Vaccines

Three separate teams of scientists on two continents have found that Omicron infections more often result in mild illness than earlier variants of the coronavirus, offering hope that the current surge may not be quite as catastrophic as feared despite skyrocketing caseloads.

The researchers examined Omicron’s course through populations in South Africa, Scotland and England. The results in each setting, while still preliminary, all suggested that the variant was less likely to send people in hospitals.

“Given that this is everywhere and given that it’s going to be so transmissible, anything that would lower severity is going to be better,” said Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at Emory University in Atlanta.

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Supreme Court announces it will hear challenges to vaccine mandates in early January

Wed, 2021-12-22 20:05 — mike kraft

Supreme Court to hear challenges to vaccine mandates in early January The Supreme Court will hear legal challenges to the Biden administration's employer vaccine mandates next month, the justices announced Wednesday night, setting a rapid schedule for the cases. Harper Neidig TheHill

The Supreme Court will hear legal challenges to the Biden administration's employer vaccine mandates next month, the justices announced Wednesday night, setting a rapid schedule for the cases.

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mRNA booster shots provide 'significant increase' in protection against Omicron -- new Danish study

Wed, 2021-12-22 17:40 — mike kraft

'Significant increase' in protection vs Omicron from mRNA boosters, study says Getting a third dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech's or Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine offers a "significant increase" in protection against the Omicron variant in elderly people, according to a Danish study published on Wednesday. Reuters Reuters

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Israel to offer fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people over 60

Tue, 2021-12-21 17:48 — mike kraft

Israel set to offer fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people over 60 Israel announced on Tuesday that it will offer a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to people older than 60, amid concern about the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Reuters Reuters

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New U.S. polls says very large majority of unvaccinated say omicron doesn't make them more likely to get vaccinated

Tue, 2021-12-21 17:29 — mike kraft

Large majority of unvaccinated say omicron doesn't make them more A vast majority of unvaccinated respondents in a Kaiser Family Foundation poll said the omicron variant doesn’t make them more likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine, signaling significant obstacles to Justine Coleman TheHill

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Analysis: What has been learned so far about the Omicron variant

Tue, 2021-12-21 10:36 — mike kraft

The omicron variant is surging. Here’s what we’ve learned so far Omicron is better at evading virus-attacking antibodies than previous variants, but there are signs booster shots might help curb symptoms. Erin Garcia de Jesus Science News

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Analysis: Rising cases, Omicron highlight holes in Biden's COVID strategy, experts say

Mon, 2021-12-20 13:47 — mike kraft

Analysis: Rising cases, Omicron highlight holes in Biden's COVID strategy, experts say Amid a new surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, President Joe Biden is drawing criticism from health experts, who are calling for more urgency, testing, masking and global vaccine sharing. Jeff Mason Reuters

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U.S. SUgeron General says there will be a "stark difference" between the experience of those who are vaccinated and boosted versus those who are unvaccinated.

Mon, 2021-12-20 12:31 — mike kraft

U.S. surgeon general "worried" about unvaccinated people amid Omicron spread and COVID testing rush

(CBS) As COVID-19 infections continue to rise ahead of the holidays, experts are warning that there are tough days ahead in the fight against the virus — especially for those who are still unvaccinated.

The average number of new daily cases has nearly doubled since the beginning of November, with the U.S. now averaging 156,000 cases a day. On top of that, the fast-spreading Omicron variant has now been detected in all but five states.

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