New Covid Wave Could Be Imminent As Delta Variant Sweeps Europe, WHO Says

[appalachiablue]

Source: CNBC

A new wave of coronavirus cases could soon arrive in Europe, the World Health Organization warned Thursday, highlighting that a decline in the number of infections in the region has now come to an end.

“A 10-week decline in the number of Covid-19 cases in the 53 countries in the WHO European region has come to an end,” Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, warned in a press briefing. "Last week the number of cases rose by 10% driven by increased mixing, travel, gatherings and an easing of social restrictions," he said.

The rise in cases comes against a backdrop of a "rapidly evolving situation," Kluge said, given the new delta strain, which was dubbed a variant of concern by the WHO in May. Millions remain unvaccinated in Europe, Kluge warned, with protections against the delta variant provided, for the most part, by having two doses of the Covid vaccines on offer.

Kluge reiterated what the data has already shown, that the delta variant is far more transmissible than the alpha variant (which itself was more transmissible than previous strains). "By August, the WHO European Region will be 'delta dominant,'" he noted, adding that 63% of people are still waiting for their first shot, while restrictions on public life are likely to be lifted next month...

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/01/new-covid-wave-has-arrived-in-europe-who-says.html

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Read More:

- The fast-spreading delta Covid variant could have different symptoms, experts say
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/17/covid-delta-variant-symptoms-spread-and-what-to-look-out-for.html

- The Covid delta variant has ‘exploded’ in the UK — and it could be a blueprint for the U.S. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/28/how-the-uk-with-the-delta-variant-is-a-blueprint-for-the-us.html




- Scotland fans arrive at King’s Cross Station on June 17, 2021 in London, England. Soccer games, taking place during the Euros, have been blamed for a rise in Covid cases numbers.

[Moostache]

1. My heart goes out to those seeking vaccines but cannot get them...

My contempt is reserved for those who COULD be vaccinated and choose not to.

[appalachiablue]

2. Likewise, and I hope vaccine trials

for younger children move along soon. Concern for all, esp. the most vulnerable.

[Warpy]

15. Oh, I can spare a little compassion for them, too,

since I know where that's coming from. My contempt is for the propagandists, from Wakefield to Kennedy to journalists who screech about rare complications but whisper about success rates, assholes, all of them.

Mostly, I want to grab them all by the scruffs of their necks and shove Covid vaccine into their bottoms. Sadly, that's illegal but a fantasy life keeps me reasonably sane.

But I do have compassion for unsophisticated people who are just suckers for propaganda.

[littlemissmartypants]

19. Ditto. ❤ nt

[Runningdawg]

3. OK has it's first case today

Actually an ENTIRE family, who were all vaccinated. I am wallowing in a petri dish. It's back to ALL precautions. Glad I used the last few months since I was fully vaccinated to get ready for this.

[LisaL]

8. Yep, vaccinated can still get it and spread it.

I have no clue why CDC is claiming otherwise.

[Jedi Guy]

12. Vaccinated folks can still get and spread ANY variant of Covid.

The vaccine offers no protection against contracting the disease; it's not as if it kills the virus the moment it enters your system. The vaccine simply makes it easier for your immune system to identify, fight, and kill the virus, thereby reducing the likelihood of serious illness or death. It's basically a wanted poster that tells your immune system, "This is the bad guy, go get him." A vaccinated individual can absolutely still be a carrier.

It seems like people have this idea that, once vaccinated, they're "immune" to Covid, which just isn't true. It's a fundamental misunderstanding of how vaccines work, and it's going to get more people killed.

[IronLionZion]

4. It will soon be dominant in the US

it spreads so easily and the symptoms are mild that people don't bother getting tested until it's too late. Hotspots now are in rural areas of unvaccinated conservatives who don't take it seriously.

[Pinback]

6. Hotspots are also in cities such as Philadelphia.

There are many factors beyond hesitancy about the vaccine itself. The Washington Post’s “Post Reports” podcast has a good story about this, posted recently.

