Following are the COVID-19 vaccine rates for the Princeton region. These statistics represent the percentage of residents in each municipality who have received the complete course of a vaccine and not just the first dose. The information was taken from the states COVID dashboard on Wednesday afternoon. We have listed NA for not available for the 65 and over group in some municipalities because the dashboard lists a percentage above 100 percent in those cases.
Cranbury, Hightstown, and Pennington have the highest percentage of vaccinated residents, with almost 80 percent of residents of all ages being fully vaccinated. Trenton has the lowest percentage of fully vaccinated residents at just 36 percent.
In Princeton, 68 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, and 75 percent of residents have received at least one vaccine dose.
Cranbury:
East Windsor:
Ewing:
Hamilton:
Hightstown:
Hopewell Borough:
Hopewell Township:
Lawrence:
Montgomery:
Pennington:
Princeton:
Plainsboro:
Robbinsville:
Rocky Hill:
South Brunswick:
Trenton:
West Windsor
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Pfizer is about to seek U.S. authorization for a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying Thursday that another shot within 12 months could dramatically boost immunity and maybe help ward off the latest worrisome coronavirus mutant.Research from multiple countries shows the Pfizer shot and other widely used COVID-19 vaccines offer strong protection against the highly contagious delta variant, which is spreading rapidly around the world and now accounts for most new U.S. infections. Two doses of most vaccines are critical to develop high levels of virus-fighting antibodies against all versions of the coronavirus, not just the delta variant -- and most of the world still is desperate to get those initial protective doses as the pandemic continues to rage.But antibodies naturally wane over time, so studies also are underway to tell if and when boosters might be needed. On Thursday, Pfizer's Dr. Mikael Dolsten told The Associated Press that early data from the company's booster study suggests people's antibody levels jump five- to 10-fold after a third dose, compared to their second dose months earlier. In August, Pfizer plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization of a third dose, he said.Why might that matter for fighting the delta variant? Dolsten pointed to data from Britain and Israel showing the Pfizer vaccine "neutralizes the delta variant very well." The assumption, he said, is that when antibodies drop low enough, the delta virus eventually could cause a mild infection before the immune system kicks back in.But FDA authorization would be just a first step it wouldn't automatically mean Americans get offered boosters, cautioned Dr. William Schaffner, a vaccine expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Public health authorities would have to decide if they're really needed, especially since millions of people have no protection."The vaccines were designed to keep us out of the hospital" and continue to do so despite the more contagious delta variant, he said. Giving another dose would be "a huge effort while we are at the moment striving to get people the first dose."Hours after Pfizer's announcement, U.S. health officials issued a statement saying fully vaccinated Americans don't need a booster yet.U.S. health agencies "are engaged in a science-based, rigorous process to consider whether or when a booster might be necessary," the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint statement. That work will include data from the drug companies, "but does not rely on those data exclusively," and any decision on booster shots would happen only when "the science demonstrates that they are needed," the agencies said. Currently only about 48% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated and some parts of the country have far lower immunization rates, places where the delta variant is surging. On Thursday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said that's leading to "two truths" highly immunized swaths of America are getting back to normal while hospitalizations are rising in other places."This rapid rise is troubling," she said: A few weeks ago the delta variant accounted for just over a quarter of new U.S. cases, but it now accounts for just over 50% and in some places, such as parts of the Midwest, as much as 80%.Also Thursday, researchers from France's Pasteur Institute reported new evidence that full vaccination is critical. In laboratory tests, blood from several dozen people given their first dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines "barely inhibited" the delta variant, the team reported in the journal Nature. But weeks after getting their second dose, nearly all had what researchers deemed an immune boost strong enough to neutralize the delta variant even if it was a little less potent than against earlier versions of the virus.The French researchers also tested unvaccinated people who had survived a bout of the coronavirus, and found their antibodies were four-fold less potent against the new mutant. But a single vaccine dose dramatically boosted their antibody levels sparking cross-protection against the delta variant and two other mutants, the study found. That supports public health recommendations that COVID-19 survivors get vaccinated rather than relying on natural immunity.The lab experiments add to real-world data that the delta variant's mutations aren't evading the vaccines most widely used in Western countries, but underscore that it's crucial to get more of the world immunized before the virus evolves even more.Researchers in Britain found two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, for example, are 96% protective against hospitalization with the delta variant and 88% effective against symptomatic infection. That finding was echoed last weekend by Canadian researchers, while a report from Israel suggested protection against mild delta infection may have dipped lower, to 64%.Whether the fully vaccinated still need to wear masks in places where the delta variant is surging is a growing question. In the U.S., the CDC maintains that fully vaccinated people don't need to. Even before the delta variant came along, the vaccines weren't perfect, but the best evidence suggests that if vaccinated people nonetheless get the coronavirus, they'll have much milder cases."Let me emphasize, if you were vaccinated, you have a very high degree of protection," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious disease expert, said Thursday. In the U.S., case rates have been rising for weeks and the rate of hospitalizations has started to tick up, rising 7% from the previous seven-day average, Walensky told reporters Thursday. However, deaths remain down on average, which some experts believe is at least partly due to high vaccination rates in people 65 and older who are among the most susceptible to severe disease.___Associated Press writer Mike Stobbe contributed to this story.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Pfizer is about to seek U.S. authorization for a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying Thursday that another shot within 12 months could dramatically boost immunity and maybe help ward off the latest worrisome coronavirus mutant.
