(Washington, DC) - The Districts reported data for January 11, 2022 includes 1,216 new confirmed positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, bringing the Districts overall confirmed positive case total to 118,802. The District also reports 159 new probable cases, bringing the overall positive probable cases since October 15, 2021 to 7,687.
The District reported that three additional residents lost their lives due to COVID-19.
Tragically, 1,240 District residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19.
Visit coronavirus.dc.gov/data for interactive data dashboards or to download COVID-19 data.Below is the Districts current Key Metrics Summary Table.
Below is the Districts aggregated total of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, sorted by age and gender.
Patient Gender
Total Confirmed Positive Cases
%
Female
%
Male
%
Unknown
%
All
118,802*
100
63,068
100
54,383
100
1,351
100
Unknown
245
<1
89
<1
127
<1
29
2
0-18
22,558
19
11,245
18
10,976
20
337
25
19-30
33,223
28
18,979
30
13,889
26
355
26
31-40
24,325
21
12,802
20
11,221
21
302
23
41-50
14,293
12
7,351
12
6,770
12
172
13
51-60
11,294
10
5,621
9
5,585
10
88
6
61-70
7,389
6
3,801
6
3,552
7
36
2
71-80
3,461
3
1,892
3
1,549
3
20
2
81+
England has become the latest country to cut its isolation requirement for people infected with coronavirus to five days, as industries including the health sector face vast staff absences due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Thursday that the decision was based on U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data that showed "around two-thirds of positive cases are no longer infectious by the end of day five."
Therefore, from next Monday, anyone who tests positive for coronavirus will no longer need to isolate for seven days, but five. They can leave isolation at the start of day six if they produce two negativelateral flowtest resultson days five and six.
England follows the U.S., Greece and France in cutting its isolation to five days, on condition of negative tests and no symptoms. While based on data on how infectious people are, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle Walensky, later admitted the period really had a lot to do with what we thought people would be able to tolerate.
The NHS Confederation has been calling for this move if it could be backed by appropriate evidence. We are glad the government has acted quickly, said Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the confederation.
He pointed out that the number of people in hospital is still high, with admissions still rising in some areas, adding that we are certainly not out of the woods yet.
Javid said there were encouraging signs that infections are falling in London and the East of England, but acknowledged rates were still rising in other parts of the country. He pointed out that there were already early signs that the rate of hospitalization is also starting to slow.
The life of a hotel front-desk clerk in a red state can tell you a lot about Americas COVID-19 failures. He doesnt want to be identified, because he is worried about being fired, but I can tell you this: He doesnt have paid sick days or health insurance. About a month ago, he got COVID and took four days off, using three of his seven vacation days and going a day without pay. Last week, one of his kids tested positive for COVID, and he thinks he has it again. But when he tried to get tested, the earliest appointment was in a few days. So with a headache, a sore throat, and a runny nose, he went into work anyway. If I need to pay rent and buy food, I gotta go to work, he told me. I was feeling pretty bad earlier, but its like, well, I could just take some DayQuil.
He wears a mask. He tries to be careful. He is worried about infecting other workers and guests. But sometimes it feels pointless, because some hotel guests have walked in maskless, announced that they have COVID, and later summoned the hotel staff to their room for fresh towels.
When the CDC shortened isolation guidelines for people with COVID to five days, from 10, some people felt that the agency was prematurely pushing sick people back to work. But realistically, many Americans were never able to take a full 10, or even five, days off to recover from the coronavirus. Like the hotel worker, many people who think they might have COVID cant immediately find tests. The federal government offers no services for or payments to people in isolation, and has no one checking in with the sick. Most local and state governments dont do anything for people in isolation either. Most important, millions of Americans still dont have paid sick leave, so taking any time off workfive days, 10, or twocan be financially ruinous. The CDC issuing isolation guidelines of any length to workers without paid leave is the equivalent of the government telling people to make sure that they quarantine inside a lime-green Lamborghini. The lack of guarantee to paid leave is the key missing public-health element in our response to the crisis, says Hannah Matthews, the deputy executive director for policy at the Center for Law and Social Policy.
