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Added on the 27/04/2022 11:09:24 - Copyright : France 24 EN
Shortly after taking the presidential oath of office, US President Joe Biden tells Americans to come together as one nation in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, adding, "We're entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus." SOUNDBITE
New COVID-19 infections have soared in Los Angeles County, with about one in five residents who get tested receiving positive results. In just over a month, the county doubled its number of infections, climbing from about 400,000 cases on November 30 to more than 800,000 cases on January 2. According to CNN, the deluge of cases has translated to a surge of COVID-19 patients, overwhelming hospitals. Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer says every 15 minutes, one person dies from COVID-19. The situation has become so dire that LA County ambulance crews have been told not to take patients with little chance of survival to hospitals.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed who should be next in line to receive the recently released vaccine against COVID-19. The CDC said Sunday that frontline essential workers and people 75 and older should be next in line for coronavirus vaccines. Business Insider reports the US should have enough shots to complete the first two phases of vaccinations by sometime in February of 2021. Healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities have already started receiving their shots. The third round should go to those ages 65 to 74, those ages 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions, and any remaining unvaccinated essential worker.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo thinks one vaccine could receive FDA emergency authorization. Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine is the one he was alluding to on Thursday. An independent advisory panel will vote on whether to recommend an emergency use authorization. Several top health officials have said they expect the vaccine to get authorized on Thursday. However, at least one FDA official has said the process could take up to a week after the panel's vote.
Russia is in an uproar after a health official said people shouldn't drink alcohol two weeks before and six weeks after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Business Insider, there's no evidence that alcohol consumption is linked to Sputnik V's vaccine efficacy--or any other vaccine's efficacy. However, booze has been found to weaken the immune system. There is a waiting period of 21 days between the first and second Sputnik V shots. Having a strong immune system is especially important during a pandemic, so it may be wise to cut back on alcohol for that reason. The Russians have yet to release their complete, peer-reviewed data from phase 1 and 2 trials of Sputnik V, creating an air of secrecy around the vaccine.
A new study reveals a COVID-19 vaccine under development in England safely promotes an immune response against the virus. According to UPI, the vaccine is in Phase 2 of clinical trials with Astra Zeneca, and is particularly effective in elderly recipients who are over age 70. Researchers say the finding of the 'robust' responses in older people in their study is both significant and encouraging. The populations at greatest risk of serious COVID-19 disease include people with existing health conditions and older adults. The so-called "Oxford vaccine," formally known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is one of more than 120 being evaluated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, 48 of these vaccines have gotten into clinical trials to assess their safety and efficacy.