Research from multiple countries shows the Pfizer shot and other widely used COVID-19 vaccines offer strong protection against the highly contagious delta variant, which is spreading rapidly around the world and now accounts for most new U.S. infections.
Two doses of most vaccines are critical to develop high levels of virus-fighting antibodies against all versions of the coronavirus, not just the delta variant -- and most of the world still is desperate to get those initial protective doses as the pandemic continues to rage.
But antibodies naturally wane over time, so studies also are underway to tell if and when boosters might be needed.
On Thursday, Pfizer's Dr. Mikael Dolsten told The Associated Press that early data from the company's booster study suggests people's antibody levels jump five- to 10-fold after a third dose, compared to their second dose months earlier.
In August, Pfizer plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization of a third dose, he said.
Why might that matter for fighting the delta variant? Dolsten pointed to data from Britain and Israel showing the Pfizer vaccine "neutralizes the delta variant very well." The assumption, he said, is that when antibodies drop low enough, the delta virus eventually could cause a mild infection before the immune system kicks back in.
But FDA authorization would be just a first step it wouldn't automatically mean Americans get offered boosters, cautioned Dr. William Schaffner, a vaccine expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Public health authorities would have to decide if they're really needed, especially since millions of people have no protection.
"The vaccines were designed to keep us out of the hospital" and continue to do so despite the more contagious delta variant, he said. Giving another dose would be "a huge effort while we are at the moment striving to get people the first dose."
Hours after Pfizer's announcement, U.S. health officials issued a statement saying fully vaccinated Americans don't need a booster yet.
U.S. health agencies "are engaged in a science-based, rigorous process to consider whether or when a booster might be necessary," the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint statement. That work will include data from the drug companies, "but does not rely on those data exclusively," and any decision on booster shots would happen only when "the science demonstrates that they are needed," the agencies said.
Currently only about 48% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated and some parts of the country have far lower immunization rates, places where the delta variant is surging. On Thursday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said that's leading to "two truths" highly immunized swaths of America are getting back to normal while hospitalizations are rising in other places.
"This rapid rise is troubling," she said: A few weeks ago the delta variant accounted for just over a quarter of new U.S. cases, but it now accounts for just over 50% and in some places, such as parts of the Midwest, as much as 80%.
Also Thursday, researchers from France's Pasteur Institute reported new evidence that full vaccination is critical.
In laboratory tests, blood from several dozen people given their first dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines "barely inhibited" the delta variant, the team reported in the journal Nature. But weeks after getting their second dose, nearly all had what researchers deemed an immune boost strong enough to neutralize the delta variant even if it was a little less potent than against earlier versions of the virus.
The French researchers also tested unvaccinated people who had survived a bout of the coronavirus, and found their antibodies were four-fold less potent against the new mutant. But a single vaccine dose dramatically boosted their antibody levels sparking cross-protection against the delta variant and two other mutants, the study found. That supports public health recommendations that COVID-19 survivors get vaccinated rather than relying on natural immunity.
The lab experiments add to real-world data that the delta variant's mutations aren't evading the vaccines most widely used in Western countries, but underscore that it's crucial to get more of the world immunized before the virus evolves even more.
Researchers in Britain found two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, for example, are 96% protective against hospitalization with the delta variant and 88% effective against symptomatic infection. That finding was echoed last weekend by Canadian researchers, while a report from Israel suggested protection against mild delta infection may have dipped lower, to 64%.
