Vaccines still stalled as Mu added to WHO list
(CNS): Just over 50 people got their first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine over the last 24 hours, according to the latest figures, as the national vaccine programme continues to stall. Here in Cayman, 73% of the population has now had at least one dose while the fully vaccinated rate remains at 70%, just one week before the borders open and Cayman returns to its open skies agreement and lifts restrictions on who can and cannot come and go to the islands.
Quarantine measures remain in place, however, as the virus continues to rage. The World Health Organization has added yet another strain to its list of “variants of interest” amid concerns that it may partially evade immunity from both past infection and vaccination.
The Mu variant, also known as B.1.621, has now been detected in 39 countries and found to possess a cluster of mutations that may make it less susceptible to the immune protection people have acquired. In a press release from the WHO this week, officials said Mu was first identified in Colombia in January but sporadic cases and larger outbreaks have been recorded around the world, including in the UK and the United States.
Mu comes as the Delta Variant continues to fuel historic daily infection rates. Some experts believe the Delta variant surge is starting to wane, but the problem that the world is facing is that as one variant begins to fade, another emerges.
Meanwhile, here in Cayman there was just one new case of the virus in a traveller among the test results reported Thursday. There are currently 17 active cases of the virus among people in isolation and quarantine, five of whom are showing symptoms, though no one is in hospital.
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Category: Health, Medical Health
The virus is endemic. We have two choices. Either find a way to coexist, or remain isolated forever. The vaccine was a way out. But stupid people were allowed to opt out and allow the virus to mutate. Now it is too late for any ‘return to normal’ scenario. Sad but true.
Sadly cayman has a lot of uneducated people who think the virus will just go away magically in the next year and then they can open unvaccinated, they don’t realize Covid is here to stay, I blame the government and lack of appropriate education if their population. Remember caymanians are very sheltered people.
The US discarded 1 million vaccines since December; that is criminal when you think of countries like Jamaica, Haiti, Nicaragua and many others. 🙁
They expire and cannot b transported by air,. Same for the batch we have here that expires end of October – not possible to fly it to Cuba or central america.
Perfectly good for boosters – unless of course the government prefers to send them to the dump
It is my understanding that the boosters are specificially tailored to the recent variants; otherwise, they would do no more than the original inoculations, which have been largely marginalised by the Delta variant, and possibly Lamda and Mu.
Nope, they are the same. More of the same stuff.
Nope
I wonder how islands imported and exported before there were planes?
Just wish Cayman had been sensible and done 8 to 12 weeks between jabs like the Ukw as already doing back in March. I asked for 8 week gap after my first jab in March but they said had to be 3. Scientifically proven that 8 is the sweet spot between the 2 doses of pfixer for maximum long lasting protection. That is why Israel seeing a few more cases amongst vaccinated than UK when both now opened with around 70% vaccinated – UK did up to 12 weeks between doses, Israel did 3 like us. Having said that all looks fine in israel now due to the vaccines.
You really could have waited for 8 weeks if you wanted. They said it had to be “at least 3”
No one forced you to go for your second jab after 3 weeks. It was a 3 week minimum gap between the two
That logic is like saying, if I knew it was going to rain I wouldn’t have hung the laundry out, – COVID and the understanding of it is a continuously evolving thing
Nonsense it was 4 months between my doses, they didn’t bat an eyelid, besides, they ran out when my second was due. However, because of lingering side effects with the second, I won’t be taking any booster. I will only take one of the two traditional vaccines. No more MRNA for me.
9:39 yep; I will ONLY take the traditionally made vaccines, preferably Sinopharm. Government needs to stop their horse shit only brining in Pfizer. Basically every other country has a choice in what to take, why don’t we?
I waited longer than 3 weeks. No one said anything.
I don’t thin k we need to start panicking about Mu. Been in Uk since January, only 30 cases, shown to not be epidemic there and not as transmittable as Delta at all and not spreading like Wildfire. think we are fine on this one. We do need to open up as soon as possible though and combine the vaccine with some natural immunity.
This is a worthwhile read, and something one would hope our Govt/HSA is looking at and preparing for with the consideration of opening the borders. Long haul COVID it seems flies under the radar even within the medical community.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/09/covid-19-long-haulers-pandemic-future/619941/
Hardly under the radar!? Long covid has been a known thing for a year at least, with so much reporting on i – as a UK expat I have read loads on long covid. Anyone with a brain should be aware of the risks and impact and what long covid is.
