to go without them in public.
While its true that masks work best when everyone has one on, the good news is that you will still benefit from wearing one even if nobody else is especially if that mask is an N95 mask.
For someone looking to reduce their own risk of getting infected with SARS-CoV-2, wearing a mask will do that, said Dr. Scott Weisenberg, clinical associate professor, Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and director of the Infectious Disease Fellowship Program. The higher the quality, the better it would work, and the N95 would be the most effective of the masks currently available.
Experts recommend using an N95 mask because of the amount of protection they provide. The Mayo Clinic writes that N95 masks filter out both large and small particles when a person breathes in or out.
N95 masks are regulated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and can block at least 95 percent of particles.
The filtration efficiency for particles of surgical masks is 42-88 percent, according to Aerosol and Air Quality Research, while cloth masks filter out 16-23 percent, and bandanas filter out 9 percent.
KN95 and KF94 masks are similar to N95 masks in that they aim to filter out over 95 and 94 percent of particulates, respectively, but they are not regulated by NIOSH. A KN95 mask is supposed to meet Chinese regulatory standards, and the KF94 is supposed to meet Korean regulatory standards.
However, some counterfeit versions of these masks have been sold that may not meet these standards.
Even an N95 wont work very well if you dont wear the mask properly.
The easiest way to tell if youre wearing an N95 mask properly is to check for gaps.
In healthcare, we have a system that requires testing by trained professionals [to make sure the masks fit]. I think from a public standpoint, unless they have access to that test, they should look for any gaps at the edge of the mask, said Weisenberg.
Dr. Christina Liscynesky, an infectious disease expert at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, seconds the seal check. She recommends using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) methods to test the seal. The CDC recommends:
The N95 must form a seal to the face to work properly, meaning that your breath must pass through the mask and not around the edges. Be aware of any jewelry, glasses, or facial hair that can cause gaps. Being clean-shaven is more effective.
Of course, while the use of N95 masks is proven to be highly effective, even if you are the only one wearing one, there are other factors at play. No method is completely risk-free except isolation, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself.
Other factors to consider include how much time you are exposed to people who arent wearing masks, as well as the ventilation of where you are.
People can still modify their risk by avoiding high-risk settings, such as being indoors in poorly ventilated areas, said Weisenberg. Everyone has to make their own decisions about what is right for them and their individual risk.
But sometimes some settings are impossible to avoid, like traveling on airplanes, which these days is becoming more and more commonplace.
These settings make it difficult to avoid people.
On airplanes, cabin air is filtered through HEPA filters (high-efficiency particulate air) that are proven to reduce virus transmission. But on subways, buses, and other modes of transportation, the air may not be filtered as effectively.
Adding an N95 mask to your commute can reduce the risk of getting sick.
File photo of garbage being dumped at a landfill in Byron Township, Michigan.Photo: Mike Clark/The Grand Rapids Press (AP)
The U.S. has wasted millions of covid-19 vaccine doses since the pandemic began, with many more ready to be tossed in the garbage in the coming weeks and months as they expire, according to a damning new report from ABC News. Roughly 50,000 Americans are still getting their first dose each day.
The U.S. has vaccinated just 66.6% of its population against covid-19, the lowest rate among any wealthy country in the world. In fact, the U.S. is ranked 62nd in the world for covid-19 vaccinations, right behind Nepal (66.9%), Sri Lanka (67.4%), and Iran (68.4%), according to Johns Hopkins University.
The ABC News report notes that concrete figures are tough to come by and theyre changing every day, but the amount of waste, even when its just a ballpark figure, is staggering when you see how difficult its been for many poorer countries to even get access to the vaccines.
For example, North Carolina alone, where just 63% of the population has gotten at least two doses has seen 1.7 million covid-19 shots gone to waste. And in Michigan, where only 60.2% of the population has been fully vaccinated against covid-19, another 1.7 million shots have been sent to landfills. Over 100,000 more shots are set to expire in Michigan within the next two weeks alone.
