Tag: herd immunity

Why Scientists Are Very Worried About the Variant From Brazil

An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: New coronavirus variants seem to be cropping up everywhere. There’s one from the U.K., which is more contagious and already circulating in the United States. There’s one from South Africa, which is forcing Moderna and Pfizer to reformulate their COVID-19 vaccines and create “booster” shots, just to make sure the vaccines maintain their…

Large parts of Africa may not get covid-19 vaccines for several years

Many African countries applied for covid-19 vaccines through the COVAX initiative, but lack of funding could leave them without enough vaccines to reach herd immunity until 2024 Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2263976-large-parts-of-africa-may-not-get-covid-19-vaccines-for-several-years/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Many Formerly-Skeptical Americans are Now Eager to Get Covid-19 Vaccines

The New York Times reports:
Ever since the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine began last spring, upbeat announcements were stalked by ominous polls: No matter how encouraging the news, growing numbers of people said they would refuse to get the shot… But over the past few weeks, as the vaccine went from a hypothetical to a reality, something happened. Fresh surveys…

New strain of Covid-19 explained

A new strain of the virus that causes Covid-19 appears to be spreading fast in the the UK. Why it matters that the coronavirus is changing, and what it means for vaccine effectiveness. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/new-strain-of-covid-19-explained…

It is bad science to say covid-19 infections will create herd immunity

The Great Barrington Declaration says we should open up society to the coronavirus, but its assumption that herd immunity will result from letting most people get covid-19 is unscientific and irresponsible, says Graham Lawton Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2257258-it-is-bad-science-to-say-covid-19-infections-will-create-herd-immunity/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Harvard, Oxford, Stanford Docs Among Leaders of Global Anti-Lockdown Movement

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Mercury News: Doctors at Stanford University are at the forefront of a global movement of health experts who are criticizing lockdowns to control COVID-19 and say schools and businesses should reopen, but with a focus on protecting the elderly and infirm who are most vulnerable to the virus. Called the Great Barrington Declaration…

In Brazil’s Amazon a COVID-19 Resurgence Dashes Herd Immunity Hopes

Anthony Boadle, reporting for Reuters: […] In April and May, so many Manaus residents were dying from COVID-19 that its hospitals collapsed and cemeteries could not dig graves fast enough. The city never imposed a full lockdown. Non-essential businesses were closed but many simply ignored social distancing guidelines. Then in June, deaths unexpectedly plummeted. Public health experts wondered whether so many…

With the Most Deaths In 150 Years, Sweden Reveals New COVID-19 Test-and-Trace Strategy

AleRunner writes: In the first half of 2020, Sweden has recorded its highest death total in 150 years. “In total, 51,405 Swedes died in the six-month period, a higher number than in any year since 1869, when 55,431 people died, partly as a result of a famine,” reports The Guardian. In what may be a reaction to this failure, which makes…

Has herd immunity really been achieved in some places?

Despite the claims that some places including pockets of London and New York have reached herd immunity to the coronavirus, the picture is far more complex Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24732964-000-has-herd-immunity-really-been-achieved-in-some-places/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…