Coronavirus

Coronavirus Alert: J&J Booster Produces Major Immune Response, COVID-19 Closes Small Texas Town, Florida Is Only State With More Deaths Now Than Before, Vax-Resistant Strain Likely to Emerge Says Pfizer CEO, Unvaccinated 5 Times More Likely to Get Virus

Here is the latest news, data, and expert insighton the COVID-19 pandemic.

TheJohns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centermaintains an ongoing count of theCOVID-19cases and deaths in the United States and worldwide. As of 10:47 p.m. on August 25, 2021, the tally is:

Total cases worldwide: 213,809,638 (up from 212,892,985 Tuesday)

全球总死亡人数：4,461,819（从4,447,156周二提高）

Total cases in the United States: 38,217,956 (up from 37,980,821 Tuesday)

Total deaths in the United States: 632,223 (up from 629,891 Tuesday)

热门故事

The Johnson & Johnson booster creates a "robust" antibody response.Johnson & Johnson shared new research on Wednesday证明其COVID-19疫苗的助推器剂量在已经接受了单剂量方案的人群的抗体中产生了“快速而强大的增加”。

Individuals who received a J&J booster six to eight months after their initial shot experienced a ninefold rise in spike-binding antibodies compared to 28 days after their first dose, according to data from two phase 2 studies.

Researchers noted significant increases in binding antibody responses in participants between ages 18 and 55, as well as in those 65 years and older who received a lower booster dose. Details of the investigation, which have not gone through scientific peer review, were submitted yesterday to medRxiv and are expected to be published soon.

Pfizer submitted for booster FDA approval.Pfizer announced on Wednesdaythat it has started the application process to get U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its itsbooster dose of its COVID-19 vaccinefor people age 16 and older. Earlier this week. Phase 3 trial data of the vaccine (now marketed under the name Cormirnaty) showed that a third dose produced triple the antibodies compared with just a second dose. On Monday, the Pfizer became the first coronavirus vaccineto win full approval from the FDA。

The unvaccinated are 5 times more likely to get COVID-19, study finds.Astudy published Tuesday this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this weekbased on data collected in Los Angeles County from May to July indicated that the unvaccinated were 5 times more likely to get COVID-19 than vaccinated peers and 29 times more likely to be hospitalized for their infection.

Delta Airlines will charge unvaccinated workers a $200 per month surcharge.AsCNBC reported, Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian notified employees Wednesday that they will be charged a $200 monthly increase on their health insurance premiums starting November 1 if they aren’t vaccinated. Earlier this month, United Airlines announced that it would mandate vaccines for its workforce.

Pfizer's CEO said a vaccine-resistant strain is likely to emerge.Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, PhD,told Fox News on Tuesday那vaccine-resistant coronavirus variantwill likely emerge one day, but the company has a system in place to turn around a variant-specific jab within some three months.

拜登收到了有关病毒起源的不确定的报告。TheWashington Posthas learnedthat President Joe Biden received a classified report from the intelligence community on Tuesday that was inconclusive about the origins of the novel coronavirus. Officials said that the intelligence community will seek within days to declassify elements of the report for potential public release.

Hospitalized for two months, a fitness coach regrets not getting vaccinated.KUSA-9News in Denver on Tuesdaypresented the story of Bill Phillips, a fitness coach who lost 70 pounds during his two months in the ICU battling COVID-19. The 56-year-old, who thought he didn’t need the shot, said the decision almost killed him. He is now urging everyone to get vaccinated.

National News

美国已经进入了一个致命的阶段。Analysis of data fromUSA Todayon Tuesdayshows that deaths are now increasing in 43 states. U.S. coronavirus deaths in the week ending Monday totaled 7,225 — the worst tally since December, before America's deadliest month of the pandemic.

莫re than 180,000 infections were recorded among kids in one week.Ajoint report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Associationfound that 180,175 child COVID-19 cases were recorded in the United States last week. Children represented 22.4 percent of the weekly reported cases.

Pediatricians are warning against vaccinating kids yet.In apress release issued Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) cautioned against prescribing coronavirus vaccines to children under 12 at this time, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of the Pfizer vaccine makes such “off-label” use legal. “The clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 11 years old and younger are underway, and we need to see the data from those studies before we give this vaccine to younger children,” said AAP President Lee Savio Beers, MD, in a statement.

