Breakthrough infections with SARS-CoV-2 omicron despite mRNA vaccine booster dose

The investigation was approved by the Health Research Ethics Committees of Stellenbosch University (C21/12/004_COVID-19) and the University of Cape Town (279/2021) and all participants provided informed consent.

Viral RNA loads in omicron variant infections have yet to be reported. It remains unknown whether the viral loads observed in our group are different from those in unvaccinated, or differently vaccinated, individuals. During wild-type SARS-CoV-2 infection, an average viral RNA load of 5·83 log10 viral RNA copies per swab was found in samples taken up to day after onset of symptoms, with a maximum of 8·85 log10 viral RNA copies per swab. In this group of individuals, an average of 6·38 log10 viral RNA copies per mL of eluted swab was detected, with the highest viral load (8·22 log10) detected on day 4 after onset of symptoms. This suggests that the individuals were infectious, in keeping with the occurrence of infection clusters sparing none of the members of the two groups.

This case series adds further evidence that, as predicted, omicron is able to evade immunity induced by mRNA vaccines in vivo.

Our study,…demonstrates insufficient prevention of symptomatic infection in otherwise healthy individuals who had received three doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.



Off the rails

“If it was up to me, anyone unvaccinated would not be admitted to a hospital, all hospitals would be closed to you. You’re going to go home and die”.

-Legendary broadcaster Howard Stern, says hospitals shouldn’t treat the unvaccinated

We are partway through the first 20%...

Dr. Fauci also said that the world is still in the first of what he considered to be the five phases of the pandemic. The first is the “truly pandemic” phase, “where the whole world is really very negatively impacted,” followed by deceleration, control, elimination and eradication.

Cotton and Surgical Face Masks in Community Settings: Bacterial Contamination and Face Mask Hygiene

Bacteria, and specifically pathobionts, accumulate on both surgical and more so on cotton face masks after 4 h of wearing. When the same face masks are worn for longer periods of time, surgical masks might be a better option due to a lower bacterial load. In addition, surgical face masks should probably best be disposed of after every use and cotton face masks should be properly sterilized. The latter can be efficiently done by boiling at 100°C, washing at 60°C with detergent, and ironing using a steam iron. More research is required to investigate whether mask use beyond 4 h could lead to a dysbiosis in the skin and nasal microbiome and be associated to conditions such as acne. This research emphasizes that face masks should be better evaluated to weigh the risks of disease transmission rate against other biosafety risks such as bacterial overgrowth, especially in vulnerable populations and in situations where physical distancing and proper ventilation are available.