BREAKING NEWS: Pfizer suggests 3rd dose of Covid-19 vaccine ‘strongly’ boosts protection against Delta variant
A third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can “strongly” boost protection against the Delta variant — beyond the protection afforded by the standard two doses, suggests new data released by Pfizer on July 28, 2021.
The data posted online suggest that antibody levels against the Delta variant in people ages 18 to 55 who receive a third dose of vaccine are greater than five-fold than following a second dose.
Among people ages 65 to 85, the Pfizer data suggest that antibody levels against the Delta variant after receiving a third dose of vaccine are greater than 11-fold than following a second dose.
There’s “estimated potential for up to 100-fold increase in Delta neutralization post-dose three compared to pre-dose three,” researchers wrote.
This data has not yet been peer-reviewed or published.
The data also show that antibody levels are much higher after a third dose than a second dose against the original coronavirus variant and the Beta variant, first identified in South Africa.
==================================================================
Source: Jacqueline Howard, CNN / Updated 8:55 AM ET, Wed July 28, 2021
Almost all COVID-19 hospitalizations in Palm Beach Gardens are unvaccinated
On July 23, 2021 Palm Beach Gardens Vice Mayor, Chelsea Reed announced:
“Per our Health Department Director, less than 1% of newly infected people county-wide are vaccinated, hospitalized patients are primarily unvaccinated, and the are 30-50 years old, (unlike the previously elderly population).”
If not already fully vaccinated, consider locating a vaccination site by clicking the button below or contacting our office.
==================================================================
Source: Chelsea and the City Blog – July 23, 2021
Click Here to Find a Vaccination Site
Week-by-week COVID cases at Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter Medical
COVID Statistics for Palm Beach Co.
Source: The New York Times, July 27, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/florida-covid-cases.html
CEO of Jupiter Medical Warns about Delta Variant
Dr. Amit Rastogi, president and CEO of Jupiter Medical Center issued the following notice to all hospital staff on July 20, 2021:
“The Delta variant is the dominant strain in the US and accounts for 58% of new infections. It is present in all 50 states and new case rates are increasing in most states. The Delta variant appears to be 50% more transmissible than the Alpha (UK) variant, which was itself 50% more transmissible than the original variant. Based on data from the UK, the Delta variant may be more likely to cause hospitalization and death. Vaccination may be slightly less effective against the Delta variant.
• Two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine are 88% effective against Delta variant infection and 96% effective against hospitalization.
• The AstraZeneca vaccine is 60% effective against infection and 93% effective against hospitalization or death.
In the US, new cases and new hospitalizations are all increasing at the present time. National forecasts are predicting an increase in the number of new hospital admissions over the next 4 weeks. Models are also predicting an increase in Florida.
The vast majority of the new COVID infections are in unvaccinated people.
Only 6,000 cases of breakthrough infections have been reported, which is 0.003% of those vaccinated. Hospital resources are strained.
While Florida has a higher percentage of its populace that are fully vaccinated (50%), there are still 9.5 million residents who are not fully vaccinated and over 500,000 individuals over 65 who are not vaccinated.
Models are predicting a nationwide surge in cases over the next 2 months related to the Delta variant. The number of new cases may be underestimated because vaccinated individuals who contract COVID may be asymptomatic or only exhibit mild symptoms.
As noted above, vaccination is effective against the Delta variant.
The World Health Organization has encouraged people to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing. Most of the hospitalizations and deaths are occurring in individuals who are not vaccinated, underscoring the importance of vaccination.
==================================================================
Source: Amit Rastogi, MD, MHCM, President & Chief Executive Officer,Jupiter Medical Center
Australian scientists discover a new way to predict COVID vaccine effectiveness
A new study from Australia has shown that an early immune response in a person who has been vaccinated for COVID-19 can predict the level of protection they will have to the virus.
The researchers from the University of New South Wales’ Kirby Institute and others have identified an ‘immune correlate’ of vaccine protection. This has the potential to dramatically cut development times for new vaccines, by measuring neutralizing antibody levels as a ‘proxy’ for immune protection from COVID-19.
