CORONA ISRAEL BECOMES WORLD’S FIRST COUNTRY TO ADMINISTER COVID BOOSTER

[China Connection]

ISRAEL BECOMES WORLD’S FIRST COUNTRY TO ADMINISTER COVID BOOSTER
BY JNS | JUL 13, 2021 | CORONAVIRUS

Go, my people, enter your chambers, And lock your doors behind you. Hide but a little moment, Until the indignation passes Isaiah 26:20 (The Israel BibleTM)

coronavirus vaccines with Pfizer company logo displayed in background
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Israel has become the first country in the world to okay COVID-19 booster shots for immunocompromised adults.

Israel’s four health providers have been informed by the Health Ministry that they can administer a third booster shot to adults with underlying immune problems.
The decision comes as the Delta variant continues to spread across country, causing an acceleration in infections, even among previously vaccinated people.
On Sunday, the Health Ministry said there were 4,130 active cases in the country, and 44 serious cases. Of these serious cases, around half are vaccinated.

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz announced the planned move on Sunday, and said that the ministry is evaluating whether to offer boosters to the whole population.
Sheba Medical Center was one of the first to respond, and announced that it will give a third shot to dozens of heart transplant patients today.
The news comes on the heels of a new report that shows a possible growing correlation between vaccinated Israelis who have been infected with the Delta variant and those who were among the first to get the vaccine in January or February of this year, suggesting that the vaccine’s protection fades over time.

Experts, however, say that it is still too soon to draw conclusions.
On Thursday last week, Pfizer announced that it will ask U.S. and European regulators to authorize a third booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying that another shot within 12 months could dramatically boost immunity.

Israel becomes world’s first country to administer COVID booster

Israel’s health providers begin giving immunocompromised adults a third dose of the vaccine.

www.israel365news.com

 

[bw]

another shot within 12 months could dramatically boost immunity.

I've heard used-car salesmen who were more credible. But the spiel was pretty much the same.

 

[greysage]

Good for them.

 

[TKO]

For us, I wonder how much kickback CONgress, and Hunter, are getting from Pfizer and Moderna to push these shots. It must be a hell of a lot of money...like dream money for CONgress.

 

[rob0126]

For us, I wonder how much kickback CONgress, and Hunter, are getting from Pfizer and Moderna to push these shots. It must be a hell of a lot of money...like dream money for CONgress.

How much money does it take to sell your soul to the devil?

 

[TKO]

How much money does it take to sell your soul to the devil?

Only 30 pieces of silver for the unsaved. But I expect the Dem thirst for power, money, and communism is unquenchable. The one pleasing thought for me is that these head honchos in the Dems are not long for this world. They are OLD.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Thread title is misleading.

Israel’s four health providers have been informed by the Health Ministry that they can administer a third booster shot to adults with underlying immune problems.

 

[Profit of Doom]

I've heard used-car salesmen who were more credible. But the spiel was pretty much the same.

Would I lie to you?

 

[China Connection]

Thread title is as it appeared in the articular.


Israel becomes first country to offer COVID-19 vaccine booster shot

Jacob Knutson
Tue, July 13, 2021, 2:50 AM·2 min read


Israel on Monday will begin offering a third dose of Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine as a booster shot for people with weakened immune systems, according to the Times of Israel.
Why it matters: It's the first country to offer booster shots to bolster protection against the rapidly spreading Delta variant. The Israeli Health Ministry is still determining whether an extra shot should be offered to the general public.
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• Despite a world-leading vaccine rollout, new coronavirus cases have surged in Israel over the past month in part because of the highly contagious Delta variant.
• Israel's Health Ministry announced last week that the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine had dropped to 64% against all COVID-19 infections, down from 95% in May.

What they're saying: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday criticized the notion of administering booster doses in high-income countries when many low-income countries are struggling with gaining access to first doses.

• "We’re making conscious choices right now not to protect those in most need,” Tedros said. "Currently, data shows us that vaccination offers long-lasting immunity against severe and deadly COVID-19. The priority now must be to vaccinate those who have received no doses and protection."
• "Instead of Moderna and Pfizer prioritizing the supply of vaccine as boosters to countries whose populations have relatively high coverage, we need them to go all out to channel supply to COVAX, the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team and low- and middle-income countries which have very low vaccine coverage," he continued.

