No Covid -19 vaccine this year, the darkest days may still be ahead of us

 

Why we will not have a Covid-19 vaccine this year and why the darkest days of the pandemic may still be ahead. Do you have Covid fatigue? We all do, and the level of anxiety in my patients is higher than I have ever seen it in 30 years. Be that as it may we have to handle it, and quickly. The darkest days of the pandemic may still be ahead. The second wave is just beginning. In Maryland in the summer the numbers in the hospital had been steadily decreasing, now they are static. We currently have 455 people in the hospital and almost a quarter of them are in the ICU. In the West and Mid West numbers are rising exponentially, hospitals are being overrun. My guess is after Thanksgiving the numbers here, will rise even higher. Added to this, immediately after Thanksgiving the flu season starts, what a cocktail for disaster. People are still refusing flu shots because “I never get the flu”. Please re-read the email I wrote on what it takes to make a vaccine and what kind of trials have to be done to make a safe vaccine. There are over 100 vaccines in the works but that doesn’t mean we will get one anytime soon. Even with “Warp speed“ and all. It has been proven that people have to have a significant illness to produce significant amounts of antibodies. But it appears that even those antibodies may only provide partial immunity at best. This is just one concern that vaccines need to overcome. When “the vaccine” for Covid finally gets here, it is going to be a logistical nightmare to get it to the billions of people in the world who need it. Anyway suffice to say this is NOT something that is going to be available this year to ordinary citizens like you and I. You don’t believe me? All I will say is: HIV/AIDS has been around 30 years and there still is no vaccine. That tells you something: you can’t just pull a vaccine out of thin air or on an artificial deadline. If anyone tells you otherwise it is political rhetoric (or as the Scottish say malarkey!). So forget about the vaccine! Spend your goals and energy on prevention elsewhere.  Please rethink your Thanksgiving plans, get creative. I am going to have a zoom Thanksgiving with my family. It takes some planning but most importantly, it is safe! My next email will discuss “Covid fat” and tips for working at home. For those of you who like the outdoors remember to get out there now, winter is coming. There are still lots of places you can go and still have social distancing. https://youtu.be/WSErlYsnGSA