Tag Archives: effectiveness

White House Effectiveness Review: An Eye-Opening Documentary on President Bush’s Inaction Against Climate Change

Posted on by
Reply

President George H.W. Bush (left) and environmental protection advisor Bill Riley

Netflix

white house effect
Directed by Boni Cohen, Pedro Cos, and John Schenck, available on Netflix starting October 31st

The opening scene of white house effect transports viewers to the devastating Great Drought of 1988. The backdrop is a scorching summer in North America, presenting the USA with its worst drought since the Dust Bowl. Relief is nowhere in sight; the heat is relentless.

This climate crisis defined the presidential election that year, pitting Democrat Michael Dukakis against Republican George H.W. Bush, who triumphed with a landslide victory on a pledge for enhanced environmental protection.

“Some may argue these challenges are insurmountable,” President Bush remarked during a campaign stop in Michigan, addressing climate change. “My belief is clear: it is achievable, and we must act. These matters transcend ideology and politics.” Such a sentiment from a prominent Republican seems unimaginable today.

In 1988, the U.S. was a nation where addressing environmental issues garnered votes, and where the connection between fossil fuels and climate change was discussed with a mix of urgency and skepticism.

Predominantly narrated through archival footage, white house effect serves as a window into a hopeful future that never came to fruition. It tells the tale of a populace ready to acknowledge climate change as a bipartisan issue, only to be steered away from that consensus.

The film centers on a struggle between two advisors to President Bush. In the blue corner, Bill Riley, former president of the World Wildlife Fund and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator starting in 1989. In the red corner stands John H. Sununu, the chief of staff known for his climate skepticism. These two figures will shape the environmental policies of the Bush administration and face off for years, with dire consequences for our planet.

“
George H.W. Bush stated that climate change knows no political boundaries.
“

With hindsight, one could easily predict the outcome. Yet, what’s intriguing about white house effect is that it refrains from presenting this as inevitable. It explores a gradual march towards a destiny. The archival footage is always engaging, often shifting timelines to reinforce the film’s message, keeping the audience aware and engaged despite the grim reality on display.

Consider the 1979 energy crisis, during which Exxon experienced a staggering 119% profit increase while countless drivers waited hours to refuel due to plummeting oil production. One driver at a gas station remarked that everyone should just return home and await the gas shortage. When asked why he wasn’t turning back, he responded: “I’m not going back because no one else is.”

This documentary features numerous climate scientists, but none resonate more than Steven Schneider, a pioneer advocating for climate action. His journey forms the film’s emotional core, from his Senate testimony in 1988 to his final interview before his passing in 2010.

“Looking back at our early efforts, many of our immediate goals fell short. But here we are, making gradual progress,” he reflects. “The problem of global warming has been recognized, and we’re pushing for a cultural shift—something that will take a generation.”

It’s heart-wrenching to ponder how Mr. Schneider would view the last 15 years of fruitless attempts and the current direction of America.

Viewing white house effect can feel suffocating. It stirs frustration, particularly for those, like me, born too late to witness these events firsthand. While the film is polemical, it serves a vital purpose—shaking us out of apathy and urging action, no matter the cost.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Bacteria Enhance the Effectiveness of Cancer-Killing Viruses

Posted on by
Reply

Herpes Virus Assists in Treating Severe Skin Cancer

Science Photo Library/Alamy

The virus exhibits significant promise in treating various cancer types, yet immune responses limit its use primarily to tumors located near the skin’s surface. Current research demonstrates that employing genetically modified bacteria to envelop these viruses may mitigate this issue, effectively slowing the advancement of aggressive tumors in mouse models.

Several treatments utilizing oncolytic viruses have received global approval for targeting cancers of the skin, brain, and head and neck. These methods often involve injecting engineered viruses directly into tumors, which then disperse and destroy cancer cells.

However, targeting deeper tumors necessitates injecting the virus into the bloodstream, where the immune system swiftly eradicates it before it can reach the desired site.

To circumvent this challenge, Zachary Singer and his team at Columbia University, New York, are using genetically modified Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria that do not elicit a strong immune response. These bacteria have been engineered to harbor the genome of Seneca virus A, a virus shown to effectively eliminate human cancer cells in laboratory and animal studies.

“We are adopting a Trojan horse strategy where bacteria conceal the virus [from the immune system],” remarks Singer. These bacteria are designed to infiltrate cancer cells and release copies of the viral genome upon entry.

