Ventilator numbers are a lagging indicator: it takes a while to get sick enough to need a ventilator, and Covid patients sometimes stay ventilated for months. But the faster decline among older people, who were vaccinated first, is still striking.
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ANECDOTE ALERT: Kindergarten on my block was back for just one day when a teacher tested positive for Covid, putting 14 kids into quarantine. Of them, 7 have now tested positive. The B.1.1.7 lineage is no joke.
Teachers were offered priority access to coronavirus vaccines, but many delayed. This teacher had received her first dose a few days prior. She had mild symptoms but delayed getting a test.
Luckily, most of the parents were vaccinated earlier, so they will have significant protection. But the virus can spread in the home to other kids.
More evidence on vaccines and coronavirus transmission: Analysis of data from Israel's surveillance testing programme for care home workers suggests that the Pfizer vaccine cuts positive PCR tests by 88% (76%-92%) among 8,300 vaccinated workers compared to 2600 unvaxxed.
The care workers are actively tested, regardless of vaccine status, as part of Israel's programme to reduce care home infections. The analysis was restricted to workers who work in care homes whose residents were vaccinated centrally, to try and control for workplace exposure.
The analysis notes that other factors could be in play, for example care home workers who are unvaccinated might generally be people who behave more in more risky ways.
New data Pfizer vaccine effectiveness from Israel in the @NEJM in most comprehensive study so far of of 600k vaccinated people 7+ days from second dose:
92% against infection (88-95%)
94% against symptomatic Covid (87-98%)
92% against severe disease (75-100%)
No death stat? Well, the 1.2 million people in this study (600k vaccinated, 600k control) isn't enough to give a meaningful effectiveness against death from Covid, because only one of the 600k vaccinated people died 7+ days after the second dose.
These are really excellent numbers, albeit not the eye-popping effectiveness figures published by Israel's Health Ministry this week. One of the authors of the @NJEM study, @RanBalicer, previously suggested that the Health Ministry numbers were flawed.
A study by Public Health England finds that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 72% effective at preventing ALL coronavirus infection (including asymptomatic) 21 days after first dose, and 86% effective 7 days after second dose.
Also some evidence that people who've recovered from Covid-19 are as protected, or more protected, against coronavirus infection as vaccinated people. All really good news for the vaccines' ability to slash transmission and end the pandemic.
There are lots of people out there who just aren't very scared of Covid, and they aren't going to suddenly become scared of it now. Presenting vaccines (accurately) as the path to reopening is probably better.