In this issue, Lancet Voice invited Professor Kevin Fenton, Regional Director of Public Health in London and Mayor advisor to London, to discuss strategies to address low vaccination rates, Infection with the London Semikron variant and strategies to coexist with the coronavirus.
The Lancet publishes an early assessment of the clinical severity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omikeron variant in South Africa. Studies suggest that hospitalization rates for SGTF-infected people are significantly reduced compared to non-genetic target failure (SGTF) infected patients diagnosed contemporaneously; the probability of SGTF infection developing severe illness is significantly lower compared with individuals infected with the Delta strain earlier; and the reduced probability of severe illness may be due in part to previous immunity. Click on the image below to review the article.
In a Phase 3 randomized controlled trial published by The Lancet, the Chinese-developed single-dose COVID-19 vaccine Ad5-nCoV (Convidecia) was 57.5% protective against symptomatic COVID-19 infection and 91.7% for severe COVID-19 after 28 days of vaccination. Studies are currently underway to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of the vaccine, as well as its effectiveness against Delta, Omikejung and other variants. Other studies on the potential need for booster doses are also ongoing. Click on the image below to review the article.
The Lancet publishes its first randomized clinical trial of booster injections after receiving two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Studies have shown that six different COVID-19 boosters are safe and induce a strong immune response in people who have previously received two doses of ChAdOx1-nCov19 (Oxford–AstraZeneca Oxford-AstraZeneca [ChAd]) or BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech-BionTech BioTech[BNT]) vaccines. Click on the image below to review the article.