Jeffrey Herrera

Scientists have said that the protective effects of immunization are at their highest levels two weeks after the second dose of COVID19 shot. At this time, people are considered fully immunized. After being fully vaccinated, if someone is diagnosed with COVID19, it means that the person has contracted a breakthrough infection. Generally, breakthrough infections are of the same nature as regular COVID19 infections in people who are not vaccinated. However, there are some differences between both kinds of infection. A study of COVID19 symptoms has highlighted the five most common signs and symptoms of COVID19. The authors of the study have said that headache, sore throat, loss of smell, sneezing, and runny nose are some most common symptoms of breakthrough coronavirus infection. They have said that some of these symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat, and headache are quite frequent among people who have not taken COVID19 shots. People who are not immunized deal with persistent cough and fever as well; however, these symptoms are less common in breakthrough infections among people who are fully vaccinated. A study has shown that people who are diagnosed with breakthrough infections are at 58 percent lower risk of having a fever as compared to unimmunized people with COVID19 infection. Many people who have been detected with COVID19 after vaccination has said that they have been feeling like a head cold. Experts have said that people who are fully immunized are at a much lower risk of being hospitalized if they are diagnosed with COVID19 after taking the vaccine as compared to people who have not been inoculated. During the initial stages of breakthrough infection, vaccinated people are diagnosed with fewer symptoms and are at a lower risk of long COVID.

Health experts have said that if COVID19 shots are not able to prevent infection, they make it milder, that is the reason, fully vaccinated people are found with less viral load. A study that has been done by scientists from the United Kingdom has shown that at least one person in 500 fully vaccinated people are diagnosed with a breakthrough infection. The authors of the study have said that everyone is not at the same level of risk. They have said that there are four factors that contribute to the level of immunity of vaccinated people. As per the scientists, the specific type of vaccine that people take and the relative risk reduction that is offered by each type of vaccine play an important role. Experts have said that relative risk reduction is defined by the ability of the shot to prevent people from catching the virus as compared to people who have not taken the shot. Scientists have said that in many clinical trials, the COVID19 shot that has been designed by Moderna has been proved to be 94 percent effective in preventing COVID19 infection. While COVID19 vaccine that has been developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has been able to reduce the infection by 95 percent and Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been able to cut down the risk by 66 percent and AstraZeneca shot has been proved to be 70 percent effective in reducing the risk of COVID19. Many experts have said that if a longer interval is left between two doses of AstraZeneca shot, the protection level offered by the shot will shoot up to 81 percent. Experts have said that the length of time since immunization as well as an essential factor; therefore, the debate over booster shots is heating up now these days. Early studies have shown that the protection provided by Pfizer shot wanes away after six months of immunization. Another preprint study from Israel has supported these findings. Experts have said that although it is too early to comment on the efficacy of COVID19 shots after six months of immunization, immunity offered by shots is more likely to reduce over time, said the experts. However, these studies have not been peer-reviewed by scientists yet.

Scientists have said that the emergence of different variants of coronavirus as well as a concerning factor. Health experts have said that most COVID19 vaccines have been tested against the original strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, therefore these vaccines might not be highly effective against a wide range of variants of COVID19. Public Health England has found that two doses of Pfizer COVID19 shot are faintly less protective against the Alpha variant of the virus. Scientists from the UK have said that the shot can reduce the symptoms of the disease by only 93 percent. Pfizer shot has been only 88 percent effective against the delta variant that has been circulating in the US and causing a massive surge in COVID19 cases across all states. AstraZeneca shot as well is less effective against the variants of concern, said the experts. The study on symptoms of COVID19 as well supports all these findings. The findings of the study have shown that after two to four weeks of taking the second dose of Pfizer shot, people, have been at 87 percent lower risk of having symptoms of COVID19 when they are exposed to delta variant. The authors of the COVID19 symptom study have said that after four to five months of having a second dose, immunity goes down to 77 percent. Health experts have said that these findings talk about average risk decline in a population. However, people’s level of risk relies on their levels of immunity and the ability of their immune systems. Experts have said that people’s vulnerability to the virus depends on some specific factors such as how exposed they are to the virus that can be determined by their profession. Experts have said that immune health keeps reducing with age. Long-term health issues as well can damage people’s response to inoculation. As per the latest report, elderly people who are dealing with weakened immune systems might have low levels of immunity that is induced by COVID19 vaccines. Experts have said that levels of protection derived from vaccination might wane away more rapidly among people with weakened immune systems as compared to the general population. Health experts have said that people who are at a higher risk of COVID19 have been given the shots nearly eight months ago; it might shoot up their risk of contracting the breakthrough infection as their levels of protection might have started waning away.

