Coronavirus vaccine and Delta variant updates for 8-31-2021

<p>This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for August 31st, 2021.</p><p><br></p><p>Take an area with high concentrations of COVID, with a shortage of ICU beds, patients on ventilators, and challenges keeping health care staff working. Then hit it with a Category 4 hurricane and you have the situation in Louisiana. Hospitals had to evacuate over 160 patients, the storm tore off parts of roofs, and left water leaking down walls to pool on floors. Generators kicked in for electricity and some hospitals used water from private wells. And now new patients have begun showing up with storm-related injuries.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>As we said yesterday to expect, the EU recommended its 27 nations reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S. That reverses advice it gave in June, when the recommendation was to lift restrictions before the summer tourism season. However, the EU has no unified COVID-19 tourism policy, and each government can decide whether or not to close their borders.</p><p><br></p><p>The last thing we want to report on is a new COVID variant. But a report says a mutation first detected in South Africa, C.1.2, appears to have mutated the most from the original virus, almost double the global mutation rate seen in any other existing variant of concern. Scientists have found 14 mutations in nearly 50% of the variants that had a C.1.2 sequence.</p><p><br></p><p>In Israel, new daily infections have just climbed to record levels. Around 63% of the population there has been fully vaccinated. In late July, Israel began offering everyone over 60 a booster dose, and that program is being rapidly expanded. Boosters have been available to everyone over 30 since a week ago.</p><p><br></p><p>A judge in OH has issued an emergency order telling a hospital they have to treat a coronavirus patient with ivermectin. That’s the controversial antiparasitic drug that hasn’t yet been approved by the FDA as a COVID treatment. In fact, some have taken a version of the drug intended for animals and died o