"COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis" 18th Jun 2021
Overnight News RoundUp
Previous COVID infection may not offer long-term protection, study finds
- Previous infection with coronavirus does not necessarily protect against COVID in the longer term, especially when caused by new variants of concern, a study on healthcare workers suggests.
- Researchers at Oxford University found marked differences in the immune responses of medical staff who contracted COVID, with some appearing far better equipped than others to combat the disease six months later.
- Scientists on the study, conducted with the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium, said the findings reinforced the importance of everyone getting vaccinated regardless of whether they had been infected with the virus earlier in the pandemic.
- 'If you look at the trajectory of the immune response after infection, mostly it is still detectable six months later, but it's highly variable between people,' said Eleanor Barnes, a professor of hepatology and experimental medicine at Oxford and a senior author on the study.
- 'That is quite different to vaccination. If you vaccinate you get a really robust response, but with natural infection there's much more diversity in responses.'
- The researchers analysed blood samples from 78 healthcare workers who had COVID, with or without symptoms, between April and June last year. The blood was checked monthly for up to six months post-infection for a range of immune responses. These included different types of antibody that target the virus, B cells that make antibodies and retain a memory of the disease, and T Cells, which reduce the severity of disease by killing off infected cells.
Simon Says
- Writing in a preprint, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, the authors describe how they used a machine learning system called Simon, for Sequential Iterative Modelling Over Night, to see whether a person's early immune response and the severity of their infection could predict their longer-term immunity. Dr Adriana Tomic, the first author on the study, said a signature in the antibody response would be at six months.
- The majority of people who produced a weak immune response at one month had no detectable antobodies that could neutralise the Alpha variant, first seen in Kent, at six months. None mounted neutralising antibodies against the Beta variant first spotted in South Africa. The researchers have yet to analyse data for the Delta variant now dominant in the UK.
- Whilst most of the healthcare workers who developed symptomatic disease had a measurable immune response six months later, more than a quarter did not. More than 90% of those who had asymptomatic infections had no measurable immune response six months later, the researchers found. The work is part of the protective immunity from T cells to COVID-19 in health workers (Pitch) study, funded by the Department of Health.
- 'In our view, previous infection does not necessarily protect you long-term from SARS-COV2, particularly from variants of concern,' sais Barnes. 'You shouldn't depend on it to protect you from subsequent disease, you should be vaccinated.'
- The wide variability in immunity triggered by natural infection in part reflects the radically different exposures people can have to the virus while going about their lives. Immunity based on vaccination is more reliable because people are given a standard dose in a standard way.
- Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London, who was not involved in the study, said the findings cautioned against simple assumptions around how immunity waned with time. 'People show rather diverse trajectories after infection, but immunity often seems to hold up well at six months,' he said. 'Most of all, studies such as this remind us that policy decisions on 'boosting' need to be evidence based in the context of a strong programme of immune monitoring.'
The Guardian - Ian Sample - 17 June 2021
Previous Covid infection may not offer long-term protection, study finds
Previous Covid infection may not offer long-term protection, study finds
Previous infection with coronavirus does not necessarily protect against Covid in the longer term, especially when caused by new variants of concern, a study on healthcare workers suggests. Researchers at Oxford University found marked differences in the immune responses of medical staff who contracted Covid, with some appearing far better equipped than others to combat the disease six months later. Scientists on the study, conducted with the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium, said the findings reinforced the importance of everyone getting vaccinated regardless of whether they had been infected with the virus earlier in the pandemic.
Coronavirus: ‘Exponential rise’ in Covid cases in England driven by younger people
Coronavirus: ‘Exponential rise’ in Covid cases in England driven by younger people
Covid-19 cases are “rising exponentially” across England – driven by younger and mostly unvaccinated age groups, according to scientists tracking the epidemic. A study commissioned by the government found that infections have increased 50 per cent between 3 May and 7 June, as the country struggles to combat the rise of the Delta variant first detected in India.
