What’s a vaccine worth? Well in Ohio it’s worth between $1 and 1.68 million, depending on whether you did or didn’t get the shot!! An unvaccinated professional golfer named John Rahm was poised to win Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial tournament in Columbus OH when he tested positive for COVID-19, even though asymptomatic. Rahm had to withdraw, disqualifying him from the winner’s check of $1.68M. Meanwhile, across the state Ohio’s Vax-A-Million program has led to a 28% increase in vaccinations in people 16 years and older since beginning a few weeks ago. 3 winners have already been announced, with another each of the next two Wednesdays.
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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is also rolling out a new program to boost vaccines in North Carolina: a $1 million cash drawing. The drawings will happen every other week from June 23 to August 4. Four people will win $1 million. Anyone over the age of 18 that's already vaccinated is automatically entered into the drawing, and those who get their first dose of the vaccine moving forward will be entered twice. Vaccinated residents ages 12 to 17 will be entered in four drawings to win $125,000 paid toward education at the college of their choice.
Anheuser-Busch is giving Americans another reason to help achieve President Biden's vaccination goal. Now, they could get a free beer out of it. The company plans to "buy America's next round of beer, seltzer, non-alcoholic beverage, or other A-B product" if the U.S. reaches Biden's goal of vaccinating 70% of American adults with at least one dose by July 4.
I’ve been following many news sources during this pandemic and one that compiled stories from multiple news outlets was entitled “Solving COVID”.
Thankfully, as you see here, the newsletter has ended.
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Where Things Stand
This is our final edition of the Solving COVID newsletter. The pandemic is by no means over, but in a sense, COVID has indeed been "solved." We now know that vaccines are the way out of this crisis. A number of them have proven remarkably effective at preventing severe illness and death, and at reducing spread of the virus. Over time we will fine-tune the vaccination program as we learn more about dosage, boosters, and long-term immunity. COVID-19 may never disappear completely, but with these potent tools in-hand, we are well equipped to bring it to heel. The international challenge we face urgently is in getting these shots into as many arms as possible, especially in areas with high-risk populations, at home and abroad. If we fail, we risk prolonging the pandemic and endangering the progress we've made should a new vaccine-resistant variant emerge and sweep across the globe in yet another devastating wave. Let us hope we win this race against time. [The Week]
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MORE GOOD NEWS
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are at the lowest point since March 2020!
- Fortunately, most older and vulnerable populations are now vaccinated
- Young adults, children and unprotected adults in communities with very low vaccination rates account for the vast majority of current cases
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COVID-19 is still spreading fast among the non-immune
- There are just fewer susceptible individuals (without prior infection or vaccination) so the R0 = <1 meaning each case infects less than one other person, shutting down spread
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This is the meaning of ‘Herd Immunity’ and the US is starting to achieve it
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This should be celebrated as a meaningful landmark in this pandemic…
- But, we still need to vaccinate to protect our vulnerable at home and across the world and to prevent variants from developing that could escape immunity and create another critical surge
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The good news – all 3 US vaccines protect against all variants to date
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The bad news – latest variant Delta is the worst so far (see below)
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1st identified in India; 90% of current UK cases; >6% of US cases
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Reported COVID-19 cases plateaued about June 8 and now rising again
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Delta cases double every 2 weeks, so will be dominant strain in about a month
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Delta appears more contagious and causes more severe illness
- In southeast China, where the variant has been spreading, "Patients are becoming sicker and their conditions are worsening much more quickly," doctors report.
- Delta predicted to cause new surges among unvaccinated in US by early fall
- Vaccinations remains the key to avoiding Delta and other variants
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Experts still recommend a single vaccine dose for those with natural immunity from infection, to ensure protection from these new variants
CDC has stopped investigating breakthrough COVID-19 infections among fully vaccinated people unless they become so sick that they are hospitalized or die, because breakthrough infections are so rare.
- Only 10,262 cases out of 101 million fully vaccinated (.01%) and mostly from variants
The CDC has eased travel warnings on more than 110 countries and territories in a significant rollback of COVID-19 precautions. The CDC lowered 61 countries from its highest rating, Level 4, from advising against travel to recommending it for fully vaccinated people.
Moderna announced its COVID-19 vaccine was 100% effective two weeks after the second dose in adolescents aged 12 to 17. No fully vaccinated participants got sick. The company reported that no safety concerns emerged in the trial, which involved > 3,700 kids.
Coronavirus vaccines may be available in the fall for US children when school restarts in person. Pfizer and Moderna are currently testing their vaccines in children from 6 mo. - 12 yrs.
Regarding vaccine safety in general, a recent publication in journal Vaccine analyzed 338 studies of vaccines for influenza, measles, mumps, shingles, whooping cough, tetanus and HPV and concluded “the vaccines carry few harms for children, adults and pregnant women.”
Moderna became the latest pharmaceutical company to apply for full approval (rather than current ‘experimental use authorization’) to FDA for its COVID-19 vaccine for use in people 18 and older. Pfizer and BioNTech applied in May for full approval, which requires 6 months of trial data. FDA is expected to grant full approval soon - should be reassuring to those worried that the current vaccines are “experimental”
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Across the US >305 million doses and worldwide >2.3 billion doses delivered to date
If unsafe at a rate of even 1%, there would literally be millions with complications in US.
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CDC reports safety practices adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic to curb the transmission of the disease have also reduced the spread of many other infectious diseases
- Cases of the flu decreased at least 99% in the US and Europe
- Chickenpox cases in the US decreased by more than two-thirds
- LET’S ALL CONTINUE WASHING HANDS, COUGH/SNEEZE ETIQUETTE, AND STAYING HOME IF SICK (and consider masks and distancing when indoors during peak flu season)
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We have had a couple of recent outbreaks among unvaccinated staff members, so I continue to encourage everyone to get their shot and practice safety measures. We still need to protect our immunocompromised patients and teammates and follow CDC recommendations. We all want to get back to normal with concerts, summer travel, cookouts and blockbuster movies. Get your vaccine and the world is your oyster!!
I personally was able to travel to Nashville two weeks ago for our quarterly board meeting, the first one since before the pandemic. It was so nice to see our corporate leadership team again in person. More importantly, I am glad to report that the board of directors is very pleased with how QualDerm has weathered this storm, taking good care of each other and our patients. We are poised for more great progress for the rest of 2021 and I thank you all for your many contributions and efforts.
Best Regards,
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