Covid Vaccination Argentina

[gracielle]

16 October 2021

Carla Vizzotti admitió que la campaña de vacunación “se ralentizó” y explicó qué pasará con las terceras dosis

La ministra de Salud sostuvo que la baja en la aplicación se registra en todos los países que alcanzan un alto grado de inmunización de la población; habló sobre los refuerzos para los que ya tienen el esquema completo

www.lanacion.com.ar

Carla Vizzotti admitted that the vaccination campaign "has slowed down" and explained what will happen with the third doses. In radio statements, she said that the phenomenon is natural in all countries that achieve a high degree of immunization of the population and explained the reasons. She also referred to the percentage of people who decided not to be inoculated against Covid and to the application of third doses in 2022. When asked on CNN Radio about the slowdown of the vaccination campaign, Vizzotti stated: "The slowdown of immunization happens in all countries that reach a high vaccination level. We are talking about 90% of those over 18 years of age having started the scheme, so it is slowing down because we do not have many people who need to start the vaccination scheme and the second doses are conditioned to the arrival of the vaccines and to the minimum waiting period [between vaccinations]". Notwithstanding the scenario described above, she anticipated that by currently having doses for children under 18 years of age and with the arrival of new units from Pfizer and Sinopharm "it is expected that the number will actually increase to advance coverage with both doses, given that the target population has been expanded".

When asked if the Government knows the percentage of the population that does not want to be vaccinated, the Minister indicated: "We still have more demand than supply and we are working on satisfying that demand". Even so, she pointed out that there is a "10% of people over 18 years of age who did not start the scheme", a situation she attributed to two possibilities: "It could be that they have difficulties in accessing the vaccine or that they have doubts or have decided not to get vaccinated". In order to fully understand the composition of this 10% of the population, she informed that a "house-to-house" survey is currently being carried out in the provinces. During the interview, Vizzotti also spoke about the possibility of booster doses being given throughout 2022. "We have to explain that not all vaccines and all diseases behave the same. Measles is a disease that when it is suffered gives immunity for life and if I receive the two-dose measles scheme it gives me immunity for a very long time. However, this does not happen in the case of respiratory viruses such as Covid".

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

[gracielle]

16 October 2021

Llegó un nuevo cargamento con dosis de Sputnik V y el país superó las 80 millones de vacunas contra el COVID-19

Son del segundo componente. Serán utilizadas para completar el esquema de aquellas personas a las que les falta una aplicación

www.infobae.com

A new shipment of Sputnik V doses arrived and the country surpassed 80 million vaccines against COVID-19. A shipment of 500,000 vaccines of the second component of Sputnik V arrived on Friday and will be used to complete the scheme for those persons who are missing an application....According to the Public Vaccination Monitor, as of early Saturday morning, 65,657,729 doses had been distributed throughout the country, while applications totaled 55,498,940, of which 31,030,223 correspond to people who started their vaccination schedule and 24,468,717 to citizens who have already completed it....

 

[gracielle]

17 October 2021

La variante Delta avanza en el AMBA | Cómo impacta en los contagios

Representa un 35,9 por ciento de las muestras estudiadas. De momento no se reporta un aumento en las notificaciones de casos según detallaron especialistas.

www.pagina12.com.ar

The prevalence of the Delta variant continues to increase in the AMBA and in the City of BA, and already represents 35.9% of the samples studied. For the time being, no increase in the notifications of contagion in general has been reported, according to specialists who stressed the importance of continuing with the Vaccination Plan. "What we observed in the City of BA is that in weeks 37 and 38 (up to September 25) the Delta variant reached 35.9 % of the samples we sequenced, equaling the prevalence of the Gamma variant (originated in Manaus) which until now was the predominant one," explained virologist and researcher Humberto Debat who is a member of the Argentine Interinstitutional SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Project (PAIS). He added that in the same period in the Province of BA "Delta reached a prevalence of 37.5 %, while Gamma continues to be in the majority (56.3%) and Lambda (Andean) remained at 6.3%"....

...."This increase in the prevalence in the samples does not yet translate into an increase in coronavirus cases. However, in the City of BA, where cases had been steadily decreasing, the rate of decrease has slowed down and in the last few days there has been a stabilization or even an incipient increase in notifications," said Debat....The decline in the average number of daily cases stopped around September 24 and since then the average has been around 120 notifications per day. In the Province of BA, on the other hand, the number of cases continues to fall: during the week of September 24-30, an average of 475 cases were reported daily; during the week of October 1-7, 391 cases were reported daily, and during the last week, 295 cases were reported daily....

