Europe considers new COVID-19 strategy: accepting the virus
MADRID (AP) — When the coronavirus pandemic was first declared, Spaniards were ordered to stay home for more than three months. For weeks, they were not allowed outside even for exercise. Children were banned from playgrounds, and the economy virtually stopped.
But officials credited the draconian measures with preventing a full collapse of the health system. Lives were saved, they argued.
Now, almost two years later, Spain is preparing to adopt a different COVID-19 playbook. With one of Europe’s highest vaccination rates and its most pandemic-battered economies, the government is laying the groundwork to treat the next infection surge not as an emergency but an illness that is here to stay. Similar steps are under consideration in neighboring Portugal and in Britain.
England is ending covid vaccine passports and national mask requirements saying both are no longer necessary.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 19, 2022
MRNA Boosters DO NOT Block, Study Shows…
(Bloomberg) — Booster shots with messenger RNA vaccines such as those made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE failed to block omicron in a study of some of the first documented breakthrough cases caused by the highly contagious variant. Seven German visitors to Cape Town experienced symptomatic Covid-19 infections between late November and early December despite being boosted, the researchers, whose
Prior infections provide BEST protection…
According to a new CDC study released Wednesday, both prior infection and vaccination provided protection against COVID-19 infection and hospitalization, but rates were lower among previously infected than they were among vaccinated.
The study, however, has a few caveats, as reported by The Hill. It was conducted in California and New York before and during the period when delta was the main variant, but data ends in November before omicron took over.
The study was also conducted before most people had received boosters.