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AVAC's weekly COVID News Brief provides a curated perspective on what COVID news is worth your time.
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"The moment for high-income nations to come to the aid of Africa, a continent they depend on for an abundance of human and natural resources, has almost passed…. Let me say this as an African: our world as we know it is on the brink; we face massive death tolls, and the collapse of economies and nations. What is the real meaning of humanity? For all lives to be given the same value, irrespective of geography or economy."
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Latest Global Stats
July 30, 2021
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Global Documented Cases
196,847,238
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Global Reported Deaths
4,203,020
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People Fully Vaccinated
1,103,030,036
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As the Delta variant continues to push COVID rates up across the globe, vaccination rates remain low in many countries and communities. Just over 14 percent of the global population has been fully vaccinated and the majority of those vaccinated continues to be clustered in high income counties.
Dr. Mosoka Fallah, the former director-general of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia writes in Nature (UK), “As I write, mass fatalities from COVID-19 have begun in Africa. Overall, only 1.1 percent of people in low-income countries have received at least one vaccine dose. In my own Liberia, the proportion of people who have had both doses is just 0.18 percent. Recorded cases in the country jumped by 144 percent between 1 June and 21 July. This is probably an undercount…. My social media used to be alive with wishes for happy birthdays and anniversaries. Now it is inundated with ‘rest in peace’. The moment for high-income nations to come to the aid of Africa, a continent they depend on for an abundance of human and natural resources, has almost passed…. Let me say this as an African: our world as we know it is on the brink; we face massive death tolls, and the collapse of economies and nations. What is the real meaning of humanity? For all lives to be given the same value, irrespective of geography or economy.”
If You Are in a Hurry
- Read about the young researchers who built a system to catalog and name the mutations of SARS-CoV-2, the most watched virus in history in MIT Technology Review.
- Read a Reuters Foundation story on efforts to green PPE.
- Read the New York Times on a leaked CDC document that outlines growing concerns about the Delta variant.
- Read about Tanzania’s new vaccination program in Face2Face Africa.
- Read Science on the superpower of mRNA vaccines.
- Read Dr. Mosoka Fallah’s commentary in Nature to understand what’s at stake in Africa and the world.
Dangers of Delta
The New York Times (US) reports, “The Delta variant is much more contagious, more likely to break through protections afforded by the vaccines and may cause more severe disease than all other known versions of the virus, according to an internal presentation circulated within the [CDC]…. The Delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu and smallpox, and it is as contagious as chickenpox, according to the document…”
STAT (US) reports, “Federal health officials advised Tuesday that even people who’ve had their COVID-19 shots wear masks in public indoor settings in areas with widespread transmission of the coronavirus, a major setback in the progress in the US epidemic that reflects a surging variant and the country’s ongoing struggles to increase vaccination rates…. [This] comes as the Delta variant—the most transmissible version of the pathogen yet, by far—is igniting outbreaks and driving hospitalizations up in states with low vaccination rates, like Missouri, Arkansas, and Florida. The variant is responsible for seemingly increasing numbers of breakthrough infections."
Yahoo News (US) reports, “The coronavirus could be just a few mutations away from evading existing COVID-19 vaccines, according to the head of the [CDC]…, ‘These vaccines operate really well in protecting us from severe disease and death, but the big concern is that the next variant that might emerge—just a few mutations potentially away—could potentially evade our vaccines,’ CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said…. The CDC announced Tuesday that people infected with Delta—vaccinated or unvaccinated—have higher viral loads (meaning they carry greater amounts of virus) compared to other versions of coronavirus. That means even vaccinated people could pass the virus along to others similarly to how unvaccinated people do.”
CNBC (US) reports, “A handful of the country’s most influential tech companies are responding to rising COVID-19 cases by delaying return-to-office plans, mandating employees get the vaccine and shutting down offices altogether.”
Vaccine Mandates
AP (US) reports that in the US, “The nation’s millions of federal workers will be required to verify they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else face mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and other new rules, the Biden administration announced Thursday….’ It’s a pandemic of the unvaccinated,’ President Joe Biden said in a White House address. Then he repeated it with emotion in his voice. ‘People are dying who don’t have to die.’”
