📍Outbreak of #B117 despite full vaccinations at a nursing home. 14 residents at a 🇩🇪 nursing home have tested positive for 🇬🇧 B117 variant, despite all having 2 doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer #COVID19 vaccine—last shot on Jan 25. All mild.
2) This situation highlights the needs to continue to wear masks. Transmission vs protection against severe disease clearly are two different things.
Anyone refusing to mask because they say they have vaccine —remind them they still need to mask until pandemic is over! #COVID19
3) Granted, it takes 2 weeks to develop immunity, but they already had 1 dose with that lag time. And though it’s <2 weeks after 2nd dose, this highlights that protection is not complete, and even then it’s only 95% not 100%.
4) For the Pfizer vaccine, while it is still effective against the #B117 variant overall, there was one lab study last month that found lower antibody neutralization of those immunized with the Pfizer vaccine to #B117 in a lab study.
5) That said, the Gupta Lab was the result for tests run on vaccinated patients 21 days after the 1st dose, but not yet the 2nd dose. Pfizer/BioNTech’s own test after 2 full doses shows similar efficacy. That’s why we need 2 doses and waiting time. statnews.com/2021/01/20/pfi…
6) in another study with 2 full doses, #B117 was found to be “modestly more resistant to convalescent plasma (~3 fold) and **vaccinee sera (~2 fold)**” for both Pfizer & Moderna vaccines.
⚠️Concerning—new data shows the more contagious #B117 variant is growing so quickly in Florida—now almost 10% of all #COVID19 case. California only ~2 weeks behind. Surge of #B117 may yield April wave if vaccine rollout slow. 🧵
2) First, masks prevent infected persons from exposing others by blocking exhalation of virus-containing droplets into the air (termed source control)—important because at least 50% or more of transmissions are from presymptomatic & asymptomatic #COVID19 cases.
3) In recent laboratory experiments, multilayer cloth masks were more effective than single-layer masks, blocking as much as 50% to 70% of exhaled small droplets and particles.2,3 In some cases, cloth masks have performed similar to surgical or procedure masks for source control.
Sobering—the more infectious #B117 variant will likely become the world's dominant strain, director of 🇬🇧 genetic surveillance @CovidGenomicsUK warned—“it's going to sweep the world, in all probability", Professor Sharon Peacock told BBC. 🧵 #COVID19 mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/u…
2) "Once we get on top of it [Covid-19] or it mutates itself out of being virulent - causing disease - then we can stop worrying about it”
“But I think, looking in the future, we're going to be doing this for years. We're still going to be doing this 10 years down the line."
3) latest from Denmark 🇩🇰 CDC, which sequences all #SARSCoV2 samples from all cases now, the % of #COVID19 now #B117 from 🇬🇧 is up to 27% of cases. Denmark CDC is right to be worried. Fast pace of replacement growth. nyheder.tv2.dk/samfund/2020-1…
How to fold your surgical mask to create a better fit and increase personal protection, per new CDC guidelines. #COVID19#MaskUp
2) This is now critical. CDC advises now either double masking with cloth+surgical mask, or using the above technique to create a better seal with 1 surgical mask. Here is why: 🧵
📍Leadership: Because of growing cases of #B117 & #B1351 variants, Germany 🇩🇪 further extends its #COVID19 lockdown until March 7.
Goal: 🇩🇪 will not lift restrictions until cases down to 35 per 100k per week (~5 per 100k/day)—currently ~68/100k/week. 🧵
2) With an eye to an outbreak of the South African #B1351 variant in the Austrian region of Tyrol bordering Germany's Bavaria state, Merkel said she had conveyed her "concern" to Austrian 🇦🇹 Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Wednesday.
3) “The text (of guideline) stresses that schools and daycare centres should be "the first to gradually reopen", but that it is for individual states to decide how and when that happens.”
NEBULIZER AIRBORNE OUTBREAK—
Experts say a person during Melbourne's hotel quarantine outbreak had #COVID19 & used a nebulizer—releasing up to 10,000x more aerosol particles per minutes than breathing—creating millions more aerosols to "hitch a ride". 🧵 abc.net.au/news/2021-02-1…
2) Victorian 🇦🇺 Government says it is investigating the possible spread of coronavirus via a nebuliser—designed to vaporise medicine and deliver a concentrated dose to the user's lungs
Experts warn a contaminated nebuliser would become a "generator of #SARSCoV2"
3) “Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said at least three of those were believed to be linked to the use of the nebuliser.
Experts say it is a step forward that health authorities are acknowledging the aerosol spread of SARS CoV2