‘Fear and panic’ as COVID ravages Nepali villages near Mt Everest
‘Fear and panic’ as COVID ravages Nepali villages near Mt Everest
When Saraswati Tamang Karki fell ill with COVID-19 in a small village near Mount Everest, her family had to call on Nepalese soldiers and trekking guides to help take her to the nearest doctor. On June 11, a group of 13 men took turns carrying the 44-year-old on a stretcher, hurrying up and down the narrow and winding dirt paths that lead from the village of Monju to the Pasang Lhamu Nicole Niquille Hospital in the nearby town of Lukla.
New Zealand lays out vaccine plan after grumbling over delay
New Zealand lays out vaccine plan after grumbling over delay
New Zealand will take up to the end of the year to inoculate all those eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday, as she announced details of a vaccine campaign. The Pacific island nation shut its borders and used tough lockdown measures to become one of the few countries to have virtually eliminated COVID-19, but the government is facing criticism for a slow rollout of vaccines. About 560,000 people in the country of 5 million have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine while about 325,000 have been given a second dose.
Empowering Indian women who lost their partners to COVID
Empowering Indian women who lost their partners to COVID
Nichelle John* was six weeks pregnant when she and her husband contracted COVID-19 in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru last month. A week after they were infected, her husband Shawn* died of the virus on May 11. He was 38. Two days later, Nichelle had a miscarriage and lost her unborn baby. While she has fully recovered from the viral disease, she says her world has been shattered. “For the last two years, we were trying for a baby and when finally everything was going fine, the virus devastated my entire world and took everything I had in my life,” she told Al Jazeera.
‘Fight or flight’: Indians mull moving abroad amid COVID crisis
‘Fight or flight’: Indians mull moving abroad amid COVID crisis
For the last couple of years, Shaily Agrawal, a 25-year-old digital communication specialist based in New Delhi, has felt out of place in her own country. She says the India she held on to has “drastically changed” with a “lot of contrast” now between her beliefs and the “direction the country is heading towards”. While a polarised political environment in recent years had made Agrawal think about leaving India, the devastating second wave of the coronavirus finally tipped the scales and made her seriously consider her options abroad. “Mentally, it’s been caging. It’s been hellish. The healthcare system’s inefficiency is exposed and nothing feels reliable,” Agrawal told Al Jazeera.
Copa America cases of COVID-19 rises to 65
Copa America cases of COVID-19 rises to 65
CONMEBOL says cases of people with COVID-19 at the Copa America in Brazil have risen to 65. Nineteen people are on the 10 tournament teams, and 46 are staffers and officials, the South American soccer body said on Thursday. There have been 5,458 tests so far. The total number of known infections was up from 53 on Wednesday. Brazil stepped in late as an emergency host despite the country having the second highest number of recorded deaths from the coronavirus in the world, more than 493,000. Also on Thursday, the Bolivian Football Association said two players tested positive, defender Oscar Ribera and forward Jaume Cuéllar. Bolivian striker Marcelo Martins, who used his Instagram account to criticize CONMEBOL for the COVID-19 cases, backtracked in a statement.
Japan plans to lift COVID restrictions ahead of Olympic Games
Japan plans to lift COVID restrictions ahead of Olympic Games
Japan’s government on Thursday approved lifting Tokyo’s virus emergency measures a month before the Olympics, but set new restrictions that could sharply limit fans at the sporting events. The state of emergency in place in Tokyo began in late April and largely limits bar and restaurant opening hours and bans them from selling alcohol. That measure will now end in the capital and eight other regions on June 20, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced. It will stay in place in Okinawa.
“The number of infections nationwide has been declining since mid-May and the situation in terms of hospital beds is steadily improving,” he said. “On the other hand, in some regions there are signs that the fall in the number of infections is slowing,” Suga added.
Brazil registers 74,042 coronavirus cases in 24 hours, 2,311 deaths
Brazil registers 74,042 coronavirus cases in 24 hours, 2,311 deaths
Brazil has reported 74,042 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 2,311 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Thursday. The South American country has now registered 17,702,630 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 496,004, according to ministry data, in the world's third worst outbreak outside the United States and India and its second deadliest.