Read: A hidden COVID-19 risk factor: your boss
About a fifth of all U.S. workers dont get paid sick leave, and the lowest-paid workersthose who serve food, clean hotels, or stock groceriesare least likely to have it. Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., plus about two dozen cities and counties, have paid-sick-day laws, but approximately 75 million private-sector workers live in jurisdictions not covered by those measures, according to the paid-leave-advocacy group A Better Balance. Some states expanded paid leave during the pandemic, but many of those programs have since expired. Some employers also began offering paid leave, but its not clear how long theyll continue to do so. Already, Walmart, taking a cue from the CDC, has cut paid leave for workers who get COVID down to one week from two.
The emergency paid-sick-leave law passed by Congress in 2020 prevented about 400 COVID cases per state per day. That provision has since expired, as has a second one granting tax credits to employers that offered paid leave voluntarily. Even when the 2020 measure was in effect, it didnt cover every worker; only half of all workers knew about it; and about 15 million Americans a month still lacked sufficient sick leave, a study found. Since then, theres been nothing. Were allergic to imposing new regulations on workplaces in this country, says Vicki Shabo, a senior fellow for paid-leave policy at the think tank New America.
A good way to make sure a problem is never solved is to avoid measuring it. This is perhaps why no American agency appears to measure whether COVID-positive Americans can afford to self-isolate, or whether they are actually doing so. Were running on a nationwide honor system, and skyrocketing case numbers suggest that we arent behaving particularly honorably.
Other countries provide money or paid sick leave to people in COVID isolation, but even in those places adherence to quarantine rules is not great. In the United Kingdom, where low-income people received 500 (about $680) each time they were required to isolate, about 80 percent of people admitted to leaving home at least once in the week after developing COVID symptoms. In Norway, where sick pay is statutory, 65 percent of people who were supposed to isolate didnt. In Japan, where COVID-positive people received a sickness allowance, just 17 percent of people who had fever or cold symptoms in the spring of 2020 practiced strict self-isolation.
Its therefore unlikely that sick Americans, many of whom get no money while they isolate, are isolating more consistently. Daniel Schneider, a Harvard sociologist, surveyed hourly workers in the fall and found that just 45 percent of those who had contracted COVID had paid sick leave. These workers practically live in poverty: A fifth of them told Schneider that they had gone hungry in the past month because they couldnt afford enough food. Of those who reported feeling ill at some point during the pandemic, 65 percent worked while they had symptoms, many because they were afraid theyd get in trouble for calling out sick.
Another major reason Schneiders survey respondents gave for going into work was I didnt want to let down my co-workers. In many jobs, coming in sick is a virtue, or at least the norm. Lots of things in public health get upheld through norms, rather than fines or punishment, and this norm has been slow to change with COVID, says Marcus Plescia, the chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Read: The real reason Americans arent quarantining
A Better Balance, which runs a helpline for workers struggling with paid-leave issues, gets calls more or less daily from people saying, Ive tested positive; is there any compensation I can get? says Marcella Kocolatos, the helplines director. I often have to tell them no, unfortunately there isnt. She recalled one fast-food worker who was ordered to finish her shift even though she tested positive in the middle of the workday.
Employees who dont have a unionwhich is the large majority of workershave little recourse after being asked to work while sick. Last year alone, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the branch of government that polices employers, received dozens of complaints from employees saying that their boss was allowing sick workers to return to work, or that workers were being disciplined for not returning to work while still in isolation. A liquor store in Pennsylvania was allegedly telling employees to come into work before the criteria to discontinue home isolation are met; employee forced to return to work before isolation period over and then another 2 employees got sick, someone at a cellphone store in Virginia said; employees are being encouraged to work when sick due to limited staffing, according to a pizzeria worker in Minnesota. Some of these are closed complaints, which during the Trump administration usually just meant that OSHA had called the employer and told them to stop, says Deborah Berkowitz, a former OSHA senior policy adviser and a fellow at Georgetown University. (OSHA did not reply to requests for comment.)