To test their hypothesis, researchers induced neurotumors on mice’s backs. A week later, they administered the bacteria carrying the virus. This was referred to as a capsid, which entered about half the mouse’s blood. The other group received Seneca virus A without the bacteria.

Within a day, they noted that fluorescent-tagged capsids had concentrated within the tumor, a reaction that typically dampens the immune response. In contrast, capsids remaining in the bloodstream or reaching healthy tissue were swiftly eliminated by the immune system, according to Singer.

On average, tumors in the Seneca virus A-only group reached their maximum size in 11 days, necessitating euthanasia for ethical reasons. Conversely, tumors in the capsid group took 21 days to reach the same size, with no mice experiencing notable side effects.

“The data appears truly remarkable,” states Guy Simpson from the University of Surrey, UK. The findings have shown effectiveness against rapidly growing tumors, particularly those arising from neurons, but he suggests it may be even more beneficial for slower-growing tumors.

In a separate aspect of the experiment, the researchers discovered that the capsid entirely eradicated human lung tumors implanted on mouse backs, yet they did not include controls that received Seneca virus A on its own.

Before human trials, additional studies on mice and non-human primates should assess its efficacy against a broader spectrum of tumors, including pancreatic cancer, which has notoriously low survival rates, advises Simpson.

topics:

Source: www.newscientist.com

New Research Suggests Caffeine May Decrease Effectiveness of Some Antibiotics

Posted on by
Reply

Researchers from the University of Tübingen and Würzburg have found that components of our everyday diet, including caffeine, can influence bacterial resistance to antibiotics. They observed that E. coli bacteria adjust complex modulation cascades to respond to chemical signals from their immediate environment, potentially impacting the effectiveness of antibiotics.

This diagram illustrates a 3D computer-generated image of a group of E. coli. Image credits: James Archer, CDC.

In a systematic screening, Professor Ana Rita Brochado and her team examined the effects of 94 different substances, including antibiotics, prescription medications, and dietary components, on the expression of critical gene regulators and transport proteins in E. coli bacteria.

Transport proteins function as pores and pumps within bacterial membranes, regulating the movement of substances in and out of cells.

A precisely adjusted balance of these mechanisms is crucial for bacterial survival.

“Our data reveals that certain substances can exert subtle yet systematic influences on gene regulation in bacteria,” explained doctoral student Christoph Vincefeld.

“These findings indicate that even everyday substances, which lack direct antibacterial properties, like caffeinated beverages, can impact specific gene regulators that modulate transport proteins, thereby modifying bacterial import and composition.”

“Caffeine initiates a cascade of events starting with the lob gene regulator, resulting in alterations in several transport proteins in E. coli. This effect reduces the uptake of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin,” Professor Rita Brochado added.

“Consequently, this diminishes the antibiotic’s effectiveness.”

The researchers characterize this effect as an “antagonistic interaction.”

The diminishing efficacy of certain antibiotics also applies to salmonella enterica, a close relative of E. coli.

This suggests that even similar bacterial species can react differently to identical environmental cues, likely due to variations in transport pathways and how they contribute to antibiotic absorption.

“This foundational study on the effects of commonly consumed substances highlights the significant role of science in addressing and resolving real-world challenges,” stated Professor (Doshisha) Karla Pollmann.

“This research contributes meaningfully to the understanding of what is termed ‘low-level’ antibiotic resistance, which does not result from classical resistance genes but rather through regulation and environmental adaptation.”

“These insights could influence future treatment strategies involving drug or dietary component modifications.”

The results will be published online in PLOS Biology.

____

C. Vincefeld et al. 2025. Systematic screens reveal regulatory contributions to chemical cues in E. coli. Plos Biol 23(7): E3003260; doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003260

Source: www.sci.news

Geoengineering Can Prevent Climate Tipping Points, But Delays Will Compromise Its Effectiveness

Posted on by
Reply

Incorporating sunlight-reflecting particles into the atmosphere may help mitigate climate change

Alexnako/Shutterstock

Continuing to emit carbon dioxide poses significant threats, including the risk of triggering tipping points that can lead to major disruptions such as the shutdown of critical ocean currents. Current modeling indicates that injecting aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight could mitigate this risk, though the effectiveness diminishes significantly if it is initiated much later, such as in 2080.

