WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The United States is preparing for the possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine and 12 months after people are initially vaccinated against Covid-19, a White House official said on Thursday (April 15).
While the duration of immunity after vaccination is being studied, booster vaccines could be needed, David Kessler, chief science officer for President Joe Biden's Covid-19 response task force told a congressional committee meeting.
"The current thinking is those who are more vulnerable will have to go first," he said.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said people will likely need a third booster dose of Covid-19 vaccines within 12 months and could need annual shots, CNBC reported based on his comments from April 1, which were made public on Thursday.
Initial data has shown that vaccines from Moderna and partners Pfizer and BioNTech SE retain most of their effectiveness for at least six months, though for how much longer has not been determined.
Even if that protection lasts far longer than six months, experts have said that rapidly spreading variants of the coronavirus and others that may emerge could lead to the need for regular booster shots similar to annual flu shots.
The United States is also tracking infections in people who have been fully vaccinated, Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centres of Disease Control and Prevention told the House subcommittee hearing.
Of 77 million people vaccinated in the United States, there have been 5,800 such breakthrough infections, Walensky said, including 396 people who required hospitalisation and 74 who died.
Walensky said some of these infections have occurred because the vaccinated person did not mount a strong immune response.
But the concern is that in some cases, they are occurring in people infected by more contagious virus variants.
Earlier this month, Pfizer and partner BioNTech said their vaccine was around 91 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19, citing updated trial data that included more than 12,000 people fully inoculated for at least six months.
SINGAPORE: Scoot passenger flights departing from Singapore will not be allowed to land in Hong Kong from Friday (Apr 16) to Apr 29, the government of Hong Kong said on Thursday.
The announcement came in a daily press release providing updates and COVID-19 case numbers for the territory.
Thursday's press release stated that a Scoot passenger flight (TR980), arriving from Singapore to Hong Kong on Apr 11, had two passengers who tested positive for COVID-19.
One passenger had also failed to comply with requirements “specified under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H),” said the release.
According to a Hong Kong government website on COVID-19, the requirements prescribed by Chapter 599H are quarantine-related.
“The DH (Department of Health) thus invoked the regulation to prohibit landing of passenger flights from Singapore operated by Scoot in Hong Kong from April 16 to 29,” said the release.
SCOOT TO REINFORCE PROTOCOLS IN CONDUCTING DOCUMENT CHECKS
Responding to CNA's queries, Scoot confirmed the suspension of daily flights from Singapore to Hong Kong.
"Two transfer passengers on flight TR980 on Apr 11, 2021, who carried valid negative pre-departure COVID-19 test results, tested positive on arrival in Hong Kong," the airline said.
"A third transfer passenger on board the same flight had negative pre-departure COVID-19 test results, and also tested negative on arrival in Hong Kong.
"However, this passenger’s test and travel visa supporting documents were found to not fully meet Hong Kong’s regulatory requirements.
The airline added that it will work closely with ground handling agents to "reinforce our protocols and staff training" in conducting document checks during departure, "and to ensure that the passengers we carry are in compliance with all regulatory requirements".
Scoot also apologised to passengers who have bought tickets for the flight during the suspension period.
"For affected passengers booked on TR980 departing from Apr 16 onwards, Scoot will provide re-booking where possible or offer a full refund.
"Scoot sincerely apologises to our customers for the inconvenience caused."
The airline added that its Hong Kong to Singapore passenger flights would not be affected.
The suspension of Scoot passenger flights comes less than two weeks after the Hong Kong government had banned Singapore Airlines (SIA) passenger flights departing from Singapore from landing in Hong Kong.
This was after a passenger on SQ882, flying from Singapore to Hong Kong on Mar 31, was confirmed to have COVID-19 after being tested on arrival in the territory.
In addition, three passengers had also "failed to comply with requirements specified under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H)".
On Wednesday, Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said Singapore and Hong Kong are in “active discussion” on starting the long-delayed air travel bubble between the two cities.
"We are finalising the details of our revised agreement and hope to announce our plans soon," he said in a statement issued by Singapore's Ministry of Transport.
This comes after Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that the territory plans to allow only residents who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel to Singapore under the travel bubble, describing this requirement as the "basis for discussion" between the two cities.
This is despite authorities in Singapore not requiring mandatory vaccinations for Hong Kong travellers under the arrangement, she noted.
“We want to provide incentives to encourage Hong Kong citizens to get vaccinated," said Ms Lam.