The big picture: Pfizer and BioNTech announced last week that they will seek authorization to offer an updated booster shot in the United States and European countries.

• Pfizer also released the results of a study on booster shots, finding that a third dose was 5–10 times more effective at neutralizing the virus than two doses because of "an observed decline in efficacy against symptomatic disease over time."

Israel becomes first country to offer COVID-19 vaccine booster shot

Israel on Monday will begin offering a third dose of Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine as a booster shot for people with weakened immune systems, according to the Times of Israel.Why it matters: It's the first country to offer booster shots to bolster protection against the rapidly...

news.yahoo.com

 

[China Connection]

Study: Delta coronavirus variant evades antibodies through mutations

Jacob Knutson

An EMT administering a dose of coronavirus vaccine to a student in Winnetka, Calif., on July 6. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
One dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine "barely" protects against the Delta variant of the virus, because of mutations the variant has developed, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Thursday.
Why it matters: The study found that two doses of those vaccines generated a neutralizing response to the variant in 95% of people, highlighting the importance of full vaccination against COVID-19.

• The findings may also offer an explanation for why the Delta variant is rapidly spreading in multiple countries around the world — including the U.S., where it is now the most dominant version of the virus.

How it works: The team of French researchers tested how efficiently antibodies produced through natural infections or vaccines neutralized variants of the coronavirus, including Delta, which was first identified in India.

• They discovered that the Delta variant has developed mutations to cell entry mechanisms that allow it to evade certain antibodies.
• While one dose of Pfizer's or AstraZeneca's vaccines was less effective at neutralizing the variant compared to two, it still performed better than the antibodies produced through natural infection, suggesting that people who contracted the virus may still need vaccine to help defend against variants.

Flashback: A study in The Lancet published in June found that the Delta variant is primarily a threat to people who have not been vaccinated.

• Unvaccinated people were twice as likely to be hospitalized if they were infected by the Delta variant compared to infections from the Alpha variant, which was first detected in the United Kingdom.

What they're saying: "In parts of the Midwest and upper mountain states, [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's] early sequence data suggests the Delta variant accounts for approximately 80% of cases," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky during a briefing on Thursday.

• "To be clear, there will likely continue to be an increase in cases among unvaccinated Americans, and in communities with low vaccination rates, particularly given the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant," Jeffrey Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said.

Study: Delta coronavirus variant evades certain antibodies because of mutations

The study offers an explanation for how the variant is rapidly spreading around the world.

www.axios.com

 

[China Connection]

Delta variant threatens masking guidance

Marisa Fernandez

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Growing nervousness about the Delta variant of COVID-19 is causing some places to consider reinstating mask recommendations. But with conflicting guidance from top health agencies, it's got the potential to create new confusion around masking.
Driving the news: Days after the World Health Organization recommended vaccinated people should still wear their masks to slow the spread of the Delta variant, the CDC reiterated its own guidance allowing individuals to unmask and leaving masking rules to states and counties to decide.

• Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday reinstated mask guidance until they can "better understand how and to who the Delta variant is spreading."
• Globally, Israel reinstated an indoor mask mandate that it dropped two weeks ago, and four major cities in Australia are under lockdown due to a resurgence of cases.

Be smart: Vaccinated Americans have been deemed safe from variants so far including the Delta variant, which has unvaccinated people twice as likely to be hospitalized if infected.
Reality check: Despite the return of some normalcy ahead of the holiday weekend, half of the U.S. is still not fully vaccinated, fueling a looming possibility of a resurgence of COVID cases.
State of play: The unvaccinated, including children too young to get vaccinated, and the immunocompromised would primarily benefit from a reinstated mask mandate.
What they're saying: Though a difficult decision, "masks are not the most burdensome" compared to shutting down parts of schools and businesses to curb the spread, said David Dowdy, associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

• "As much as we all want the pandemic to be over and done with forever, it’s not," he added.

The big picture: Despite falling short of a nationwide goal of 70% of Americans with one shot by July 4, the U.S. is still largely ahead of the world in immunization coverage. Many countries are still below 10% and community transmission is still ongoing in large numbers.

• Still, the amount of COVID-19 vaccine doses distributed in the U.S. continues to fall and 29 states won’t reach the 70% mark until 2022 or beyond based on vaccination rates from the past two weeks, per an analysis from APM Research Lab.

What to watch: Voluntary and mandatory guidance for masks and capacity limits from businesses and local jurisdictions may return as children too young to get vaccinated go back to school, Dowdy said.

