|
 Dr. Jay Varma said it was premature to infer from laboratory results
how effective the vaccines would be on the variant, echoing concerns
of other scientists who questioned why preliminary studies are given
to the media ahead of academics.
“We really don't know enough about human immunity to draw those
direct conclusions,” Varma said at a briefing along with the mayor.
“That's why we do clinical trials. That's where we collect data
continuously.”
Clinical trials of the vaccines, Varma noted, including those done
in other countries, such as Brazil and South Africa, have shown that
they are “incredibly effective” at preventing death and severe
illness.
Highly contagious variants of the virus first discovered and now
prevalent in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Brazil have been
spreading widely to other countries.
In the United States, where the virus has taken more than 500,000
lives over the past 13 months, new infections and deaths have been
on the decline in recent weeks.
Hospitalizations - a key indicator for public officials worried
about straining local healthcare systems - were down nearly 60% from
their Jan. 6 peak at 53,938 patients, according to a Reuters tally.
Even with the declining trend, California reached a grim new
milestone as its cumulative coronavirus death toll topped 50,000 on
Wednesday, more than any other state, followed by New York, the
early epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, with 46,871 fatalities to
date.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had estimated
that 45.2 million people in the United States have received at least
one dose of the authorized two-shot COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer
Inc and partner BioNTech SE or from Moderna Inc. Johnson & Johnson's
one-shot vaccine is expected to be authorized for emergency use
within days.
'SAFE AND EFFECTIVE'
President Joe Biden, marking the 50 millionth dose to be given since
he took office, said his administration plans to launch a massive
campaign to educate Americans about coronavirus vaccines in
anticipation of a period later this year when supply may outstrip
demand because of vaccine hesitancy.
Biden alluded to skepticism in Black communities because of a
history of "terrible medical and scientific abuse."
"But if there is one message that needs to cut through, it's this:
the vaccines are safe and effective," he said.
The New York variant, called B.1.526, represented about 12% of total
positive tests from the Columbia Irving Medical Center, according to
a report by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of
Physicians and Surgeons.
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 Another study published online
this week by the California Institute of
Technology that also described the new variant
found that it accounted for nearly 28% of all
coronavirus genomes tested in New York state.
Neither study has been peer-reviewed.
The Columbia researchers point out that B.1.526 shares some worrying
characteristics with the South Africa and Brazil variants, which
several studies have suggested are more resistant to some existing
vaccines than earlier strains of the coronavirus.
Similar findings about a "homegrown" California variant were
reported recently in two other studies ahead of peer review from
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and the University of
California at San Francisco. Those researchers said
the fast-spreading California variant may help explain the year-end
holiday surge of cases in late 2020 that overwhelmed hospitals
across much of the state, though some experts cautioned that more
data was needed to substantiate such conclusions.
The CDC has identified more than 1,900 cases of coronavirus variants
spread across most states in the country, mostly the B.1.1.7 variant
first identified in the UK, which has been shown to be more
transmissible than earlier versions of the virus.
Varma urged readers to be "a little skeptical" of reports of the
latest studies, adding that not all variants rise to the level of
public health concerns. He characterized the latest discovery as a
"variant of interest" that should be studied more closely.
New York City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi called the studies
"quite exploratory with respect to the real-world effects," adding
that there is no indication that the new variant reduces vaccine
effectiveness.
Earlier, Varma took to Twitter to urge researchers to share their
work with government health departments before releasing them to the
press, adding, "Pathogen porn isn’t helping public health."
 California cardiologist Eric Topol echoed Varma's concerns about
unnecessarily spreading fear, calling the New York variant a "scariant."
Yale University Professor Nathan Grubaugh called conclusions drawn
from the two studies "an absolute mess."
(Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Additional reporting by
Doina Chiacu, Deena Beasley, Caroline Humer, Steve Gorman and Anurag
Maan; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Daniel Wallis)
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