HONG KONG - From as early as end-April or early May, fully vaccinated visitors to Hong Kong will have their mandatory quarantine reduced by seven days.
For travellers from low-risk areas including Singapore, Australia and New Zealand who have taken all required doses of the vaccines, their mandatory quarantine in designated hotels will be seven days instead of 14.
For those from high- and medium-risk areas, they will serve a 14-day quarantine instead of 21 days.
All of these inoculated visitors will have to self-monitor for another seven days after their quarantine, the Hong Kong government said in a release late on Wednesday (April 14).
The 21-day compulsory quarantine requirement for Hong Kong residents who fly back to the city from elsewhere, with the exception of China, remains.
Even as Hong Kong moves to ease quarantine measures for those inoculated, officials have tightened rules for flights to reduce the “risk of importation of mutant strain of the virus from very high-risk places”.
Starting from Wednesday, there will be a 14-day ban on any flight that has three or more confirmed cases of Covid-19, instead of the previous threshold of five cases. Cases are detected as passengers arriving in Hong Kong have to undergo mandatory tests.
The ban will also apply if two or more passengers on any two flights of the same airline from the same place to Hong Kong within a seven-day period are found to have the virus. Previously, the threshold was three infected passengers on two consecutive flights.
The 14-day flight ban also applies for another existing criteria that remains unchanged - at least one passenger confirmed to have Covid-19 by arrival test is on the same flight with one other passenger who breaches measures under the cross-boundary traveller laws.
To keep the Covid-19 variant N501Y – discovered in South Africa – out of Hong Kong as much as possible, the government said that any airline that has five confirmed cases or more of this virus variant will be banned from landing in the city for 14 days.
The government will then list the place where the plane took off from as an extremely high-risk area, which will restrict persons who have stayed in that place for more than two hours from boarding passenger flights to Hong Kong for 14 days.
The statement said the move is to prevent persons from the relevant place from arriving in Hong Kong via transit.
But once the 14-day period is over and the area is downgraded from "extremely high-risk" to “very high-risk”, visitors can enter Hong Kong again, and will have to undergo the 21-day quarantine.
The development comes as Singapore and Hong Kong are finalising the details of the travel bubble. PHOTO: REUTERS
Hong Kong’s daily infections have tapered to low single digits, with most of the cases in recent weeks imported.
There have been more than 11,600 confirmed cases and 209 deaths so far.
Hong Kong officials, troubled with the sluggish vaccination rate, are now aggressively pushing for residents to get the jabs by lowering the age limit.
Those aged 18 or above can choose to take either the German-made Pfizer-BioNTech or Chinese Sinovac jabs.
Those aged 16 and 17 will have to show parental consent and can only receive the Pfizer jabs.
Hong Kong officials, troubled with the sluggish vaccination rate, are now aggressively pushing for residents to get the jabs by lowering the age limit. PHOTO: REUTERS
“The expansion will cover an additional 1.08 million Hong Kong citizens, with the city’s vaccination programme now covering a total of 6.5 million people, equivalent to 88 per cent of Hong Kong’s total population,” Secretary for Civil Service Patrick Nip, who helms the voluntary inoculation drive, said on Thursday.
He said vaccination centres offering the Pfizer vaccines will stop operating by end September and that people who want this vaccine need to get their first shots by end of August. These jabs expire after four months.
More than 950,000 doses of vaccines have been administered to a population of 7.5 million.
To incentivise inoculation, Mrs Lam on Monday said the government will ease social distancing measures for those who are fully vaccinated.
The move to extend dine-in services and triple the cap on number of patrons per table at an eatery where staff and customers have taken their jabs, also comes as pressure mounts on people’s livelihoods and for officials to revive the economy.
Existing measures, including mask-wearing and public gatherings of no more than four, will last till April 28.
A hundred days before Asia hosts the Olympics in Japan, the continent is struggling to battle a resurgence in coronavirus infections.
The rise of new strains of Covid-19, pandemic fatigue, the slow pace of vaccinations and the call by businesses to reopen battered economies are among the reasons for the rebound of the virus in many countries.
The Straits Times correspondents examine the situation around the region.
Cases keep rising in Japan, with no end in sight
Sushi chef Mamoru Sugiyama's family business has weathered natural disasters, World War II bombings and recessions, but he regards the Covid-19 pandemic to be the biggest threat to the survival of his 130-year-old restaurant.