The law behind the agency is weak and OSHA is underfunded, Berkowitz told me. Under Republican administrations, like the one that governed the United States for all of 2020, the agencys enforcement work grinds to a halt. When Berkowitz was at OSHA, she worked on a regulation that was meant to protect workers from silica dust. It took six years to issue it. Workplace exposures are a significant driver of this pandemic, Berkowitz said. And workplace exposures put workers at a heightened risk of COVID.
The government could fix the paid-leave issueit showed in 2020 that it is capable of doing so. Instead, it issues guidelines and watches people spread COVID because they cant afford not to.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) There are now 343 people hospitalized due to COVID-19 as of Thursday, up from Wednesday (336). Throughout the pandemic, there have been 9,381 total people who have been hospitalized.
With 10 new deaths reported on Thursday, the death toll is now at 2,544. While the difference in total deaths between Wednesday and Thursday is 10, the number of male deaths reported went up by 12 and there were four deaths added to the total for female. New deaths were reported in the following age ranges: 50-59 (2); 60-69 (3); 70-79 (3); 80+ (2). The following counties reported deaths: Bon Homme (2); Brown (1); Hughes (1); Lake (2); Minnehaha (2); Pennington (1); Sanborn (1).
South Dakota reported its first COVID-19 death in the 0-9 age range on Wednesday, according to data from thestate health department.
All of South Dakotas 66 counties are listed as having high community spread. High community spread is 100 cases or greater per 100,000 or a 10% or greater PCR test positivity rate.
The latest seven-day PCR test positivity rate for the state is 35.7% for Jan. 5 11.
On Thursday, 2,584 total new COVID-19 cases were reported, bringing the states total case count to 200,496, up from Wednesday (197,912).
The active case count is at 24,796, up from Wednesday (22,743). Total recovered cases are now at 173,156, up from Wednesday (172,635).
There have been 1,286 Delta variant cases (B.1.617.2, AY.1-AY.25) detected in South Dakota through sentinel monitoring, an increase of three over the previous report. There have been 176 cases of the B.1.1.7 (Alpha variant), four cases of P.1. (Gamma variant) and two cases of the B.1.351 (Beta variant).
The number of Omicron cases is at 24, up one from the previous report. On Dec. 22, the state reported its first Omicron variant case in a man in his 20s from Minnehaha County.
On November 24, the South Dakota Department of Health updated how it reports the percent of the population getting vaccinated. To align with the vaccine-eligible population, the Department of Health is including children who are 5-11 years old. The state says there was a decrease of 7% from the 12+ year old population.
For COVID-19 vaccines, 68.6% the population 5-years-old and above has received at least one dose while 56.3% have completed the vaccination series. For booster doses, 28.35% of those eligible have completed their booster dose.
There have been 631,503 doses of the Pfizer vaccine administered, 447,079 of the Moderna vaccine and 36,160 doses of the Janssen vaccine.
There have been 169,747 persons who have completed two doses of Moderna. There have been 245,845 persons who have received two doses of Pfizer.
As for booster doses, 101,855 people have received a 3rd Pfizer shot, 79,753 people have received a 3rd Moderna dose and 2,318 have received a Janssen booster.
Posted: Jan 12, 2022 / 02:49 PM CST / Updated: Jan 12, 2022 / 02:49 PM CST
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) The Arkansas Department of Health reported another single-day record with 10,974 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total during the pandemic to 640,799.
There were 14 deaths due to COVID-19.
The number of individuals hospitalized by the virus grew by 37, to 1,185. Of those patients, 167 are on ventilators, an increase of four over Tuesdays numbers.
The number of vaccine doses administered rose to 3,786,351, an increase of 7,570 from the day before. Of all doses received, 79.8% have been administered.
