The mask is back as the Delta variant forces a dramatic reversal in the United States

“You can get infected just before or after vaccination and still get sick.”

However, the CDC states that the risk of spreading Covid-19 is reduced after a person has been completely vaccinated (two weeks after the final dose). Studies show that vaccinated people who still have a breakthrough infection have less detectable virus (viral load) than those who have not been vaccinated with the infection. ..

Top 3 readings of the week

This is what vaccine inequality looks like

Every time I see a phone call from home, I feel depressed. I’m always afraid they say my grandmother has died.She uses a ventilator For four weeks, my anxiety is nearing its limits. Horrible calls can come at any time: Covid-19. also.

My Kenyan grandmother was among the hundreds of millions of people in developing countries, even at the age of 96. Until recently, it had not been vaccinated because rich countries had stored most of the available shots. I am over 60 years younger than her, but because I lived in the United States, I was fully vaccinated by April. In the United States, anyone over the age of 12 can be vaccinated.

The sudden dose shortages of the poorest people in the world are called “vaccine apartheid,” “greed,” and “catastrophic moral failure.” Still, public humiliation makes little substantial difference, and Africa has received the fewest vaccines in the world so far. Public health officials warn that no one is safe until everyone is safe during a pandemic. And vaccine inequity means that new strains of the virus can emerge in Africa, spread rapidly around the world, and nullify the increase in mass vaccination elsewhere.

Europe sought to promote vaccination with carrots.Now it’s breaking the stick

From cash payments to phone data, soccer stadium tours, and free roasted meat, authorities have offered a variety of carrots to invite people to take shots. Some leaders are now pulling out sticks as Delta variants are threatening to tear across the continent and cause another round of blockade in the middle of summer.

Beginning in August, France passed a law requiring a “health pass” to prove vaccination or a negative PCR test for admission to restaurants and bars, and for long-distance train and plane trips. did. Faced with a surge in infectious diseases threatening the resurgence of the important tourism industry, Greece went one step further in mid-July to eliminate unvaccinated people from indoor restaurants, bars, cafes and cinemas. .. I also ordered a required shot from a healthcare professional. Italy, which mandated vaccinations for medical and pharmacy workers in April, also announced that it would impose similar restrictions on indoor venues for residents without evidence of immunity.

Australia once enjoyed being Covid-19’s “lucky country.” Now Australians “feel like prisoners”

A kangaroo postcard relaxing in a gum tree has arrived in a letterbox in London for my 4-year-old daughter. “My loved one,” it says. “How are you? Are you enjoying school? Do you have friends? My brother is one year old. I hope I can come to Australia and meet me someday. I love you and often you I’m thinking about Australia.'”

For most of 2020, Australia’s success in controlling viruses has been the envy of the world. By March of that year, Australia had categorically closed its borders as an Italian hospital drowned in the incident and Britain dithered about restrictions-and the tactics were first rewarded.

In a country with a population of 25 million, more than 900 coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded since the outbreak of the pandemic. The total number of cases is about 32,000, which is the number that the UK has recently exceeded every day. And the economy has recovered. However, after more than a year, Australians remain trapped in golden cages, relying on a series of short, sharp blockages to quell the outbreak of highly contagious Delta subspecies.

Top tip

Replace the mask. Yes, even if you are vaccinated.

“We haven’t changed science,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN. “The virus has changed and science has evolved with the changing virus.”

Prior to Tuesday, the CDC advised only unvaccinated people to wear masks indoors. However, the guidance has been updated in the light of new scientific data from several states and other countries, rarely transmitting the virus to other vaccinated people infected with the delta mutant after the shot. It shows that it has the potential to spread to people.

What is the new guidance?

Listen to our podcast