The 67-year-old fourth-generation owner of Sushi Ko in Tokyo's high-end Ginza shopping district told The Straits Times that the biggest challenge is uncertainty over the future and how long Covid-19 will drag on.
As government grants were limited, he had to dip into his savings to keep the business afloat and pay staff salaries. Revenue has fallen by 70 per cent since the pandemic started.
As the months drag on and Covid-19 infection figures rebound despite more curbs being imposed, student Lee Sun-young is starting to lose heart in the fight against the coronavirus in South Korea.
"I am tired of all the Covid restrictions, especially mask wearing and the ban on overseas travel," the 25-year-old told The Straits Times.
"I'm still worried about Covid but as the weather gets warmer, it seems everyone, not just myself, is neglecting quarantine measures. That is a big problem," she added.
Call to ban Hari Raya exodus for 2nd year in Malaysia
Malaysia's Covid-19 infection rate has risen in recent days at the start of Ramadan, with experts asking the authorities to ban the annual Hari Raya exodus to home towns for a second year to prevent a new surge in cases.
The government raised eyebrows when relaxations to rules were announced for the Muslim fasting month, including allowing Ramadan food bazaars and evening prayer services in mosques, and letting restaurants open until 6am.
It has not made a decision on whether to allow the "balik kampung" exodus this year.
Rising cases put Phuket’s re-opening under scrutiny
The beaches and bars on Phuket, once teeming with tourists, have been quiet since the Covid-19 pandemic decimated the travel and tourism industry on the popular holiday island, but Thailand is now looking to rapidly inoculate island residents so tourists can return.
The government will vaccinate most of the island's 400,000 population, including foreigners who are residents, as part of sandbox plans to re-open Phuket to vaccinated foreign travellers on July 1, and to other tourist hotspots including Koh Samui in October.
"If we can build immunity for 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the population on the island, we can receive foreign tourists who have been vaccinated without the need for quarantine," Phuket's Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong told Reuters.
India's virus fight thwarted by big rallies, religious gatherings
What went wrong in India on the Covid-19 front?
Quite simply, people were confused by the contradictory messaging because mass gatherings were taking place, even as officials were threatening lockdowns and pleading with residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.
Large election rallies, where social distancing was ignored, took place in five poll-bound states, including Tamil Nadu.
Migrant workers, fearful of lockdowns, head home in India
It still hurts when Mr Balaram Nayak recalls how he endured the Indian government's poorly-planned lockdown announced in March last year.
"Nobody was there to listen to us, neither from the government nor the police. Even the owner of the factory abandoned us," said the migrant who worked at a lace factory then in Surat in the western state of Gujarat.
Stranded more than 1,600 kms away from his home in Odisha's Ganjam district, Mr Nayak, 21, survived on money he borrowed from his family and others, as well as handouts from locals, before managing to get on a bus home in May. He went hungry on certain days and even got beaten by the police once when he stepped out to buy vegetables.
Lockdown in the Philippines slows spread of virus but devastates jobs
The Philippines is coming out of another hard lockdown and signs are it may have succeeded in putting a break to an alarming resurgence in coronavirus infections.
Latest Health Ministry figures showed the number of daily Covid-19 cases was down to about 8,000 in the past two days, from as high as 15,000 in recent weeks.
The virus is also not spreading as fast as it used to, according to data crunchers. But the cost has been devastating to an economy that ratings firm Moody's believes is already in "a worrisome state".
SINGAPORE: A dormitory resident in Singapore contracted the coronavirus despite having completed the full COVID-19 vaccination regimen, sparking questions about how this can happen and the effectiveness of the jab.
The 23-year-old Indian national was the first such case reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH), which said it is a "reminder" that it is possible for vaccinated individuals to get infected.
He received his first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Jan 25 and the second dose on Feb 17.
His infection was detected when he was swabbed on Apr 7 as part of rostered routine testing. The man's earlier tests from routine testing - the last being on Mar 24 - were all negative for COVID-19.
Similar cases have been reported around the world.
In the United States, for instance, three out of nearly 5,000 vaccinated people in an April report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had confirmed infections after they were fully inoculated.
CNA spoke to infectious diseases experts about getting infected after vaccination.
Q: What are the chances of getting COVID-19 after vaccination?
It is rare, but not impossible.
While COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, none are 100 per cent effective.