The ADH lists 1,521,763 Arkansans as fully immunized, with 366,295 qualifying as partially immunized.
The counties reporting the most new cases on Wednesday are:
Our second shipment of at-home tests has been received and were working to get those tests around the state, said Gov. Asa Hutchinson in a Tweet. Were monitoring our hospital space and providing resources when needed.
A volunteer receives daily necessities on behalf of residents under home quarantine in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 12, 2022. Tao Ming/Xinhua via AP File Photo hide caption
A volunteer receives daily necessities on behalf of residents under home quarantine in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 12, 2022.
TAIPEI, Taiwan Just weeks before hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics, China is battling multiple coronavirus outbreaks in half a dozen cities, with the one closest to the capital driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant.
With the success of the Games and China's national dignity at stake, Beijing is doubling down on its "zero-tolerance" COVID-19 policy.
Across China, more than 20 million people are in some form of lockdown, with many prevented from leaving their homes.
Tianjin, only about an hour from Beijing, is on high alert, although it has refrained from imposing a complete lockdown such as that in Xi'an, a city of 14 million.
Instead, it has sealed off several residential communities and universities, canceled almost all flights, suspended high speed train service and closed highways. People leaving the city are required to present negative COVID-19 tests and receive special permission.
The city conducted mass testing for a second time for its 14 million residents on Wednesday, and asked them to stay put in their homes until they receive a negative result.
Tianjin's proximity to Beijing makes the timing particularly fraught. During the Tokyo Olympics in July, Japan saw a widespread outbreak driven by the delta variant.
Despite that, the disruptions for people in Tianjin remain relatively light.
"Everything is fine, the supermarkets and restaurants, you can go to all normally," said Yu Xuan, who works at a university in Tianjin.
Wang Dacheng, another resident, said his father who has trouble walking was able to get tested in their apartment.
"Tianjin people are pretty optimistic, everyone's been very calm and collected," Wang said.
Elsewhere, in Xi'an to the west and several cities in Henan province, the measures are far more onerous, leading to complaints that people sequestered in their apartments were running out of food.
Workers wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus stand inside a screening area for Winter Olympic spectators set up near the Olympic Green in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo hide caption
China has followed the uncompromising policy almost from the start of the pandemic, beginning with the unprecedented step of sealing off 11 million people in the central city Wuhan where the virus was first detected, along and other parts of Hubei province in January 2020.
It has been able to deal with local outbreaks through lockdowns, strict border controls and contact tracing aided by increased digital surveillance. The measures have kept the virus from spreading into a full-fledged national outbreak so far. The vaccination rate now tops 85%.
With the Olympics due to begin on Feb. 4 and support staff already arriving, the task has become even more critical. Whether Beijing' s safeguards will hold up in face of the omicron variant is a crucial question.
"I think it truly is a critical juncture for China. Can it stave off omicron?" said Dali Yang, a professor of Chinese politics at the University of Chicago.
China reported 124 domestically transmitted cases on Thursday, including 76 in Henan province and 41 in Tianjin. Authorities have reported a total of 104,379 cases, 3,460 of them currently active, and 4,636 deaths, a figure that hasn't changed in months.
Beijing's Olympic bubble is even stricter than Tokyo's, which was mostly effective in stopping transmission, despite some leakages, said Kenji Shibuya, research director at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research and a public health expert.
Beijing faces a potentially bigger risk because the more contagious omicron variant has shown itself adept at evading vaccines.
Moreover, the lack of widespread outbreaks means the Chinese population is protected only by vaccines and not from antibodies produced by previous infections, said Dr. Vineeta Bal, a top Indian immunologist.
"The Olympics would be the first trial," said Bal. Omicron "can easily travel in China."
Unlike the Tokyo Olympics bubble, there will be no contact between those inside and the outside world.
Officials, athletes, staff and journalists will travel between hotels and competition venues on specially designated vehicles in what is described as a closed-loop system. Chinese will have to quarantine for three weeks upon leaving the bubble.