You, and the other nine people who clicked “like”, didn’t read the linked story, you just reacted to your own view of ‘long covid’ and how it relates to your narrative.
perhaps you might author a paper for the medical professionals referred to in the article that have misdiagnosed the long covid symptoms and set protocol that in some cases has impaired recovery, – I’m sure they’d be indebted for the insight
We can’t do it. We can’t open. 200,000 pediatric cases in the US.
Let’s keep trying to increase the vaccination numbers, prohibit travel to the country for unvaccinated non Caymanians. And keep the quarantines in place.
The country is limping along now, we will grind to a halt when there is community transmission in the schools.
I agree with the fear for children, though their chances of infection are massively low. Agree we should keep vaccinating to protect ourselves, and our families.
But we have to stop thinking about this supposed magic shield for vaccinated travelers. Get vaccinated to protect yourself, slow hospital use. But we must stop thinking that the vaccine will prevent transmission. If your neighbor, visitor, or coworker is vaccinated and you are not, your chances of contracting Covid are not further protected.
The vaccine is not a protection against transmission in excess of a non-vaccinated person. This is quite clear from CDC / WHO.
https://districtadministration.com/school-closings-tracker-where-covid-shut-down-schools-again/ Impact on kids is clear – do we want this? School year has just started
We can’t move forward with an opening “plan” until we know what the lockdown “plan” will be.
We did a good job of making it up as we went along last March, now we need to informed.
If the plan is a total lockdown after community transmission begins…: I don’t know.
In Kids, The Risk Of COVID-19 And The Flu Are Similar — But The Risk Perception Isn’t
https://www.npr.org/2021/05/21/999241558/in-kids-the-risk-of-covid-19-and-the-flu-are-similar-but-the-risk-perception-isn
children under 12, Oct 14 ?
With a government that has openly admitted to telling lies as ‘scare tactics’ and therefore can’t be trusted, talk of injecting this concoction as a ‘booster’, I am done with ‘vaccines’ for this until they can get it right. This is the first time ever mrna has been injected into humans and the virus is just navigating its way around it. I have had the two shots and since lost range of movement in the injected arm, not doing this anymore, I would rather take my chances and let my immune system fight it, even if it loses.
It’s your diet. Stop eating junk food! *sarcasm
Here is a report and study showing that the vaccinated can carry 250 times the Delta variant viral load as opposed to the original Alpha strain.
XXXX
CNS: Study in Vietnam showed that Delta infection results in a higher viral load compared to earlier strains, not that vaccinated people are more infectious than unvaccinated people
CNS – if you have a higher viral load – you are more infectious than if the viral load was lower…
CNS: This is not in dispute. What is your point?
Thanks CNS. Some people can’t comprehend what they read it seems…
I liked the CNS response, not the original post.
Will the double dose of the Pfizer vaccine I took in March protect me against the Mu? I am very concerned because I doubt it will and I understand that my jab is no longer offering as much protection against the Delta. Will the booster be effective against the Mu?
Mu isn’t a problem as yet. For now, really just need to concern yourself with Delta. This strain is now 99% dominant in many countries. Yes, the vaccine will still work against Delta.
The vaccine is failing against delta and certainly won’t help you with MU. The vaccine was made with the original strain, not all the mutations which is why it is becoming less and less effective. Try to keep your immune system as boosted as possible love. At this point it seems like it’s our best shot with how rapidly this virus is mutating.
“…certainly won’t help you with MU.”, how do you know this?
Get a life
You are good until Omicron. After that, you are on your own.
Lol. Though it’s not a funny subject.
Can anyone explain the mental path on 3% of Cayman only getting half the two shot vaccination course? Are these folks that flew off the island for the second? Does the HSA even keep track? Weird.
CNS: They have to wait three weeks until they get the second dose. Presumably, all of that 3% will do so.
With all that’s going on in the world are we really any closer to Protection. This whole thing is scary.
Covid is endemic meaning it isn’t likely to ever go away. It is with the human race forever just like the flu or a cold. Everyone will get one of the variants eventually.
It is scary and we need to accept that life has bad things that happen to all of us. While it isn’t fair to those that are more susceptible to the virus and cannot take the vaccines it also isn’t fair to others in our community if we just stay isolated. There isn’t an easy path forward and when we open and the community transmission begins some will suffer. If we didn’t open others would suffer as well, just different members of our community.
There are no guarantees in this life, you just need to meet the future with courage and dignity.
Roll back the stipend, increase flights, allow visitors but maintain quarantine. Anything else at this stage would be madness.
100% agree with you.
Unfortunately it seems that most US tourists prefer to go where they don’t have to quarantine. They don’t consider it their business if the jurisdiction has to lock down again after they have left.