And while its great the U.S. has doses to spare for anyone who wants one, it points to the tremendous inefficiencies and waste of the countrys private health care system. The problem, as experts note, is that once the doses have been delivered to pharmacies and clinics, they cant be easily rerouted to another part of the world that might have people who are more willing to take up the vaccines.
The U.S. reported 97,966 new cases of covid-19 on Wednesday and 684 deaths, with just 43 of the 50 states reporting totals. Florida alone reported 4,590 new cases on Wednesday, up substantially from weeks prior.
Vaccines have become a lightning rode of controversy not just in the U.S. but around the world, as countless people spread misinformation about supposed harms that befall people who get jabbed. All of the covid-19 vaccines that have been approved in the U.S. have been shown to be safe and effective. And if you havent gotten yours yet, theres still time. In fact, if you dont get your vaccine soon, its just going to wind up at the dump.
If theres one point on which all the experts agree, it is this: The spring surge of COVID-19 in the United States, caused by the hyper-contagious BA.2 omicron subvariant, will be unlike any other phase of the pandemic thus far.
In just the last two weeks, infections have increased by more than 50%, according to the New York Times COVID data tracker, but hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have risen only slightly and daily deaths are at their lowest level since the pandemic began.
This surge feels qualitatively and quantitatively different from earlier surges in terms of the severity of disease and the mortality, says Megan Ranney, MD, MPH, an emergency medicine physician and academic dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University in Rhode Island. That is likely due to a combination of vaccines and boosters along with the fact that so many people were infected with the original omicron variant quite recently.
Yet, the United States and indeed, the global community is still in the grips of a pandemic that continues to pose substantial risks for those who are unvaccinated, the elderly, the immunocompromised, and those with certain medical conditions, such as obesity and diabetes.
AAMCNews recently spoke with several of the foremost academic experts on COVID-19 for their advice on how best to navigate this next phase of the pandemic.
While BA.2 seems to lead to less severe disease, it is not, in fact, benign especially for those who have not been vaccinated, or for those who were vaccinated but did not receive a booster shot.
If you havent been vaccinated and boosted, and certainly if youre over 50 or 60, or if you have some other significant medical issues, you should be very concerned, says Eric Topol, MD, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California. If youre fully vaccinated, including a booster, you should be pretty confident that youre not going to get very sick if you do get an infection.
But not getting very sick can still translate into flu-like symptoms including fever, body aches, sore throat, congestion, and fatigue for one or two weeks. And for a small subset of people Robert Wachter, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, puts it at 10% to 20% in unvaccinated patients and about half that in vaccinated patients a COVID-19 infection can lead to long COVID. This is a constellation of symptoms, including extreme fatigue, brain fog, and trouble breathing, that can persist for months to years.
[Plus], there has been a fair amount of research in the last six weeks about a bunch of bad outcomes a year out from a case of COVID that include heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, diabetes, and brain shrinkage, he says. The risks were higher for those hospitalized for COVID-19 but were present even in some who had a mild case of the disease.
Vaccination and a booster shot provide good protection against severe disease, studies show. Two large studies published in JAMA in January 2022 showed that three doses of an mRNA vaccine were 90% to 95% protective against severe disease or death from both the omicron and delta variants.
Anna Durbin, MD, an infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, says that the first booster shot is particularly important in teaching the immune system to recognize and respond to the coronavirus. Its important to understand that when these vaccines rolled out, we were at the height of a pandemic. We wanted vaccines quickly and safely and that is what drove the primary immunization series to be two shots, three or four weeks apart. But any immunologist will tell you thats not the optimal timing for a two-shot regimen. We would have preferred to spread that out to two to three months apart, but that would have delayed authorization of the vaccines even further.
Instead, a third shot was needed several months after the first shots. By then, your immune system had calmed down from the original shots, and it was ready to rev up again, she says.