Even trash from within will be handled separately and Beijing's traffic police say anyone involved in a collision with a designated Winter Olympics vehicle should take care to not come into contact with those on board and wait for a special team to handle matters.
If strictly enforced, such measures should be able to prevent the spread of the virus within the bubble, said Kei Saito, a virologist at the University of Tokyo. But outside, it could be a different story.
"Omicron is three to four times more transmissible than delta ... I think it's almost impossible to control the spread of omicron," Saito said.
Yet, despite the unabating global pandemic and controversies including a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott, organizers are determined that the Games will go on.
"The world is turning its eyes to China, and China is ready," the Chinese president and leader of the ruling Communist Party, Xi Jinping, said during an inspection tour of competition venues last week.
___
Associated Press researcher Chen Si in Shanghai and AP Science Writer Aniruddha Ghosal in New Delhi contributed to this report.
MEDFORD, Ore. Covid-19 tests are in high demand as Omicron cases surge throughout Southern Oregon. Since more people have needed a test, testing sites requiring appointments must be booked days in advance. While some other sites are able to test people without an appointment, long lines have deterred some locals from going to get tested.
Medical Director for Jackson County Public Health, Dr. Leona OKeefe said, I havent heard yet of delays in the report of the actual result of the test, but I wouldnt surprised if that starts happening soon. As the volume of tests increase, the workload increases and just like everywhere else in our country, theres a shortage of staff which can lead to a delay in the reporting.
Newswatch 12 asked if Jackson County has the staffing necessary to support another clinic and OKeefe said, We have to reach outward for that staffing. Staffing is the main limitation.
Of course, home tests are another option but nationwide again, those are limited and were doing everything we can to get those out there. When theres a shortage in the actual test itself, theres only so much we can do unfortunately.
Siskiyou Community Health Center in Grants Pass is expecting a federal shipment of at home tests to distribute to people who need it, according to Jennifer Johnstun who is a registered nurse and Chief Quality Officer at the health center.
Thats coming but its not here yet, there are other resources in the community also for testing and were doing our very best to get our tests turned around as rapidly as possible. All of our tests are rapid result, but with the number of tests were getting, we try to get those results out within 24 hours.
Siskiyou Community Health Centeroffers both the PCR and Antigen tests. PCR tests detect viral RNA while antigen tests detect specific proteins and provide results in as little as 15 to 45 minutes.
Health officials are recommending seemingly symptomatic people not minimize what they are experiencing to a cold, but rather get tested or quarantine as if it is Covid-19.
Covid-19 Testing Resources:
Jackson County
Jospehine County
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SALT LAKE CITY The ongoing omicron surge in Utah continued Thursday as the state reported 12,990 new COVID-19 cases, marking the second straight day Utah topped 10,000 daily cases.
READ: Alpine School District announces remote learning days
The state also reported seven additional deaths. There are currently 638 people hospitalized in Utah with COVID-19.
The rolling 7-day average for positive tests is now at 9,564 per day. The rolling 7-day average for percent positivity of "people over people" is 36.5%. and the rolling 7-day average for percent positivity of "tests over tests" is 25.2%.
Among the new cases, school-aged children accounted for 3.002 of them, including 797 cases in children ages 5-10, 659 cases in children ages 11-13, and 1,551 cases in children ages 14-18.
WATCH: Utah Jazz welcome fans to stadium with mask mandate in place
"In the last 28 days, people who are unvaccinated are at 15.2 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 6.7 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 2.3 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people," UDOH reports. "Since February 1, 2021, people who are unvaccinated are at 6.8 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 5.1 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 1.9 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people."
With seven additional deaths reported Thursday, Utah's death toll stands at 3,943:
(Ms. Greenes father built a significant Atlanta-area building company before selling it to his daughter and son-in-law, while Mr. Clydes hulking gun shop, Clyde Armory, has kept him flush. They have already absorbed more than $100,000 in fines for their mask strike.)
