Two-dose COVID vaccine efficacy durable against severe Omicron but drops in elderly

Overall two-dose vaccine effectiveness (VE) against Omicron variant-related hospitalization or death remained above 70% for at least 6 months among adults in Hong Kong but dropped to below 62% in those aged 80 and older, necessitating a third dose, finds a case-control study published today in JAMA Network Open.

...

The next worrisome coronavirus variant could come from China — will it get detected? Nature - Genomic surveillance is crucial for tracking the next ‘variant of concern’, but many countries are winding back their monitoring. Lewis, Dyani nature

...

It remains crucial that variants be tracked, yet scientists question how quickly the next variant of concern will be detected as many countries wind down surveillance efforts.

...

Eight in 10 people in China caught Covid since early December, say officials Reported death toll surges to 72,000 after zero-Covid restrictions lifted; some experts estimate 1m deaths the Guardian

...