While protection against severe disease remains robust after three shots, protection against infection wanes substantially over time, in part because each new variant of virus contains more mutations that make it both more transmissible and better able to evade the bodys immune response. The BA.1 strain of omicron carries more than 50 mutations from the original coronavirus strain that originated in Wuhan, China, while the BA.2 strain contains an additional eight mutations that seem to make it about 30% more transmissible than BA.1.
About every couple of weeks, we learn that omicron has gotten a little bit smarter about how to infect people, Wachter says.
Because of mounting evidence of waning immunity after a first booster shot, the Food and Drug Administration in March authorized a second booster for anyone over 50 and for immunocompromised individuals who are at least four months past a first booster shot.
One study from Israel found that a fourth shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provided protection against infection with omicron among adults 60 and over, but that protection waned quickly peaking at 4 weeks and almost disappearing by 8 weeks post-shot.
The short-lived immunity from a second booster, combined with evidence that the first booster continues to provide protection against severe disease, has led to disagreement among experts, some of whom believe that second boosters are of limited value for most individuals.
With these vaccines and with all vaccines for respiratory viruses, to be honest, our goal is not to prevent infection, Durbin says. Until I see rising cases and evidence of more severe disease, I would not recommend a [second] booster right now for most people. Durbin does hope to see a reformulated vaccine developed in time for a fall booster campaign.
Topol believes if youre eligible for a second booster, you should get one, citing three studies that show that a second booster is safe and provides greater protection against severe illness and death in those over 50.
I think its a real mistake to be discounting the importance of [second] boosters, he says. Sure, if youre living in a cave, you dont need to worry. But if youre traveling and mixing with people, and youre in an area where cases are rising, then I think it would be good to get a booster.
Wachter says that people over 60 with a high risk of a bad outcome from COVID-19 should definitely get the second booster. But younger individuals in lower risk groups have a more difficult decision to make.
The facts about the second booster that people need to understand to make that choice are that first, your immunity after that first booster wanes considerably four to six months out. Thats unquestionable. The second booster raises your immunity about to the point where you were after the first booster. Where it gets complicated is the length of protection. Do the benefits of getting the shot now outweigh the risks?
One risk is that in a month or two, just when your immunity from a second booster is waning, the United States experiences a huge surge in cases or you decide to travel or attend a large gathering. In that case, you will have squandered your immune boost just when you need it most.
Its like a coupon, Topol says. Do you want to use it now or save it for later?
Durbin fears that those who wait too long to get a second booster would have to wait to get a reformulated vaccine in the fall. My great hope is that in the fall, well have a vaccine thats different from the one weve had.
There is some good news for those who are vaccinated and boosted who also had a breakthrough omicron infection, though. They do not need [a second booster], Durbin says. They have a little bit of an edge because they were infected.
Indeed, while reinfection with BA.2 after a BA.1 infection is possible, it is rare and occurs mainly in unvaccinated individuals, according to a small Danish study.
Wachter acknowledges that the temptation to throw up ones hands at this stage of the pandemic is real. I do this for a living and its confusing to me, he says. Many of his 263,000 Twitter followers have said: You tell me what youre doing. Ill do that.
Wachter is fully vaccinated and received his second booster about two weeks ago. He is wearing an N95 mask or the equivalent in crowded indoor spaces and whenever hes around people whose vaccination status or current symptoms he does not know, such as at the grocery store or on an airplane. I would feel kind of bad if I got COVID in a place where I really could have kept myself protected, he says. But he is going out to dinner with friends and having friends over to his home.
Ranney says the value of a high-quality mask cannot be understated. This is the moment where you should expect that if youre out and about, doing indoor activities, going to restaurants and concerts without a high-quality, good-fitting mask, you should expect that if you didnt have omicron in the first wave, that youre going to catch COVID, she says. [BA.2] is that contagious.
Her lab has developed a COVID-19 risk calculator MyCOVIDRisk.app that can help you determine your risk of catching COVID-19. You enter your planned activity, how many vaccines youve gotten, your location, whether the activity is indoors or outdoors, and other factors and the app spits out your risk of catching the disease. It also gives you options to change that risk.
