Unvaccinated more vulnerable to COVID-19 reinfection study says

A new CDC study released Friday found that unvaccinated people who have had COVID-19 before are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with the virus compared to people who were fully vaccinated after initially contracting the virus.

The study included hundreds of Kentucky residents with previous COVID-19 infections from May through June 2021. It found that those who were unvaccinated were 2.34 times more likely to be reinfected compared with those who were fully vaccinated.

The study’s findings suggest that getting fully vaccinated provides additional protection against reinfection and that vaccines offer better protection than natural immunity alone.

Researchers also noted “the emergence of new variants might affect the duration of infection-acquired immunity.”

“If you have had COVID-19 before, please still get vaccinated,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “This study shows you are twice as likely to get infected again if you are unvaccinated. Getting the vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others around you, especially as the more contagious Delta variant spreads around the country.”

The head of an expert group that advised Tokyo Olympic organizers on coronavirus prevention measures touted their efforts for controlling the spread of the virus during the Games.

With one day to go in these Olympics, organizers announced 22 new cases to bring the total to 404 from pre-Games and airport testing and screening testing since July 1.

“What Tokyo has just done in a historic way is prove that that advice is the right advice,” Brian McCloskey, who led the advisory panel, said. â€œAnd by following basic public health measures and by layering on top of that the testing program, we have shown it is possible to keep the pandemic at bay.”

McCloskey said the group’s review of the data will continue after the Olympics and that it will release a report in the future. Specifically, the group is looking at cases among country delegations upon returning home as well as cases in Japan. Read more.

â€" Rachel Axon, USA TODAY

Massive Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota raises COVID-19 worries again

Bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts are descending upon South Dakota’s Black Hills this weekend for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, again raising concerns that COVID-19 will rapidly spread among the hundreds-of-thousands expected at the event. 

Sturgis officials said the rally offers attendees access to coronavirus tests, face masks and hand sanitizer stations, in addition to doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, according to The New York Times. And the city has also allowed rallygoers to drink on public property, with the hope of preventing indoor crowding.

Some experts say it’s a recipe for a super-spreader event. Last year’s was traced to 649 virus cases across the country, but some estimates are far higher. In Minnesota, 86 COVID-19 cases were detected in the state, resulting in four hospitalizations and one death, and linked to the rally, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in November 2020.

“Anytime you have a large group of people come together there are risks, but with the proper precautions and mitigation practices, it can be done safely,” Daniel Bucheli, director of communications at the South Dakota Department of Health, wrote in an email to USA TODAY. Read more.

â€" Edward Segarra, USA TODAY

Experts say the immunocompromised should be prioritized for COVID vaccine booster shots

The U.S. government is considering ways to protect roughly 10 million immunocompromised Americans, who may have gotten inadequate coverage from their COVID-19 vaccines.

Immunocompromised people, who make up about 3% of the U.S. population, are in a different category than other Americans, because they may not have mounted an adequate immune response to their COVID-19 vaccinations, Dr. Anthony Fauci told USA TODAY’s editorial board on Friday. 

“Some mechanism needs to be done quickly to get those people protected,” said Fauci, a presidential advisor and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The Food and Drug Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, are “engaged in a science-based, rigorous process to consider whether or when a booster might be necessary,” taking into account various forms of data, an FDA spokesperson told USA TODAY via email. Read more.

â€" Elizabeth Weise and Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY

Contributing: Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

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