Denmark will offer Covid-19 vaccine to all children aged between 12 and 15 to boost overall immunity ahead of winter
Denmark will offer Covid-19 vaccine to all children aged between 12 and 15 to boost overall immunity ahead of winter
Denmark will offer Covid-19 vaccines for children aged 12-15 after the adult population has been inoculated to boost its overall immunity against the virus ahead of the winter, health authorities announced on Thursday. Initially, offer Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine will be made available for 12-15 year-olds as it is the only vaccine approved by the EU's drug regulator for use in adolescents, the Danish Health Authority said in a statement. The EU regulator expects to announce a decision on the use of Moderna's shot in adolescents sometime next month.
COVID-19: All over-18s in England able to book vaccine from Friday as Whitty warns of 'surprises' ahead
COVID-19: All over-18s in England able to book vaccine from Friday as Whitty warns of 'surprises' ahead
England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has warned COVID-19 "has not thrown its last surprise at us and there will be several more over the next period". Speaking at the NHS Confed Conference, he said he is anticipating case rates will continue to go up in the next few weeks due to Delta being "significantly more transmissible" than Alpha. He said: "In terms of the medium term, my expectation is that we will get a further winter surge, late autumn/winter surge.
Indonesian officials give away live chickens to residents willing to get vaccinated
Indonesian officials give away live chickens to residents willing to get vaccinated
Live chickens are being given away by local authorities in rural Indonesia as an incentive for older residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19. The program, in Cianjur regency, West Java, is part of the district's effort to increase the number of vaccines administered to citizens age 45 and over. Galih Apria, assistant police commissioner in the sub-district of Pecat, said older residents had been very hesitant about getting the shots during the early rollout of the government's vaccination program.
Japan PM Suga urges Japanese to watch Olympics on TV to prevent spread of COVID-19
Japan PM Suga urges Japanese to watch Olympics on TV to prevent spread of COVID-19
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday called on the public to watch the upcoming Tokyo Olympics on TV to avoid the spread of COVID-19 infections, as the organisers debate whether to allow domestic spectators into Olympic venues. Suga, speaking at a news conference to announce the lifting of some COVID-19 restrictions in Tokyo and several other areas, said that the most important thing was to avoid a rebound in the number of infections and the collapse of the medical system.
EU health commissioner urges Bulgarians to get COVID-19 vaccine
EU health commissioner urges Bulgarians to get COVID-19 vaccine
Stella Kyriakides, European commissioner for health and food safety who visited Bulgaria on Thursday, urged the public there to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The vaccination rate in Bulgaria is among the lowest in the European Union (EU). "Over 50 percent of the European adult population have already received the first vaccine dose. The number in Bulgaria is close to 15 percent," Kyriakides said at a press conference. "The way to get out of this pandemic is to vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate. This is my strong message for today," she said. The citizens need to trust the vaccines, said Kyriakides.
Antibody screening could transform Covid-19 vaccine distribution
Antibody screening could transform Covid-19 vaccine distribution
The writer is co-director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London and chair of Pre-emptive Medicine and Health Security Initiative at Flagship Pioneering, the bioplatforms company that founded vaccines maker Moderna As countries in the global north scale up their Covid-19 vaccination programmes,
The call on lifting Covid-19 restrictions is not easy in Singapore's transition phase
Antibody screening could transform Covid-19 vaccine distribution
The writer is co-director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London and chair of Pre-emptive Medicine and Health Security Initiative at Flagship Pioneering, the bioplatforms company that founded vaccines maker Moderna As countries in the global north scale up their Covid-19 vaccination programmes,
Fauci: US to spend $3.2B for antiviral pills for COVID-19
Fauci: US to spend $3.2B for antiviral pills for COVID-19
The United States is devoting $3.2 billion to advance development of antiviral pills for COVID-19 and other dangerous viruses that could turn into pandemics. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, announced the investment Thursday at a White House briefing as part of a new “antiviral program for pandemics” to develop drugs to address symptoms caused by potentially dangerous viruses like the coronavirus. The pills for COVID-19, which would be used to minimize symptoms after infection, are in development and could begin arriving by year’s end, pending the completion of clinical trials. The funding will speed those clinical trials and provide additional support to private sector research, development and manufacturing.