If youre choosing to be out and about without a mask on, there is risk, Ranney says. You just need to be aware so you can make an informed choice."
Regardless of whether you receive a second booster or not now, there will likely be another booster shot in the fall.
Durbin predicts that well have a bivalent vaccine a vaccine that is designed to fight at least two strains of the coronavirus. Moderna recently announced that its bivalent vaccine containing strains of the beta and original coronaviruses performed better than its existing vaccine.
Ranney also believes well have a bivalent vaccine but is hopeful that the fall booster incorporates some elements of the omicron strain. Its going to be too early for some of the exciting types of vaccine, like the nasal vaccines, she says. But I would suspect that what were going to get in the fall is tailored to the strains that were seeing. There is a possibility that there will be a combined COVID-flu vaccine, but thats still up in the air.
One concern among all the experts is booster fatigue particularly if there are diminishing returns for subsequent booster shots.
With each new booster, were losing more and more people, Wachter says. Im not confident that if theres a surge coming and theres a campaign that says theres a new vaccine that that will lead to a massive uptake.
The use of antivirals and other therapeutics to counter the worst effects of COVID-19 will also be critical, Topol says.
The White House announced this week that it was doubling the number of pharmacies and clinics that would carry Paxlovid, an antiviral pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in infected people by almost 90%.
We have to have complementary strategies, Topol says. We cant keep going into the booster mode; its not an ideal way to counter a virus.
Health personnel are preparing injection syringes with Covid-19 vaccine in 2021 in Copenhagen, Denmark. the country has now announced it will suspend its vaccination program and will review whether it's needed later in the year.
Ole Jensen | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Denmark has become the first country to halt its Covid vaccination program, saying it is doing so because the virus is now under control.
"Spring has arrived, vaccine coverage in the Danish population is high, and the epidemic has reversed," the Danish Health Authority said in a statement Wednesday.
"Therefore, the National Board of Health is now ending the broad vaccination efforts against Covid-19 for this season," it said. People will not be invited for vaccines from May 15, it said, although everyone will be able to finish their course of vaccination.
Denmark's Covid vaccination campaign began soon after Christmas in 2020. Some 4.8 million citizens have been vaccinated, the health authority said, with more than 3.6 million people receiving a booster shot.
At the same time, many people have been infected since the omicron variant became the dominant strain of the virus, it said, meaning immunity levels among the population are high.
"We are in a good place," Bolette Soborg, unit manager at the National Board of Health, commented.
"We have good control of the epidemic, which seems to be subsiding.Admission rates [to hospitals] are stable and we also expect them to fall soon.Therefore, we are rounding up the mass vaccination program against Covid-19."
Soborg insisted that the public can still be vaccinated over the spring and summer if they want, and that vaccination sites will remain open around the country.
He added that immunization was still recommended to people for whom Covid poses a heightened risk, such as those over the age of 40 and for unvaccinated pregnant women. "We also continue to recommend that you complete your started vaccination course," he said.
Denmark's move to suspend its vaccination program comes as the Covid situation around the world remains mixed. Europe and the U.S. have abandoned most Covid restrictions, but China is still imposing (or considering) lockdowns as the virus spreads in major cities like Shanghai and Beijing.
Far from scrapping its vaccination program altogether, however, the Danish Health and Medicines Authority said there will probably be a need to vaccinate against Covid-19 again in the fall as the virus continues to mutate.
New variants have emerged over the course of the pandemic, which is now into its third year. These have eroded the efficacy of the Covid vaccines that were developed in record time in 2020, although the shots authorized for use in the West remain effective at preventing serious infection, hospitalization and death from Covid-19.
With the vaccination program likely to restart in a few months' time, Denmark's health experts will be looking at who should be vaccinated, when the shots should be given and which vaccines should be used.
The Danish Health and Medicines Authority said it would continue to follow the development of the epidemic closely, and is ready to restart vaccination efforts again if there is a need to immunize additional target groups before the fall.
