Tag Archives: Delta Variant

The New York Times reports: As concerns grow over a rise in coronavirus cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, Germany will offer vaccine booster shots to older people and people with underlying health conditions starting in September, according to a draft plan that is expected to be announced on Monday. The issue of booster shots has been hotly …

Gallup reports: In a dramatic shift from last month, more Americans now say the coronavirus situation in the U.S. is getting worse (45%) rather than better (40%). In June, a record 89% said the situation was getting better, while only 3% said it was getting worse. The current survey marks the first time since January that more U.S. adults have …

“I think maybe I’m trying to look on the bright side of this. What’s the silver lining of this is that people are waking up to this. “And this may be a tipping point for those who have been hesitant to say, ‘OK, it’s time,’ I hope that’s what’s happening. “That’s what desperately needs to happen if we’re going to …

“Anyone who’s not vaccinated and who did not have COVID previously, the Delta variant is so contagious that you’re going to get it. It is just a matter of time. “If you have prior immunity you do have some protection, but more and more data are telling us that that protection is not so good against Delta. “Remember, you can …

The Washington Post reports: The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal federal health document that argues officials must “acknowledge the war has changed.” It captures the struggle of the nation’s top public health agency to persuade the public to embrace vaccination and …

The Hill reports: Two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are 88 percent effective against the delta variant, according to a new study. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday from researchers at Public Health England, offers reassurance about the effectiveness of the vaccines against the delta variant. The 88 percent effectiveness against the delta …

CNN reports: The more contagious Delta variant of coronavirus now makes up 83% of sequenced samples in the United States, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday. “This is a dramatic increase, up from 50% for the week of July 3,” Walensky said in a Senate committee hearing. Health experts have said the …

The New York Times reports: Mississippi health officials, in a stark reversal, announced new recommendations on Friday to combat the spread of the more contagious Delta variant, urging older and chronically sick residents to avoid crowded indoor spaces. The highly contagious Delta variant became the dominant variant in the United States this week, accounting for about 52 percent of infections. …

The Moscow Times reports: Russia on Saturday reported 697 Covid-19 deaths in the previous 24 hours, the fifth straight day the country has set a new record as it battles the surging Delta variant. It also recorded 24,439 new coronavirus infections, the highest figure since the middle of January when Russia was emerging from its second wave of the pandemic. …

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration on Thursday announced the formation of “surge response” teams intended to combat the fast-moving delta variant of the coronavirus by deploying additional expertise and supplies to hot spots. “These are dedicated teams working with communities at higher risk for, or already experiencing, outbreaks due to the spread of the delta variant and their …

St. Louis’s CBS News affiliate reports: You should wear a mask even if you’re vaccinated. This is the message from local health departments. Three major municipalities have issued a public health advisory in response to the emergence of the Delta variant in the St. Louis region. St. Louis City and St. Louis and Jefferson counties issued the advisory, citing a …

The Springfield News-Leader reports: If you live in southwest Missouri, hospital executives say acquiring a severe case of COVID-19 could now mean a stay in St. Louis or Kansas City, as the global pandemic that has killed 3.9 million people continues to stretch Missouri hospital staffing. A handful of Springfield-area patients are already being treated hundreds of miles away in …

Australia’s ABC News reports: The highly contagious Delta strain of COVID-19 infected everyone who attended a Sydney birthday party except for the six people who were vaccinated, the NSW Government said. The West Hoxton party — described as a “super spreader” event — has become one of the most significant transmission events in the NSW breakout with 24 of the …

CNN reports: Sydney will enter a hard two-week lockdown on Saturday night local time as authorities try to contain a fast-spreading outbreak of the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant in Australia’s largest city, the state leader said. More than a million people in downtown Sydney and the city’s eastern suburbs were already under lockdown due to the outbreak, but health …

The Washington Post reports: The rapid spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus is poised to divide the United States again, with highly vaccinated areas continuing toward post-pandemic freedom and poorly vaccinated regions threatened by greater caseloads and hospitalizations, health officials warned this week. The highly transmissible strain is taxing hospitals in a rural, lightly vaccinated part of Missouri …

Reuters reports: COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and AstraZeneca offer high protection of more than 90% against hospitalisation from the Delta coronavirus variant, a new analysis by Public Health England (PHE) showed on Monday. PHE said that the Pfizer/Biontech COVID-19 vaccine was 96% effective against hospitalisation from the Delta variant after two doses, while Oxford/AstraZeneca’s offered 92% protection against hospitalisation …