Dr. Stuart Weiss: COVID-19 Update Monday 14-December-2020
By Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions
Rapid Test Center of New York
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP
December 14, 2020
CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust.Welcome new readers from the Rapid Test Center.
Topics: First American receive vaccination outside of clinical trials, Death toll surpases 300,000
| Good News and Bad News There is good news and bad news today so let’s start with the good news. Today, Americans began to receive the Pfizer BioNTech CoViD-19 vaccine. After quick action by the FDA followed by quick action by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices , the vaccination program was on. The vaccine is recommended for people over the age of 16 years old. Here is a summary of the clinical considerations for this vaccine: *The vaccine series consists of 2 doses of intramuscular injection separated by 3 weeks *CoViD-19 vaccines are not interchangeable so if you start with the Pfizer vaccine, you should stick with the Pfizer vaccine for the second dose *The Pfizer vaccine should not be given within 2 weeks of other vaccinations *The vaccine works and is safe in people who have had prior symptomatic or asymptomatic CoViD-19 infection. Testing for prior infection is not recommended so you don’t need to get an antibody test prior to vaccination *Vaccination in people with known current CoViD19 infection should be deferred until the person has recovered. *People who have received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma should wait for at least 90 days as a precautionary measure *In people with known CoViD-19 exposure, there is no evidence currently that immediate vaccination helps prevent the development of the disease. Because the average incubation period is 4-5 days and vaccine immunity takes 1-2 weeks after the second dose for a person to be fully vaccinated, this strategy won’t work. So don’t run to get vaccinated if you are exposed. *People with underlying medical conditions may be vaccinated as long as they don’t have any conditions that should prevent them from receiving the vaccine. *People who are immunocompromised (HIV, certain cancer, on immune suppressing drugs) must weigh the risk of severe CoViD-19 disease against the unknown safety profile of the vaccine in this population. *Women who are pregnant should discuss the risks with their physician. There is no data yet on the safety of the vaccine in pregnant women however there are ongoing studies right now looking at this population. This vaccine is not a live vaccine and mRNA vaccines are thought to be safe in pregnant women but there is no data right now to prove that. *There is no data on breastfeeding and being vaccinated. mRNA vaccines are thought to not be a risk to breastfeeding infants but there is no evidence to support that thought. *Teenagers over 16 years old are eligible to receive the vaccine under the current Emergency Use Authorization. This is because they were part of the phase three trials that were used to approve the vaccine. *Preliminary data suggests that the two dose vaccine series is 95% effective in healthy adults. It’s only 52% effective with only one dose and we don’t know if that immunity lasts so remember to get both doses *85% of vaccinated people developed some pain, swelling or redness at the injection site and 77% of people developed mild to moderate fever, fatigue, chills or muscle aches. *People with side effects can take over the counter pain or fever meds like Tylenol or Motrin Lastly, and this is important, from the CDC Guidance: “Given the currently limited information on how much the vaccine may reduce transmission in the general population and how long protection lasts, vaccinated persons should continue to follow all current guidance to protect themselves and others. This includes wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds, washing hands often, following CDC travel guidance, following quarantine guidance after an exposure to someone with COVID-19, and following any applicable workplace or school guidance, including guidance related to personal protective equipment use or SARS-CoV-2 testing.” Getting the vaccine doesn’t mean that you should immediately throw away your masks and start hugging and kissing everyone in your neighborhood. We don’t yet know how well the vaccine prevents spread of the virus from one person to another. Now the Bad News. We are in the middle of the Thanksgiving bump. We are at 300,477 CoViD-19 related deaths according to Johns Hopkins CoViD-19 Dashboard. The CDC national compilation of major models shows that we might reach as many as 362,000 CoViD-19 deaths by the week ending Jan 2, 2021. Shortly thereafter, we will start to see the bump from family gatherings over Christmas. In two interesting studies, one published a few days ago and one today, it appears that politics plays a larger role in CoViD-19 decisions to stay home than how much virus was in the community. This is not the time to let politics sway your safety decisions. We are so close to the finish line, just a few months before many of us can get vaccinated, don’t let your guard down now. For the moment, keep using good public health practices and keep your distance. The person next to you probably isn’t getting vaccinated anytime soon. Stay safe, we will all get through this together. Be well, Dr. Stu Weiss |
COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY
| Coronavirus update for December 14, 2020 World Wide Updates WHO launches global initiative to respond to impacts of Covid-19 on young people Puerto Rico receives first doses of the vaccine Germany to get 11 million vaccine doses by March St. Nicholas visit to Belgian care home hit by virus outbreak was “error in judgement,” say authorities Japan suspends travel scheme and boosts business support payments Eswatini Prime Minister becomes first head of government to die after Covid-19 diagnosis London Mayor presses for tighter Covid restrictions and school closures as cases spike Singapore approves Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine with first shipments expected by end of year Germany’s CureVac enrolls first participants in vaccine study South Korea is in “greatest crisis” of the pandemic and cases are expected to rise, top health official says Seoul shutters more schools as South Korea cases rise Justin Trudeau tweets photo of Pfizer vaccine arriving in Canada New Zealand commits to travel bubbles with Australia, Cook Islands Japan to consider new Covid-19 countermeasures as cases surge South Korea reported more than 700 new Covid-19 cases Sunday Peru’s Sinopharm vaccine trial suspended after patient reports a decrease in muscle strength in his legs German health minister urges faster approval for Covid vaccine in Europe 22% of Brazilians unwilling to take COVID vaccine, as Bolsonaro refuses to take shot Turkey set for five-day full lockdown, starting New Year’s Eve Netherlands heading for month-long lockdown France has reported 3,063 new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours Poland faces a real threat of a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, health minister Adam Niedzielski says South Africa imposes Covid-19 restrictions, closing down beaches on the eastern coast and limiting large public gathering UK reports 232 further deaths Canada began vaccinating its citizens against Covid-19 today Germany to go into national lockdown over Christmas to stem surge in Covid-19 cases Total Cases Worldwide: 73,103,576 Total Deaths Worldwide: 1,626,172 Total Recovered: 51,200,354 US Updates More than half of US states have gotten their first shipment of vaccines Nearly 50,000 vaccine doses will be delivered to Wisconsin this week Alaska received its first shipment of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine US to ship about 6 million doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine if authorized, official says Google delays a return to the office until September Oklahoma received its first delivery of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine Maine received its first two shipments of the Covid-19 vaccine this morning Some federal prison employees will receive the Covid vaccine Wednesday, spokesperson says First vaccine shipment has arrived at Illinois Strategic National Stockpile Georgia receives first shipment of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine New York state could face a second shutdown if current Covid-19 metrics do not change, governor says Hospitals in Texas receive shipments of the vaccine, health officials say West Virginia governor says he will receive a dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine later today The first vaccines have arrived in New Mexico, governor says Pennsylvania has started administering the Covid-19 vaccine AOC raises alarm about ‘disturbing’ Rikers Island conditions putting inmates at risk for COVID Operation Warp Speed official says additional 581 shipments of vaccine will go out this week Canada rolls out its first Covid-19 vaccines Covid-19 vaccinations expected to start in nursing homes this week HHS will announce a new allocation of vaccines each week, health secretary says First NYC shipments of Pfizer vaccine being sent to 5 hospitals today and 37 tomorrow US Health secretary urges Americans to get Pfizer vaccine: “This is a 94% effective vaccine” White House staffers to receive Covid-19 vaccine ahead of general public Christian ‘financial guru’ and radio host Dave Ramsey throws large indoor Christmas party Regulars leave $5,000 tip at Pennsylvania restaurant before indoor dining ban goes into effect Congress reaches make-or-break week on coronavirus relief Scams likely to heat up after COVID-19 vaccine rollout Superspreader Santa blamed for giving COVID-19 to 75 in nursing home Total US cases: 16,885,053 Total US deaths: 307,637 Total Recovered: 9,813,711 Total Tested in US: 217,114,386 Total cases in CA: 1,603,165 Total deaths in CA: 21,092 Total cases in TX: 1,487,369 Total deaths in TX: 24,615 Total cases in FL: 1,134,383 Total deaths in FL: 20,003 Total cases in IL: 856,118 Total deaths in IL: 15,455 Total cases in NY: 821,372 Total deaths in NY: 35,658 |
| YouTube Channel |
| The Doctor Stu YouTube channel is up and running but we haven’t added new videos in a little while. I’ll get back to that after the New Year. Go towww.DoctorStu.org to submit questions. |