“My conclusion is that if we are genuinely committed to preventing climate change, we must take solar radiation management seriously. This includes exploring its potential advantages and drawbacks,” declared Claudia Winners from Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

A tipping point signifies changes that are irreversible for centuries, including the slowing or stopping of critical marine currents that distribute immense amounts of heat, impacting the global climate.

One such current is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which transfers heat from the tropics to Europe. A collapse of this system could instigate rapid sea level rises in North America, severe temperature decreases in Northern Europe, and significant disruptions to the Asian monsoon.

Stratospheric aerosol injection represents a proposed geoengineering method that involves the dispersal of sun-reflective particles in the upper atmosphere via airplanes, balloons, or rockets.

According to the model employed by Winners’ team, the strength of AMOC could decrease by over 50% in the coming century under a worst-case emissions scenario. However, utilizing stratospheric aerosol injections to maintain global temperatures around 1.5°C could significantly mitigate current weakening, as Winners explained at the Exeter Climate Conference held in the UK last week.

Indeed, AMOC would not dip below this scenario under aggressive emissions reductions without geoengineering. “So, for at least the next 80 years, the effectiveness of stratospheric aerosol injections is higher than the mitigation from greenhouse gases,” Winners stated.

However, the model indicates that AMOC would fail to recover if aerosol injections are delayed until 2080, especially if they are employed to bring global temperatures back above 1.5°C after an overshoot, as suggested by the model.

The team also examined subpolar gyres in the North Atlantic, a circular current linked to AMOC that circulates around areas where cold, saline water sinks. If this sinking process halts because the oceans become fresher and warmer, it will significantly affect the climate in Europe.

In a worst-case scenario, the model predicts that sinking will cease and that commencing stratospheric aerosol injections in 2080 would not reactive the process. However, if injections start now, subsidence could be preserved in two out of the three crucial regions.

Nevertheless, these findings necessitate validation through numerous studies examining more realistic emission scenarios, as there are potential risks involved, according to Winners. “You can really mess it up too,” she cautioned.

For successful geoengineering, sustained global cooperation over centuries will be paramount. “You might say this is the largest governance challenge humanity has ever faced,” articulated ethicist Stephen Gardiner during another session at the conference from Washington University in Seattle.

For instance, if stratospheric aerosol injections are only conducted in one hemisphere without a global consensus, Winners warns that it could alter tropical rainfall patterns worldwide.

In a subsequent presentation, Jim Heywood from the University of Exeter discussed another geoengineering method, known as marine cloud brightening, which demonstrated that localized interventions could potentially incite global climatic changes.

With the risks now understood, they can be circumvented, said Haywood. “It’s merely a shift in strategy.” Yet, many researchers remain skeptical about the feasibility of managing geoengineering risks.

“Solar radiation management sounds entirely manageable. Shouldn’t we refer to it as solar radiation interference?” Stephen Rahmstorf questioned Winners after her presentation at the University of Potsdam in Germany.

There is also a concern that geoengineering could be perceived as an alternative to emission reductions. “We are not addressing the root causes of climate change,” stated Winners. “It’s merely a symptom management strategy; however, if the symptoms deteriorate excessively, it may complement a true solution.”

Due to these concerns, some climate scientists oppose even investigating the potential risks and advantages of geoengineering. The topic has become so contentious that participants at at least one meeting opted out of a session focused on it.

Winners is not the first to assert that geoengineering might need to commence immediately to avert tipping points. Last year, two independent teams concluded that solar radiation management could prevent the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet, another significant tipping point.

“It stands to reason that delaying increases the risk of irreversible changes,” Winners mentioned to New Scientist following her presentation. “I believe that’s quite clear.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Medications Similar to Wegovy Show Effectiveness in Treating Fatty Liver Disease

Posted on by
Reply

Fatty liver disease can lead to cirrhosis and cancer

3dmedisphere/shutterstoc k

Currently, common medications used for treating obesity and diabetes are showing promise in combating life-threatening liver diseases.

Semaglutide, marketed under names like Ozempic and Wegovi, mimics the hormone GLP-1, which aids in weight loss and regulates blood sugar levels, helps suppress appetite, and promotes insulin secretion. Researchers have now found that this drug therapy can halt or even reverse a condition known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).

