Increase in coronavirus cases in the coming months – “Shield” the updated booster dose

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The number of cases is expected to increase until January and February, which is why vaccination with the updated booster dose is important, experts point out

Better protection have adults vaccinated with the updated booster doses of the Sars-CoV-2 vaccine. as they are less likely to be hospitalized or taken to the emergency room.

According to the researchers, it is still too early to know how long the protection from the updated booster will last. However, the number of covid cases is expected to increase through January and February, which is why vaccination with the updated booster dose is important.

The doctors of the Therapeutic Clinic of the School of Medicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Theodora Psaltopoulou, Rodanthi Eleni Syrigou, Yannis Danasis, Panos Malandrakis, and Thanos Dimopoulos (Rector of EKPA) summarize the recent data on the contribution of the updated dose of the vaccine against the disease from Covid-19.

Two reports released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide the first detailed look at whether the updated Pfizer and Moderna booster doses protect against serious illness.

Strong vaccination recommendation from the CDC

The percentage of US citizens who received the boosted dose of the vaccine was just 14% of those eligible — age 5 and older. In anticipation of another outbreak of covid-19 this winter coming on top of an early and aggressive flu season and high levels of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), vaccination has been strongly recommended. Cases of Covid-19 are averaging more than 66,000 per day for the first time since mid-September, and deaths have averaged about 400 per day over the past seven days, according to the CDC. More than 40,000 patients are hospitalized with covid-19 disease, with more than 9,000 patients being admitted to hospitals every day. In the same period last year, there were twice as many covid-19 cases and about 70,000 people were hospitalized, with deaths averaging about 1,300 a day.

Jeanne Marrazzo, director of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said the new CDC data on the effectiveness of the booster shot is encouraging and says it was remarkable that both studies could show a significant effect so quickly. since the vaccine wasn’t even available until September 1st. CDC data last month showed that Americans who had received the updated vaccines had better protection against symptomatic coronavirus infection than those who had not. The latest reports provided more detailed information and showed that boosted vaccines offer even greater benefit, especially for adults who received their last vaccine released about a year ago, said Ruth Link-Gelles, head of the coronavirus vaccine effectiveness group. of the CDC.

For people 65 and older who have received the updated booster dose, there is significant additional protection against serious illness and hospitalization, Link-Gelles said.

But about 150 million Americans who are eligible for an updated booster dose have not yet received it. This includes more than 28 million people aged 65 and over, the population at highest risk for severe covid-19 disease. Link-Gelles reports that the majority of US citizens did not receive the boosted dose, due to low protection rates from previous doses. At the same time, he adds that due to the festive season and increased travel, disease levels will increase dramatically.

As part of the Biden administration’s renewed strategy to control covid-19 cases this winter, health officials are also encouraging citizens to get tested for covid and receive appropriate treatment, as well as encourage the use of masks if they are in high-risk groups. risk, on public transport and in public indoor spaces, especially in communities with high rates of covid-19.

Officials report that the fortified vaccines offer protection against highly transmissible Omicron mutations BA.4 and BA.5. Officials evaluated the effectiveness of the updated booster by comparing people who had received two, three or four doses of the older vaccine, as well as the updated booster to people who had received only the older vaccine and no new booster.

By mid-October, new mutations appeared, which comprised between 5% and 15% of circulating mutations. All of the circulating mutations are thought to be descendants of the BA.5 submutation, and because they are so closely related, Link-Gelles said, the researchers are confident that the vaccines continue to protect even against the new variants. In addition, CDC health officials say the effectiveness of the updated vaccines may be even greater than the evidence suggests. The studies were unable to take into account prior coronavirus infection. The comparison group — people who had not been vaccinated in the previous year with a dose of vaccine — may have had several coronavirus infections that gave them natural immunity, boosting their protection with additional antibodies against the virus.

RES-EMP

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