There have been two outbreaks of salmonella in at least 17 states of the US. The officials from the US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Safety and Inspection Service, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Public health regulatory officials from multiple states are looking into two salmonella outbreaks. They have said that these outbreaks might be linked to Italian-style meats. The CDC has issued a warning stating that two outbreaks of salmonella have led to 36 cases and 12 people have been admitted to the hospital. People who have been reported to be sick have said that they have consumed salami, prosciutto, and other meats that are usually found in antipasto or charcuterie collections before falling ill. Health experts are at present trying to pinpoint particular contaminated products and find out whether these two outbreaks of salmonella have been linked to the same source of food. Health experts have said that until experts find out which Italian-style meat might be the reason behind people falling ill, people should heat all Italian-style meats to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit before eating. The CDC has said that heating food to a sufficiently high temperature can eliminate germs such as salmonella.

Health experts have said that nearly 23 people from 14 states such as Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, and Utah have been infected in the first outbreak of salmonella. People who have fallen ill with salmonella infection have been in the age group of 4 to 91 years along with an average age of 44 years. Out of the available data of 21 people, nearly nine people have been admitted to the hospital. Health experts have said that around 67 percent of sick people have been men. People have started falling ill with salmonella infection from May to July 2021. The second outbreak has infected around 13 people belonging from seven different states such as New York, Oregon, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Minnesota, and California. With an average age of 41 years, infected people have been in the age range of 1 to 74 years. Around 31 percent of people who have been infected in the second outbreak of salmonella have been men. Out of the available data of 19 infected people, nearly three of them have been admitted to the hospital. The second outbreak of salmonella has started from May 2019 to June 2021.

Health experts from the CDC have said that the number of people who have been affected by the outbreaks might be much higher than what is being reported by the officials. They have said that the outbreaks might not be restricted to states that have been identified with confirmed cases of salmonella infection as many people are not tested for salmonella and recover from the disease without any treatment. Health experts have claimed that it takes three to four weeks to find out if an infected person has been a part of an outbreak. In both outbreaks, nobody has lost their lives so far. Health experts have said that people who are in the age range of 65 and above are at a higher risk of salmonella disease. People who are on medications for some core health issues that can limit the body’s ability to fight against foreign invaders as well are at a greater risk of salmonella disease. They have claimed toddlers who are below 5 years of age are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with severe salmonella infection. If people are dealing with diarrhea, bloody diarrhea that continues for more than three days, if they are not able to keep liquid in their stomach and keep vomiting, if they are feeling signs of dehydration such as dry mouth and throat, and dizziness and if the fever goes higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit, they should directly get in touch with their health care providers. Health experts have said that most people who have been infected with salmonella deal with stomach cramps, fever, and diarrhea. Experts have claimed that people start showing up symptoms from six hours to six days after being exposed to the bacteria. The majority of people recover on their own without any care after four to seven days.

A vaccine advisory panel from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has voted unanimously in favor to recommend an additional dose of COVID19 shot for people who are dealing with compromised immune systems in the US. After the panel’s voting, the CDC has immediately signed off on the new recommendation. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well has warded an emergency use authorization to the third dose of COVID19 shots among people who have not been able to develop sufficient immune response after two doses of either Pfizer’s or Moderna COVID19 shots. The FDA has said that there is a lack of data to discuss the odds of an additional dose of single-dose shot that has been developed by Johnson & Johnson. A member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to the CDC, Dr. Katherine Poehling has said that the committee has reached a consensus unanimously as the benefits of a third dose are remarkable and the negative effects of an additional dose are least. Dr. Katherine Poehling also works as a professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine. The director of the CDC, Rochelle Walensky as well has supported the decision of the advisory panel; it means that people with weaker immune systems will be getting an additional dose of COVID19 shots very soon. Dr. Walensky has said that the new CDC advice after the FDA’s decision to alter the emergency use authorizations of COVID19 shots is vital to ensure that people who are more susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 virus can get as much immunity as possible through vaccination. However, the agency has not recommended COVID19 booster shots for the normal public.

