Flu. Covid19. Flu. Covid 19. It seems like the cases alternate, but they are daily. Lots of Flu A circulating. Being vaccinated reduces the risk but doesn’t eliminate it. Same thing with Covid 19. A recent article suggests that the newest vaccine reduces the risk by 54%. Another new thing is the Lucera home test that tests for both types of flu and Covid 19. It takes about 30 minutes, and one patient told me that he paid $54.00 for it. It can be useful in guiding therapy as there are effective antiviral medications for both.
Newest COVID shots are 54% effective in preventing symptoms, CDC finds
NEW YORK (AP) — The latest versions of COVID-19 vaccines were 54% effective at preventing symptomatic infection in adults, according to the first U.S. study to assess how well the shots work.
The shots became available last year and were designed to better protect against more recent coronavirus variants.
In Thursday’s study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 9,000 people who got tested for COVID-19 at CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, checking who tested positive and whether they had gotten a new shot or not.
Studies coming out later this year will assess how effective the shot was at preventing symptoms severe enough to send patients to a doctor’s office or hospital, she said.
The CDC recommends the new shots for everyone 6 months and older, but most Americans haven’t gotten them. The latest CDC data suggests only about 22% of U.S. adults have gotten the shots, and only 11% of children. The slow uptake meant that it took longer for researchers to gather enough data to assess how well the shots work, Link-Gelles said.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
