Full approval of the Covid-19 vaccine will not only build confidence. This will likely lead to new business demands, says surgeon general


“For the companies and universities that have thought about putting vaccine requirements in place to create safer spaces for people to work and learn, I think this FDA decision… will actually help them to. go ahead with those kinds of plans, ”US surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy told CNN on Sunday.

Companies don’t need full FDA approval to impose a Covid-19 vaccine – they already have the legal authority to do so, according to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. But full approval might give less force to any legal challenge.
Full FDA approval would also give some Covid-19 vaccine skeptics more confidence to get vaccinated, according to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“This FDA approval cannot come too soon,” said emergency physician Dr. Megan Ranney, associate dean at Brown University’s School of Public Health.

“With this full approval in hand, we will have the opportunity to once again send a message about the safety and effectiveness of this vaccine. We can help fill the airwaves, newspapers and social media with messages about the difference. what this vaccine does in terms of preventing hospitalizations and deaths, even in the face of the Delta variant, ”said Ranney.

New vaccinations on the rise, but with a caveat

With the Delta variant fueling more Covid-19-related deaths and hospitalizations – including among children – rates of new vaccinations have recently increased.
On Saturday, for the third day in a row, more than a million doses were administered, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Such a feat had not happened since the first week of July.
But it’s important to remember that vaccines don’t take full effect until two weeks after the last dose. “Continue to take all precautions until you are fully immunized,” the CDC said.
As Covid-19 hospitalizations increase, more Americans get vaccinated

“So we are looking ahead to a few more difficult months,” said Ranney.

About 51.3% of Americans have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to CDC data.

Many Americans have yet to get vaccinated to minimize the spread of the Delta variant and help keep children in classrooms, former CDC director Dr Tom Frieden said.

“We are encouraged by the increased rise in vaccines. But remember, you have something like 90 million (eligible) unvaccinated people,” Frieden said on Saturday.

“So a million (doses of vaccine) a day gives you months and months to many people who could get serious illness or die.”

“Seriously, all of you. Stop it, “FDA warns against horse drug

A myth that the drug ivermectin can somehow treat or prevent Covid-19 has resulted in people being hospitalized “after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for horses,” the FDA said.

The FDA tweeted a direct warning to anyone trying to use ivermectin against Covid-19: “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, all of you. Stop that.”

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug, not an antiviral. Although it can be prescribed to humans suffering from parasitic worms or head lice, it is often given to much larger animals in much higher concentrations.

“Such high doses can be highly toxic in humans,” the FDA said.

Yet the Mississippi Poison Control Center has received an increasing number of calls from people who have taken ivermectin. At least 70% of those calls were for “ingestion of livestock or animal formulations of ivermectin purchased from livestock supply centers,” the Mississippi state Department of Health said Friday.

“Some of the symptoms associated with ivermectin toxicity include rash, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, neurological disorders, and potentially serious hepatitis requiring hospitalization,” the health department said.

The U.S. surgeon general said tech companies need to do more to stop the spread of disinformation.

“It’s happening… aided and encouraged by social media platforms,” Murthy said.

“These are things that businesses can and must change. And I think they have a moral responsibility to do it, quickly and transparently.”

He said the myth of ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19 highlights “the deep cost of health misinformation.”

“It is not a drug recommended to prevent Covid-19,” said the surgeon general. “The best protection we have against Covid-19 is the vaccine. ”

Covid-19 hospitalizations reduce resources for others

The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 rose to 95,000 on Saturday, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

More than 23,000 of them were in intensive care beds, reducing resources for others who need hospital care.

Louisiana sees
Several states, largely those with below-average vaccination rates, reported that hospitals were reaching 100% of capacity during this wave of the Delta variant.

In Mississippi, the number of Covid-19 patients requiring hospitalization or intensive care reached record highs last week, Gov. Tate Reeves said.

The major problem with resources is “not the lack of beds,” Reeves said Thursday. “It’s a lack of personnel.

He encouraged Mississippians to get vaccinated.

In Florida, the mayor of Orlando asked residents to conserve water because liquid oxygen – typically used to treat the local water supply – was diverted to local hospitals and statewide to treat patients of seriously ill Covid-19.

“This is another impact of the virus that continues to spread in our community,” Mayor Buddy Dyer said on Facebook.

“And this is another result of what happens when residents don’t get the vaccine and get seriously ill, requiring medical support and treatment.”

CDC: People at high risk should avoid cruises for now

Unvaccinated people are strongly urged to avoid cruises, the CDC said.

And people at high risk for severe Covid-19, even if they are vaccinated, are urged to stay away from cruise ships, the CDC said in updated guidance on Friday.
First US test cruise testing Covid security protocols sets sail

“If you are at increased risk of serious illness and plan to travel on a cruise during the Covid-19 pandemic, discuss this type of travel with your healthcare professional,” the CDC said.

“Seniors and people of all ages with certain underlying medical conditions are more likely to become seriously ill if they contract Covid-19. People with weakened immune systems, including people who take drugs that suppress their immune system, may not be protected even if fully immunized. “

Anyone who is showing symptoms of Covid-19, has been exposed within 14 days to someone with Covid-19, or is awaiting results of a Covid-19 viral test should not board cruise ships, CDC said .

The cruise industry has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and has made strides in providing safe travel for passengers. But some infections have been reported.
The CDC has worked with cruise lines to clear their operation and has a website with infections on individual ships.

CNN’s Nadia Kounang, Jen Christensen, Chris Boyette, Maggie Fox, Jamie Gumbrecht and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.