“This could offer a groundbreaking way to manage this condition,” says Philip Newsom from King’s College London. “It’s incredibly promising for patients.”

MASH, formerly known as NASH, is a severe version of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease marked by inflammation, fibrosis (scar tissue formation), and excessive liver fat accumulation, occasionally leading to cirrhosis and cancer. MASH is commonly linked to obesity and often coexists with type 2 diabetes.

A study conducted in 2020 involving 320 participants revealed that daily semaglutide injections led to a reduction in liver fat and inflammation in 59% of those with MASH. However, a more recent investigation involving 71 patients found no benefits from the weekly dosage.

For a broader perspective, Newsom and Arun Sanyal from Virginia Commonwealth University initiated a larger trial involving 1,195 MASH patients across 253 clinical sites in 37 countries. Participants averaged 56 years old with a body mass index of 34.6, and about 50% had type 2 diabetes.

The physician prescribed each participant a weekly semaglutide injection for four and a half years, gradually increasing the dose to 2.4 milligrams over the first four months, mirroring those used in Wegovy based on prior test findings. Participants also received lifestyle counseling to encourage a healthier diet and exercise.

While the full study is ongoing, results from biopsies taken 72 weeks later revealed that among the first 800 patients, including 266 receiving a placebo, 62.9% of those on semaglutide showed significant reductions in liver fat and inflammation, compared to 34.3% in the placebo group. Improvements in fibrosis were observed in 36.8% of the treatment group versus only 22.4% for the placebo group. About one-third of all treated patients and 16.1% of placebo patients experienced these benefits.

Weight loss alone could explain some of these improvements, as patients in the treatment cohort lost an average of 10.5% of their body weight, while those on the placebo lost only 2%. Although further research is needed to fully uncover the mechanisms behind the treatment, it may also directly target the processes driving the disease.

“It’s not yet established, but part of the efficacy of GLP-1-like drugs might be due to their effects on immune cells and reduction of inflammation,” notes Newsom.

Topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Promising Norovirus Vaccine Pills Show Effectiveness Against Winter Vomiting Bug

Posted on by
Reply
SEI 242631945

Impressions of Norovirus artists

Science Photo Library/Aramie

Early trials of the norovirus vaccine pill are committed to protecting against the infamous “winter vomiting” bug, and researchers say it could be used in a few years.

The virus is highly contagious and infects and causes the stomach and intestines Vomiting and diarrhea. Most people recover within a few days, but very young people and older people, especially going to the hospital, costing a considerable amount of medical care. “In the US alone, it’s 10 billion.[dollar]- A problem of one year.” Shawn Tucker At Biotech Company Vaxart in San Francisco, California.

This has spurred scientists to develop vaccines, but so far, efforts have failed. This is because previous attempts focused on developing injectable vaccines. This isn’t very good for producing protective antibodies in the intestines where the virus replicates. Tucker says.

To deal with this, Tucker and his colleagues Previously developed oral norovirus vaccines This will supply proteins to the intestines from the Gi.1 norovirus mutant. The first trials in adults under the age of 50 found that tablets can produce norovirus-specific antibodies in the intestines, but it is probably not a vaccine priority given that people in this age group generally recover easily from the virus.

Researchers are currently testing vaccines in people in the US between the ages of 55 and 80. The team gave 11 people the pills, while the other 22 took the placebo. About a month later, the researchers collected blood and saliva samples from the participants.

They found that people who took the vaccine had higher levels of IgA antibodies. These antibodies were increased by more than 10 times in the blood and about 7 times in saliva compared to samples just before vaccination. In contrast, the placebo group showed little change in antibody levels.

Importantly, antibodies are still present in people who took the pills, albeit at lower levels after 6 months, suggesting that they can provide permanent immunity. “The fact that they have this robust antibody response makes me hope that it can provide protection. [against infection]”I say Sarah Cady At Cornell University in New York. “In particular, the salivary antibody response is a way to get a snapshot of what’s going on in the intestines because of similar immune responses,” she says.

However, further research should investigate whether the vaccine actually prevents infection or reduces spread spread of norovirus, she says. The team wants to explore this.

Furthermore, this study focused only on one norovirus variant. “In the real world, there are a number of different strains you may encounter. The vaccine may not protect all of them,” says Caddy. In an unpublished study, researchers found that versions of vaccines containing both Gi.1 and Gii.4 norovirus variants (the latter currently surges in the UK) produce antibodies against multiple variations.

