Pfizer’s effectiveness against Omicron infection is 33%, data show – NBC New York

Highly infectious Omicron variant Prevalence is increasing rapidly across the United States, but further in New York and New Jersey, according to the CDC’s director, with genomic sequencing of about 13% compared to 3% in the United States. Detected at a rate.

Early evidence shows that the delta appears to lead to more severe cases than the new subspecies that first appeared in South Africa, and is still the predominant strain in the United States (96.7% of all sequenced positive COVID samples), nationally. It fuels Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who has seen a surge in hospitalization. I said to “today” on Tuesday.

But just as Delta overwhelmed Alpha this spring, Omicron could eventually overtake Delta, Warensky said. It already accounts for 3% of all US cases tested.

The good news is that early data show that Omicron “shows a decrease in severity, a shorter stay, a decrease in oxygen intake, and a decrease in the number of people in the ICU.” Even better, “we have the tools now,” said the CDC director.

That said, Warrensky admits that “you still have a lot of people sick,” even if Omicron proves to be less serious, and some of the most vulnerable. You may experience serious COVID-related illness or death. She said that the amazing diffusion rate of Omicron makes vaccination more and more important.

Pfizer Data released on Tuesday show that the vaccine is 70% effective in preventing Omicron-related hospitalizations, but only 33%. In the prevention of new infections-especially statistics of concern to parents of infants who have recently been vaccinated and have a much lower complete ERA than adults. More insights into the effectiveness of Moderna are expected this week.

Nationally, 9.6% of children aged 5 to 11 years are fully vaccinated, CDC data show. Then more than 52% of the younger group (12-17 years old) can say the same thing.

Both New York State and the city boast higher complete vaccination rates for the youngest eligible. Almost 12% of children aged 5 to 11 years are fully vaccinated throughout the state, but in New York City, the former epicenter of the US COVID outbreak, the complete vaccination rate for that age group is 22.3%. is.

Walensky is not expected to change the definition of “fully vaccinated” on Tuesday, which means that boosters will not be added to the definition, but the huge number of mutations associated with Omicron is ” As much immune protection as possible. “ That’s why boosters are important, She said.

To date, Omicron has been detected in 33 states in the United States and 77 countries around the world.

“We see that it is more contagious and that it is rapidly becoming the predominant strain in other countries,” Warrensky said of about 120,000 new cases per day in the United States. Most said it was still Delta.

“Science is still evolving and still fast, but in some of these countries we are seeing doubling time about every two days-so the amount of omicrons there is really rapid. Is increasing, “she says.

More data is needed to determine if Omicron is more vaccine avoidant than previous strains, but limited studies available at this time suggest that it is possible. I am.

CDC last week To date, more than 75% of more than 40 Americans found to be infected with Omicron have been vaccinated. Breakthrough infections have increased in New York since early November, but are part of the new infections compared to unvaccinated.

New York Increasing list of US states Adopting powerful measures to curb the spread of Omicron, the ongoing threat posed by Delta In more than half a year, we have faced the worst COVID surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

A New state-wide mask man dating Governor Kathy Hokul’s order came into effect on Monday, requiring him to wear a face cover in all indoor public places where vaccination proof was not required. The mission will be valid until at least January 15th.

Nonconformity is included Fine up to $ 1,000 for each breach.. The local health sector is tasked with enforcing Democratic orders. It doesn’t look like everyone tends to play the ball at this point. Some question the support data, while others say it doesn’t provide enough details about the requirements themselves.

Hochul’s Health Commissioner in issuing the decision orders necessary to carry out the mandates cited in the partial dataThe use of sk is associated with reducing the risk of COVID infection by about 70%.. The governor argues that it is time to start maximizing tools to reduce risk, calling her order a first strike.

Also, New York City is acting preemptively. New vaccination requirements for children ages 5-11 to enter restaurants and indoor venues and attend high-risk extracurricular lessons came into effect on Tuesday. Those children only need to show evidence of a single vaccination. After December 27th, children between the ages of 12 and 17 will be required to present two proofs.

That same day, Mayor Bill de Blasio The strictest vaccine obligation in the country It will be enabled. This is the first to cover the entire workforce in the private sector. The mayor will announce additional guidance for businesses on that Wednesday.

He encountered a little more repulsion about the impending order, but De Blasio says the case and hospitalization trends need it.

“As the number of cases increases and hospitalizations tend to increase, we need to attack in every way,” the mayor said. “We are launching a first strike and are taking very strong steps to prevent it from shutting down and ending in a restricted location in 2020. Handwriting is displayed on the wall.”

The question is how long the mission will last. It will take effect four days before Mayor Eric Adams takes office. He said he would consider the policy with his team and make his own decision on whether to adopt it.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday a major new extension to the vaccine mission. Andrew Siff reports.