The United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had a meeting on Monday 30 August 2021 in which its committee was informed that there has not been much drop in the efficacy of the vaccines as protection against Covid-19.
The White House has, meanwhile, announced the distribution of the booster dose of vaccines from September 2021 onwards, subject to approval from the CDC and the food and drug Administration (FDA). The CDC discussed the booster dose but did not vote on it.
Covid-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Not Dropped Much
Dr. Sara Oliver from the CDC informed the press that the existing vaccines provide 39% to 84% protection against mild infection from the Sars-COV-2 virus but greater protection of 75% to 95% against hospitalization. She admitted that the immaterial of the make of vaccine, the degree of protection is less against infection and mild illness and added that the reducing effect over time and the Delta variant were both causes for this reduced effectivity against mild infection.
A study in the United States has suggested that the effect of the vaccine is reducing in elders of age 75 years and above. The three companies manufacturing vaccines for the United States are Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson. All three companies are studying the effects of the booster doses of their vaccines for added protection against the Delta variant of the Sars-COV-2 virus.
The United States government has already allowed the booster doses of the vaccine to be given to people with weakened immune systems and is asking for clearance for use on all people. The CDC is, however, waiting for the results of the trials being conducted by all three vaccine manufacturers. White House officials mentioned Israel already administering booster doses to its people including children from the ages of 12 years and above who had been vaccinated 5 months ago. The White House officials said they wanted the United States to be ahead of any developments in the pandemic.
Officials from The Technion Israel Institute of Technology mentioned in a published report on 30 August 2021 that their study demonstrates the effectiveness of giving a third booster vaccine dose in not only reducing chances of transmission and severe disease but also preventing a resurgence of the Delta variant of the Sars- COV-2 virus. The research team from Israel admitted that it is difficult to account for differences in a real-world scenario.
The CDC confirmed in its Monday meeting that it has endorsed the approval for the Pfizer vaccine given by the Food and drug administration (FDA) under the Biologics License Application (BLA) approval.
The Governors of five of the southern states had barred mask mandates in Schools and had gone to the extent of threatening to withdraw state funding are now facing flak as the United States education Department has opened a civil probe against these five states.
The CDC has reported on 31 August 2021 that 182,622 Americans have died from Covid-19 infection since the beginning of the pandemic. An NCHS report showed a small fraction to have died directly from Covid-19 and the other with other diseases already prevalent in them and these were termed as comorbidities. Dr. Myron Cohen, a Director in an institution at the University of North Carolina, explains that advancing age and other diseases lead to adverse outcomes in people getting infected with Covid-19. The director, however, points out that these people would not have died but for Covid-19.
Studies are continuing and it remains to be seen how effective the booster dose of the vaccines proves to be in the ongoing battle against the pandemic.