Whether the fully vaccinated still need to wear masks in places where the delta variant is surging is a growing question. In the U.S., the CDC maintains that fully vaccinated people don't need to. Even before the delta variant came along, the vaccines weren't perfect, but the best evidence suggests that if vaccinated people nonetheless get the coronavirus, they'll have much milder cases.
"Let me emphasize, if you were vaccinated, you have a very high degree of protection," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious disease expert, said Thursday.
In the U.S., case rates have been rising for weeks and the rate of hospitalizations has started to tick up, rising 7% from the previous seven-day average, Walensky told reporters Thursday. However, deaths remain down on average, which some experts believe is at least partly due to high vaccination rates in people 65 and older who are among the most susceptible to severe disease.
___
Associated Press writer Mike Stobbe contributed to this story.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Job openings are at a record high, leaving the impression that employers are hiring like never before. But many businesses that laid off workers during the pandemic are already predicting they will need fewer employees in the future.
As with past economic shocks, the pandemic-induced recession was a catalyst for employers to invest in automation and implement other changes designed to curb hiring. In industries ranging from hotels to aerospace to restaurants, businesses have reviewed their operations and discovered ways to save on labor costs for the long term.
Economic data show that companies have learned to do more with less over the last 16 months or so. Output nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2021down just 0.5% from the end of 2019even though U.S. workers put in 4.3% fewer hours than they did before the health crisis.
When demand falls, its a natural time to retool or invest because you wont lose customers or sales while you tinker and shut things down, said Brad Hershbein, senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. You dont want to interrupt business when its at its peak.
The changes will require many workers to adapt. Though the job market is strong right now for highly paid professionals and low-wage service workers alike, not everyone can find a match for their skills, experience or location, creating a paradox of relatively high unemployment combined with record job openings. Economists say it can be a prolonged process for some laid-off workers to find jobs or acquire the skills needed for new careers.
A new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey outlines a means to better estimate COVID-19 occurrence and trends in populations.
Currently, COVID-19 testing is primarily limited to self-selected individuals, many of whom are symptomatic or have had contact with someone who is symptomatic. While these tests are useful for individual medical treatment and contact tracing, they do not provide health officials with a complete picture of the disease across the population.
"Coordinated sampling of COVID-19 is key to informing health officials as they continue their efforts to control the pandemic, permitting better predictions of disease dynamics and decisions that help limit transmission," said James Nichols, USGS scientist emeritus and lead author of the study. The proposed sampling methods should also help officials determine the effectiveness of vaccines, social distancing, masks and other mitigation efforts.
By bringing its unique expertise in the design of data-gathering and monitoring systems, statistical analysis and mathematical modeling to human epidemiology, the USGS provides a means to fill the current information gap in testing data. This can benefit national and local governments and health officials as they develop interventions in response to new disease variants, plan for augmented vaccination efforts and prepare for future outbreaks.
With some countries experiencing surges in cases, Nichols points out, the proposed testing strategies can be applied within the U.S. and internationally for COVID-19 and other diseases.
One proposal in the study is to select a random sample within a population and survey those individuals for symptoms, such as elevated temperature, in order to gather more representative data on asymptomatic cases. This would help researchers estimate the proportion of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in the population.
The asymptomatic individuals, or a random subset of those individuals, could be tested for COVID-19 to help estimate infection probability for asymptomatic individuals in the population.
The strategies outlined in this new research would help strengthen current testing approaches and could be done with relatively few additional tests and non-invasive surveys, said Michael Runge, a USGS scientist and a co-author of the study. Strategic testing, based on specific objectives, can provide information valuable for decisions about both individual healthcare and protecting communities.
It is critically important to be clear about the goal of a surveillance program, said co-author Katriona Shea, a professor of biology and alumni professor in the biological sciences at Penn State. Without knowing exactly what you want to achieve, how can you achieve it? A surveillance program for individual outcomes would be designed differently than a program aimed to understand population level public health objectives.
Partners with the USGS in this study include Penn State, Lancaster University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Oxford, Stellenbosch University, University of Warwick and the National Institutes of Health.
Read the article, published in PLoS Biology, online at https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001307.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. Two residents at Kingston Healthcare Center have tested positive for COVID-19.
Kingston Healthcare Center notified the Kern County Public Health Department Wednesday two residents tested positive for the deadly virus, according to local health officials.
Details are still limited at this time as KGET tries to confirm what the positive results mean for the other residents living in the home, especially as the more contagious Delta variant spreads in our community.
109 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 at the 184-bed facility since the beginning of the pandemic, according to state data. 19 residents have died.
Trouble surrounded Kingston during the pandemic, especially during the beginning. Before COVID-19 was widespread in Kern County, the virus crept into the nursing home and infected dozens of residents and staff. During the outbreak, former public health director Matt Constatine said, Basic disease control procedures are not being enforced.
Conditions improved after local and state health officials stepped in to assist staff in stopping the spread.
We reached out to Kingston Healthcare Center but our call went unanswered.
Good evening. Im Karen Kaplan, and its Tuesday, July 13. Heres whats happening with the coronavirus in California and beyond.
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COVID-19 vaccines have made it possible for us to return to an almost normal life. With case numbers at levels not seen since March 2020, its tempting to think that the threat of serious illness is behind us.
But its not. Thousands of new coronavirus infections are being reported in the U.S. each day, and more than 2,500 COVID-19 patients are being admitted to hospitals every day, on average.
Its too late for vaccines to help these people. What they need is treatments. Which raises an important question thats often overshadowed by news about the vaccination campaign: Where are the medicines to make people with COVID-19 better?
So far, the Food and Drug Administration has approved only one new drug the antiviral medication remdesivir to treat COVID-19. Its modest yet statistically significant benefit in a government-sponsored clinical trial was seen as a pandemic turning point at a time when vaccines were still on the distant horizon.
The FDA has also granted emergency use authorization to several monoclonal antibody treatments. These drugs are designed to work just like the natural antibodies your immune system makes in response to a vaccine or infection. The Regeneron drug that was used to treat former President Trump is in this category.
A patient receives a monoclonal antibody infusion at Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Unfortunately, thats where the list of approved and authorized drugs ends. It may strike you as surprisingly short, considering how quickly pharmaceutical companies developed an array of COVID-19 vaccines and got nearly 3.5 million doses administered worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
The Biden administration hopes to rectify this by investing $3.2 billion in federal funds to accelerate work on antiviral medicines for people with COVID-19. As my colleague Deborah Netburn explains, the ultimate goal is to create a pill that could be prescribed immediately after a patient receives a positive coronavirus test result.
It wont be easy. As weve learned from the Delta variant (and the Alpha variant before it), viruses are adept at mutating, and that means theyre good at finding ways to overcome the medicines we throw at them. A successful drug will have to stage a multi-pronged attack so that the coronavirus doesnt have much chance to develop resistance.
Juliet Morrison, a microbiologist at UC Riverside, described the attributes of the ideal pill: It would be able to prevent the coronavirus from getting into human cells; it would stop the virus from hijacking the cellular machinery of its human host to make copies of itself; and it would weaken the fortress that protects the virus genetic code.
Having a pill like this ready and waiting for newly diagnosed patients is key. That way, the disease could be tamped down before the immune system has a chance to go haywire and cause the kinds of problems that send patients to the hospital.
We would love to be in a situation like we are with influenza, where patients are diagnosed in a clinic or urgent care and then given a prescription for a pill that they can take at home that will prevent them from getting any sicker, said Dr. Aneesh Mehta, an infectious diseases specialist at Emory University Hospital.
It sounds like a lot to ask of a single pill, but experts like Mehta believe it can be done in the next six months.
I am very hopeful, he told Netburn. We have some very good candidates.
California cases, deaths and vaccinations as of 5:15 p.m. Tuesday:
Track Californias coronavirus spread and vaccination efforts including the latest numbers and how they break down with our graphics.
It stands to reason that an event as life-altering as the COVID-19 pandemic would do a number on the U.S. economy. Now that were emerging from the worst of it, the future is coming into focus and it includes a labor force with fewer baby boomers.
If youre not a baby boomer yourself, you might assume this has nothing to do with you. Youre still going to work, or planning to once the right job comes along.
But its not that simple. The interconnectedness of the economy means well all feel the boomers absence in the form of labor shortages, higher wages, and a more fragile Social Security system, among other things.
Were well-aware that tens of millions of jobs evaporated when the coronavirus forced all kinds of businesses to shut down or scale back their operations. Jobs are returning now, but a surprisingly high number of baby boomers arent taking them.