State Update

该病毒已经关闭了一个小镇。CNN on Monday profiledthe small Texas town of Iraan (pronounced “Ira-Ann” and named after a local ranching couple) where so many people have gotten COVID-19 that the school district closed and the community is essentially shut. The town has about a 42 percent positivity rate. After the first week of school, about a quarter of the teachers and 16 percent of students tested positive or were in quarantine.

Florida is the only state recording its highest number of deaths now.Aninvestigation by Yahoo News on Wednesdayrevealed that Florida’s daily death rate hit 228 on Wednesday — surpassing its prior peak of 185 in a single day. Florida is now the only state having more deaths now than at any other point in the pandemic. Vincent Rajkumar, MD, a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic, said “What’s different in Florida is that, relative to the vaccination rate (about 50 percent), the relaxation of distancing and masking was disproportionately high. Leaders expressed disdain for masks and mask mandates. The total number of people unvaccinated is high. And hospitals got overwhelmed.”

A back-to-school wave is overwhelming Jacksonville.USA Todayon Tuesday said杰克逊维尔的最新案件使这座城市“喘着粗气”。James Graham Mortuary的葬礼总监Jacquelyn Graham-Townes说：“我一天内完成了四次[葬礼安排]。就像闸门破裂了。”

Oregons is bringing back masks in outdoor public settings.Starting Friday, August 27, masks will be required in most public outdoor settings in Oregon, including at large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible — regardless of vaccination status,according to ABC News affiliate KATU。

Nebraska recruits unvaccinated nurses.TheWashington Post周三说that some Nebraskans are outraged that the state posted an ad looking hire nurses, even if they are unvaccinated. Abbey Klein, a registered nurse living in Omaha, told thePost“感觉总督正在回溯，并试图利用不想接种疫苗的护士。对这个行业感到侮辱。”

Hawaii's governor is urging tourists to stay home.Governor David Ige of Hawaii is asking tourists not to visit as a surge in cases there is straining hospital services,according to theThe New York Timeson Tuesday。瓦胡岛市长Rick Blangiardi星期一发推文, “COVID cases are up dramatically, and our healthcare workers are being pushed beyond their limits. Beginning August 25, we will be suspending all large gatherings for four weeks. This includes trade shows, conventions, concerts and other live events.”

Around the World

China reported zero new locally transmitted cases.CNN said on Mondaythat China reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Monday for the first time since July, according to its National Health Commission (NHC). Health authorities there have battled back the delta variant by placing tens of millions of residents under strict lockdown, rolling out massive testing and tracing campaigns, and restricting domestic travels.

新西兰已扩大其锁定。As the美联社周一报道, New Zealand is extending a strict nationwide lockdown until at least Friday as it tries to prevent an outbreak of 107 local infections from spreading any further. Health authorities recorded 35 new cases Monday — the highest number of daily COVID-19 infections in New Zealand since April last year.

一名意大利男子接受了疫苗接种QR代码防纹身。A clip on Instagramshows tattoo artist Gabriele Pellerone giving a young Italian man a tattoo of his vaccination QR code on his arm. When scanned by a phone, the QR code shows the man’s coronavirus Green Pass, which provides proof of vaccination. Most establishments in Italy only allow entrance if a person can provide vaccination verification.

View this post on Instagram

Gabriele Pellerone（@gabrielepellerone）共享的帖子

疫苗和研究新闻

A new study shows vaccine protection may decline over time.Research published Tuesday by the CDCadded to increasing evidence that vaccine protection may decrease over time. Based on results from 4,217 frontline workers, 3,483 (83 percent ) who were vaccinated, the study found that vaccine effectiveness against infection decreased from 91 percent to 66 percent as the delta variant became the most dominant strain.

An Israeli study showed boosters to be highly effective.A study published Sunday by the Israeli Health Ministry found that a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine provided 4 times as much protection against infection as two doses in people 60 and older,according to theWashington Post。This age group appears to be more susceptible to breakthrough cases. On August 19, Israel approved boosters for those age 40 and up. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, 49, got his third Pfizer shot on Friday.