COVID-19 vaccinations for pharmacists in care homes to be mandatory
COVID-19 vaccinations for pharmacists in care homes to be mandatory
Pharmacists who work in care homes, even on a part-time basis, will be required to have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccination under plans announced today (June 16). From October, anyone working in a CQC-registered care home in England will be required by law to be immunised against COVID-19, unless they are medically exempt, following a 16-week grace period for health workers to receive both doses, the Department for Health and Social Care (DH) said. This includes anyone who works in a care home full-time – such as care home pharmacists – as well as those who visit for occasional work, under new legislation that will be brought before parliament “at the earliest opportunity”
Doubts on coronavirus vaccine linked to ‘lack of knowledge’
Doubts on coronavirus vaccine linked to ‘lack of knowledge’
Some people’s hesitancy about taking Covid-19 vaccines is linked to a lack of knowledge and awareness of their benefits, according to new research. The less people followed news coverage about the virus, the less likely they were to want to take the vaccine, the research by the Economic and Social Research Institute indicates. Providing factual information about vaccines and their real-world effectiveness may help bridge the gap in knowledge, the authors suggest. About four out of five adults say they have received the vaccine or intend to get it, with the rest unsure or opposed to receiving it.
After a Year of Denying Covid-19, Tanzania Orders Vaccines
After a Year of Denying Covid-19, Tanzania Orders Vaccines
Tanzania has lodged an order for coronavirus vaccines, the country’s presidency said Thursday, after the East African nation’s government spent a year denying the existence of the virus within its borders and becoming a magnet for Covid-19 skeptics from around the globe. Tanzania’s request for vaccines from the World Health Organization-backed Covax program, which distributes free Covid-19 shots to the world’s poorest countries, follows the death of President John Magufuli in March, when local doctors and church leaders were warning about a surge in infections. His successor and former deputy, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has tentatively instituted more transparency in the handling of the pandemic, opening several Covid-19 testing centers and wearing masks during public appearances
Families mourn the loss of loved ones who hesitated on the Covid-19 vaccine
Families mourn the loss of loved ones who hesitated on the Covid-19 vaccine
Despite vaccines being widely available for teenagers and adults, demand has slowed drastically since mid-April. At the time, the country was administering an average of 3.4 million doses per day. That moving average is now close to 600,000 per day as of Tuesday, the most recent day for which the figure is available, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Local governments are offering financial incentives for people to get the shot. Medical experts and officials are also seeing effective strategies by local pastors, coaches and community leaders working on a grass-roots level to encourage people. The word-of-mouth approach from trusted voices can be powerful, said the Rev. R.B. Holmes Jr., a prominent pastor who leads the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida. This spring, his church invested in a mobile medical unit to make health care more accessible in his community.
CureVac crashes after crucial COVID-19 vaccine trial disappoints
CureVac crashes after crucial COVID-19 vaccine trial disappoints
German biotech firm CureVac saw billions of euros wiped from its market value on Thursday after its COVID-19 vaccine proved only 47% effective in an initial trial read-out, denting investor confidence in its ability to take on rival shots. The disappointing efficacy of its vaccine, CVnCoV, emerged from an interim analysis in a study of about 40,000 volunteers in Europe and Latin America, with CureVac saying on Wednesday that new variants had proved a headwind
AstraZeneca vaccine price pledge omits some poor countries, contract shows
AstraZeneca vaccine price pledge omits some poor countries, contract shows
AstraZeneca can charge a higher price for its Covid-19 vaccine in dozens of poor countries once the pharmaceutical company decides the pandemic has ended, according to a copy of its contract with Oxford University seen by the Guardian. The British-Swedish drug firm has promised to provide the vaccine at a not-for-profit price to the developing world in perpetuity, but a review of a redacted version of its contract with Oxford University, obtained by the student advocacy group Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), found that the promise excludes many low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Among those left off the list are 34 countries classified by Unicef and the WHO as being in need of vaccine support, including Sri Lanka, Angola, Timor-Leste, Honduras, Zimbabwe and the Philippines, which could all be charged a higher price once AstraZeneca declares the Covid-19 pandemic has ended.
