Thread by @EricTopol

4 Asian-Pacific countries have experienced severe Omicron waves, but only 1 has an extremely high death toll. Why? /1
@OurWorldInData

There's a marked difference in vaccination and boosters /2

This is especially the case for the elderly /3
ft.com/content/2fc339… by @ThomasHHChan @primroseriordan @imandylin2 @FT

There is also a major difference in the vaccines used. Hong Kong used a high proportion of Sinovac, which has been shown to be less protective vs Omicron /4

This new report from Hong Kong shows the reduced neutralization and marked waning of CoronaVac compared with a mRNA vaccine vs Omicron thelancet.com/journals/ebiom… @TheLancet /5

The US should particularly take note of the situation in Hong Kong and its high vulnerability.
It tracks with boosters close to Hong Kong and ranks 55th in the world by countries /6

The UK and many European countries have now reached 3-dose vaccination rates of >90% for people 65+
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
But the US is at 66% for boosters among this high risk age group /7