“Neutralizing antibodies are tiny Y-shaped proteins produced by our body in response to infection or vaccination. They bind to the virus, reducing its ability to infect,” says Dr. Deborah Cromer from the Kirby Institute. “Our work is the strongest evidence to date to show that specific antibody levels translate to high levels of protection from disease.”
The researchers analyzed data from seven COVID-19 vaccines to examine the how the response measured soon after vaccination correlated with protection. They then used statistical analysis to define the specific relationship between immune response and protection. Their analysis was remarkably accurate and was able to predict the efficacy of a new vaccine.
Dr. Cromer said that this finding has the potential to change the way we conduct COVID-19 vaccine trials in the future.
“Antibody immune levels are much easier to measure than directly measuring vaccine efficacy over time. So, by measuring antibody levels across the range of new vaccine candidates during early phases of clinical trials, we can better determine whether a vaccine should be used to prevent COVID-19.”
A major global challenge is the evolution of the virus and the emergence of new variants. There is a growing concern, based on laboratory studies, that antibodies developed against the dominant strains are less effective at neutralizing these new variants.
“An added advantage of our work is that allows us to predict how protective an immune response will be against different variants,” says Professor Jamie Triccas from the University of Sydney’s Marie Bashir Institute and Faculty of Medicine and Health.
“This analysis shows a very good correlation between the immune response—which is very easy to test for—and the efficacy of a vaccine in preventing infection, which is incredibly hard to test for. This means we can predict how protective an immune response will be against different variants, without having to determine efficacy against each variant in large and costly clinical trials.”
==================================================================
Source: Kirby Institute for Infection and Immunity in Society reported in MedicalXpress Breaking News-and-Events|May 17, 2021
“Death by Chocolate” is No Joke
Two common eating habits, which include high intakes of chocolate and candy, may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death in middle-age. according to a study at Oxford University and published in the medical journal BMC Medicine.
The author of the study, Dr. Carmen Piernas, said: “Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death and disability and poor diet is a major contributor to this. Our findings help identify specific foods that are commonly eaten and that may increase the risk of CVD and mortality.”
Researchers at Oxford identified two diets that were associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death in middle-age. The first was high in chocolate, confectionary, butter and white bread and low in fresh fruit and vegetables. The second was high in sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juice, chocolate, confectionary, table sugar and preserves and low in butter and higher-fat cheese.
The researchers found that those whose diet included higher amounts of chocolate were more likely to be male, younger, experiencing economic deprivation, current smokers, less physically active, living with obesity or have hypertension compared to those whose diet did not include high amounts of these foods.
Women who were younger than 60 years old or who lived with obesity in particular had a higher risk of CVD, if they consumed a diet high in these foods.
To examine the effects of diet on the risk of CVD and mortality, the authors analyzed data collected from 116,806 adults from England, Scotland and Wales. Participants were aged between 37 and 73 years old, with an average age of 56 years old. The incidence of CVD and mortality was calculated using hospital admission and death registry records.
Piernas added: “Our research suggests that eating less chocolate, confectionery, butter, low-fibre bread, sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juice, table sugar and preserves could be associated with a lower risk of CVD or death during middle-age. The findings of this study could be used to create food-based dietary advice that could help people eat more healthily and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.”
==================================================================
Source: Oxford University / MedicalXpress Breaking News-and-Events|April 22, 2021
The Funnies Section
Healthy Banana Bread
Have your cake and eat it with this low-fat, healthy banana loaf – perfect for breakfast and beyond
Ingredients
Low-fat spread, for the tin, plus extra to serve
140g wholemeal flour
100g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
300g mashed banana from overripe black bananas
4 tbsp agave syrup
3 large eggs, beaten with a fork
150ml pot low-fat natural yogurt
25g chopped pecan or walnuts (optional)
Preparation
Step 1
Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment (allow it to come 2cm above top of tin). Mix the flours, bicarb, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.
STEP 2
Mix the bananas, syrup, eggs and yogurt. Quickly stir into dry ingredients, then gently scrape into the tin and scatter with nuts, if using. Bake for 1 hr 10 mins-1 hr 15 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
STEP 3
Cool in tin on a wire rack. Eat warm or at room temperature, with low-fat spread.
==================================================================
Source: Sarah Cook / BBC Good Food / https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/healthy-banana-bread
