Hundreds of Indonesian healthcare workers contract COVID-19 despite vaccination, dozens hospitalised
JAKARTA, June 17 (Reuters) – More than 350 Indonesian doctors and healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19 despite being vaccinated with Sinovac and dozens have been hospitalised, officials said, as concerns rise about the efficacy of some vaccines against more virulent virus variants.
Most were asymptomatic and self-isolating at home, said Badai Ismoyo, head of the Kudus district health office in Central Java, but dozens were in hospital with high fevers and declining oxygen saturation levels.
Kudus is battling an outbreak believed to be driven by the more transmissible Delta variant which has pushed bed occupancy rates above 90% in the district.
Designated as a priority group, Indonesian healthcare workers were among the first to be vaccinated when the inoculation drive started in January.
More than 90% of Covid cases in the UK are now down to the coronavirus Delta variant first discovered in India, data has revealed, as the total number of confirmed cases passed 42,000.
Also known as B.1.617.2, the Delta variant has been linked to a rise in Covid cases in the UK in the past weeks. It is believed to spread more easily than the Alpha variant, B.1.1.7, that was first detected in Kent, and is somewhat more resistant to Covid vaccines, particularly after just one dose. It may be also associated with a greater risk of hospitalisation.
Now, Public Health England (PHE) has said that more than 90% of new Covid cases in the UK involve the Delta variant. Indeed the most recent data suggests the figure could be as high as 96% of new cases in England.
Royal Caribbean Postpones Cruise After Eight Vaccinated Crew Members Test Positive for COVID
The ship, the Odyssey of the Seas, seems to be snakebit. It was initially supposed to sail from Haifa, Israel, on June 2 but that trip was canceled due to “unrest” in the region. They decided to try again on July 3, disembarking from Port Everglades.
That’s off now too due to a bunch of positive tests for COVID among the crew, all of whom had been vaccinated.
But not yet fully vaccinated, do note. Pay attention to the timeline:
“During routine testing, eight crew members received a positive test result for Covid-19,” company CEO Michael Bayley said in a statement. “All 1,400 crew onboard Odyssey of the Seas were vaccinated on June 4th and will be considered fully vaccinated on June 18.”
Out of the eight cases, six people were asymptomatic and two had mild symptoms, he said. All who tested positive for Covid-19, as well as hundreds of other crew members, are under quarantine and being monitored by a medical team.
Odyssey of the Seas’ inaugural sailing, originally scheduled for July 3, is now set for July 31.