Read CNBC's latest global coverage of the Covid pandemic:
A large US study published by The BMJ today finds that fewer people die from covid-19 in better vaccinated communities.
The findings, based on data across 2,558 counties in 48 US states, show that counties with high vaccine coverage had a more than 80% reduction in death rates compared with largely unvaccinated counties.
This large benefit complements the growing body of evidence indicating individual level benefits of covid-19 vaccination. A linked editorial also proposes that encouraging people to keep up to date with vaccination saves lives.
As of 11 April 2022, more than 11 billion covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered globally and the World Health Organization's target is to vaccinate 70% of the world's population by mid-2022.
Yet while previous vaccine studies have shown benefits at the individual level, the wider population level impact of scaling up covid-19 vaccination remains largely unknown.
To address this, researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) set out to estimate how increasing county coverage of vaccines affected population level mortality and incidence of covid-19.
Their findings are based on more than 30 million cases of covid-19 and over 400,000 deaths linked to covid-19 across 2558 counties, which were reported during the second year of the pandemic, between December 2020 and December 2021.
They measured effectiveness by comparing reported covid-19 incidence and mortality rates in counties with very low (0-9%), low (10-39%), medium (40-69%), and high (70% or more) vaccination coverage - defined as the percentage of adults (aged 18 and over) who had received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.
After taking account of potentially influential factors, the researchers found that increased vaccination coverage in counties was associated with reduced levels of covid-19 related mortality and cases.
For example, during the first half of 2021, when the alpha variant of coronavirus was dominant, the covid-19 mortality rate was reduced by 60%, 75%, and 81% in counties with low, medium, and high vaccination coverage, respectively, compared with counties that had very low coverage.
The corresponding figures for the reduction in cases were 57%, 70%, and 80%.
Similar reductions in mortality were also seen during the second half of 2021 when the delta variant became dominant in the US, although with smaller effects on case levels.
This is an observational study, so can't establish cause and the researchers say several limitations should be considered when interpreting these data. For example, additional markers of severe disease, such as hospital admissions, were not explored and they did not control for factors such as rules on wearing a face mask masking and physical distancing at the time, which may have affected their results.
Nevertheless, they point out that results were similar after further sensitivity analyses, suggesting that they withstand scrutiny. And they say: "Future research may benefit from evaluating macroeconomic effects of improving population health, such as changes in employment rates and gross domestic product resulting from reopening society."
This study adds to the evidence that vaccination can prevent infection and illness on a large scale, writes Professor Christopher Dye at the University of Oxford in a linked editorial.
The findings of this study also make clear that many more lives could have been saved, and will be saved, by encouraging people to keep up to date with vaccination in the face of waning immunity and new coronavirus variants and by achieving even higher population coverage."
Christopher Dye, Professor, University of Oxford
"How many lives is a matter for others to explore. Meanwhile, this new study is another confidence booster for covid-19 vaccines," he concludes.
Source:
Journal reference:
Suthar, A. B., et al. (2022) Public health impact of covid-19 vaccines in the US: observational study. BMJ. doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2021-069317.
Which COVID-19 vaccines are available in the United States?
As of February 2022, two COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and one has been authorized for emergency use.
Pfizer, Inc., and BioNTech BNT162b2:On August 23, 2021, the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine called Comirnaty for people age 16 and older. The vaccine is still available under emergency use authorization for children and teens 5 to 15 years old.View the infographic to see what is in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
ModernaTX, Inc., mRNA-1273:On January 31, 2022, the FDA approved this NIH-funded COVID-19 vaccine called Spikevax for people age 18 and older.View the infographic to see what is in the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson:On February 27, 2021, theFDA authorized emergency useof this single-shot vaccine for people age 18 and older.Developed with support from NIH, this vaccine does not require special refrigeration.Women younger than 50 years old should be aware of therare risk of blood clotsafter vaccination.