This suggests we may soon have norovirus vaccines, Tucker says. “If there’s no funding hiccups, if everything goes smoothly, the vaccine could be available in a few years,” he says.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

New experimental weight loss drug shows greater effectiveness than Ozempic

Posted on by
Reply

Oral weight loss drug may help obese patients who hate needles

Kseniya Ovchinnikova/Getty Images

Based on early trial results reported on March 7, it appears the experimental pill may cause greater weight loss than existing injectable treatments such as Ozempic, Wigoby, and Munjaro.

The drug, called amicretin, reduced people’s weight by 13 percent in three months. This is more than double his amount observed at Ozempic and Wegoby specifically. “From the limited data we have, this approach seems a little more exciting,” he says. Daniel Drucker At the University of Toronto, Canada.

The results come from a three-month, placebo-controlled trial, so it’s too early to know how amicretin compares to other drugs in terms of long-term efficacy and safety. said Drucker, who was not involved in the trial but was consulted, as well as manufacturer Novo Nordisk and other drug companies.

The diabetes drug Ozempic and the weight loss drug Wegoby are two brand names for the compound semaglutide. They work by mimicking a gut hormone called GLP-1 that is normally released after meals. This makes a person feel full, reduces appetite, and stimulates the release of the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin.

Semaglutide leads to a loss of about 15 percent of body weight when taken for a year, but after that the weight plateaus and the injections need to be continued for a long time or it tends to gradually come back.

Another weight loss injectable called Mounjaro, also known as Tirzepatide or Zepbound, was launched last year. It mimics GLP-1 and an additional intestinal hormone called GIP. Using Mounjaro, you seem to lose about 21 percent of your weight over the first year and five months of her life before your weight loss plateaus.

However, amicletin mimics GLP-1 and another hormone called amylin, and appears to be even more potent, at least during the first three months of treatment. Reuters reports that people who took amicletin lost 13 percent of their weight during this period, Nordisk announced today. Those who took the placebo pill had a 1% decrease. This is higher than Wegovy and Ozempic’s 6 percent and Munjaro’s equivalent figure of around 7.5 percent.

But we can only know for sure how the drugs will fare over the long term if they are compared under exactly the same circumstances in a single study, Drucker said. “This is not a head-to-head trial.”

Another caveat is that while drugs that act by mimicking GLP-1 have been used to treat type 2 diabetes for more than a decade and their safety profile is well understood, amylin mimetics That’s not the case.

Novo Nordisk also said: Amicretin’s side effects were similar to those of Wegoby, and tended to include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, especially when the dose was increased rapidly.

The availability in pill form could be a big advantage for people who don’t like injections, he says. Daniel Chancellor Global Pharmaceutical Business Analyst cytherine. “Oral medications are very attractive.”

In addition to these three drugs, other weight loss drugs that mimic other gut hormones are also in development.

topic:

  • Medical drugs /
  • weight loss

Source: www.newscientist.com

Assessing the Effectiveness of Lockdowns and Masks in Controlling Coronavirus: An Explanation from a Professor

Posted on by
Reply

Over the past four years, we’ve learned tough lessons about the balancing act of public health. Recent coronavirus research has highlighted the need to carefully weigh the benefits and harms of any action taken to mitigate the impact of the disease.

We need clarity on what has worked and what hasn’t in the fight against the coronavirus. One objective of a study was to understand more about this. Here’s what was found out…

Was the spread of the new coronavirus in nursing homes inevitable?

Early in the pandemic, being a resident or staff member in a care home carried the highest risk of death from coronavirus. The virus spread to nursing homes as elderly patients were discharged to make room for new hospitalizations. It was nearly impossible to stop infectious diseases from spreading within nursing homes, even if all patients were tested before being transferred to hospital, as tests can be negative until the person becomes infectious.

Did the personal protective equipment really work?

The importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce the risk of infection in hospitals and nursing homes was widely accepted even before COVID-19. The lack of availability of PPE was one of the main factors influencing coronavirus transmission in nursing homes.

Early in the pandemic, the benefits and risks of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in the community were uncertain. NPIs such as closing schools and banning public gatherings were effective at reducing the spread of the virus.

Did wearing a mask help protect against coronavirus?

