New Highly Infectious COVID Strain NB.1.8.1: WHO Says Severity is Low

New COVID Strain NB.1.8.1

• 🦠 A new COVID strain, identified as NB.1.8.1, is being reported as highly infectious.
• ⚠️ While cases have been observed in New York, it is not yet on the CDC's strain tracker, indicating insufficient data for definitive conclusions.
• 🌍 The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the severity of this strain is low.

Vaccine Efficacy and Data

• 💉 Claims that current COVID vaccines are expected to work against NB.1.8.1 are based on observations in mice, not human clinical trials.
• 🔬 Mice with the COVID vaccine showed similar or modestly lower neutralizing antibodies against NB.1.8.1, a metric the speaker argues is insufficient.
• 📈 There's a call to demand real clinical trial data showing specific percentages of reduced COVID cases, hospitalizations, and severe infections for new strains.
• 🗣️ HHS Secretary RFK Jr. has stated that future vaccines should have real clinical trials.

Changes to Childhood Vaccination Schedule

• 🧒 The COVID vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women has been removed from the CDC's recommended immunization schedule.
• 🏛️ However, state and local school districts may still push for these vaccinations, as requirements are determined at the state level.
• 🇺🇸 The United States was one of the few countries still recommending COVID vaccines for children, a practice that is now changing at the federal level.

Analysis of CDC and Vaccine Data

• 🧐 The speaker notes that interpreting CDC information requires understanding their specific language, often implying uncertainty rather than definitive knowledge.
• 👶 It is stated that there were no clinical trials on children under 12 for the COVID vaccine, with authorization for young children in 2023 based on extrapolated data.
• ⚠️ The speaker anticipates increased public concern or "hysteria" around NB.1.8.1, despite the assessment that it is not a severe strain.