Speaking just outside the chamber with his mask off, Representative Lee Zeldin, Republican of New York, was nonchalant. Omicron is mild, he said, and the steep rise in cases, in his home county on Long Island and across the country, will be followed, he hoped, by an equally steep decline.
Those who are testing positive include the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, but for those I speak to and there are many who have tested positive in recent weeks fortunately for them, every single person Ive spoken to has had a much milder experience than what was experienced in past variants, said Mr. Zeldin, who is running for governor of New York.
Democrats tend to be a little less sanguine. Signs posted throughout the House proclaim in all capital letters USE OF FACE COVERINGS REQUIRED, but they appear to have only made the defiant dig in.
Jan. 13, 2022, 5:27 p.m. ET
That kind of defiance, we see it all across the board here, said Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the Democratic whip, who missed his granddaughters wedding last month as he battled Covid. And these are people who I hope will be able to survive whatever comes their way.
The procedural machinations around voting rights legislation and the hand-wringing over President Bidens social safety net and climate change bill can seem a bit beside the point when cases are soaring, hospitalizations nationwide are up 84 percent over the past two weeks and the average number of deaths now exceeds 1,700 a day.
Behind those marquee issues, the pandemic is again rising as a political focus. House Democrats on Wednesday rushed out new legislation to provide free at-home coronavirus tests while Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, reintroduced his bill to send N95 masks to every home.
Early reports suggest the standard two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine may not provide sufficient protection against infection with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, despite still offering enough protection against severe disease and death.
This has expedited the rollout of boosters in many countries, with vaccine-makers announcing that theyre working on variant-specific vaccines.
Although the necessity of three doses is becoming apparent, its less clear how long that protection lasts with antibodies waning over time.
Whether a fourth dose will eventually be needed to combat this and if so, when it will be administered remains largely unknown for now.
Heres what the experts think about this possibility.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC that a fourth dose may be needed after preliminary research showed that the Omicron variant can undermine the antibodies generated by the COVID-19 vaccine. He also said we may need this dose sooner rather than later.
When we see real-world data, it will determine if the Omicron is well covered by the third dose and for how long. And the second point, I think we will need a fourth dose, Bourla said.
With Omicron we need to wait and see because we have very little information. We may need it faster, he added.
Despite these comments, the World Health Organization (WHO) hasnt decided to endorse a global rollout of booster shots and has signaled that more data is needed before a decision is made.
However, in December, Israel became the first country to approve a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that the second booster would be offered to those ages 60 or older and at-risk groups.
Those eligible, which includes healthcare workers and people with weakened immune systems, are now able to receive their second booster 4 months after their third dose.
Preliminary findings from a recent study carried out in Israel have shown that a fourth dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine boosts antibodies fivefold a week after the shot is administered.
Meanwhile, the state of West Virginia has said it will also apply for permission from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to start administering fourth doses to people over age 50, those with underlying conditions, and essential workers.
In countries such as Turkey, people who initially received two doses of CoronaVac the COVID-19 vaccine produced by the Chinese Sinovac Biotech have also been offered two extra doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The four-dose exception was introduced after studies showed that the former did not offer as much protection as mRNA vaccines.
Another topic on the table is that of shortening the intervals between the second dose and booster shots.
But Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases specialist with the University of California, San Francisco, said that research indicates giving them too soon wont provide as much benefit.
The data so far does support giving boosters 4 to 6 months after the second dose, but spacing out doses actually increases immunogenicity, so I would not give sooner than 12 weeks after the last dose, she said.
At the moment, there isnt enough data to definitively say whether we need a fourth dose. However, an increasing number of reports are showing that three doses will be crucial for Omicron.
Draft research from Oxford published in December showed that just two doses of the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines offered little protection against an Omicron infection.
[L]aboratory studies show that the Omicron variant could escape the neutralizing activity of antibodies elicited by the two-dose Pfizer vaccine substantially, although those with prior infection then vaccination had less escape, said Gandhi.
