CDC COVID-19 Study Shows mRNA Vaccines Reduce Risk of Infection by 91 Percent for Fully Vaccinated People

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A new CDC study finds the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) reduce the risk of infection by 91 percent for fully vaccinated people. This adds to the growing body of real-world evidence of their effectiveness. Importantly, this study also is among the first to show that mRNA vaccination benefits people who get COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated (14 or more days after dose 2) or partially vaccinated (14 or more days after dose 1 to 13 days after dose 2).

 “COVID-19 vaccines are a critical tool in overcoming this pandemic,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH. “Findings from the extended timeframe of this study add to accumulating evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are effective and should prevent most infections — but that fully vaccinated people who still get COVID-19 are likely to have milder, shorter illness and appear to be less likely to spread the virus to others. These benefits are another important reason to get vaccinated.”

 The findings come from four weeks of additional data collected in CDC’s HEROES-RECOVER study of health care workers, first responders, frontline workers, and other essential workers. These groups are more likely to be exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 because of their occupations. Preliminary results from this study were first announced in March 2021.

In the new analysis, 3,975 participants completed weekly SARS-CoV-2 testing for 17 consecutive weeks (from December 13, 2020 to April 10, 2021) in eight U.S. locations. Participants self-collected nasal swabs that were laboratory tested for SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19. If the tests came back positive, the specimens were further tested to determine the amount of detectable virus in the nose (i.e., viral load) and the number of days that participants tested positive (i.e., viral shedding). Participants were followed over time and the data were analyzed according to vaccination status. To evaluate vaccine benefits, the study investigators accounted for the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 viruses in the area and how consistently participants used personal protective equipment (PPE) at work and in the community. Once fully vaccinated, participants’ risk of infection was reduced by 91 percent. After partial vaccination, participants’ risk of infection was reduced by 81 percent. These estimates included symptomatic and asymptomatic infections.

 To determine whether COVID-19 illness was milder, study participants who became infected with SARS-CoV-2 were combined into a single group and compared to unvaccinated, infected participants. Several findings indicated that those who became infected after being fully or partially vaccinated were more likely to have a milder and shorter illness compared to those who were unvaccinated. For example, fully or partially vaccinated people who developed COVID-19 spent on average six fewer total days sick and two fewer days sick in bed. They also had about a 60 percent lower risk of developing symptoms, like fever or chills, compared to those who were unvaccinated. Some study participants infected with SARS-CoV-2 did not develop symptoms.

Other study findings suggest that fully or partially vaccinated people who got COVID-19 might be less likely to spread the virus to others. For example, fully or partially vaccinated study participants had 40 percent less detectable virus in their nose (i.e., a lower viral load), and the virus was detected for six fewer days (i.e., viral shedding) compared to those who were unvaccinated when infected. In addition, people who were partially or fully vaccinated were 66 percent less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection for more than one week compared to those who were unvaccinated. While these indicators are not a direct measure of a person’s ability to spread the virus, they have been correlated with reduced spread of other viruses, such as varicella and influenza.

 Overall, the study findings support CDC’s recommendation to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as you can. Everyone 12 years and older is now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination in the United States. CDC has several surveillance networks that will continue to assess how FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are working in real-world conditions in different settings and in different groups of people, such as different age groups and people with different health statuses.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

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Enlever le masque ? Des Américains confus face aux nouvelles règles

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WASHINGTON/LUBBOCK, Texas (Reuters) - Les nouvelles règles aux Etats-Unis permettant à la population de se déplacer sans masque dans de nombreux endroits sont devenues un nouveau sujet de débat entre des Américains que la pandémie a souvent divisés.

All Photos: RFC

Certains se sont dits perplexes, d'autres, qui portaient déjà rarement le masque, ont simplement levé les yeux au ciel lorsque les Centres américains de contrôle et de prévention des maladies (CDC) ont annoncé jeudi que les personnes entièrement vaccinées contre le COVID-19 n'avaient pas besoin de porter de masque à l'extérieur et pouvaient éviter d'en porter à l'intérieur dans la plupart des lieux.

Ces consignes ne s'appliquent pas à certains endroits comme les transports en commun ou les prisons.

Les CDC ont expliqué que ces recommandations avaient pour but de favoriser un début de retour à la vie normale et de convaincre davantage de personnes de se faire vacciner contre un virus qui a tué plus d'un demi-million d'Américains.

"Ca me rend nerveuse", expliqué Alisson Douma, 24 ans, qui promène, masquée, ses chiens à Washington. Elle a reçu sa dernière dose de vaccin le mois dernier."Je ne me sens pas en sécurité parce que le rythme des vaccinations ralentit et je m'inquiète des variants".

A plus de 2.575 kilomètres de distance, à Lubbock dans l'Etat du Texas où le gouverneur républicain Greg Abbott a levé en mars l'obligation de porter un masque, les recommandations des CDC ont été accueillies avec indifférence.

"Je ne pense pas que les masques ont fonctionné aussi bien que ce que les médias pensaient pour stopper le virus. Les gens ne les portaient pas correctement déjà pour commencer", explique Riker Beauchamp, 20 ans, qui travaille dans une pizzeria.

