Immunity after infection robust for certain ages
The natural immunity provided by a first coronavirus infection is “robust” for relatively young people but not so much for people over 65 – and generally not as good as vaccination, a new study found.
Researchers in Denmark found that 80% or more of the naturally infected population who are younger than 65 were protected against reinfection for at least six months. Good, but not as good as some vaccines that appear to provide more than 90% protection for people with no prior infection.
The researchers also found that previous infection provided less than 50% protection for people 65 years and older. Since that group is also more prone to a “serious clinical course of illness,” the researchers urged protective measures for the elderly in the form of effective vaccines and enhanced physical distancing and infection control. “Furthermore, our data indicate that vaccination of previously infected individuals should be done because natural protection cannot be relied on,” the researchers said.
Latino vaccinations lag across Texas, especially in Austin
About half the 770 people who have died of COVID-19 in Travis County, Texas – home of the state capital of Austin – have been Latinos. And yet, an analysis by the USA TODAY network shows only 22% of people vaccinated in the county have been Latinos, even though they made up one-third of the 1.2 million residents in 2019, according to census data.
In Travis County, white-majority ZIP codes had average vaccination rates 1.7 times higher than ZIP codes where people of color were in the majority. The disparity was most pronounced in ZIP codes with a Latino majority, and Travis County’s gap for Latinos was bigger than in all but three other large Texas counties: Cameron, Harris – where Houston is located – and Dallas.
Overall, in the 20 largest counties in Texas, ZIP codes with white, non-Latino residents in the majority had vaccination rates 1.3 times higher than other ZIP codes on average through the end of February.
Other top headlines
More than 15% of U.S. adults are now fully vaccinated and 28% have had at least one dose, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
The U.S. has over 29.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 538,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Utah is among the latest states to announce an expansion in vaccine eligibility, with residents 16 and older allowed to get the vaccine starting March 24. Illinois will do the same starting April 12, while Maryland aims to do so by April 27. Nevada is also making vaccines available to those 16 and older starting Monday, if they have an underlying health condition.
In anticipation of Arizona’s triple digit heat, the state health department said this week that Arizona’s first 24/7 large-scale COVID-19 vaccine site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale will cut back hours and convert to an overnight operation in early April. The state is identifying indoor venues to use.
Michigan’s case rate is up 50% from the February low and now stands at 144 cases per million people, health officials warned. New variants might be contributing to this increase. Michigan has also recently eased restrictions, including 50% capacity at restaurants and in-person learning.
Sniffer dogs in Thailand trained to detect COVID-19 in human sweat proved nearly 95% accurate during training and could be used to identify coronavirus infections at busy transport hubs, the head of a pilot project told Reuters.