The ACIP has said that it will depend on patients and their health care providers to decide who requires an additional dose of the shot and when. People will have to prove their requirement of an additional dose of the shot on their own. In such a case, there is no need for a doctor’s prescription or note. The advisory committee has not suggested any test to examine whether people have had enough immune response to COVID19 shots. There is no test authorized by the FDA to determine immune response after getting a COVID19 vaccine. The advisory panel as well as discussed if giving a third dose of COVID19 shot will be safe in children with compromised immune systems who are as young as 12 years. Later, experts have decided to recommend an additional dose for children who are 12 years and above and have been included in the Emergency use authorization of Pfizer shot. Moderna COVID19 shot has been authorized for use in people who are 18 years and above. This EUA is projected to be for people who are dealing with moderate to severe compromised immune systems. Dr. Amanda Cohn from the CDC has said that the EUA has not been given for people who are dealing with other underlying severe health issues where they might be suffering from mild compromised immune systems. Dr. Cohn has said that the intention of clinical reflections will allow some flexibility to health dare providers to examine patients’ compromised immune systems. Patients as well will be able to attest their compromised immune systems to get the third dose. The EUA will not allow people who are dealing with diabetics or heart issues and those who are in long-term facilities. However, more than 1 million people have already received the third dose of the shot before the CDC has recommended booster shots.

Dr. Kathleen Dooling has said that nearly 140 million people have completed their two-dose regimen of either Pfizer or Moderna’s COVID19 shot. Around 1 percent of 12 million people who have been given the single-dose shot that has been developed by the Johnson & Johnson have received a second dose of the shot as well. A recent study that has been done by the John Hopkins University has shown that people who are dealing with compromised immune systems are at 485 times higher risk of getting hospitalized or die with COVID19 infection as compared to other people who have been vaccinated. The CDC has reported around 7 million adult people in the US are suffering from compromised immune systems either due to the diseases they are dealing with or medicines they take. Most breakthrough cases of COVID19 are taking place in people who are dealing with compromised immune systems. The existing COVID19 vaccines that are being used in the US are only 59 to 72 percent efficient among people who are dealing with weaker immune systems. On the other hand, these shots are nearly 90 to 94 percent effective among the general public. People who are dealing with weaker immune systems are at a higher risk of falling sick with severe COVID19 infection. These people as well are at a greater risk of extended SARS-CoV-2 infection, said the experts. Dr. Amanda Cohn has said that there are many chances of greater viral evolution and transmission during prolonged infection and treatment. A small study has noted that nearly 40 to 44 percent of hospitalized breakthrough cases of COVID19 have taken place in people with compromised immune systems. It is a fact that COVID19 shots might not work very well on such patients. Experts have been saying that with higher rates of vaccination, herd immunity might protect these patients. However, it has turned out to be otherwise, as nearly a third of eligible people in the US have not taken even one dose of a COVID19 shot. When people test positive COVID19 even after being fully vaccinated, they are defined as breakthrough cases of COVID19. Although vaccines offer good immunity against severe infection, there have been around 7101 hospitalization and 1507 deaths due to the virus among 164 million fully vaccinated people. However, the CDC has said that these figures might be an undercount.

A nasal vaccine against Covid-19 infection could soon become a reality. Pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca has said that it has made significant developments in finding a potential drug that can be taken through the nose. It is said that the nasal vaccine in animal models has delivered some promising results. The drug successfully prevented the virus from spread during the experiment. The study noted that the nasal vaccine reduced virus concentrations. This results in curbing the transmission. The study was done in two animal models exposed to SARS-CoV-2. It said that the results will bolster the experiments to find the right nasal vaccine for humans. The company said that there is a need for further study as a breakthrough in intranasal Covid vaccination will help speeding up the vaccination drive and cover the maximum population at the earliest to win the war against Covid-19.

The study was done by researchers from the US NIH and the University of Oxford. Researchers said that the nasal vaccine was administered to rhesus macaques and hamsters. The method reduced concentrations in nasal swabs and viral loads. It produced mucosal immunity. This gives protection against SARS-CoV-2. Researchers said that animal numbers involved in the study were limited. But results are very encouraging and significant. Researchers measured if the nasal vaccine in macaques and hamsters limits the detection of virus in nasal swabs. The animals were exposed to the original Covid variant. They found that viral loads in hamsters’ swabs were reduced compared to hamsters. Besides, no infectious virus was detected in the lung tissue of infected hamsters.