As my colleague Don Lee explains, many older workers who were forced to hunker down at home have decided theyd like to stay there. Even if they have the option of going back, theyve determined that the money they could earn by clocking in for a few more years simply isnt worth it.
The pandemic prompted Monique Hanis to reassess her priorities. Now 60, she realizes there are places shed like to travel with her 68-year-old husband while theyre young enough to enjoy them. Delaying for a few more years to extend her career in strategic communications now looks like an unnecessary risk.
You cant always get your healthiest time back, she said, and as we get older, that becomes a concern, to be able to physically do the things that we want to do.
A couple walk their bikes to the beach at Crystal Cove State Park, a popular tourist destination.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
When you add up all the people like Hanis who are coming to the same conclusion, what youll find is a significant hole in the labor force. And its an important one, since baby boomers have been making up for the worker shortage caused by the Trump administrations immigration crackdown and the declining number of young Americans entering the job market.
The fact that boomers were staying in the labor force has been an important contributor to economy-wide growth, said Richard Fry, a senior researcher at the Pew Research Center.
The consequences of their absence will be felt far and wide, Lee writes:
Economic growth is likely to slow. Overall productivity will take a hit. Fewer workers will be contributing to Social Security. Income tax revenues will fall, putting pressure on government spending. Pensions and retirement savings will be drawn down, influencing the price of all kinds of financial assets. Competition for scarce workers will drive up wages, making it more difficult for the Federal Reserve to keep inflation in check.
We have a more dynamic economy when you have more people in the workforce who are productive and more robust consumers, said Jeffrey Korzenik, chief investment strategist at Fifth Third Bank in Tampa, Fla. But theres no sign theyre coming back.
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Schools not even in session, but it still manages to get state health officials tied up in knots.
On Monday, California decreed that K-12 students who were not willing to wear a mask at school would be barred from campus and offered alternative educational opportunities instead. (Exceptions would be made for those who had a medical reason to be maskless.)
Just a few hours later, the decree was rescinded. Face coverings are still required, but local school officials will get to decide for themselves how to handle those who refuse to mask up.
The original, short-lived policy was meant to be helpful a way to provide clarity to educators looking to keep their school environments safe. Now, the status quo from the last school year is back in place.
California is one of only nine states with a mask requirement for schools. An additional eight states prohibit schools from requiring masks, and the vast majority are letting school districts come up with their own policies.
Some parents in Los Angeles are not happy with the mask mandate, telling my colleagues Howard Blume and Melissa Gomez that if thousands of people can crowd into Dodger Stadium without masks, why cant a few dozen kids in a classroom do the same?
But other parents said universal masking would help keep their children safe especially those who are too young to be vaccinated. This is especially true as the Delta variant spreads, and cases start to increase again in Los Angeles, said Katie Braude, chief executive of the local advocacy group Speak Up.
Braude may be onto something. Summer camps across the U.S. are reporting coronavirus outbreaks a development that could portend trouble for schools.
A Houston-area church camp that was attended by several hundred young people spawned a two-wave outbreak involving more than 130 kids and adults. In some cases, entire families are sick, pastor Bruce Wesley said on the churchs Facebook page.
An outbreak at a Christian youth camp in Illinois spread to 85 teens and adults, including one (unvaccinated) young adult who needed hospital treatment. A church summer camp near Wichita, Kan., was tied to a 50-person outbreak, and health officials in Floridas Leon County have linked higher coronavirus case numbers with summer camp activity.
Case counts have been rising in L.A. County as well. Officials reported 1,103 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the fifth consecutive day the number topped 1,000. Statewide, the average number of daily new cases is topping 2,000 more than double the figure two weeks ago, according to Times data.
Millions of Californians remain unvaccinated, a fact that makes health officials fear the numbers will get worse. In a telling sign of the power of vaccines, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that more than 99% of the people coming down with COVID-19 were unvaccinated. That statistic also applies to Angelenos who die of COVID-19, she said.
L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl was more pointed in her critique of people who are still unvaccinated. She hopes they understand the impact that they have, not only on their communities and their families but on other people in their communities including healthcare workers, she said. It just strikes me as enormously selfish.
In other vaccine news, the FDA has added a new warning to the COVID-19 shot made by Johnson & Johnson, flagging a possible link to Guillain-Barr syndrome. Thats a disorder that can cause muscle weakness and occasionally paralysis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had received reports of 100 people who developed the syndrome after getting the J&J vaccine, but its not yet clear whether the shot triggered the illness. One hundred cases may sound like a lot, but its tiny compared to the nearly 13 million people who have received the single-dose vaccine.