CureVac’s coronavirus vaccine only 47 percent effective
CureVac’s coronavirus vaccine only 47 percent effective
German company CureVac's coronavirus vaccine is far less effective than other jabs already in use, the firm said Wednesday. The company announced a 47 percent efficacy rate against all COVID-19 cases and said it "did not meet prespecified statistical success criteria" based on the second analysis of a large-scale efficacy trial. The study involved 40,000 people in 10 countries in Europe and Latin America with at least 13 coronavirus variants circulating, the company said. The "original strain" was "almost completely absent" from the trial.
Covid-19: Regeneron's antibody combination cuts deaths in seronegative patients, trial finds
Covid-19: Regeneron's antibody combination cuts deaths in seronegative patients, trial finds
Regeneron’s antibody combination treatment cut deaths in seronegative patients—meaning those who had not mounted their own antibody response to covid-19—by one fifth, the Recovery trial has found. The researchers found that for every 100 seronegative patients treated with the combination of casirivimab and imdevimab, there were six fewer deaths. They said patients admitted to hospital should now be routinely tested for antibodies to determine whether the treatment could benefit them. The two virus neutralising antibodies work by binding non-competitively to the critical receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein, thereby stopping the virus from binding to and entering human cells. Recovery, which is being carried out in 177 UK hospitals, has been evaluating potential covid-19 treatments for patients admitted to hospital. It discovered the first effective treatment for reducing mortality—dexamethasone—while also discounting others including hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma.
Covid cases in England doubling every 11 days as Delta variant takes hold
Covid cases in England doubling every 11 days as Delta variant takes hold
Covid-19 cases are rising exponentially across England driven by younger and mostly unvaccinated age groups, according to scientists. A study commissioned by the government found that infections increased by 50% between 3 May and 7 June, coinciding with the rise of the Delta coronavirus variant that is now dominant in the UK. Data from nearly 110,000 swab tests carried out across England between 20 May and 7 June suggests Covid cases are doubling every 11 days, with the highest prevalence in the north-west and one in 670 people infected.
Double-Lung Transplants Rise After Covid ‘Honeycombs’ Organs
Double-Lung Transplants Rise After Covid ‘Honeycombs’ Organs
John Micklus’s battle with Covid-19 began last Christmas and ended five weeks later with lungs so irreversibly damaged that doctors said there was nothing they could do to save him. “The doctor’s recommendation was to get my affairs in order,” Micklus said. The 62-year-old called his wife from his hospital bed in southern Maryland. She, in turn, desperately called several physicians, and eventually learned of one last option: A double-lung transplant. Micklus was transferred to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, where a rigorous assessment qualified him to receive lungs from a matched donor days later. He was discharged from the hospital on March 30, marking the center’s second successful lung transplant in a Covid survivor.
COVID-19: Home quarantine rule for travellers to UK 'just doesn't work', says Professor Neil Ferguson
COVID-19: Home quarantine rule for travellers to UK 'just doesn't work', says Professor Neil Ferguson
A home quarantine rule for travellers to the UK "just doesn't work", a top epidemiologist advising the government has warned. Professor Neil Ferguson, part of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), suggested that anything other than the tough border restrictions imposed by countries such as Australia and New Zealand was "window dressing". The government has been facing calls to scrap its "amber list" of countries, from which people returning to the UK have to quarantine for 10 days at home.
Pfizer’s arthritis drug Xeljanz shows lifesaving benefits in hospitalized COVID-19 patients
Pfizer’s arthritis drug Xeljanz shows lifesaving benefits in hospitalized COVID-19 patients
Pfizer’s BioNTech-partnered COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty may be getting all the attention these days, but the pharma giant’s anti-inflammatory drug Xeljanz just chalked up a win in treating patients hospitalized with the disease. Xeljanz reduced the risk of death or respiratory failure among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who didn’t require ventilation, according to data published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The company is now analyzing the full dataset and will assess the next steps, Tamas Koncz, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer of Pfizer Inflammation & Immunology, said in a statement Wednesday. The data come from the STOP-COVID study, which enrolled 289 hospitalized patients across 15 sites in Brazil. After 28 days of treatment, death or respiratory failure had occurred in 18.1% of patients on Xeljanz, compared with 29% for those who received placebo. All patients also received other standard-of-care treatments, including corticosteroids, which were given to nearly 90% of patients in both trial arms.