Activst Zackie Achmet writes for GroundUp (South Africa), “Infectious illnesses such as HIV are not transmitted through casual contact, whereas COVID-19 is a contagious disease that is transmitted through casual contact. Therefore, COVID is a notifiable illness and the health authorities have extensive powers based on a rational limitation of certain fundamental rights such as privacy and freedom of movement…. Refusal by a person to take a vaccine when there is no medical reason to do so affects the rights to life, health, dignity, safe work environment, education, safe worship and socialising of other people.
Long COVID
SFGate (US) reports on a NEJM study from Isreal that “provides a rough estimate on the odds of a vaccinated person getting case of ‘long COVID’ from a breakthrough infection. The study of 1,497 vaccinated health care workers…sought to figure out how many breakthrough infections led to symptoms that lasted more than six weeks. Of the 1,497, just 39 got infected, and of those 39, seven developed an infection where symptoms, including headaches, muscle pain, loss of taste and smell and fatigue, lasted longer than six weeks. None of the seven required hospitalization.
CNN (US) reports, “Researchers with an international consortium looking to understand the long-term consequences of COVID-19 on the central nervous system are finding memory issues and biological markers similar to those seen in Alzheimer's disease patients. Both diseases have been marked by inflammation of the brain…. [researchers] studied more than 200 adults 60 and older from Argentina who were infected with COVID-19…. Three to six months after they were infected, more than half of the patients still struggled with forgetfulness and about a quarter experienced additional cognitive challenges. How sick a patient was with COVID-19 was not an indicator of whether they would experience cognitive decline.”
Booster Shots
While most of the world remains unvaccinated, some countries are beginning to discuss booster shots. Times of Israel (Israel) reports Israelis age 60 and over are set to begin getting booster shots. “Israel is among the first in the world to offer a third dose of a coronavirus vaccine—Hungary has also said it would begin rolling out booster shots beginning Sunday, joining Turkey, which adopted the measure earlier this month. The American Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve third doses. Israel’s decision came amid a struggle to contain a recent wave of coronavirus infections that has seen case numbers rocket from just dozens a day a month ago, to a daily caseload of over 2,000 this week.”
CNBC (US) reports, “Dr. Kate O’Brien, the WHO’s director of immunization, vaccines and biologicals, said the organization is still researching whether a booster shot is needed to increase protection against highly contagious mutations of the coronavirus…. ‘We’re very clear on this, there’s not enough information to provide a recommendation at this point,’ O’Brien said in a Q&A interview posted on the organization’s social media accounts. ‘Again, this is a very hot topic, and there’s a lot of research going on to be able to provide an evidence-based recommendation,’ she said.”
Africa Death Rates Surge as More Vaccines Promised
Times Live (South Africa) reports, “By Thursday, the Africa CDC reported that 167,181 people had died of COVID-19—the death rate has gone up 17 percent during the past month—and 6,6-million had been infected. A third wave of infections is being experienced by 31 African countries (56 percent), with Botswana and Ghana among the latest to be hit by rising numbers… WHO Africa director Dr Matshidiso Moeti [said]….’ Remarkable progress has been made with respect to acquiring the 220-million doses of vaccines (secured by AVATT, the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team) and then even moving into the [target of] 400-million doses’…. ‘We anticipate the first eight million will be rolled out in coming days to members states,” said [Africa CDC’s] Nkengasong…. Nkengasong urged countries making donations to Africa to ensure the vaccines have a shelf life of at least three to four months…. Planning and capacity are critical in the rollout, said Moeti. ‘Going from a kind of a drought to a flood which is uncoordinated would be one of the worst-case scenarios, which we need to avoid.’”
VOA reports, “The Africa CDC blames the increased deaths on virus-spreading events like the recent looting in South Africa and the celebration of Eid al-Hajj, the end of the Muslim pilgrimage in Mecca. It also blames the delta variant, the most contagious form of coronavirus, which has spread across the globe in recent weeks. The continent's public health agency was happy that some African countries like South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya have managed to limit the virus while allowing economic activities to go on…. ‘With the expected influx of vaccines, it's crucial that countries scale up all the aspects of vaccine rollout to reach as many people as possible,’ [WHO’s] Moeti said. ‘This entails mobilizing adequate resources including finances for the vaccination activities, for the logistics and for the personnel as well as addressing any concerns by communities including those fueled by misinformation to increase vaccine confidence and demand.’”