Wearing masks did reduce community transmission of coronavirus, at least until the Omicron variant emerged. The value of masks in schools is still debated, with some studies showing that mandatory mask-wearing in schools reduced infections at least for the first few weeks.

Has quarantine helped?

Testing and self-isolation should reduce coronavirus transmission, but studies have shown that for this to work, a significant proportion of infected people would need to self-isolate. Self-isolation rates may not have made a significant difference, as many infected people are never identified.

How effective was the lockdown?

Lockdowns have been associated with mental and musculoskeletal health problems. The overall impact of NPIs in relation to their harms is a broader societal debate beyond just a scientific question.

How effective has the vaccine rollout been?

Rapid development of effective vaccines has been a real success during the pandemic, preventing many more deaths. However, the vaccines did not create herd immunity and eradicated the virus. They also had side effects, such as blood clotting and heart inflammation. Advancements in vaccine science during the pandemic may benefit other infectious diseases for decades to come.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet: Uncovering the Reasons Behind its Effectiveness

Posted on by
Reply

When it comes to eating healthier, there has always been a sense of having your cake and eating it too. For decades, we've been told that the secret to staying healthy is to indulge in the fresh, delicious food of the Mediterranean. Adding more tomatoes, focaccia, and olive oil to your dinner plate, along with a glass of Chianti, is said to reduce your chances of developing a heart attack and type 2 diabetes.

The most surprising thing is that this is not just some exaggerated nonsense. Evidence that the Mediterranean diet can actually improve health in many ways has been growing for more than 50 years. “We are conducting large, long-term clinical trials that result in difficult clinical events,” he says. miguel martinez gonzalez at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, ​​Spain.

And there are not so many diets that are on the UNESCO list. Ten years ago, this United Nations agency Adding the Mediterranean diet to the representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

But despite all this praise, it was difficult to understand what it was about the diet that led to such benefits. First of all, nutritionists cannot agree on the exact form it should take. Additionally, family meals, home cooking, and other non-dietary factors should be considered. The good news is that over the past decade, we've begun to understand which components of our diets provide the greatest health benefits and why. This means we are now better able than ever to offer you the best advice…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines diminishes with passage of time, study finds

Posted on by
Reply

A study by the UK Health and Safety Executive that analyzed more than 10 million coronavirus patients found that vaccination significantly reduced the risk of death, with the most significant benefit seen within six months of vaccination. Became. The results of this study support the success of vaccination programs and the need for booster vaccinations. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

According to a study by the UK Health and Safety Executive, COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) Vaccination significantly reduces the risk of death, especially within 6 months after vaccination, highlighting the importance of booster vaccination.

The risk of dying from COVID-19 is significantly reduced after vaccination, but this protection wears off after six months, providing evidence to continue giving booster shots, a new study has found.

Researchers from the UK Health and Safety Agency (UKHSA) analyzed more than 10 million coronavirus infections in adults between May 2020 and February 2022. The result is Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (JRSM).

Vaccination and mortality reduction

Cross-referencing vaccination status with case fatality risk (CFR), the proportion of cases that result in death, revealed a clear association between vaccination and lower mortality rates. Of note, this study highlights a critical period (within 6 months of last vaccination) in which CFR was consistently lowest across all age groups. After this time, the protective effect started to decrease and the CFR increased.

Noteworthy findings in the elderly

The study highlights that the COVID-19 vaccination program has been successful in reducing mortality rates.

Among adults aged 50 years and older, CFR was 10 times higher among those who had not been vaccinated (6.3%) compared with those who had received the vaccine within 6 months of testing positive (0.6%). The study also found a sharp decline in CFR in early 2021, coinciding with the initial vaccine rollout.

Florence Halford, from UKHSA’s Covid-19 Vaccines and Epidemiology Unit, said: ‘The risk of dying from Covid-19 is reduced after vaccination, and those vaccinated up to six months before the sample collection date. This was the lowest of all age groups.” This provides some evidence for the continuation of booster doses in the elderly group. ”

Reference: “Temporal changes in the risk of adult mortality from COVID-19 after vaccination in the UK from May 2020 to February 2022: a national surveillance study” Florence Halford, Kathryn Yates, Tom Clare , by Jamie Lopez Bernal, Megan Karl, and Hester Allen, December 13, 2023, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
DOI: 10.1177/01410768231216332

Source: scitechdaily.com