COVID-19: CDC to count those with AstraZeneca, Novavax shots as ‘fully vaccinated’

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of United States has w termed "fully vaccinated" people as those who have been injected with AstraZeneca and vavax doses during clinical trials.  CDC declared on October 18, Monday that a person should be deemed completely immunised even if y will receive mix-and-match vaccinations. 

Individuals are regarded completely iculated two weeks after receiving second dos of a two-dose series vaccination, like Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after receiving a single-dose vaccine, including Johnson & Johnson's shot. As per new guidelines, COVID-19 vaccines which are presently licensed or permitted for emergency us by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are  Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. While AstraZeneca and Oxford vaccines were designated for emergency use by World Health Organization.  

Meanwhile,  CDC does t promote vaccinations that have t been approved by FDA, and it has t yet decided on formal standards for combining doses. According to CDC, new guideline on evaluating vaccine data has bearing on CDC recommendations for primary series of immunisation and will t be used to guide clinical practice. 

COVID-19 rates are progressively declining throughout US

number of COVID-19 cases had gradually increased in United States due to transmission of highly infectious delta strain. As per real-time statistics provided by Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, over 722,000 Americans have perished due to COVID-19 disease, while more than 4.8 million individuals have died globally. According to CDC data, only 66.5 per cent of Americans d 12 and older are completely iculated against COVID-19. 

Furrmore, Coronavirus rates are progressively declining throughout nation, due to ermous decreases in densely populated states like Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Starting from September 1, total number of daily instances in US has decreased by 50%, with a 43% decrease in hospitalizations and a 21% decline in daily fatalities.  

Yet, an increase in instances in rrn states, on or hand, is generating some alarm. Coronavirus illnesses have been spreading throughout many states in Upper Midwest and rast over past weeks. Eight states have witnessed significant increases in ir case avers which include Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Vermont. 

Alaska is still witnessing highest infection rate in US, joined by Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, West Virginia, and rth Dakota, all of which had infection rates over 400 per 100,000 people. Nearly 113.5 million people in United States are still unvaccinated. Sixty-two million of m persons are above of twelve. Whereas, children under of 12 make up remaining 48 million unvaccinated persons. 

(Im: AP/ Pixabay/ Representative Im)