Since our last update A LOT has changed regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Please review the following information regarding the pandemic, vaccines, ‘what you can do’ once vaccinated, and much more! There are many infographics that will be very helpful to everyone.
I also have fielded several questions related to when our practices can stop the standard COVID-19 questions and temperature checks, given that we now know that they generally do not provide very effective screening. Our patient questionnaires and CDC recommendations continue to inform our decisions. We know patients feel safer and more comfortable in our clinics when we follow strict safety protocols so we will continue to be conservative and place safety first until the CDC or other governing bodies provide further guidelines to revise and/or abandon these protocols. Thank you for all you do to create a safe and comforting environment for patients and staff.
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Updates
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After a comprehensive safety review, the FDA lifted the brief pause on use of Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. The agencies said the benefits of the single-shot vaccine far outweigh the risks from a rare and severe type of blood clot. The FDA will add a warning to its label to note the potential risk of rare blood clots. The agency noted that most of those who developed the rare clots were women between the ages of 18 and 49, and that the ‘chance of having this occur is remote.’
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CDC recommends pregnant women receive Covid-19 Vaccine
- New CDC research suggests that Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna vaccines are safe for expectant mothers
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Researchers found pregnant women infected with COVID-19 are “at higher risk for adverse outcomes, such as preeclampsia, infections, admission to hospital intensive care units and even death.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics. Experts have urged pregnant women to receive COVID-19 vaccines to reduce such risks.
- Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are falling nationwide as a result of vaccination efforts
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Fully vaccinated adults 65 years and older were 94% less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people of the same age who were not vaccinated, new data from CDC shows
- Children as young as 6 months old are now taking part in trials studying the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines
- FDA reportedly on the verge of authorizing Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12 to 15
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CDC guidelines have been released that provide recommendations for activities, travel (domestic and international), social interactions and masks, depending on vaccination status.
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Essentially, once vaccinated you can get back to much of normal life
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American tourists who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to visit European Union over the summer, president of European Commission says
- Please visit the CDC website for the most updated information.
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- Researchers say only 13.5% of people experience systemic side effects after receiving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine
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Researchers at King’s College London found “only 13.5% of people will suffer systemic side effects after getting Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.” Systemic side effects “include headache, fatigue and tenderness,” and the researchers found “most side effects are mild and peak in the day after being vaccinated, and they only last for one to two days.” The findings were published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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Immune response from mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines is more robust than natural infection
- Antibody levels induced by mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are much higher than those induced by natural infection and confer cross-reactivity that could be effective against new variants, a new study from the University of California, Irvine, found. While the research was published in a pre-print journal, the data is compelling evidence that vaccination may be advantageous, even for those previously infected.
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Breakthrough infections among people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are rare
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CNN reports researchers say “breakthrough infections” of COVID-19 are rare among people who have been vaccinated. In a study conducted in New York, “among 417 employees at Rockefeller University who were fully vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna shots, two of them or about 0.5%, had breakthrough infections later.” The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine
- More women have received COVID-19 vaccines than men
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The Biden administration seeks to get 80% of adult Americans immunized by summer, but the continuing reluctance of men to get a shot could impede that goal. Women are getting vaccinated [against COVID-19] at a far higher rate – about 10 percentage points – than men.
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Vaccine uptake is improving among those with concerns
- New data shows only 24% people still not willing to be vaccinated; down from 36% in March 2021, likely as more vaccinated people show no adverse effects over longer time
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A group of lawmakers, all of them doctors, released a video on Tuesday calling for Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
- The lawmakers appeared in the video wearing white coats, with stethoscopes around their necks. They tried to chip away at concerns expressed by Americans who are hesitant to get the shots. "This vaccine is safe," Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), a heart surgeon, said in the video. Some of the messages hit popular GOP themes, such as complaints that restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the pandemic are denying people freedom. Bucshon said the way "to end the government's restrictions on our freedoms is to take action and get the vaccine." Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.) emphasized that the vaccines were developed during the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed, before President Biden took office.
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Researchers found “the health effects of COVID-19 not only can stretch for months but appear to increase the risk of death and chronic medical conditions, even in people who were never sick enough to be hospitalized
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Studies find vaccines effective against New York variant
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Independent studies suggested that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective in preventing serious illness and death from the COVID variant first identified in New York. They add to a growing body of research that suggests that the two main vaccines in the United States are protective against all of the variants identified so far.
- The seven-day average for percent positivity from tests is 4.5 percent, down 12.2 percent from the previous week.
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I continue to offer anyone the opportunity to speak with me confidentially if I can help answer questions or concerns regarding anything related to the pandemic,vaccines, travel, restrictions, etc.
Sincerely,
Dr. A
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