Men accounted for most of the cases, which typically set in about two weeks after vaccination. Almost all of the patients were hospitalized, and one person died. The CDCs advisory committee of vaccine experts will examine the evidence linking the two at an upcoming meeting.
Pfizer is talking to U.S. regulators about authorizing a third dose of its vaccine, which the company said would serve as a booster.
The company said early data from an ongoing study suggest that a third dose prompted peoples antibody levels to increase by a factor of five or more. That immunity boost might give people extra power to ward off the Delta variant and other worrisome strains.
But Dr. Anthony Fauci said its too soon for the government to recommend a booster.
Right now, given the data and the information we have, we do not need to give people a third shot, he said. However, he acknowledged that down the line, it is entirely conceivable, maybe likely that a booster will be necessary.
The head of the World Health Organization is not happy with Pfizer for trying to sell third doses to the U.S. when so many people around the world are still waiting for their first dose.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on Pfizer and Moderna to go all out to supply COVAX, the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team and low and middle income countries with very little coverage. The massive disparity between rich and poor countries means that we are making conscious choices right now not to protect those in need, he said.
Both Pfizer and Moderna have agreed to send small amounts of their vaccine to COVAX, an initiative of the United Nations. However, the vast majority of their doses have been reserved by wealthy countries.
Todays question comes from readers who want to know: Are COVID-19 symptoms worse for people infected with the Delta variant?
As far as doctors and scientists can tell, the answer is no.
There do seem to be some mild differences in symptoms for instance, the Delta variant is more likely than other versions of the coronavirus to cause a runny nose, according to Dr. Otto Yang, an infectious disease expert at UCLA.
There are mild differences like that, but overall its very, very similar, he told my colleague Amina Khan. Cough, shortness of breath and fever are still the most important symptoms, he said.
Its hard to tell whether the Delta variant causes more serious disease because with COVID-19, the natural degree of severity is so widely variable it ranges from completely asymptomatic to severe illness and death, Otto added.
Dr. Robert Bollinger, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University, seconded that view: I think the jurys still out on that.
The Delta variant may seem more dangerous because the people its infecting are younger than in the past. But thats not necessarily due to the virus, Bollinger told Khan. The more likely explanation is that the COVID-19 vaccination rate is higher for older people, leaving a greater proportion of younger adults vulnerable.
Reports of so-called breakthrough infections are starting to emerge with the Delta variant, but theres no reason to think theyre more likely to occur.
We havent seen evidence of that just yet, Bollinger said.
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With coronavirus cases rising among the unvaccinated and efforts to get them shots lagging, there is growing belief in some public health circles that more aggressive tactics are needed to get more of the population inoculated.
California has already tried prizes and game show-style events to encourage people to get vaccinated. But 41% of Californians of all ages have yet to be inoculated. And two troubling and related trends are bringing calls for fresh thinking.
The coronavirus is spreading in California mostly among unvaccinated people. While cases and hospitalizations are still more than 93% lower than they were at the peak, new daily coronavirus cases have nearly tripled over the last month, from about 900 a day to more than 2,600 a day; hospitalizations have risen by nearly 75%, from 915 to 1,594.
Meanwhile, the pace of vaccinations continues to tail off. Only about 58,000 vaccine doses a day are being administered statewide, according to figures compiled by The Times. Though that average could rise as more data are reported, it wont come close to the peak of 400,000 a day.
The solution wont be easy, but officials and experts are pretty confident they know what will work.
First, sending trusted people in communities to advocate for vaccinations at events and doing door-to-door outreach can do wonders in convincing people to get vaccinated, said UC San Francisco epidemiologist Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo. Getting vaccines into the offices of primary care physicians, where doctors can answer patients questions directly, can help too.
Another strategy would involve new requirements to get vaccinated, such as at workplaces, Bibbins-Domingo said. Short of that, she said, employers could require unvaccinated workers to get tested daily an approach that has been used elsewhere around the world.
When being vaccinated becomes the more convenient of the two options, that will drive people to be vaccinated, Bibbins-Domingo said. You have to make it slightly less convenient to be unvaccinated at this point.
