Covid-19 and vaccines: Headlines across the world this week
Covid-19 deaths surge in eastern Europe as a result of vaccine rejection, while the World Health Organisation calls on countries to prioritise the vaccination of their health workers. These are the top Covid-19 stories this week.
Unvaccinated people likely to be infected every 16 months
A study by researchers at Yale University and the University of North Carolina have found that people who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 can expect to get reinfected every 16 months.
Jeffrey Townsend, professor of biostatistics at the Yale School of Public Health and the lead author of the study, explains how those not vaccinated may be more likely to get reinfected.
“Just like common colds, from one year to the next you may get reinfected with the same virus. The difference is that, during its emergence in this pandemic, Covid-19 has proven to be much more deadly,” says Townsend.
The study looked at six types of coronaviruses that are similar to Covid-19, and found that reinfection can range from 128 days to 28 years, with 16 months being the average.
“The overall goal of the study was to provide an answer to a question that at this point in the pandemic would be impossible to answer empirically, which is how long after you’ve been infected by Sars-CoV-2 can you expect to possess immunity against the virus before you become vulnerable to reinfection?” study co-author Hayley Hassler told Yale Daily News.
Covid-19 rips through eastern Europe
Parts of eastern Europe are currently experiencing an upsurge in Covid-19 cases, with some reports suggesting that in Romania, one person dies of Covid-19 every five minutes. The country had the world’s highest death rate per capita this week.
This new surge has prompted the Russian government to shut down all workplaces from the start of November for a week, in an effort to combat new infections.
In this past week, Covid-19 deaths in Russia have been rising dramatically, with 1 028 deaths recorded on Wednesday (October 20).
One of the reasons why infection rates are so high across eastern Europe is because these countries are vaccine-sceptic and have largely rejected calls to get vaccinated.
Steve Rosenberg, Moscow correspondent for BBC News, says Russian authorities have failed to persuade the public to get vaccinated, while the public also has a certain level of mistrust for its government.
A new record for coronavirus deaths in Russia. New restrictions, too. In Russia the Covid situation continues to deteriorate. But why? A few thoughts. @BBCNews @BBCWorld Camera @mattgodtv Producer @BBCWillVernon pic.twitter.com/pmuOjYIFQS
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) October 19, 2021
The European Union has stated that all countries part of the former communist eastern bloc, including Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Poland, Latvia and Estonia, have the lowest vaccination rates.
According to the BBC, in one Russian hospital alone, out of the 750 patients with Covid-19, 700 are not vaccinated.
Moscow is set to close restaurants, theaters and most retail stores for 11 days amid a record surge of daily Covid cases and deaths in Russia https://t.co/hARrv5pXZ2 pic.twitter.com/BYhPeDn3Pl
— Bloomberg Originals (@bbgoriginals) October 22, 2021
Melbourne’s lockdown finally lifted
The city of Melbourne in Australia has finally lifted its lockdown restrictions, ending the world’s longest Covid-19 lockdown. Melbourne has had six stay-at-home orders since March 2020.
South Africa, in comparison, had only one stay-at-home order, from the strictest Level 5 lockdown implemented on March 26, 2020, to a move to Level 4 on May 1 a few weeks later.
Victoria premier Daniel Andrews has said there will no longer be lockdowns, as all citizens have been complying with orders and getting vaccinated.
“We are not having state-wide lockdowns, we are not having city-wide lockdowns, because people have gone and done what we asked them to do,” he says.
Meanwhile, residents of Melbourne have welcome their regained freedoms.
FINALLY! 🎉🎉 Scott Morrison’s Melbourne Lockdown is over.
Celebrate today with friends & family. And celebrate on Election Day by voting Morrison out!
— Julian Hill MP (@JulianHillMP) October 21, 2021
https://twitter.com/haydenww/status/1451173492301254660?s=20
SA’s teens get the jab
South Africa began vaccinating children aged 12 and older on October 20. Of the 39 109 adolescents who signed up for the jab within the first 24 hours, 6 843 were vaccinated on the first day.
Although the death rate among teenagers and children has not been as high as among adults, according to experts, vaccinating secondary school children will help reduce transmission to the older population and avoid schools closing unnecessarily.
Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Prof Glenda Davison says there have been cases of teenagers becoming very ill from the virus, and even dying.
Vaccinations reduce the incidence of infection, the risk of hospitalisation, long-term effects and death, she says.
She encourages teens to go out in their numbers and get vaccinated.
READ MORE: Covid-19 round-up: More than 11 million adults in SA fully vaccinated
WHO calls for healthcare protection
On Thursday (October 21), the World Health Organisation hosted a media briefing on Covid-19, with a focus on vaccinating healthcare workers across the globe.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, stated that the well-being of healthcare workers is paramount to a fully functioning healthcare system.
“The backbone of every health system is its workforce – the people who deliver the services on which we all rely at some point in our lives.”
In Africa, fewer than one in 10 health workers are fully vaccinated. In the rest of the world, two out of every five health workers are fully vaccinated.
.@WHO estimates that 115,000 #healthworkers may have died from #COVID19 as of May 2021. This is why it’s essential that health workers are prioritised for vaccination. Together with partners, we urge all countries to protect & #SupportHealthCareWorkers!https://t.co/Ghcc3Zxsqo https://t.co/hAMflRRXqy
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 21, 2021
“We call on all countries to ensure all health and care workers are protected and supported, with safe and healthy working conditions, regular salaries, pay equity, appropriate education, career opportunities and social protection.”.
