Fully vaccinated adults are at a much lower risk of severe illness and hospitalization, according to a new large-scale study, adding to the growing body of evidence of the benefits of vaccines.
It's also one of the first pieces of research that show vaccination is an effective tool against long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms.
The study, published Wednesday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, used data from more than 1.2 million partially and fully vaccinated adults in the U.K. between December 2020 and July 2021. Fourteen days or more after the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca or Moderna vaccines, just 0.5% reported a breakthrough infection. After the second dose, that number dropped to fewer than 0.2%.
“We are at a critical point in the pandemic as we see cases rising worldwide due to the delta variant. Breakthrough infections are expected and don’t diminish the fact that these vaccines are doing exactly what they were designed to do — save lives and prevent serious illness," study co-lead author Dr. Claire Steves said.
Among those who did have a breakthrough infection, the chance of being asymptomatic increased 63% after a first dose of the vaccine, and 94% after the second dose. Healthy adults over 60 saw about half the risk of breakthrough infections as frail older adults or older adults with underlying conditions.
Additionally, the odds of experiencing so-called "long-haul" COVID-19, or symptoms after 28 days of infection, dropped by 50% after two vaccine doses.
"Our findings highlight the crucial role vaccines play in larger efforts to prevent COVID-19 infections, which should still include other personal protective measures such as mask-wearing, frequent testing and social distancing,” Steves said.
Also in the news:
► Podcast host Joe Rogan announced Wednesday he had tested positive for COVID-19 after he dismissed the usefulness of the vaccine on his podcast. Rogan said, after his diagnosis, he used several medications, including the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin, which health officials have strongly advised against.
► Washington Nationals Vice President Bob Boone has informed the club he’s resigning rather than comply with the organization’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the Associated Press reported.
► A woman attempting to use a fake COVID-19 vaccine card with the shot maker listed as "Maderna," instead of Moderna, was arrested in Hawaii and is facing up to $5,000 in fines and potential jail time.
► Superintendent Tom Wilson, of Anderson School District Five in South Carolina, announced Thursday a program to pay high school students $100 for vaccination proof. Now, some parents are calling for his ouster.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 39.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 642,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 218.3 million cases and 4.5 million deaths. More than 174.6 million Americans — 52.6% of the population — have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
📘 What we're reading: Parents, teachers and scientists are all trying to keep students safe as they return to the classroom. Here's a kid's guide to going back to school as the delta variant spreads.
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US reports more than a quarter of world's new cases
Recent jumps in American coronavirus case counts now have the U.S. reporting more than a quarter of the world's new cases, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.
The country's share of the global cases leaped to 25.98% of the cases in the week ending Tuesday, up more than one percentage point from the day before. The U.S. is now reporting about 14.4% of the world's COVID-19 deaths.
The U.S. has about 4.22% of the world's population, according to Worldometer.
The nation hadn't reported more than a quarter of the world's cases since early February. In early July, the U.S. was reporting just 3% of the world's new case.
—Mike Stucka, USA TODAY
Are cheap, accessible home coronavirus tests the delta antidote?
With labs in hot-spot communities once again scrambling to meet a spike in testing demand, advocates say rapid tests that don't require a lab can serve a crucial role as the delta variant sends case counts and hospitalizations higher.
Dr. Michael Mina, a Harvard epidemiologist, has long pushed for the federal government to purchase enough rapid antigen tests so most Americans can test two to three times each week. He argues even though the tests are less sensitive than lab tests, they detect cases when people are infectious and most likely to infect others.
With the delta variant sending case counts higher, he said there's "renewed interest" in widespread testing.
"People are realizing vaccines aren’t the silver bullet out of this," Mina said. "They are an absolutely crucial and important piece. But they were never going to be the thing that stopped the pandemic because we’ll have breakthroughs, variants and waning immunity." Read more here.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY
Arizona adds $60M for hospital staffing amid high hospitalizations
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced $60 million for hospital staffing support to bring 750 additional nurses to the state for eight weeks, but only if they meet conditions including administering monoclonal antibody treatment to eligible patients systemwide and offering COVID-19 vaccinations to patients on discharge.
Hospitals are using monoclonal antibodies as an early intervention with the aim of keeping high-risk patients with COVID-19 out of the hospital.
Monoclonal antibodies have received increased attention recently as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revised its emergency use authorization for the REGEN-COV treatment and as studies point to the efficacy of the treatment in some cases. Ducey is one of several Republican governors who has been pushing for antibody treatments.
—Alison Steinbach, The Arizona Republic
Contributing: The Associated Press