Tanzania Begins Vaccination
Face2Face Africa (US) reports, “Tanzanians are being actively urged to get COVID-19 vaccines, marking a significant shift in policy for one of Africa’s most populous nations. The vaccination campaign is a U-turn from the former president’s COVID skepticism, and a vaccination campaign begins. The new President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, who recently received her jab, is at the forefront of the campaign.”
Antibody Level Predicts Probability of Breakthrough Infection
Nature (UK) reports on a NEJM study from Israel: “People fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are less likely to become infected with the coronavirus if they have relatively high levels of virus-blocking antibodies, according to a study of thousands of health-care workers who received the Pfizer–BioNTech jab…. The analysis adds to a growing body of evidence that a person’s levels of ‘neutralizing’ antibodies, which block SARS-CoV-2 from infecting cells, predict whether that person will become infected.”
Antibodies After Natural Infection
Contagion Live (US) reports on a study published in the journal Nature Communications that “found that antibody levels remain high for at least 9 months after an infection with SARS-CoV-2, no matter if the individual was symptomatic or asymptomatic…. ‘We found no evidence that antibody levels between symptomatic and asymptomatic infections differ significantly, suggesting that the strength of the immune response does not depend on the symptoms and the severity of the infection,’ Ilaria Dorigatti, lead author on the study said.”
Side Effects and Second Doses
Reuters (UK) reports “AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine carries a small extra risk of rare blood clots with low platelets after the first dose and no extra risk after the second, a study led and funded by the drugmaker showed on Wednesday, after worries over side-effects.” The study was published in The Lancet.
MSN (US) reports, “AstraZeneca said it intends to seek full regulatory approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for its COVID-19 vaccine in the second half of this year, forgoing the option to be approved for emergency use only.”
Cemeteries Filling Up
Daily Maverick (South Africa) reports on the increase in burials in 2020 and 2021 in one of Cape Town’s largest cemeteries. “Any open spaces are quickly filling up and the cemetery is now marked by row after row of thousands of fresh graves topped by wooden crosses. A number are squeezed in between the shoulder of the cemetery’s service roads and ageing tombstones. All these crosses have one thing in common—they bear the years 2020 or 2021.”
Vaccinating Children
Contagion Live (US) reports, “The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required COVID-19 mRNA vaccine developers expand their ongoing pediatric clinical trials to now include children aged 5-11 years old, in order to evidence potential risk of rare adverse events including myocarditis and pericarditis, according to a report Monday. The requirement sent to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna includes an expectation of 3000 children from this age group included in the companies’ assessments of two-dose mRNA vaccines….”
Malaria mRNA Vax Planned
DW (Germany) reports the BioNTech founder has “announced his company would now also focus on a malaria vaccine. They hope to get into clinical trials by the end of the 2022.”
Greener PPE
Reuters Foundation (UK) reports on efforts to green PPE. “From surgical masks and gloves to disposable hospital gowns and aprons, the COVID-19 pandemic is creating a mountain of plastic medical waste that is polluting the land and sea – alarming doctors and environmentalists alike…. The United Nations estimates about 75 percent of plastic generated by the pandemic - including medical waste and packaging from home deliveries during lockdowns—will likely end up in landfills or the sea.” The story profiles people making reusable PPE for hospitals and those who are looking at ways to recycle PPE.
Keeping Track of Variants
MIT Technology Review (US) looks at the efforts to catalog and name the mutations of SARS-CoV-2. “As the number of COVID sequences spiraled, researchers trying to study them were forced to create entirely new infrastructure and standards on the fly. A universal naming system has been one of the most important elements of this effort: without it, scientists would struggle to talk to each other about how the virus’s descendants are traveling and changing—either to flag up a question or, even more critically, to sound the alarm…. It’s important to remember, though, that no system has ever dealt with such a deluge of data on how viruses morph. COVID has become the most-watched virus of all time. It’s also the first-time scientists have been able to see exactly how the virus changes as it moves between countries.”
mRNA Vaccine Superpower
Science (US) reports, “for public health experts trying to halt a global pandemic, shutting down even the mildest infections is also crucial, especially as the highly infectious Delta variant surges in scores of countries. By that measure, according to a brace of new studies, the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from the Pfizer-BioNTech collaboration and Moderna stand out…. Many scientists suspect the mRNA vaccines outperform others at preventing infection because of the high levels of virus-blocking antibodies, called neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), that they generate.”
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