....Rodrigo Quiroga, a bioinformatician at the National University of Córdoba (UNC) and Conicet researcher, pointed out that "if we simulate an exponential growth of Delta cases as of July 1st and an exponential decrease of cases for the other variants, this coincides with the fact that the slowdown in the decrease of total cases would coincide with what is happening and would anticipate an increase in the coming weeks". Jorge Aliaga, from the University of Hurlingham, said that "to know better how the curve will continue we should wait for tonight's data, which already closes a full week (the 41st), because the four holidays always alter the notifications". He also indicated that "until October 3, which is when we can think that the data are consistent, it seems that in the AMBA the curve of cases is stabilizing and in the interior for the moment it is still going down". According to estimates by biochemist and data analyst Santiago Olszevicki based on official figures, 68% of the population in Argentina received at least their first dose and 53% received two doses. In the adolescent age group (12 to 18) the percentage of vaccinated persons is 26% with one dose and 8 percent with two; while among those over 18 years of age, 90% received the first injection and more than 72% completed the scheme.

For its part, the National Ministry of Health reported that from Tuesday, October 12, when the vaccination campaign began in the pediatric population, until Friday morning, "the jurisdictions reported that 362,126 children aged 3 to 11 years without risk factors received the first dose of Sinopharm, as well as 53,501 children with risk factors in the same age group".

 

[FrankPintor]

Possibly interesting if inconclusive article about mixing vaccines:

Should you mix and match COVID-19 vaccines? Experts weigh in.

While not yet authorized, small trials suggest some booster combinations are not only safe, they may yield better protection.

www.nationalgeographic.com

 

[Jimbob]

Yes, that was the experience of my family member there, it was Pfizer or nothing, no options. Even though Pfizer is known to cause strong side effects and allergic reactions in some people (they were actually trying to recover a person with an epi-pen when she was being vaccinated).

I had AZ in the UK, and there were no options as the rollout was executed as quickly as possible when whichever of either Pfizer, AZ or Moderna where available.

 

[FrankPintor]

Interesting article about a new vaccine, based on an inactivated virus (so, like Sinovac and Sinopharm), but with a "neutralising antibody seroconversion rate above 95%", and outperforming AstraZeneca: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-58952473

 

[gracielle]

19 October 2021

Tapabocas: en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires desde el miércoles 20 no será obligatorio al aire libre

El jefe de Gobierno porteño, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, recorre el centro de vacunación ubicado en el club River Plate y anuncia nuevas medidas sanitarias sobre el COVID-19.

www.perfil.com

Masks: in the City of BA as of tomorrow, October 20, it will not be compulsory outdoors. Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, head of the BA Gov't,
visits the vaccination center located at the River Plate club and announces new health measures on COVID-19.

As of tomorrow, it will no longer be mandatory to wear a face mask outdoors in places where there is no concentration of people. He pointed out that the new measure was defined thanks to the progress of the health situation and to the fact that with today's "turnos", a key goal within the City's Vaccination Plan against COVID-19 will be reached: 70% of the porteños with the complete immunization schedule. "We have already applied more than 4 and a half million doses", and added: "The vaccine is the hope of resuming our activities and returning to life as we used to do before". In any case, the use of the face mask will continue to be mandatory in enclosed spaces, open spaces with a concentration of people where social distance is not guaranteed and in mass events. It will also no longer be a requirement to take the temperature before entering enclosed spaces such as schools or commercial premises. In addition, children of all ages, in public and private schools, will be able to carry out activities in open spaces, such as playgrounds, without the use of face masks.

Regarding public transportation, as of today there are no maximum capacities established in trains, subways and buses. As these are enclosed spaces, the use of face masks will continue to be mandatory and it is recommended, whenever possible, to keep the windows down to optimize ventilation.

Details of the new measures....

 

[gracielle]

19 October 2021

FDA expected to allow mix n' match COVID vaccines

(HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to announce Wednesday that people can mix and match their COVID vaccines and booster shots, a move that would give health officials more flexibility as they try to immunize as many Americans as possible.

medicalxpress.com

 

[gracielle]

18 October 2021 by Michelle Roberts, Health Editor, BBC News online.

BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron: How worried should we be?

Surges of Covid are happening again around the world, driven by some new subvariants of Omicron.

www.bbc.com

 

[gracielle]

20 October 2021 by Ankur Banerjee and Michael Erman

U.S. FDA clears Moderna, J&J COVID-19 boosters, backs use of different vaccine for boost

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson , and said Americans can choose a different shot from their original inoculation as a booster.

www.reuters.com