If you choose to get tested every day, because you dont believe in vaccination, that might be fine. But I think for some, being tested every day or being tested at some very regular interval might be that the thing that says: Well, yeah, when I look at the risk and benefits, the vaccine is looking a little bit better.
Fully vaccinated people do have very good protection against coronavirus infection and illness. Between Dec. 7 and June 7, unvaccinated people in L.A. County comprised 99.6% of its coronavirus cases, 98.7% of COVID-19 hospitalizations and 99.8% of deaths.
Nonetheless, outbreaks can still be disruptive and a vaccinated persons chance of getting infected, while quite small, is worse if theyre around unvaccinated and infected people. At the state Capitol, 10 people have recently tested positive for the coronavirus, including some who were fully vaccinated.
Some health experts have suggested that even vaccinated people wear masks voluntarily in indoor public spaces when weekly case rates are high, which would reduce the risk of a breakthrough coronavirus infection.
San Francisco has been a leader in imposing vaccination requirements for certain workers.
Already, San Francisco has ordered all workers in high-risk settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes and residential facilities for the elderly, homeless and jails, to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 15. An exemption will be available for workers with valid religious and medical reasons, and they will be required to get tested for the virus weekly.
San Francisco has also ordered all 35,000 of its city workers including police, firefighters, custodians and clerks to get vaccinated or risk losing their jobs, unless they have a religious or medical exemption, once a vaccine has been formally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Currently, all three available vaccines are being distributed under an emergency use authorization.
The University of California and California State University systems have also announced they will eventually require COVID-19 vaccinations for all students, faculty and staff on campus properties. Dozens of colleges nationwide have said theyll require vaccination for enrollment in the fall, including Yale, Princeton and Columbia.
Even if mandates ultimately become more commonplace, on-the-ground outreach is still essential, experts say. And there is good reason to believe more of it will help.
San Francisco, for instance, has one of the highest vaccination rates in California 75% of residents of all ages are at least partly vaccinated, and 69% are fully vaccinated. While the per capita case rate has increased, its still half of L.A. Countys. And while hospitalizations are up in L.A. County, they remain generally stable in San Francisco.
San Franciscos outreach to the hard-hit Latino community in particular has been a model, with 72% of Latino residents having received at least one dose a rate even better than white residents, 65% of whom are at least partially vaccinated. In much of the U.S., the vaccination rate for Latinos lags behind white residents.
There have been teams that go out to places like San Franciscos Tenderloin District, where they interact with people on the streets, in stores and churches to promote vaccinations and administer the shots.
And that kind of interaction can make the difference: Some people can work long hours, and having vaccination advocates make their pitch and answer questions causes someone to finally decide to take the shot, Bibbins-Domingo said.
Its also important that the people delivering the messages and shots are well trusted in the community.
It is the linking to the conversation to the actual getting of the shot and getting the shot from somebody you know and trust that are the one-two punch to get the job done. And it has been working, Bibbins-Domingo said.
Its just a slow strategy, she added. But there are no shortcuts. We have to double down on doing this again especially for people for whom there are some barriers, whether it is just having the conversation or mistrust.
Convincing younger adults by using some combination of the following messages can work: Infected people who were unvaccinated have a greater risk of long-term illness, and unvaccinated people are at greater risk of transmitting the virus to friends and family, including people who have compromised immune systems and might be more likely to get sick.
For many, the personal touch may also be vital especially when it comes to combating misinformation surrounding the shots. As Dr. Christina Ghaly, L.A. Countys health services director, noted Tuesday: Relationships really matter.
One-on-one conversations its very labor intensive, not always very fast, it takes time. But thats been the best thing that has really helped, she said.
In Santa Clara County, which also has a high vaccination rate and stable hospitalizations, officials identified census tracts with the lowest vaccination rates and focused on them to launch vaccination clinics. Theyve also focused on essential workers in industries like child care, education and agriculture, and have worked with unions and employers to reach more people.
In the Central Valley, UC Merced Community and Labor Center Executive Director Ana Padilla said there still needs to be better access to the vaccine and good information about it to people like agricultural workers, who are now working the busiest time of the year. She suggested that there be a greater effort to link trusted community-based groups to administer vaccines near work sites, which will be better equipped to answer questions from workers.
If you work 8 to 8 every single day of the week so that you have enough money to get through those hard winter months, you dont have the options [to seek vaccinations] that other folks might believe that you have, Padilla said.
L.A. County where 60% of residents of all ages have at least one dose, and 52% are fully vaccinated is taking a similar approach in focusing vaccination clinics in hard-hit areas. But L.A. County has a far more vast challenge its the nations most populous county, and blanketing the county with intense outreach efforts might be more difficult here.
Times staff writer John Myers and intern Melissa Hernandez contributed to this report.
Theeighth meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) took place onWednesday, 14 July 2021 from 11:30to16:00 Geneva time (CEST).
Proceedings of the meeting
Members and Advisors of the Emergency Committeewere convened by videoconference.
The Director-General welcomed the Committee and reiterated his global call for action to scale up vaccination and implement rationale use of public health and social measures (PHSM). He thanked the Committee for their continued support in identifying key challenges and solutions that countries can use to overcome the issues posed by the pandemic.
Representatives of the Office of Legal Counsel (LEG) and the Department of Compliance, Risk Management, and Ethics (CRE) briefed the members on their roles and responsibilities. The Ethics Officer from CRE provided the Members and Advisers with an overview of the WHO Declaration of Interest process. The Members and Advisers were made aware of their individual responsibility to disclose to WHO, in a timely manner, any interests of a personal, professional, financial, intellectual or commercial nature that may give rise to a perceived or direct conflict of interest. They were additionally reminded of their duty to maintain the confidentiality of the meeting discussions and the work of the Committee. Each member who was present was surveyed and no conflicts of interest were identified.
The Secretariat turned the meeting over to the Chair, Professor Didier Houssin.Professor Houssin also expressed concern over the current trends with the COVID-19 pandemic and reviewed the objectives and agenda of the meeting.
The Secretariat presented on the global epidemiological context, shared updates on travel guidance and measures taken by countries and provided an overview of the World Health Assembly 74s decisions and resolutions that relate to the role and functioning of the IHR Emergency Committee. The Secretariat also highlighted factors driving the current situation including:
The Committee discussed key themes including:
The pandemic remains a challenge globally with countries navigating different health, economic and social demands. The Committee noted that regional and economic differences are affecting access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. Countries with advanced access to vaccines and well-resourced health systems are under pressure to fully reopen their societies and relax the PHSM. Countries with limited access to vaccines are experiencing new waves of infections, seeing erosion of public trust and growing resistance to PHSM, growing economic hardship, and, in some instances, increasing social unrest.
As a result, governments are making increasingly divergent policy decisions that address narrow national needs which inhibit a harmonized approach to the global response. In this regard, the Committee was highly concerned about the inadequate funding of WHOs Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan and called for more flexible and predictable funding to support WHOs leadership role in the global pandemic response.
The Committee noted that,despite national, regional, and global efforts, the pandemic is nowhere near finished. The pandemic continues to evolve with four variants of concern dominating global epidemiology. The Committee recognised the strong likelihood for the emergence and global spread of new and possibly more dangerous variants of concern that may be even more challenging to control.
The Committee expressed appreciation for States Parties engaging in research to increase understanding of COVID-19 vaccines and requested that clinical trial volunteers not be disadvantaged in travel arrangements due to their participation in research studies. At the same time, the risk of emergence of new zoonotic diseases while still responding to the current pandemic has been emphasised by the Committee. The Committee noted the importance of States Parties continued vigilance for detection and mitigation of new zoonotic diseases.
The Committee unanimously agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic still constitutes an extraordinary event that continues to adversely affect the health of populations around the world, poses a risk of international spread and interference with international traffic, and requires a coordinated international response. As such, the Committee concurred that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and offered the following advice to the Director-General.
The Director-General determined that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to constitute a PHEIC. He accepted the advice of the Committee to WHO and issued the Committees advice to States Parties as Temporary Recommendations under the IHR.
The Emergency Committee will be reconvened within three months or earlier,at the discretion of the Director-General.The Director-General thanked the Committee for its work.
Advice to the WHO Secretariat
Temporary Recommendations to States Parties
While the Committee noted that there are nuances associated with diverse regional contexts related to the implementation of the Temporary Recommendations, they identified the following as critical for all countries:
Locals line up with their tanks to refill oxygen during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Yangon, Myanmar, July 14, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
July 14 (Reuters) - Military-ruled Myanmar reported record numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths on Wednesday, as it suffers its most severe wave of infections so far.
Citing health ministry figures, state-run MRTV said there were 7,089 new cases and 145 deaths from COVID-19, a sharp rise from the previous day's figures.
Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Martin Petty
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
