‘Two doses give strong protection against B.1.617.2’

New research on Covid-19 vaccines shows that two doses are required to provide “strong protection against symptomatic infection” from a variant of the virus first identified in India, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.

Two doses provided 81% protection against the B.1.617.2 variant, while one shot offered 33% protection, according to the report, which cited people briefed on preliminary data from Public Health England. A double dose was also found to better guard against the B.1.1.7 strain first detected in Kent, England. The research included data from the Biontech/pfizer and Oxford/ Astrazeneca vaccines.

The UK is rolling out its vaccination programme to those aged 32 or over, the country’s health secretary Matt Hancock said in a tweet on Saturday.

Latin America Covid fatalities pass 1mn

Latin America and the Caribbean passed one million coronavirus deaths on Friday as the IMF proposed a $50 billion plan aiming to expand global immunisation drives.

Since the coronavirus was first detected in Latin America in Sao Paulo in late February 2020, AFP has recorded over 1,001,400 fatalities - almost 30% of the global total - and more than 31.5 million cases.

Nearly 90% of those deaths have been recorded in just five countries: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Peru.

Latin America suffers from a lack of access to vaccines and necessary medical supplies, and has only finished immunising 3% of its population, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

In Washington, the International Monetary Fund proposed a $50 billion recovery plan with the aim of having at least 60% of the world’s population vaccinated by the end of 2022.

Mask use, ventilation effective against virus

Mask use and improved ventilation were linked to a lower rate of Covid-19 cases in schools in a study that reinforced federal health guidance on how to keep the children safe. Among Georgia elementary schools, the frequency of Covid cases at the end of last year was 37% lower in schools that required teachers and staff to use masks, according to a Friday report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The incidence of Covid cases was 39% lower in schools that enhanced ventilation.

Even as the CDC relaxed recommended precautions for fully vaccinated people, it has recommended schools maintain universal mask use until the end of the current school year. LONDON/MONTEVIDEO: