Lockdown diaries - COVID-19 matters!

[Hooked]

Pfizer's child-sized vaccine fails to produce expected immunity in younger kids; company adds third dose to trials
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/17/health/pfizer-vaccine-children/index.html
17 Dec. 2021

"Vaccine maker Pfizer said Friday that trials of its vaccine in children ages 2 to 5 show that it did not provide the expected immunity in kids this age, and it is adding a third dose to the regimen.

The company decided to add the third dose for all children and babies ages 6 months to 5 years after its independent outside advisers took a look at the data so far.

It showed that two child-sized doses of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine were not producing the expected immunity in the 2- to 5-year-olds, although they were doing so for the babies up to age 2.

So the company said it would "amend" the trial to add a third dose. "The study will now include evaluating a third dose of 3 micrograms at least two months after the second dose of the two-dose series to provide high levels of protection in this young age group," it said..."

 

[Grand Guru]

 

[Adephi]

View attachment 246684View attachment 246685

It's interesting that the total tests done keeps going down. One would have thought with the costs that was lowered the tests would increase.

The positivity rate is still a problem.

 

[Adephi]

This graph looks promising.

 

[Adephi]

This graph doesn't..

 

[Dela Rey Steyn]

It's interesting that the total tests done keeps going down. One would have thought with the costs that was lowered the tests would increase.

The positivity rate is still a problem.

@Adephi & @Grand Guru, did you guys see the MAC advisory on Contact tracing and quarantine?

 

[Adephi]

@Adephi & @Grand Guru, did you guys see the MAC advisory on Contact tracing and quarantine?

Nope. But I haven't been spending much time on watching news these last few days.

 

[Adephi]

 

[Grand Guru]

I didn't see it either @Dela Rey Steyn. Anything interesting?

 

[Grand Guru]

US man was kicked off a flight for wearing red thong on his face instead of a face mask

https://www.businessinsider.co.za/man-kicked-off-flight-for-wearing-thong-instead-face-mask-2021-12

 

[DarthBranMuffin]

 

[Grand Guru]

 

[Adephi]

@Adephi & @Grand Guru, did you guys see the MAC advisory on Contact tracing and quarantine?

Covid-19: Stop tracing and quarantining of contacts, says Ministerial Advisory Committee

https://www.news24.com/news24/south...-says-ministerial-advisory-committee-20211219

• MAC says the tracing and quarantining of contacts of Covid-19 cases is no longer necessary.

• In a memo to Health Minister Joe Phaahla, it said the proportion of people with immunity to Covid-19 had risen substantially.

• It added that quarantining of contacts was no longer viable in the current social and economic climate.

 

[Hooked]

 

[Hooked]

Rules are changing, and your medical aid likely won't pay for vitamins if you get Covid-19
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/m...and-supplements-in-covid-19-treatment-2021-12
20 Dec. 2021

• Doctors in South Africa are still prescribing supplements such as zinc and vitamin D for Covid-19 patients, but increasingly, medical aids aren't paying for them.
• South African health authorities say there is no clear evidence they help. Some experts say they do harm at least by wasting money.
• That was not always the case, earlier in the pandemic. Which is why the likes of Discovery Health used to pay for supplements.
• There is still a chance your scheme will pay for vitamins, but you may need your doctor to make a strong case for them.

 

[Grand Guru]

Other countries have stopped offering free tests for unvaccinated people. It's a good approach to push people to get the jab.

 

[Adephi]

Other countries have stopped offering free tests for unvaccinated people. It's a good approach to push people to get the jab.

It's just going to stop them from doing the test. They also believe the test is a hoax.

The need to increase medical aid contributions or they need to pay a reasonable amount for their hospitalisation.

 

[Grand Guru]

It's just going to stop them from doing the test. They also believe the test is a hoax.

The need to increase medical aid contributions or they need to pay a reasonable amount for their hospitalisation.

That measure was after imposing the health pass (either proof of immunization or a negative test etc.)... We are still very far behind.

 

[Grand Guru]

 

[Adephi]

 

[Grand Guru]

 

[Grand Guru]

Things are looking better in Gauteng. KZN and WC are seriously on the rise

 

[Hooked]

Things are looking better in Gauteng. KZN and WC are seriously on the rise

View attachment 246901

Yes, because the Gautengers are on holiday now in KZN and WC. Omicron was part of their carry-on luggage

 

[Adephi]

 

[Rob Fisher]

From my daily email update from the Daily Brew!
https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/r...a02e2b856b7c2a83&uid=7QT4eVhtpUQdPbSsH9WFVFyM

It’s probably not a coincidence that on the same day the new Matrix is released we get great news about pills.

Yesterday, the FDA authorized the use of Pfizer’s antiviral pill for people infected with Covid. The pill is the first Covid treatment made available outside of the hospital, and, because of the convenience factor and low cost, experts say it’ll be a game-changer for limiting the number of Covid deaths.

How does it work? People ages 12 and up deemed most at risk of hospitalization can take the drug orally at home within five days of developing Covid symptoms. If they do, a visit to the ER will likely be unnecessary: A key study showed that the pill, called Paxlovid, reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 88% in vulnerable, unvaccinated patients.

• Even better, Paxlovid has also been shown to be highly effective against Omicron.

Big picture: Covid pills like Paxlovid (and another from Merck, which is also due for FDA clearance) aren’t considered replacements for vaccines. And early supplies of Paxlovid will be limited until Pfizer can accelerate production. Still, one of the best Christmas presents we could’ve hoped for is a drug that protects the most vulnerable people from the worst effects of Covid.

Here’s what else is happening in the world of Omicron
Is Omicron less severe? Could be. People infected with Omicron in South Africa are 80% less likely to be hospitalized than those infected with other Covid strains, a new study found yesterday. Other data from Scotland showed that the risk of hospitalization from Omicron was two-thirds lower than from Delta. Researchers cautioned that Omicron could still lead to overwhelmed hospitals just by the sheer number of people it infects.

Shorter isolation time in the UK: People who test positive for Covid in the UK could leave quarantine in seven days as opposed to the previously required 10, the British health minister said yesterday. But to get out of isolation in the shorter timeframe, you need to pop negative lateral flow tests (aka rapid tests) on two consecutive days. Btw, the US is also considering reducing quarantine times for people with breakthrough cases.