Studies show that protection against SARS-CoV-2 begins to decrease over time after initial vaccine doses. Additional vaccine doses (booster vaccinations) provide longer-lasting protection against COVID-19.
The FDA has authorizedbooster vaccinations of all three COVID-19 vaccinesavailable in the United States. Theeligibility period for a booster doseis based on several factors, including which vaccine you originally received and how long it has been since you were fully vaccinated.
Eligible people can choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose this is known as heterologous ormix and match dosing. Based on data from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the FDA has determined that the benefits of mixing doses outweighs any known or potential risks.
Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines arevery effective in preventing COVID-19, even for people at high risk for the disease.
Sometimes people who are fully vaccinated get abreakthrough infection, meaning that they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or become ill with COVID-19. Fully vaccinated people areless likely to become seriously ill, even from COVID-19 variants.
Vaccines have very high safety standards, and COVID-19 vaccines are no exception.COVID-19 vaccines have undergone and will continue to undergo the mostintensive safety monitoringin U.S. history.
The timeline for creating COVID-19 vaccines was shorter than for other vaccines for many reasons, including:
NIH scientists have beenstudying mRNA vaccines and coronaviruses for decades. They had a head start because they already knew a lot about how mRNA vaccines work and how to make them.
Researchers, the federal government, and drug companiescame together like never beforeto cooperate and share resources, making the vaccine testing process more efficient.
NIH set up theCOVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN)to coordinate existing research networks and carry out large clinical trials in tens of thousands of people efficiently. Many Americans from diverse communities volunteered to participate in the studies.
The FDA analyzed data from the clinical trials right away.
The safety of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines is being tracked through theVaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a unique safety system calledv-safethat was established specifically for COVID-19 vaccines, and other systems. Vaccine manufacturers submit monthly safety updates to the FDA. The FDA also inspects vaccine production facilities and checks the quality of vaccine batches.
Based on Public Healths latest data from Monday, April 25th, our rate of cases now puts King County into the Medium COVID-19 Community Level as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): over 200 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period.
While the CDC medium risk category is not a magic threshold, meaning something has suddenly or fundamentally changed about the outbreak, it does tell us that COVID-19 risk is increasing for individuals and for our community. We can use this information to lower our own risk and those around us by increasing our protection.
We know the number of reported cases is an underestimate of the actual current level of COVID-19 in the community. Thats because more people are using at-home rapid test results that are often unreported to health officials and some people dont get tested at all.
While cases have been rising gradually over the past month, hospitalizations and deaths remain relatively low, thanks primarily to the protection against serious illness that vaccinations and boosters are providing to most King County residents.
As King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin reflects, that hospitalizations and deaths are stable and relatively low is a good sign that people who are vaccinated and boosted have great protection from serious infections. This can change if cases continue to increase, but so far, its reassuring.
COVID-19 activity can rise and fall in response to several factors. For example, the amount of virus in our community can change based on whether we take more or fewer precautions. Levels can also change when new variants emerge and if they spread more readily, cause more severe illness, or dodge protection from vaccines and past infection. And levels can shift depending on if or when protection from vaccination or past infection decreases over time.
Preventing hospitalizations and deaths is the top priority, and our vaccines are currently doing a great job on this front, says King County Health Officer Jeff Duchin. Although were not able to count every case, every case counts because even less severe COVID-19 can lead to long COVID in an estimated 10-30% of cases, with brain, heart and lung problems that can make it difficult to work and do normal activities. People with less severe infections can also spread COVID-19 to others, including people at high risk. And some people will get severe infections, especially those who are unvaccinated such as children under five, says Dr. Duchin.
At this time, we are re-emphasizing our recommendations for layered prevention measures described above and are not issuing any new requirements or restrictions in King County.
Public Health will continue to monitor our local situation to determine whether additional measures will be needed to optimally protect the health of our community.