However, she pointed out that the two-dose mRNA vaccines were still protecting people with the Omicron variant from severe disease, referring to a recent study released in South Africa.
The study found that two doses provided 70 percent protection against hospitalization with Omicron and 33 percent protection against infection. These figures were 93 percent and 80 percent for the coronavirus variant Delta, respectively.
Previous data from Pfizer has shown that administering a booster dose significantly increases neutralizing antibodies, bringing the vaccines protection close to what two doses provided against Delta.
Similarly, an Israeli study compared people who had their second dose 5 to 6 months ago and those who had received a booster about a month ago. They found that a third dose provided 100-fold protection against Omicron.
An early analysis from the United Kingdom also suggested that booster shots prevented 70 to 75 percent of people from getting any symptoms. They found a slight difference depending on whether the initial doses were from the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Based on data so far, Gandhi said that a fourth dose was unwarranted.
A third dose will help increase protection but we do not yet have a rationale for a fourth dose, she told Healthline.
Pfizer has said it is currently working on an Omicron-specific vaccine which could be ready for distribution as early as March 2022.
When faced with past coronavirus variants such as Delta and Beta, Pfizer and Moderna both worked on developing tweaked vaccines but saw that current formulas provided just as much protection.
We may or may not need to create a new vaccine tailored to new variants in the future, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Theres a lot of question about whether that will be needed with Omicron, which is highly contagious. They are accumulating data to suggest that it may not be creating such severe infection. And if thats the case, our current vaccines with boosters do provide a measure of protection against Omicron, then its likely we will not need an Omicron-specific vaccine. But those decisions havent been made. Dr. William Schaffner
Gandhi said that since antibodies from vaccine-induced B cells adapt towards the variants, variant-specific boosters will likely not be necessary.
We know now that T cells from the vaccine still work against Omicron, she said. Additionally The B cells (generated by the vaccines) adapt the new antibodies they produce to work against variants.
However, vaccines wont be our only weapon against Omicron. Antivirals could also prevent infections from progressing into severe cases. Pfizers antiviral pill Paxlovid and Mercks molnupiravir are under clinical trials.
Schaffner stressed that there isnt enough data to make an informed decision yet.
Its really becoming clear that if it had not been a pandemic, the initial vaccination series would have been a three-dose series. Now, theres a difference between acknowledging that scientifically, and then defining it in a formal way what complete vaccination entails, he told Healthline.
Schaffner said in that sense, we are more likely to see different practices from countries.
The United Kingdom, for example, recently sped up its booster rollout, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing Sunday night that they hoped to get everyone boosted by the New Year instead of the end of January.
At least here in the United States, I think at the moment, we are going to remain with a two-dose receipt being the definition of complete vaccination, with an encouragement to get the booster dose, Schaffner said.
Schaffner also emphasized that in the United States as well as other countries in the world, many people, including some adults and a larger number of kids, havent even received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine yet.
Schaffner said that annual immunization, much like with the flu vaccine, could be likely but that this idea was speculation at this point as there was not enough data.
Gandhi said that, thanks to antibodies produced by B cells from the vaccines, we may not need annual boosters.
Nevertheless, efforts are underway to create a combined influenza and COVID-19 vaccine, most notably by Moderna.
As we all look down the road, public health and infectious diseases are rather accepting of the notion that there might be, for example, annual vaccinations, or on occasion, a semi-emergent introduction of a new booster to cope with new variants. All those things are possible, said Schaffner.
However, before such decisions are made, we may need to create a coordinated global response.
Schaffner said that although there was an existing and functioning scientific/public health structure led by the WHO to update influenza vaccines twice a year. there was still no such decision-making mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines.
[T]he administrative leadership of the countries of the world led by WHO is currently just scrambling to put together a decision-making process. I think [instead of] individually countries making those decisions, we need some sort of international coherence. And that structure is being worked on right now, he said.