Some people can’t afford to miss work for two or more days while recovering from side effects, for example. There’s another vaccine on the way that’s supposed to have milder side effects, and that may help. (I forget the manufacturer, some co. in Maryland.)

[IronLionZion]

9. Novavax should be approved soon

it's very effective and with fewer side effects but they will likely be selling it overseas since demand has decreased in the US.

Cities have more people. Hot spots in less populated rural areas show how easily it spreads. I get the hesitance to miss work since I've been an hourly contractor before, but COVID itself will cause people to miss more days of work or be hospitalized if they are unvaccinated.

[LisaL]

10. I don't think Novavax has even applied for FDA approval yet.

So it's not going to be that soon. It doesn't have either RNA or DNA in it, so those who think vaccine will alter their genes might be convinced to try that one (although the reality doesn't seem to matter to them).

[IronLionZion]

13. Other countries approve things faster than our FDA

and that's where they are targeting since it's a bit pointless to get emergency use authorization for the US now.

[LisaL]

14. I don't agree that it's pointless.

We might all need boosters at some point (I think sooner rather than later).

[BumRushDaShow]

17. There was some Novavax updates a couple weeks ago

And they were originally part of Operation Warpspeed with a contract. But they had all sorts of issues getting their product to this point, including stumbles with some of the trials and then with the scaling up of the manufacturing process.

Novavax Offers U.S. a Fourth Strong Covid-19 Vaccine

The company’s large U.S. trial found an efficacy rate of about 90 percent. But at this point, the nation is awash in other shots.


By Carl Zimmer
June 14, 2021

Novavax, a small American company buoyed by lavish support from the U.S. government, announced on Monday the results of a clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine in the United States and Mexico, finding that its two-shot inoculation provides potent protection against the coronavirus. In the 29,960-person trial, the vaccine demonstrated an overall efficacy of 90.4 percent, on par with the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and higher than the one-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. The Novavax vaccine showed an efficacy of 100 percent at preventing moderate or severe disease.

Despite these impressive results, the vaccine’s future in the United States is uncertain and it might be needed more in other countries. Novavax says it may not seek emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration until the end of September. And with a plentiful supply of three other authorized vaccines, it’s possible that the agency may tell Novavax to apply instead for a full license — a process that could require several extra months.

The company’s chief executive, Stanley Erck, acknowledged in an interview that Novavax would probably win its first authorization elsewhere. The company is also applying in Britain, the European Union, India and South Korea. “I think the good news is that the data are so compelling that it gives everybody an incentive to pay attention to our filings,” Mr. Erck said. By the time Novavax gets the green light from the U.S. government, it may be too late to contribute to the country’s first wave of vaccinations.

But many vaccine experts expect that, with waning immunity and emerging variants, the country will need booster shots at some point. And the protein-based technology used in the Novavax vaccine may do a particularly good job at amplifying protection, even if people have previously been vaccinated with a different formulation. “They may be really the right ones for boosters,” said Dr. Luciana Borio, who was the acting chief scientist at the F.D.A. from 2015 to 2017.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/health/covid-vaccine-novavax.html

[Pinback]

11. Yes, I believe it was Novavax.

Agreed that the virus is way worse than vaccine side effects.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

5. I am so glad President Biden made it a priority

That we had more than enough vaccine, and a solid plan getting it out on arms. Sad MAGATS are stupid, but that is what it is.

[appalachiablue]

7. You said it, TG for Biden, outstanding

[OneCrazyDiamond]

16. He was more prepared while campaigning over zoom than the other guy,

Who had the resources of the US Federal Government. That right there should keep the GQP from winning another ever, but I suspect it will be the Delta variant that accomplishes that for us.

[Evolve Dammit]

18. Get ready. Stock up. You know the drill. Sucks, but getting infected really sucks.

[littlemissmartypants]

20. Fleeting contact. nt

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215547442