Covid-19 latest updates: Moderna says its vaccine is 93 percent effective six months after full immunization - The Washington Post

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Vaccine maker Moderna said Thursday that the protection offered by its coronavirus shots remains strong — 93 percent effective — six months after full vaccination.

The company also announced that it has tested three potential booster shots, which have demonstrated “robust antibody responses” and have topped off immunity, bringing antibodies back to the protective levels triggered by full vaccination.

“We are pleased that our COVID-19 vaccine is showing durable efficacy,” Moderna chief executive Stéphane Bancel said in a statement. “But [we] recognize that the Delta variant is a significant new threat so we must remain vigilant.”

Moderna’s vaccine was authorized for emergency use in adults in the United States in December and has since been cleared for emergency or conditional use in adults in more than 50 countries.

The announcement is encouraging news as the United States prepares to welcome back international travelers — when the time is right. A White House official told The Washington Post on Wednesday that the Biden administration is working on a plan to require nearly all incoming foreign travelers to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Here are some significant developments:

• More nursing homes are requiring vaccinations for their staff to prevent a reprise of last year’s deadly surge of the virus in long-term care facilities.
• Should you cancel travel plans because of the coronavirus’s delta variant? Ask these questions.
• Australia’s second-most-populous city, Melbourne, is entering its sixth coronavirus lockdown. The week-long measure comes just a day after Victoria state reported its first 24 hours without a new infection in nearly a month.
• Britain will offer coronavirus vaccines to 16- and 17-year-olds after previously declining to do so. Officials said “changes” in the way the virus is spreading in Britain, particularly among young people, informed the decision.
• The virus is spreading at “unseen” levels in Japan, the country’s health minister said, warning that hospitals are filling. New daily cases in Japan have topped 14,000, with more than 4,000 in Tokyo alone.

Officials throughout the government are working on the policy “to be prepared for when the time is right to transition to this new system,” the official said. It would include a phased approach and require foreign nationals from all countries to be fully vaccinated, with limited exceptions.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last week that travel restrictions would remain in place “at this point” because of the delta variant.

The virus continues to rage across parts of the United States, largely due to the highly transmissible delta variant, as millions of Americans remain unvaccinated. The official said the United States is maintaining existing bans because of rising cases at home and abroad.

Bans on international travel to the United States because of the coronavirus were first put in place by President Donald Trump in early 2020. A similar approach was taken by many other countries, including China, Chile and Australia, which all utilized border controls as a tool to keep the virus at bay.

European lawmakers and business groups have also voiced criticism of the Biden administration for a lack of reciprocity. Vaccinated U.S. tourists have been allowed to return to much of Europe for weeks, while most Europeans continue to be unable to travel to the United States.

The hyper-transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus has left would-be travelers uncertain. The Post spoke to an expert about how to safely make that call. (The Washington Post)

Canada has said it will begin allowing fully vaccinated American tourists into the country starting Aug. 9, after an unprecedented 16-month ban. Vaccinated travelers from countries other than the United States will be permitted to enter starting on Sept. 7, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

However, some countries are moving the other way. The Israeli Health Ministry said Tuesday that it would require both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans to quarantine for a week upon arrival, as Israel added the United States to a growing list of “red countries” to which Israeli residents were discouraged from traveling. The regulations are slated to take effect Aug. 11.

The United States still warns against travel to Israel and several European countries — among them Spain, Portugal and Cyprus — as the more contagious delta variant fuels coronavirus outbreaks, mostly among the unvaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and State Department advised Monday against travel to places including Greece, Ireland, Iran and the U.S. Virgin Islands due to rising cases.

Hannah Knowles contributed to this report.

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