CMO Update July 20, 2021
Location, location, location…this universal truth of real estate now applies to the COVID pandemic in the United States. COVID cases are up in all 50 states, but especially in communities with low vaccination rates or less acquired immunity from infection, the Delta variant of the coronavirus is sweeping through households with a 4th wave that rivals the most recent surge. In hot spots like Springfield Missouri, hospitals are struggling to find nursing staff and ventilators for ICU patients.

“No matter how you slice it, by US counties, by US states, by countries, high rates of vaccinations are preventing hospitalizations and are saving lives. If not for yourself, help others stay healthy. Get your shot!” Dr Eric Topol.

This has now become a pandemic of the unvaccinated. There is a direct correlation with vaccination as illustrated here. Both cases (left) and deaths (right) are directly correlated to vaccine status.
The Delta variant spreads 225% faster than the original coronavirus.
  • Average viral load was 1,000 times higher
  • Only 4 days to reach detectable levels compared with 6 days for original strain
  • People with Delta become contagious sooner, spread virus earlier, and shed more virus in air

This past week:
  • Cases up 70%
  • Hospitalizations up 36%
  • Deaths up 26%

“If 25% of the population remains susceptible to the virus, that is still a lot of people,” says former FDA commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb on Face the Nation Sunday. “And this virus is so contagious, it is going to infect the majority of them. For most people who get this...it's going to be the most serious virus they get in their lifetime in terms of the risk of putting them in the hospital”
  • >99% of recent deaths in unvaccinated
  • 97% of recent hospitalizations in unvaccinated

“Dying at this stage in the pandemic is almost like a soldier dying after a peace treaty has been signed. Heartbreaking and largely preventable.”
-Dr Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

  • Pfizer vaccine less effective against Delta variant in preventing infection (64%), but Israeli data shows 94% effective in reducing severe illness (hospitalizations and death)
  • Breakthrough infections generally mild or no symptoms

  • ALL Vaccines show very high safety with >3 billion doses administered worldwide
 
Women who are breastfeeding and wonder if COVID-19 vaccination is safe for their baby may be reassured by the results of a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
  • ‘Vaccine-associated mRNA’ – the active components of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine - was not detected in breast milk.

  • Important evidence to strengthen current recommendations that vaccine-related mRNA is not transferred to the infant
 
Because of rising cases and the contagious Delta variant, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy said Sunday that he backs the reinstatement of mask mandates in response to local increases in coronavirus cases. Los Angeles County on Sunday put its new mask mandate into effect, requiring the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike to wear face coverings indoors at businesses and in public places. The decision came a month after the previous mask mandate was lifted. Los Angeles is the first major U.S. county to reinstate its mask requirement after the broad reopening that followed this year's sharp drop in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Coronavirus cases have jumped following the widespread loosening of restrictions as the highly transmissible Delta variant spread rapidly, especially in areas with low vaccination rates.
The New York Times publishes letters from across the world about what people are doing during the pandemic. This one from South Africa last week struck me.
In the South African summer of 1956, when I was 19 months old, I got polio. My parents were avid and vocal anti-vaxxers. Now in this pandemic, I am appalled and insulted when people spout unsubstantiated anti-vaxxing theories. No one in their right mind would want to have foreign material injected into them if there was an alternative. There is no other alternative. The problem is not the lockdown, the vaccine or whatever else you may wish to entertain. The problem is this virus. The I.C.U. data in countries that have had aggressive vaccination policies is now indisputable: The vast majority of deaths in hospitalized Covid patients are in the unvaccinated.
— Analee Milner, Johannesburg
COVID-19 vaccines likely saved almost 280K American lives, study concludes
  • CNN reports that COVID-19 “vaccines saved hundreds of thousands of lives and prevented more than a million hospitalizations in the United States, according to new estimates from researchers at Yale University and the Commonwealth Fund.” They concluded that by July 1, 2021, “there would have been about 279,000 additional deaths due to [COVID-19] – about 46% more than there were – and as many as 1.25 million additional hospitalizations if there were no vaccinations.”

For those of you with family and friends with concerns about the vaccine or you yourself are still deciding, I encourage you to read this insightful article about how others that were hesitant changed their mind and got their shot. Overall, however, I am encouraged that 72% of our QualDerm team has been vaccinated, which is higher than most health care organizations. So thank you all and please reconsider if you still have not been vaccinated.

Another source of pride for me and our leadership team was revealed to me this morning as I read a new message from the American Academy of Dermatology (below) that announced updated OSHA standards and encouraged AAD members to review the guidance. Our QualDerm team became aware of that OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) when it was issued a month ago on June 21st and immediately worked with our compliance consultant and Operations teams to ensure full compliance with all the regulations in all our clinic sites. Once again, QDP is way ahead of the curve in our quality and safety protocols and we appreciate all the teammates in direct patient care helping us comply. 
Have a great week and please contact me if I can help with any questions.

Best Regards,
~ Dr. A
Questions or Comments?
Please send any questions or comments to the QDP Health Information inbox: health@qualderm.com