COVID NEWS, how is it going? Good, could be better.

 

What’s new? I get a lot of questions about Covid vaccines and I try to put out information as often as I have time to. I hope you find this information interesting. More than 500 people a day are still dying in the US from Covid. This is progress but it is not normal! Pfizer Covid vaccine has been approved for 12 to 16 year olds and Moderna is expected to be approved within the week for the same age group. If you would like your adolescent vaccinated (especially those headed off to college) please call the office and schedule. Maryland has a scarcity of J and J vaccine, presumably partly because of the Baltimore plant being cancelled. All the J and J available in Maryland right now is made overseas. We have been promised some this week. Stay tuned. As expected, more side effects of the vaccines are cropping up irrespective of which vaccine. (Not surprising based on the method of action). I still maintain that people should get the best vaccine of the three depending on their health circumstances and what is available. Interestingly, more than 10,000 vaccinated people in the US have still contracted Covid. Fortunately most of those people had mild disease, however 160 of these people still died. This must be viewed in the context of the death rate of those who have not been vaccinated. Plus ten thousand is a very small number compared to the hundreds of millions who have been vaccinated. It's way better than any flu vaccine we have had thus far. "The number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths that will be prevented among vaccinated persons will far exceed the number of vaccine breakthrough cases." CDC Can I get other vaccines at the same time as the Covid vaccine? No. Because of the lack of data at the moment the recommendation is that you wait at least 2 weeks before and after other vaccines. The only exception would be vaccines that have to be given in an emergency like Rabies or Tetanus. So if you child is going to college factor in the meningitis and other shots as well as time for the Covid shots. Plan ahead. Nearly 2.8 million residents have registered for Ohio's Vax-a-Million vaccination incentive program, with participants hoping to win either the $1 million prize for adults or a full-ride college scholarship for children. Finally, I am doubly proud of this announcement: Leading coronavirus scientist, Kizzmekia S. Corbett, to join Harvard Chan School to continue vaccine development research Harvard Chan School news / May 11 Corbett will be an assistant professor in the Department of Immunology and Infectious diseases and head the new Coronaviruses & Other Relevant Emerging Infectious Diseases (CoreID) Lab. Watch a video (https://youtu.be/J6gWLoYhqUk) welcoming her to the School. I am very proud that a young black female scientist can rise to such prominence (she went to UMBC) and also proud of my Alma Mater (Harvard School of Public Health) for making such an historic appointment after such a tumultuous year. Recognizing her contribution to the mRNA Covid vaccine. Thanks to all of you who read my emails and send me messages that encourage me to keep writing them! I will be out of the office from June 17th to 28th. Please get you refills and concerns taken care of before that time.