“Although the currently approved mRNA vaccines are very effective, we must remember that prevention of symptomatic COVID-19 occurred for approximately 94 to 95 per cent of participants in the clinical trials,” said Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, Infectious Diseases Programme Leader at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines – both used in Singapore – are mRNA vaccines.
Assoc Prof Hsu noted that the “real world” experience in the United States and Israel shows that the vaccine efficacy was less than 90 per cent.
“What this means is that one in 20 persons on average would still develop COVID-19 if exposed to the virus,” he said.
FILE PHOTO: A medical worker prepares to dilute a vial of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination center in Singapore March 8, 2021. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
He added that the chances in Singapore “are very low simply because there is minimal spread of COVID-19 in the community”.
“As an illustration, there has only been one reported infection post-vaccination in our dormitory migrant worker community so far despite regular testing, whereas a significant proportion has already been vaccinated,” he said.
Senior consultant in the Division of Infectious Disease at the National University Hospital Dale Fisher said there is “hardly any chance of getting COVID-19 in Singapore ... especially if you are vaccinated”.
“This is because of the social measures still in place and the fact that we currently have good control. It doesn’t have to be this way and this is why the measures will likely be removed only gradually and slowly as vaccination rates pick up,” Dr Fisher said.
The chances of infection after vaccination depends on the prevalence of the disease, said the president of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Paul Tambyah.
He gave the example of the “pivotal” Pfizer-BioNTech study conducted in the United States, Europe, South America and South Africa. It showed that there were nine cases of COVID-19 at least seven days after the second dose among 19,965 vaccine recipients and 169 among 20,172 placebo recipients.
“Bottom line is that it is rare to get the disease after vaccination but not impossible,” said Professor Tambyah.
Q: Why do people get infected with COVID-19 after completing vaccination?
This happens because the strength of the immune response varies across individuals after vaccination, Assoc Prof Hsu said.
“For those whose immune systems are compromised, and even for some ... that have otherwise normal immune systems, an adequate immune response that would prevent infection might not develop after exposure to the virus, resulting in infection,” he added.
A healthcare worker at National Centre for Infectious Diseases prepares to administer one of the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Singapore on Dec 30, 2020.
The mRNA vaccines teach cells how to make at least a piece of a protein that triggers an immune response inside the bodies of those who are vaccinated.
Dr Fisher added that the vaccine is not 100 per cent effective. If it is 90 per cent effective, 10 per cent are still vulnerable, he said.
“This is fully expected. The World Health Organization initially set a target of at least 50 per cent efficacy,” he said.
If a person falls sick after vaccination, it is “very, very acceptable, very expected because of vaccine failures”, said Dr Leong Hoe Nam, infectious diseases expert from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.
Q: Is it a cause of concern if someone who has completed their vaccination gets COVID-19?
This depends on a few factors, said Prof Tambyah.
If the person gets severe COVID-19, then it would be a “good idea” to check the lot number or batch of the vaccine to make sure that there was no cold chain break during transport or defect in the manufacture of that particular batch of vaccine, he said.
“That has happened in the past with a number of vaccines. If the disease is mild or the person is asymptomatic, I would not be particularly concerned unless there were more than one case – in which case I would definitely investigate the batch of vaccines used,” he said.
Dr Fisher said that it is “not at all (cause for concern) if numbers are low”.
“If we see large numbers getting infected, especially if there are severe cases, then we would have to consider vaccine failure either because it has worn off or it is ineffective against variants, current or future. Currently, the vaccines are still very effective,” he said.
A person who has not been vaccinated will have more severe symptoms, while a person who has been vaccinated will have much milder symptoms, said Dr Leong.
“The vaccine has converted a life-threatening illness to a moderate illness, moderate illness to mild illness and mild illness to asymptomatic illness, which is great because you effectively control hospitalisations, you prevent them (hospitalisations),” he added.
“If you think about it, no one dies of it, almost everybody is asymptomatic, then we have converted the disease from a bad critical illness to that of a mild cold."
Dr Fisher cautioned that while the disease is mild in vaccinated people, they would still be infective and therefore a risk to those who are not vaccinated.
Nevertheless, vaccination is still the most effective way of preventing infection, "not just in the individual, but also at a population level”, said Dr Hsu.
Vaccination goes hand in hand with other measures like safe distancing, he added.
“There are millions of people worldwide who have been vaccinated (against COVID-19) but those who have been infected post-vaccination number in the low thousands at most. That is pretty good,” Prof Tambyah said.