Delta variant causes confusion in masking guidance: What you need to know

Face masks in public and even other capacity limits may continue to fluctuate for some time.

www.axios.com

 

[China Connection]

The UK's preparing to administer COVID vaccine booster shots, and Australia is set to follow suit
By Jordan Hayne
Posted Sun 4 Jul 2021 at 7:37amSunday 4 Jul 2021 at 7:37am

About 8 per cent of Australians over 16 have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses.(
ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher
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The UK has become the first nation in the world to plan a third round of COVID-19 vaccinations for vulnerable Britons, with a booster program that would shore up resistance to the virus ahead of winter.
Preparations to roll out the vaccine to elderly populations from September are awaiting final medical advice, but the move marks a step in the global vaccine race as the UK turns its attention towards providing ongoing resistance to COVID-19 and new variants.
And while the UK is significantly further ahead of Australia in its vaccination rollout, officials in Australia are already flagging a similar program will be needed to deliver a third shot of vaccines into Australians' arms too.
Why are booster shots needed?
The UK's new Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, said the government was planning booster shots to ensure vulnerable people were protected during the northern hemisphere winter.
However, the advice was subject to change as more information became available about the ongoing efficacy of the vaccines already administered and the effects of a third booster shot.
LIVE UPDATES: Read our blog for the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic
"Our first COVID-19 vaccination program is restoring freedom in this country, and our booster program will protect this freedom," Mr Javid said.
The interim advice recommends booster shots be offered in two tranches, first to high-risk individuals like those over 70, and then to people over 50 and other at-risk groups.
It also reflects the UK's goal of learning to live with the virus rather than eradicate it, predicting that as "social mixing and social contact return towards pre-pandemic norms" COVID-19 will circulate in the community like the flu and other respiratory diseases.
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The Prime Minister said a COVID booster program was a way out of the pandemic.
Miles Davenport, from the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales, said studies suggested the antibody response caused by COVID-19 vaccines and infection diminished over time.
"After infection, there definitely appears to be a decline in the immune response over the first year or so, Professor Davenport said.
"It's probably expected that that decline will slow with time, but that's normal.
"We don't really know the long-term half-life, but over the first six to eight months it seems like many of these responses have a half-life of the order of three or four months."
UK first to move on booster shots
The UK advice does not make a recommendation on which vaccines should be used as boosters, and final guidance will not be issued until more data on the lasting effects of the current vaccination program becomes available.

A vaccine booster program is being explored in the UK.(
ABC News: Jeremy Story Carter
)
UNSW epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws said the rollout of third shots would be watched keenly around the world.

"It's very early to start suggesting we need to start doing boosters," she said.

"We will be learning a lot from this because they'll be documenting … their antibody and T-cell response."
Professor McLaws said western countries would face conundrums over whether to prioritise giving third jabs to their own residents or assist the global vaccination effort.
"Should we not be thinking of looking after somebody else, and hoping that our immune system has been well primed and boosted anyway?" she said.
Nearly 85 per cent of UK residents over the age of 18 have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine and 62.4 per cent of UK adults are fully vaccinated.
That puts it well ahead of Australia's vaccination rollout, which has seen 8.7 per cent of Australians over 16 fully vaccinated and 30.4 per cent receive at least one shot.
Announcing a four-phase plan through which Australia would ditch lockdowns and open to the world if vaccination rates are high enough, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia's booster program was in development.
"We will prepare now, as we already are, the vaccine booster program," he said.
Professor Davenport said it was likely that there would be some form of ongoing vaccination for COVID-19 in Australia, and that vaccines could be updated to better combat variants.
"We're very likely to need ongoing vaccination … both because of the waning [antibody levels] and the variation in the virus," he said.

"It's quite likely that, like the flu, we might be getting a different vaccine next year."

The UK's preparing a third round of vaccinations, and Australia could follow suit

The UK has become the first nation in the world to plan a third round of COVID-19 vaccinations, and Australia will soon follow suit.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Zoner]

Dr. McCollough thinks the booster may contain some kind of payload in a recent interview. He clearly thinks the virus, the vaccines, and the booster shots are bio-terrorism.

 

[raven]

If they give you a "booster" within 6 months of the original two doses,
it isn't a booster
the first two did not work and the "booster" is just the vaccine all over again.