Its not possible to predict if cases will continue to rise, when they might fall, or when they might rise again, but we expect ongoing ups and downs over the next few years based on what variants emerge, population immunity and other factors. By increasing our prevention steps when more virus is circulating, as it is currently, we can help prevent larger surges and lower our risk.
Going forward, to decrease risk over time, its critical to continue to focus on sustainable, long-term strategies, such as increasing opportunities to improve indoor air quality and confronting structural and systemic disparities that place some communities at greater risk for more severe impacts from COVID-19.
This latest video highlights the key recommended steps that can help reduce risk.
Originally published 4/25/22
Prairie Surf dedicates soundstage to Oscar-winner Gray Frederickson
Prairie Surf Studios surprised Oklahoma native and Oscar-winning producer Gray Frederickson by naming a soundstage after him during a small ceremony.
Addison Kliewer, Oklahoman
In fall 2005, just months after Hurricane Katrina dealt a devastating blow to Louisiana, the New Orleans Hornets tipped off the first of their two NBA seasons in downtown Oklahoma City.
In the wake of catastrophe, tragedy and trauma, the Sooner State's capital showed the world it was a big-league city, setting up the court for the OKC Thunder to move to town in 2008.
In much the same way, Oklahomans' welcoming poise in the face of another calamity the global COVID-19 pandemic has helped the state's burgeoning film and television industry score multiple slam dunks over the past two years.
"Overall, I believe COVID has changed the landscape of Oklahomas film industry but for the better because our people and communities united and chose to find solutions during such uncertain times," Oklahoma Film + Music Office Director Tava Maloy Sofskysaid in an email.
"From Gov. Kevin Stitt deeming the motion picture and recording industries as essential industries in June of 2020, along with our states borders and businesses opening, it was honestly like the Land Run for films pivoting from other states (and) wanting to come film in our beautiful and pro-business state."
With Stitt inking a new, larger film incentive last year, industry watchers don't expect to see the rush of movie and TV projects to slow anytime soon.
In June 2020, producer-director Danny Roth completed production on the feature film Harvest of the Heart (later retitled "A Country Romance") in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The Michigan moviemaker's romantic drama was one of the first live-action productions to start in North America after the pandemic brought TV and filmmaking to a halt in March 2020.
"We were the first state to return to work after the stay-at-home orders, and I think it just put Oklahoma on the map for a lot of producers and studios that hadn't really heard the Oklahoma buzz yet," said Emily O'Banion, a health safety supervisor and the owner of Oklahoma Set Medics.
"It created a real spotlight on what could be filmed here."
In May 2020, Roth contacted O'Banion and asked if she was interested in becoming the "COVID officer" on his first movie to film in the Sooner State. By the time the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees had released their "The Safe Way Forward" report that summer, Roth was on Day 13 of the 16-day shoot on the romantic drama.
"I wrote the protocols for that, just put what I thought sounded like good ideas. … We got the protocols approved from SAG, and that was the first feature film that SAG (green) lit in the post-COVID world," O'Banion recalled.
"It was a very positive thing for Oklahoma film. With the pandemic, we've had a lot of success in filming under the COVID protocols and drawing more productions here because of the innovation of getting back to work the quickest. ... And I would say the strictest protocol shows that I've worked on have been in Oklahoma the first 18 months of COVID."
Becoming the first state to reopen for filming after the coronavirus outbreak was the first but certainly not the last milestone the state's movie and TV industry has achieved during the pandemic. Since early 2020, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office has hosted a record-breaking 65 films, providing more than 11,000 career opportunities and direct spending by the productions in excess of $170 million, Sofsky said.
In 2021, the groundbreaking immigrant drama "Minari," which was made in Tulsa, became a darling of the cinematic awards season, winning a best supporting actress Oscar for Korean performer Youn Yuh-jung.
Also last year, Martin Scorsese's eagerly awaited adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon became the largest movie to ever film in Oklahoma, while the trailblazing streaming show "Reservation Dogs" became the states first scripted television series.
