The increase in antibodies produced by a fourth shot of COVID-19 vaccine is not enough to prevent infections from the omicron variant, according to preliminary research at an Israeli hospital.
The results, which were revealed on Monday, call into question the practice of giving a new booster dose when large parts of the world are facing a shortage of vaccines, even though it still has some defenders.
In the clinical trial, 274 doctors at Sheba Hospital near Tel Aviv received a fourth dose in December – 154 received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the rest Modernas – after having previously been inoculated with three Pfizer-BioNTech shots.
Both groups showed that the boost in antibodies was “slightly higher” than after the third vaccine last year, but that did not prevent the spread of omicron, which is now raging in the United States and large parts of the world.
“Despite increased antibody levels, the fourth vaccine offers only a partial defense against the virus,” said Dr. Gili Regev-Yochay, director of the hospital’s infectious disease unit. “The vaccines, which were more effective against earlier variants, offer less protection compared to omicron.”
The Israeli government says more than 500,000 people have received a fourth dose since it began offering them to 60-year-olds and older weeks ago, and yet the country has endured an outbreak that has caused a record number of cases and rising hospitalizations .
Dr. Nahman Ash, director of the Israeli Ministry of Health, told Channel 13 TV that the campaign was still worthwhile because the second booster “returns the level of antibodies to what it was at the beginning of the third booster. This is of great importance, especially among the elderly population. ”
Also in the news:
►Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing minor symptoms. The Marine Corps said its commander, General David Berger, also has COVID-19, but the disease has not affected his ability to work.
►Nursing homes reported an almost record of about 32,000 COVID-19 cases among residents in the week ending January 9, a nearly sevenfold increase from a month earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
►Rep. David Trone, D-Md., Said he was tested positive. Trone said he is fully vaccinated and boosted and experienced mild symptoms.
►Las Vegas schools offer retention bonuses of up to $ 2,000 to full-time employees who remain at work during the pandemic in response to staff shortages.
📈 Today’s figures: The United States has recorded more than 66 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 851,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: More than 329 million cases and over 5.5 million deaths. More than 208 million Americans – 62.9% – are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
📘 What we read: They became rich with “COVID money” and bragged about it. Now they are under investigation. How did a wedding photographer and a failed donut shop owner get $ 124 million in federal cash for the COVID-19 test? read more here.
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School districts defy the Virginia governor’s order to revoke mask mandates
New Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who issued nine executive orders shortly after taking office Saturday, is facing a major setback to his decision to revoke mask mandates in K-12 schools from Jan. 24.
That It reported the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the school districts of the capital and Alexandria, along with the counties of Fairfax and Henrico, are among jurisdictions already expressing their intention to comply with the CDC guidelines recommending universal masking in schools. Arlington County officials said they would too.
Youngkin said he wants to give parents the choice to make those decisions, even if some students opt out, may increase the chances of the virus spreading in schools.
In a statement released Sunday, Youngkin said state law gives parents the right to make educational decisions for their children. “We want to protect that right, and then I just hope that schools in Arlington County and the rest of the school systems around the Commonwealth of Virginia use this week to listen to parents and prepare …,” he said.
Trump incites racial aversion to false claims about vaccines, drugs
Former President Donald Trump erroneously stated at a weekend meeting that public health authorities are denying white people the COVID-19 vaccine because of their race.
Trump, who spoke Saturday night in Florence, Arizona, accused liberals of “discriminating and demeaning” white Americans.
“If you are white, you do not get the vaccine, or if you are white, you do not get therapy,” Trump said. “In the state of New York, if you’re white, go to the back of the queue to get medical health.”
Vaccines are easy to get in the United States, and the government encourages everyone to get vaccinated and boosted. And New York’s policies allow race to be a consideration when dispensing oral antiviral therapies, which are in limited supply, in an attempt to direct treatments to people who are at the highest risk of serious coronavirus disease.
Novak Djokovic lands in Serbia after deportation from Australia
Novak Djokovic arrived in his home country Serbia on Monday after being deported from Australia for not being vaccinated against COVID-19, ending his hopes of defending his Australian Open title when the tournament began. The tennis star now faces questions about whether he would be excluded from the next Grand Slam tournament, the French Open.
Djokovic had argued in an Australian court that he should be allowed to stay and compete because a recent coronavirus infection meant he was exempt from strict vaccination rules. But Australian authorities said his presence could arouse anti-vaccine sentiment and that it was necessary to kick him out to keep Australians safe.
The French Open begins on May 22 in Paris. France on Sunday passed a law that would exclude unvaccinated people from all restaurants, sports arenas and other venues, one of the toughest measures a country has taken to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Omicron variant closes day care institutions in droves
If you are a working parent with young children, chances are that the new year has not been as happy as you had hoped. Omicron rages, instructions are constantly changing, vaccines are not approved for children under 5 years of age, and coronavirus test kits are in short supply.
Reliable, affordable childcare options are scarce. Some centers cancel classes or close completely as employees report sick or leave their jobs. COVID-19 cases appear in day care institutions where internal spread was previously somewhat limited.
“You had so many programs that were under the impression that they withstood the worst storm,” said Rhian Evans Allvin, executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. “Now they are back in program delivery crisis and they are back in financial crisis.” read more here.
– Alia Wong, USA TODAY
Starring: Associated Press
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