Coronavirus vaccine and COVID variant updates for 02-17-2022

<p>This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for February 17th, 2022.</p><br><p>Encouraging signs all over the world. Germany announced plans to end most of the country's restrictions by March 20. They believe infections have reached their peak so there’s a three-step plan that will roll the restrictions back. In Switzerland, they will end health checks for incoming travelers and the need for COVID passes and masks to enter places like shops, restaurants, and cultural venues. And in Austria they’ll end most restrictions March 5, though masks will still be required in some places.</p><br><p>In other places, things aren’t going as well. Despite a “zero-COVID” policy, Hong Kong continues to get hit hard, stressing hospitals. China's leader said it was Hong Kong’s local government's "overriding task" to get control of the situation, and he reminded Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Chinese Communist Party leaders have a high level of concern.</p><br><p>It doesn’t appear to be causing significant damage, but it sure is spreading. The World Health Organization says the Omicron sub-variant BA.2 accounted for 21.5% of all new Omicron cases worldwide in the first week of February. In the U.S., the prevalence of BA.2 has tripled from January 29 to February 5 but still makes up a very small proportion of new cases.</p><br><p>The CDC lowered its travel warning for cruise ships from its highest level where it’s been for seven weeks. At the beginning of that time, the CDC said travelers should avoid cruises no matter what their vaccination status. They still recommend being fully vaccinated and wearing quality masks indoors and in crowded outdoor areas.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Remember your kooky friend who said you should fight COVID with vitamin D? Maybe not that kooky. A study shows people who were deficient in vitamin D were 14 times more likely to have a severe or critical case of COVID. And mortality for deficient patients was 25.6% compared to 2.3% for those with sufficient vitamin D.&nbsp;</p><br><p>In the Unit