The first mainstream TV show on which every writer, director and series regular performer is Indigenous, "Reservation Dogs" in March won two Film Independent Spirit Awards for best new scripted series and best ensemble cast in a new scripted series on the Santa Monica Pier in California and then began filming its anticipated second season in Tulsa and Okmulgee.
"Its been a whirlwind. My lifes changed and to be able to share what we share with this show has been a blessing, and I think people really needed something that was hopeful and truthful during this pandemic," Sterlin Harjo, the Tulsa-based Native American co-creator and executive producer of "Reservation Dogs," told press backstage at the awards show.
Filming also started in March in OKC and Tulsa on another high-profile streaming series: the "Untitled Tulsa Project" starring iconic actor Sylvester Stallone. Expected to debut in fall, the planned Paramount+ show created by Taylor Sheridan the mastermind behind the hit shows "Yellowstone," "1883" and "Mayor of Kingstown" is also known as "The Tulsa King."
As is typical in the film business, what's happening behind the scenes is as important as what's happening in front of the cameras.
"Weve been fortunate to witness first-hand so many success stories amid the pandemic, as the states film and television industries evolved and expanded (and still are) to better serve the needs of this creative sector," Sofsky said.
"While COVID has certainly brought many Oklahomans challenges on personal and professional levels, the people of Oklahoma are born resilient, and our local crew, including health and safety companies, labs and small businesses, collaborated with major Hollywood studios and independent producers to find ways to rise above and build an even stronger industry by innovating this new frontier."
Last May, Stitt signed the "Filmed in Oklahoma Act of 2021," boosting the annual cap on the state's film incentive program from $8 million to $30 million.
Plus, the state's film rebate isn't the only one around these days: The cities of Bethany and Oklahoma City, as well as the Cherokee Nation Film Office, have all launched their own film incentive programs in the past year.
Also since the pandemic started: Prairie Surf Studios opened in the former Cox Convention Center, while Green Pastures Studio is operating in a converted elementary school in Spencer. Inventive crew training programs are popping up across the state, and local businesses like O'Banion's are expanding to meet the growing industrys needs.
"I started getting calls right from the get-go: Working on 'Reagan' morphed into 'The Unbreakable Boy' and that then went into 'American Underdog.' By 'American Underdog,' I was just inundated with producers and studios reaching out, offering, 'Can you do our project, and if you can't do our project, can you consult?O'Banion said.
Her Oklahoma Set Medics now boasts about 45 full-time employees either working on projects or taking a break but still on her active roster, up from 30 workers a year ago.
As with hosting the Hornets after Hurricane Katrina, she said Oklahoma's ability to respond positively to catastrophe has been a boon to the film industry.
"Even filming in another state, when you mention Oklahoma, the question is gonna be, 'Oh, you guys are filming a lot. ... What happened over in Oklahoma?'" O'Banion said.
"It's kind of crazy that COVID was a catalyst in this boom, but it really was. ... There is definitely still a buzz. There's still a momentum. There's still a lot of the locals that have really come up the last few years that are working in high demand. So, it's a very exciting time."
U.S. Rep. Andy Levin talks about "green ooze" in Madison Heights
U.S. Rep. Andy Levin discussed the now-infamous green ooze has been leaking out of the condemned site in Madison Heights
Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press
U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield Township, tested positive last week for COVID-19 and is quarantining at home.
Levin, 61, came down with cold-like symptoms last Thursday but is feeling much better now, his spokeswoman, Jenny Byer, said Monday.
More: Democratic allies now rivals, Levin, Stevens spar in first campaign debate
More: COVID-19 cases in Michigan expected to climb through May: What it means
"He's feeling good. He's back to his regular schedule," albeit virtually, she said.
Levin himself said he was feeling better in a post on Twitter on Sunday night.
Byer said Levin will remain in Michigan this week andvote remotely.
Levin is in a tough race this year facing another Democrat, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, of Waterford. The two debated in Pontiac last Wednesday night.
Contact Todd Spangler at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.
