BioPrepWatch

In an opinion published Friday, the High Authority for Health (HAS) recommended further reducing the time between two doses of the vaccine in order to speed up vaccination. It also calls for the mandatory vaccination of all professionals who come into contact with people at risk.

To stem the spread of the delta variant, the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) in turn recommends significantly accelerating the vaccination rate in France. For this purpose, it publishes a list of recommendations aimed at “adapting the vaccine strategy” against this infectious strain of the virus, while The government is now considering compulsory vaccination of caregivers.

Among these, the HAS recommends, for example, that consideration be given “without delay to the obligation of vaccination for all professionals who interact with people at risk”. The FDA also recommends reducing the interval between two doses of the vaccine to the minimum recommended time.

“The vaccination must continue at a high rate and be intensified in order to quickly ensure optimal vaccination coverage of the population, consistent with the continued lifting of restrictions and necessary to ensure the protection of the most vulnerable groups,” the SHA wrote in its published press release.

Preferred mRNA vaccines

In its press release, HAS notes that a “full vaccination schedule is necessary to ensure optimal efficacy of vaccination,” and that “unvaccinated persons contribute disproportionately to transmission of the virus,” because an unvaccinated person has a 12 times greater likelihood of transmitting the virus than a vaccinated person.

In order to reduce this risk, health authorities recommend that people starting the vaccination process “prefer the use of mRNA vaccines with an interval of 3 to 4 weeks between the two doses,” ie, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna, “the best level of efficacy for preventing not only serious and accidental forms but Also against the transmission of the virus.

For people over 55 years of age who have so far only received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the SHA recommends “preferring the use of the mRNA vaccine in the second dose” starting 4 weeks after the first.

In its opinion released earlier on Friday, the Scientific Council recommended “make vaccination mandatory for caregivers”. The Council expressed its concern about the vaccination coverage rate, which is still “too low, among medical and social workers who deal with the elderly and/or disabled in nursing homes, specialized institutions or in the city,” stressing that “only 40 percent of workers In nursing homes, public or private, they will be vaccinated with great regional variation.”

Georgetown University researchers said that five regions of the United States that are not adequately vaccinated could put the entire nation at risk. the fear COVID-19 It can mutate a lot in these areas, and it can defeat vaccines.

The analyze Georgetown University researchers found five large clusters in the south and south midwest of the United States, including parts of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and New Mexico.

The Biden administration is sounding the alarm about the rapid increase in delta variables, which are becoming more prevalent than previously assumed.

“To be clear, the increase in cases among unvaccinated Americans is likely to continue,” said Jeff Zentes, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator.

A study published Thursday in Nature reports that taking just one dose of the vaccine offers little protection against the delta variant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 million people in the United States received just one injection and 140 million were not vaccinated, putting 45% of the country’s population at risk.

In Missouri, the delta variant accounts for 73% of new COVID cases, according to the CDC. In Texas, a youth camp near Austin could be the last major popular event in the country. More than 100 cases have been confirmed, and officials fear the number may eventually exceed 200.

Dr. said. Philip Keizer, Galveston County Local Health Service.

At Houston Methodist Hospital, the delta variant is responsible for 42% of new cases. The hospital expects the delta variant to account for 90% of cases in the next two to three weeks.

Dr. said. Wesley Long, MD, director of medical microbiology at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, said those most at risk who live in areas with low vaccination should take precautions.

“If you are older or have someone with an underlying medical condition, you may want to add extra protection by wearing a mask when indoors,” he said Thursday.