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Covid-19: CDC signs off on 3rd dose for some in US
“At a time when the Delta variant is surging, an additional vaccine dose for some people with weakened immune systems could help prevent serious and possibly life-threatening cases within this population,” said Rachelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The top US health agency on Friday recommended an additional dose of two-shot mRNA Covid vaccines for people with compromised immune systems such as organ transplant recipients, cancer patients or those with advanced and untreated HIV infection.
“At a time when the Delta variant is surging, an additional vaccine dose for some people with weakened immune systems could help prevent serious and possibly life-threatening cases within this population,” said Rachelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The third dose should be the same mRNA vaccine - Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna - as the primary shots and are to be administered four weeks after completing the primary vaccination. An estimated 3% of the adult population in America is said to be immunocompromised. And studies cited by CDC in support of this new recommendation showed 40-44% of hospitalised breakthrough cases - those contracting Covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated - were immunocompromised.
Delta pushes cases up
Meanwhile, the seven-day average of Covid-19 deaths in the US reached 645 on Friday, almost doubling in two weeks to reach the highest point since May, as the Delta variant pushes deeper into the country.
Meanwhile, daily infections are up about 66% over the same period and are back at levels last seen in early February - the average topping 128,000 as of Friday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg.
Australia’s most-populous city Sydney tightened restrictions as the Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads throughout the country. New South Wales state recorded 466 new cases in the local community on Saturday. Iranian state media says authorities will impose a six-day “general lockdown” in cities across the country in an effort to curb the Delta variant.
(With inputs from Agencies)