Has a 'Moscow Strain' of Coronavirus Emerged?
Has a 'Moscow Strain' of Coronavirus Emerged?
The developers of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine are studying the jab’s effectiveness against the so-called “Moscow strain” of the virus, they told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency Tuesday. Gamaleya Center head Alexander Gintsburg’s comments come as Moscow officials have sounded the alarm over the Russian capital’s surge in new infections, with reported daily cases more than doubling in the past week.
Pharma Executives Seeking Higher Immunity Are Mixing Their Covid Shots
Pharma Executives Seeking Higher Immunity Are Mixing Their Covid Shots
When it comes to their own health, some in the pharma industry aren’t waiting for governments to tell them they can mix two different Covid-19 vaccines. While research is still underway on the effects of taking mismatched shots, some people who’ve studied the science are switching up their doses to get what they claim is better protection. At least one industry veteran even crossed borders to do
Hundreds of Indonesian doctors contract Covid-19 despite Sinovac vaccination
Hundreds of Indonesian doctors contract Covid-19 despite Sinovac vaccination
More than 350 Indonesian doctors have contracted Covid-19 despite being vaccinated with Sinovac and dozens have been hospitalised, officials said, as concerns rise about the efficacy of some vaccines against more virulent virus strains. Most of the doctors were asymptomatic and self-isolating at home, said Badai Ismoyo, head of the Kudus district health office in Central Java, but dozens were in hospital with high fevers and declining oxygen saturation levels. Kudus is battling an outbreak believed to be driven by the more transmissible Delta variant which has pushed bed occupancy rates above 90 per cent in the district.
These communities remain at high risk for dangerous Covid-19 variants rapidly increasing in US, expert warns
These communities remain at high risk for dangerous Covid-19 variants rapidly increasing in US, expert warns
The U.S. continued this week on a path to reopening from the Covid-19 pandemic, with major population centers such as New York and California pulling back on restrictions following increased vaccinations and lowered infections. Yet with overall vaccination rates in the US slowing this month when compared to highs in April, health officials are raising awareness about the uneven distribution of vaccines in different parts of the country. "I'm very unconcerned for people who have been vaccinated, and I'm more concerned for people who have not been vaccinated and the communities that are largely unvaccinated," Andy Slavitt, former White House senior adviser for the Biden administration's Covid-19 response, said
COVID-19 cases 'rising exponentially' in England, study finds
COVID-19 cases 'rising exponentially' in England, study finds
COVID-19 cases are "rising exponentially" across England, with the latest estimates putting the R number at 1.44. Infections increased by 50% between 3 May and 7 June coinciding with the rise of the Delta variant, which has become dominant in the UK since first being detected in India. Delta has overtaken the Alpha (Kent) variant, and now accounts for up to 90% of coronavirus cases.
Youth, Delta variant behind UK COVID surge
Youth, Delta variant behind UK COVID surge
Two new studies look at the Delta variant (B1617) behind the UK COVID-19 surge, with the first noting that young people are helping drive the exponential growth of COVID-19 cases in England. The second study describes reduced COVID-19 vaccine and antibody efficacy against the more transmissible variant. The first study, published today on the Imperial College London preprint server, involved testing a random sample of people from across England for COVID-19 as part of the ongoing Real-Time Assessment of Community Transmission (React 1) study. The researchers showed that COVID-19 infections in England surged from May 20 to Jun 7, with a doubling time of 11 days and an estimated R (reproductive) number of 1.44. Doubling time is the number of days before coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, or deaths doubled, and R indicates how many people, on average, catch the virus from an infected person.
Africa's COVID-19 surge picks up speed
Africa's COVID-19 surge picks up speed
Africa is in the middle of a full-blown third surge of COVID-19, with cases already near the peak of its first wave, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office warned today, as she pressed countries on the continent to step up their public health measures. In other developments — and with much of the world struggling with scarce vaccine supplies — Germany-based CureVac yesterday reported disappointing efficacy findings for its mRNA COVID vaccine.