Data on the South Africa variant of the coronavirus is “sobering,” and current vaccines are less effective against it than the original strain or U.K. variant, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.
Fauci, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said less is known about the South African variant than the U.K. version, which has proved to be more transmissible than the original version of the virus.
“But we do know that it (the South Africa variant) evades the protection from some of the monoclonal antibodies, and it diminishes somewhat the capability and the effectiveness of the vaccine to block it,” Fauci said. “It doesn’t eliminate it, but it diminishes it by multiple fold.
Fauci said there was “still some cushion left” so that current vaccines do provide some protection against it. He added that, in South Africa, there were people who got infected with the original virus, recovered and then got reinfected with the South Africa variant. That indicates prior infection does not protect someone from reinfection with the South Africa variant, he said.
“Somewhat good news is it looks like the vaccine is better than natural infection in preventing you from getting reinfected,” Fauci said.
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In the headlines:
►A Los Angeles County woman died shortly after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, local health officials said. Dr. Michael E. Morris, director of Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s vaccination program, said in a statement that the woman, 78, “passed away unexpectedly” Friday after being vaccinated. He also said that, according to her family, the woman had a history of heart illness. The county Public Health Department said her death appeared to be unrelated to the vaccine.
►New Zealand’s largest city went into lockdown for at least three days Sunday and police set up checkpoints at eight locations at Auckland’s border. The crackdown comes after three family members tested positive. The entire nation of about 5 million people has fewer than 50 known cases currently.
►The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not currently recommend required COVID-19 testing before domestic air travel, the CDC said in a statement to CNN on Saturday. Federal officials had said this week they were considering domestic testing requirements.
►China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to a World Health Organization team probing the origins of the pandemic, one of the team’s investigators, Dominic Dwyer, told Reuters and The Wall Street Journal. The head of the WHO said Friday that all hypotheses into the origins of the coronavirus were still being investigated and analyzed after a team of investigators said earlier this week that the theory that the virus leaked from a virology lab in Wuhan would no longer be pursued.
► Florida state health officials reported that more than 10,000 residents and staff of long-term care facilities have died of COVID-19.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 27.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 485,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 108.7 million cases and 2.39 million deaths. More than 70 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and about 52.8 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
📘 What we’re reading: People of color have suffered the most from COVID-19. But now that a vaccine is here, they are far less likely to have received a first dose – for many of the same reasons. Read more.
New Orleans gets tough with Mardi Gras celebrations
New Orleans is tamping down its annual Mardi Gras celebrations this week and health officials in other cities are warning would-be revelers to do the same amid a spike in coronavirus variant cases across the nation. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered bars closed during the Mardi Gras weekend that started Friday and runs through Tuesday. Parades are canceled and there are limits on gatherings.
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the annual pre-Lenten bash celebrated along much of the Gulf Coast. Last year’s revelry is believed to have contributed to an early surge that made Louisiana a coronavirus hot spot.
COVID deaths, cases continue to decline
COVID-19 deaths in the United States have been slowly dropping since a peak several weeks ago, with the average falling below 100,000 Friday for the first time since Nov. 4 and staying under that figure Saturday as well. That’s still more than one new case every second, but it’s less than half the rate the country was reporting in January.
But the number of known coronavirus variant cases has surged in recent weeks. The vast majority are of the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first detected in the U.K. and has run rampant there. The CDC has said it may become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March. Last month, U.K. researchers said there’s evidence the variant may be more deadly than others, and it’s also considered at least 50% more transmissible than the original strain.
Biden offers message of hope on a challenging Valentine’s Day
For millions of Americans dealing with loneliness, separation from a partner or the loss of a loved one, Valentine’s Day may be particularly challenging this year amid the pandemic.
At the same time, the holiday may also remind us that relationships can withstand many hardships – including a pandemic. Some couples have spent an unprecedented amount of time together throughout the last year. Others were forced to navigate unexpected distancing with no idea when they would physically reunite. Many are stronger for it.
“There’s hope. You just have to stay strong,” President Joe Biden said last week on the front lawn of the White House, where the first lady set up large, colorful hearts. “A lot of people have gone through unbearable suffering, lost their families, lost their children, their husbands, wives, mom, dad. And it’s almost unbearable. The only thing I can say to them is, they’re still in your heart.”
If you’re still planning to spread love, not germs, this year, check out these coronavirus-themed digital valentines and see where you can get last-minute flowers here.
FDA policy to allow antibody tests without authorization was ‘flawed,’ officials say
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy of allowing companies to market their COVID-19 antibody tests without authorization was “flawed” and allowed ineffective products to flood the market, two FDA officials wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine on Saturday.
In March, the agency began allowing companies to market their antibody tests without FDA emergency use authorization as long as the companies notified the agency and could show that the test worked.
“As a result, the market was flooded with serology tests, some of which performed poorly and many of which were marketed in a manner that conflicted with FDA policy,” according to the FDA’s Jeffrey Shuren and Timothy Stenzel.
Inexperienced or dubious companies capitalized on the lack of FDA oversight, including one that sells vape pens and one headed by a self-proclaimed technology evangelist, a USA TODAY investigation last year found.
– Grace Hauck
Massachusetts program to vaccinate people who accompany seniors quickly ‘abused’
Some people in Massachusetts are offering rides and even money for a chance to take advantage of a state rule that allows those who accompany people age 75 and older to a coronavirus vaccination appointment to get a shot at the same time.
The rash of online ads from people looking to cut the vaccination line drew a stern rebuke from Gov. Charlie Baker, who warned against offers of help from complete strangers. “If you’re contacted by somebody soliciting to take you to a site, please report it to the authorities,” Baker said. Seniors should accept help only from someone they trust, he said.
“While it may have been well-meaning, it took less than 24 hours for this new state policy to be abused,” Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell in a statement.
Democratic state Rep. Steve Owens said a group of lawmakers have urged Baker to pause the program, noting that he saw an ad from someone offering $250 to drive an eligible resident to a vaccination site.
– Associated Press
University of Oxford testing vaccine in children
The University of Oxford plans to test its COVID-19 vaccine – which is being produced and distributed by AstraZeneca – in children for the first time, becoming the latest vaccine developer to assess whether its coronavirus shot is effective in young people.
The trial announced Saturday seeks to recruit 300 volunteers ages 6 to 17, with up to 240 receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and the remainder a control meningitis vaccine.
Andrew Pollard, chief researcher on the Oxford vaccine trial, says that while most children don’t get severely ill from COVID-19, “it is important to establish the safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and young people as some children may benefit from vaccination.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