Notably, the past studies in rhesus macaques with AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 intramuscular vaccine had shown that it protects from pneumonia. It didn’t reduce virus shedding from the upper respiratory tract. The study said that nasal vaccine protected the lower respiratory tract. The intramuscular vaccine provided partial protection. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Oxford have already commenced the phase 1 clinical trial of the nasal vaccine on humans. The trial is being done on 54 healthy adults. Although vaccination against Covid-19 is going on in different countries, there are poor countries that are yet to begin the drive. The current vaccines are given using a syringe. It requires trained medical personnel. A nasal vaccine will cut this load. It can be administered by any individual. It will also help in covering vulnerable people at the earliest.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently said that surging cases of the COVID19 pandemic in several parts of the world might lead to the emergence of new and more deadly variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the next couple of months. Professor Didier Houssin, who is the chairperson of the WHO Emergency COVID19 Committee, has said that the pandemic is not going to be over soon. He has said that the global increase in the number of COVID19 cases has indicated the ongoing challenges inflicted by the pandemic. The officials from the WHO have said that COVID19 cases in Africa have beaten their second wave peak in the first week of July. The death toll linked to COVID19 as well has climbed up by 40 percent. During the early stage of the pandemic, there has been only one strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As the virus has started spreading across the world, it has kept on mutating and sprouting thousands of its other strains and some of these variants are more transmissible and contagious as compared to the original strain. The WHO has labeled four strains of the virus as variants of concern. The most recent variant of the virus known as the Delta variant that has been identified in India for the first time during the second wave has been spreading in more than 111 countries around the world.

Health experts have said that the Delta variant accounts for 60 percent of total COVID19 cases in the United States. The WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that the strain is going to be the leading variant across the world very soon. Over the past week, COVID19 cases and deaths have increased across more than half of the states in the US due to the slow pace of vaccination and the continuous spread of the Delta variant. In the last week, 47 states have reported a rise in the cases as compared to two weeks earlier. The death toll has shot up in 30 states as compared to a week earlier. One of the counties in Missouri has asked for additional funding to set up an alternate care site as cases have been shooting up in the state. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expecting a rise in the number of hospitalization as well in the next four weeks. As per the forecast of the agency, the US might witness 11000 additional hospitalizations linked to COVID19 in the next 15 to 20 days. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that in the last week, COVID19 cases have seen a 10 percent increase worldwide. The death toll that has been reducing for nine consecutive weeks as well has shot up in the last 10 days across the world.

The officials from the WHO has said that as cases of coronavirus continue to rise around the world, new strains of the virus will continue to emerge in the future and the situation might be quite hard to control. They have said that vaccination remains the single most crucial weapon against the virus. Vaccines play an important role in disabling the virus from evolving into new variants. However, there are still many countries that do not have access to enough doses of vaccines. According to the University of Oxford’s Global Change Data Lab, only 25.8 percent of people around the world have been given one dose of a COVID19 shot. The WHO has pledged to get at least 10 percent of each country’s population vaccinated by September 2021. The global health agency has asked rich countries to share vaccine supplies with underdeveloped countries. Health experts have said that vaccination, well-informed public health, and social measures such as the use of facemasks, social distancing, and hand hygiene are the most effective strategies to fight against the virus.

The COVID-19 Delta Variant is rapidly proving to become a far worse obstacle to manage than previously imagined, particularly among younger generations of individuals who are yet to be vaccinated, and that the rate of contagion has now surpassed any of their neighboring EU countries. For example, the 7-day rate of infection has nearly tripled, from 58/100,000 on the 29th of June, to now indexing 156 cases per 100,000 individuals.

Although Spanish authorities did-away with a majority of national COVID-19 restrictions in May 2021, they state that a surge in both public and private gatherings above predetermined capacity levels, as well as an increase in the number of excessive outdoor drinking festivities being organized by mostly younger individuals who do not practice safe alcohol consumption habits, as well as the increased mobility of individuals across the country during the country’s tourism season, are some of the primary factors that further contribute to this increase in contagion levels.

This is a matter of great concern for authorities here, as Spain’s economy is highly dependent on tourism, particularly during the months of July and August. While Spain’s tourism minister Reyes Maroto states that over 41% of its nation’s population have been vaccinated, Spain now remains a country that is a “safe tourist destination”. However, as per EU guidelines, Spain has been flagged as red, which implies that travel to-and-fro either of these countries are discouraged. Additionally, both Spain and Portugal are now repeatedly emphasizing that British tourists visiting either country are not physically responsible for this Delta Variant spike, despite the fact that the number of positive cases in the United Kingdom has also been on the rise as of late.

What Spanish authorities have been requesting their visiting British and other European counterparts to kindly share is, either a negative COVID-19 test or to furnish valid vaccination certification or documentation upon arrival for a less hassle-free entry process.