Articles: sars-cov-2.
-
Inactivated vaccine BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm; 95% (95%CI: 94%,97%)) and the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech; 98% (95%CI: 86%,99%)) demonstrated protection against COVID-19 related hospitalizations from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. Ongoing efforts are necessary to target vaccine hesitancy and promote booster shots for protection against severe COVID-19 disease and arising variants of concern.
-
Omicron, a fast-spreading SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern reported to the World Health Organization on 24 November 2021, has raised international alarm. We estimated there is at least 50% chance that Omicron had been introduced by travellers from South Africa into 11 of the 14 countries studied by 28 November 2021.
-
Italy was the first country after China to be severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, in early 2020. The country responded swiftly to the outbreak with a nationwide two-step lockdown, the first one light and the second one tight. By analyzing 2020 national mobile phone movements, we assessed how lockdown compliance influenced its efficacy. ⋯ Adherence to the COVID-19 tight lockdown during the first wave in Italy was high and effective in curtailing the outbreak. Any work-related mobility reduction was effective, but only high reductions in work-unrelated mobility restrictions were effective. For train travel, there was a threshold above which no further benefit occurred. These findings could be particular to the spread of SARS-CoV-2, but might also apply to other communicable infections with comparable transmission dynamics.