CDC study: Vaccination protects against COVID hospitalization significantly more than prior infection

this morning. The new government website Covid test dot gov is up and running with just a name and address families can request for free at home rapid antigen tests to be delivered to their home. It comes as the biden administration faces growing pressure to fix the Covid testing shortage. We're looking forward to getting free tests out to the public. The White House says they have tens of millions of tests ready to go and are spending $4 billion to deliver the 1st 500 million passing pressure to the Postal service to quickly deliver the Postmaster general saying they are well prepared to accept and deliver test kits on the first day the program launches. But right now the U. S. Postal service is facing some problems with communities in several states dealing with mail delays because of omicron. It's mostly bulk mail. Derek Reynolds just got mail delivered to his Maryland home for the first time in three weeks. It's a very weird and frustrating situation to have things you know are coming that you just don't know when they're ever going to arrive. As of Tuesday, more than 19,000 postal workers were either sick or quarantining just shy of the agency's pandemic high and more than twice as many as just two weeks ago. There are households where there has been no mail delivered for days. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton sent a concerned letter to the postal service about the delays in D. C. If we can't get the mail. How are we going to get these Covid tests. I would be very worried about getting a test in any kind of timely manner. The postal service is now ramping up operations, setting up 43 centers where they will pack and ship those tests and hiring more than 7000 temporary workers. Many of them still staff from the holidays. USPS says their mitigation plans continue to perform well during omicron Adding that 90% of first class mail was delivered on time. In the first week of January we will get those test kits where they belong providing the test kits get to the post office in a timely way. But even if all goes right, don't expect overnight delivery. The White House predicts most tests will ship in 7 to 12 days and not until late january. They say the test should be used in three situations if you have symptoms at least five days after exposure or before gathering indoors with high risk people order the tests before you need them. If they wait until they have an issue by the time the tests arrive, the optimal time for testing may well have passed. Dr William Schaffner is part of the CDC's advisory committee on immunization practices. If you've been exposed and you don't have the tests available, you'll have to find testing resources elsewhere

Both vaccination and prior infection help protect against new COVID-19 infections, but vaccination protects against hospitalization significantly more than natural immunity from prior infection alone, according to a study published Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Researchers analyzed the risk of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization among four groups of individuals: vaccinated with and without prior infection and unvaccinated with and without prior infection. The study case data from about 1.1 million cases in California and New York between the end of May and mid-November 2021. Hospitalization data was available from California only.Overall, COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates were highest among unvaccinated people who did not have a previous diagnosis.At first, those with a prior infection had higher case rates than those who were vaccinated with no history of prior infection. As the delta variant became predominant in the U.S. in later months, this shifted and people who survived a previous infection had lower case rates than those who were vaccinated alone, according to the study.Tracking the omicron surge Biden administration to give away 400 million N95 masks CDC moves 22 new destinations into its highest-risk level for travel due to omicron Government launches site for free COVID-19 tests Could omicron mark the end of COVID-19's pandemic phase? Here's what Fauci says When am I contagious if infected with omicron? "Experts first looked at previous infections confirmed with laboratory test by the spring of 2021, when the alpha variant was predominant across the country. Before the delta variant, COVID-19 vaccination resulted in better protection against a subsequent infection than surviving a previous infection. When looking at the summer and the fall of 2021, when delta became dominant in this country, however, surviving a previous infection now provided greater protection against subsequent infection than vaccination," Dr. Benjamin Silk, lead for CDC's surveillance and analytics on the Epi-Task Force, said on a call with media Wednesday.However, this shift coincides with a time of waning vaccine immunity in many people. The study did not factor the time from vaccination — and potential waning immunity — into the analysis. The study also does not capture the effect booster doses may have and was conducted before the emergence of the omicron variant.Throughout the period of the study, risk of COVID-19 hospitalization was significantly higher among unvaccinated people with no previous COVID-19 diagnosis than any other group."Together, the totality of the evidence suggests really that both vaccination and having survived COVID each provide protection against subsequent reinfection, infection and hospitalization," said Dr. Eli Rosenberg, New York State Deputy Director for Science. "Having COVID the first time carries with it significant risks, and becoming vaccinated and staying up-to-date with boosters really is the only safe choice for preventing COVID infection and severe disease."Experts also noted that characteristics of variants change, including how well they affect immunity from prior infections.The CDC said in a statement it will publish additional data on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters against the dominant omicron variant later this week.

Researchers analyzed the risk of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization among four groups of individuals: vaccinated with and without prior infection and unvaccinated with and without prior infection. The study case data from about 1.1 million cases in California and New York between the end of May and mid-November 2021. Hospitalization data was available from California only.

Overall, COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates were highest among unvaccinated people who did not have a previous diagnosis.

At first, those with a prior infection had higher case rates than those who were vaccinated with no history of prior infection. As the delta variant became predominant in the U.S. in later months, this shifted and people who survived a previous infection had lower case rates than those who were vaccinated alone, according to the study.

Tracking the omicron surge

"Experts first looked at previous infections confirmed with laboratory test by the spring of 2021, when the alpha variant was predominant across the country. Before the delta variant, COVID-19 vaccination resulted in better protection against a subsequent infection than surviving a previous infection. When looking at the summer and the fall of 2021, when delta became dominant in this country, however, surviving a previous infection now provided greater protection against subsequent infection than vaccination," Dr. Benjamin Silk, lead for CDC's surveillance and analytics on the Epi-Task Force, said on a call with media Wednesday.

However, this shift coincides with a time of waning vaccine immunity in many people. The study did not factor the time from vaccination — and potential waning immunity — into the analysis. The study also does not capture the effect booster doses may have and was conducted before the emergence of the omicron variant.

Throughout the period of the study, risk of COVID-19 hospitalization was significantly higher among unvaccinated people with no previous COVID-19 diagnosis than any other group.

"Together, the totality of the evidence suggests really that both vaccination and having survived COVID each provide protection against subsequent reinfection, infection and hospitalization," said Dr. Eli Rosenberg, New York State Deputy Director for Science. "Having COVID the first time carries with it significant risks, and becoming vaccinated and staying up-to-date with boosters really is the only safe choice for preventing COVID infection and severe disease."

Experts also noted that characteristics of variants change, including how well they affect immunity from prior infections.

The CDC said in a statement it will publish additional data on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters against the dominant omicron variant later this week.

��vlog