Dans de nombreux endroits des Etats-Unis, la population ne porte plus de masque depuis des mois. Une enquête menée en janvier par le Centre Dornsife de recherche économique et sociale de l'Université de Californie du Sud a montré que même au pic des contaminations, la moitié des Américains ne portaient pas de masques en se rendant dans des endroits publics.

Davantage d'Etats américains ont assoupli les règles sur le port du masque ces dernières semaines face à la baisse du nombre de nouveaux cas.

A New York, Maggie Cantrick, 39 ans, qui travaille dans un centre artistique, explique qu'elle n'est pas prête à tomber le masque dans des endroits tels que des supérettes. "Je suis totalement vaccinée. Je peux juste enlever le masque ? C'est fou !".

TROP TÔT ? 

La chaîne de supermarchés Kroger Co a annoncé qu'elle continuerait de demander à ses clients de porter le masque, le temps qu'elle étudie les nouvelles recommandations des CDC.Une autre chaîne, Trader Joe's, a déclaré de son côté qu'elle cesserait avec effet immédiat d'imposer le port du masque pour ses clients qui sont vaccinés. 
Avec ses nouvelles règles, il reviendra à chacun de déterminer comment se protéger, les vaccins étant désormais facilement accessibles, a expliqué la responsable des CDC, le docteur Rochelle Walensky.

"Si vous êtes vaccinés et que vous décidez d'enlever le masque (...) vous êtes protégés. Si vous n'êtes pas vaccinés, alors vous décidez de prendre ce risque", a-t-elle dit. 

Les personnes non-vaccinées restent encouragées à recevoir leurs doses pour se protéger et protéger les autres du coronavirus qui continue de circuler dans le pays, a-t-elle dit.Chuck Schutte, un homme de 60 ans à la retraite, qui boit un verre dans un pub de Ridgefield dans le Connecticut, explique ne pas avoir l'intention de se faire vacciner.

"Je pense que cela a été précipité et je vois que des gens ont des effets secondaires", a-t-il dit. "Je ne dis pas que je ne me ferai pas vacciner mais je ne le ferai sûrement pas tout de suite. Je porterai un masque".

Jeri Kelly, qui est en déplacement à Washington, s'inquiète, elle, de ne pas savoir comment identifier ceux qui sont vaccinés de ceux qui ne le sont pas.
"Pour aller dans un endroit public, être à moins de deux mètres de distance, parce que je suis vaccinée, je suis juste préoccupée parce que l'autre personne, est-elle vraiment honnête ?", s'interroge-t-elle.

Le docteur Walid Gellad, professeur à l'école de médecine à l'université de Pittsburgh, estime que les recommandations des CDC sont arrivées deux à trois semaines trop tôt."Le problème c'est qu'il n'y a pas de mécanisme pour identifier qui est vacciné. Personne ne va porter de masque et certains ne seront pas vaccinés, c'est la réalité". 

(Susan Heavey, Caroline Humer, Tim Reid, JuliaHarte, Maria Caspani, Jeff Mason, Brad Brooks, Lisa Baertlein, Nathan Layne, Deborah Lutterbeck, Gershon Peaks, Julio-Cesar Chavez, Aishwarya Venugopal, Hilary Russ, David Shepardson et Michael Erman, version française Gwénaëlle Barzic)

Source: Reuters

Haiti: UN agencies support Government in vaccination campaign against cholera

To read this story in French

25 May 2016 – Two United Nations agencies said today they are supporting the Government of Haiti in a vaccination campaign against cholera that aims to reach 400,000 people in 2016.

In a press release, the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) said the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population is being supported by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), as well as by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The first phase of the campaign was launched on 11 May in the town of Arcahaie, about 30 minutes north of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. That phase aims to provide two doses of oral vaccine to some 118,000 people during May and June.

The vaccine provides warranty protection ranging from three to five years, according to PAHO/WHO.

A second phase of the vaccination campaign is planned for the second half of the year. To be successful, nearly 563,785 additional doses are required.

For both phases of the campaign, an initial budget of about $3.6 million has been provided.

Previous campaigns of vaccination against cholera reached 285,534 people – 102,250 in 2013 and 183,284 in 2014.

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Government of Haiti has launched a vaccination campaign against cholera that aims to reach 400,000 people in 2016. Photo: UN/MINUSTAH/Logan Abassi

MINUSTAH stressed the importance, given the increase in the population, of increasing access to clean water and sanitation in exposed areas as key to eliminating the disease.

In the first quarter of 2016, MINUSTAH’s Civil Affairs programme approved or began work on 17 Quick Intervention Projects (QIPs) projects worth some $845,380 to prevent cholera and other water-borne diarrheal diseases.

This outlay represents more than 20 per cent of the total 2015-16 QIPs budget. The 17 projects (seven approved; 10 already being implemented) are expected to reach over 220,000 beneficiaries in seven out of the 10 departments of the country.

Of these, three projects (totalling some $152,971) deal with renovations or extensions to health centres, in the West Centre and Grande Anse respectively; while 14 relate to the construction, renovation or extension of local drinking water systems. The largest of these, in the Village Solidarité in the West Department, is expected to assure clean drinking water for some 75,000 beneficiaries.

The latest Cholera Response fact sheet can be found by clicking below  http://www.un.org/News/dh/infocus/haiti/Cholera_UN_Factsheet_April_2016.pdf

Source: UN NEWS CENTRE