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Giving COVID a third blow is like ‘giving extra life jackets while others drown,’ WHO scientist said – as United States announces plans to begin month-long deployment next.
The Delta variant is now dominant in the country, and while the we will begin by administering tertiary doses to healthcare workers, nursing home residents and the elderly, guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says all double-vaccinated people should receive a third dose – although at at least eight months after their second.
This applies to people who have had Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine, although officials say those who have received a “single” dose of Johnson and Johnson jab may also be boosted.
Several US agencies have reported that protection in people with a double bite wanes after about six months, and that boosters can help.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised against administering third doses, saying it is more important to get the first and second doses to countries with lower immunization rates to fight the disease. pandemic.
The British government has announced plans for third booster doses to increase protection before winter.
WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan says the data she has seen does not support the need for a third dose.
The organization’s executive director, Dr Michael Ryan, said: “The reality is right now today, if we think of it in terms of analogy, we are planning to distribute additional life vests to people who already have life jackets, while we I let the others drown without a single life jacket. “
Number of coronavirus in the United States is increasing, with parts of the country also having low vaccine use.
About 51% of the US population is fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, 962,852 new cases and 5,151 deaths were recorded last week, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In Mississippi, two field hospitals have been set up to deal with a growing number of patients infected with the virus. Only 34% of the state’s population has been vaccinated.
There are also feuds between states and schools in parts of the United States over “mask warrants” – the requirement to wear a mask.
In Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey is threatening to withdraw funding from educators who force students to wear masks.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has also tried to ban the warrants.
In Dallas it has been reported that there were no more intensive care beds for children.
Dr Carissa Etienne of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said today that the Delta variant is now dominant in North America.
She added that while cases had declined in most parts of South America over the past week, they had increased by a third in the United States and half in Canada.
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