Infectious Diseases

The Saddest Covid-19 Statistic

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“For those of us in public health, it’s nothing short of amazing,” Dr. Jeff Duchin, the chief health officer for Seattle and King County, told me the other day. I had called Duchin to ask about a startling claim he made recently. At a weekly health briefing, he offhandedly remarked that of King County’s recent COVID-19 cases, 97% had occurred in unvaccinated people. It effectively meant the only people still catching coronavirus here in King County are people who haven’t gotten the shots. It also means the disease that just a few months ago threatened the entire nation is now almost exclusively circulating among a shrinking few.

“We’re getting to the point where it’s a tale of two societies,” says Dr. Umair Shah, the state health secretary.Shah reported this past week that unvaccinated people between ages 45 and 64 are now being hospitalized for COVID at rates 21 times higher than the vaccinated.

The ‘two societies’: 97% of new COVID cases are among people who haven’t gotten the shots — https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/the-two-societies-97-of-new-covid-cases-are-among-people-who-havent-gotten-the-shots/#comments

At the Seattle Times website for this article you’ll find over 500 comments. After reading several comments I had to stop. Every comment I read made me sad about all of the things we have gotten wrong during the pandemic. One of the worst things that has happened was the politicization of Covid-19. Sometimes I just wish it would stop.

If for whatever reason you choose to refuse the vaccine I have no interest in debating your decision. I’ll present some facts and we can remain cordial.

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans

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Memo to Owners of Original Content

I have been to your website and read your Terms of Use. I understand you have granted me you a limited, personal, revocable, non-exclusive, and non-transferable license to use your Services for my personal, non-commercial use only and can print or download pieces of the Content for my personal and non-commercial use.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way…

“Last fall, there were reports that antibodies wane quickly after infection with SARS-CoV-2, and mainstream media interpreted that to mean that immunity was not long-lived,” said senior author Ali Ellebedy, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. “But that’s a misinterpretation of the data. It’s normal for antibody levels to go down after acute infection, but they don’t go down to zero — they plateau. Here, we found antibody-producing cells in people 11 months after first symptoms. These cells will live and produce antibodies for the rest of people’s lives. That’s strong evidence for long-lasting immunity.”

Mild COVID-19 Induces Lasting Antibody Protection — https://ntk-institute.org/article/mild-covid-19-induces-lasting-antibody-protection

Here’s the link to the original research article abstract:

Turner, J.S., Kim, W., Kalaidina, E. et al. SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans. Nature (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03647-4

Obvious but not Proven – PCOS and Covid-19

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Roach’s and Gotluru’s research, published in the March issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, shows the potentially higher risk for PCOS patients comes down to “comorbidities, androgens and lipotoxicity.

“People with PCOS often have higher levels of and sensitivity to androgens, male sex hormones. This could “potentially directly affect the susceptibility to COVID-19,” Roach and Gotluru wrote. Androgens work as a “gateway,” in very simple terms, to let in Covid-19, Roach says.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/23/health/women-covid-pcos-high-risk/index.html — The women possibly at higher risk for Covid-19 that no one is talking about

Many thanks to Ol Red Hair for directing my attention to this article.

The Bottom Line – Got PCOS? Get vaccinated.

My Only Other Comment on Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clot Risk

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My only comment on the J&J vaccine blood clot risk was a technically correct statement. This is my only other comment on Covid-19 Vaccine induced blood clot risk. Get vaccinated. We now know how to fix it.

“Our experience shows us that these clot reactions are very rare, but they can be treated,” lead co-author Dr. R. Todd Clark, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said in a statement. “Americans can feel comfortable getting vaccinated and should discuss any vaccination concerns with their doctor.”

Doctors successfully treat rare J&J blood clot, case report shows — https://www.livescience.com/johnson-and-johnson-vaccine-blood-clot-treatment-case-report.html

“COVID-19 infection is a significant risk factor for CVST. A preliminary analysis of U.S. data during the COVID-19 pandemic, available online, preprint on April 15, 2021, found that the risk of CVST due to infection with COVID-19 is 8-10 times higher than the risk of CVST after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The public can be reassured by the CDC’s and FDA’s investigation and these statistics – the likelihood of developing CVST after a COVID-19 vaccine is extremely low. We urge all adults to receive any of the approved COVID-19 vaccines.”

Karen L. Furie, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the special report, chair of the department of neurology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and chief of neurology at Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and Bradley Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island

Guidance on diagnosis and management of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after a COVID-19 vaccine — https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210429/Guidance-on-diagnosis-and-management-of-cerebral-venous-sinus-thrombosis-after-a-COVID-19-vaccine.aspx

Like I said earlier, I have a lot of respect for Brownies.

The Latest in COVID-19 News: Week Ending 04.24.21 – NEJM Journal Watch

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Click on the link for the NEJM Journal Watch weekly update.  Not a lot of links this week for SARS-CoV-2 articles but again I did not forget to post this.

https://www.jwatch.org/fw117733/2021/04/24/covid-19-news-week-ending-apr-24-2021

So in the spirit of big news that didn’t get mentioned in this week’s NEJM Journal Watch:

FDA, CDC Lift Suspension of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

Cite this: FDA, CDC Lift Suspension of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine – Medscape – Apr 23, 2021 — https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/949913

Meanwhile pray for India.

India has recorded nearly a million infections in three days, with 346,786 new cases overnight into Saturday.

India Covid surge: Hospitals send SOS as record deaths registered — https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56870410

The Latest in COVID-19 News: Week Ending 04.17.21 – NEJM Journal Watch

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Click on the link for the NEJM Journal Watch weekly update.  A blood clot week for SARS-CoV-2 articles.

https://www.jwatch.org/fw117711/2021/04/17/covid-19-news-week-ending-apr-17-2021

A team of researchers in the United Kingdom conducted an in-depth investigation of 22 patients who developed serious blood clots combined with a drop in blood platelets after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is now called Vaxzevria. They also tested an additional patient who had clinical signs of a drop in blood platelets after vaccination. Nearly all the patients — 22 of 23 — tested positive for unusual antibodies to platelet factor 4, a signaling protein that helps the body coordinate blood clotting.

Citation: Researchers Detail More Cases of Rare Clots Tied to COVID Vaccines – Medscape – Apr 16, 2021 — https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/949473?src=rss

My Only Comment on the J&J Covid Vaccine Blood Clot Risk

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Dr. Karb was in the same residency class at Brown as Dr. Lee.

I have much respect for Brownies.

That’s it. My only comment on the J&J vaccine blood clot risk.

The Latest in COVID-19 News: Week Ending 04.10.21 – NEJM Journal Watch

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Click on the link for the NEJM Journal Watch weekly update.  Another good week for SARS-CoV-2 articles. For the second week in a row I did not forget to post this link.

https://www.jwatch.org/fw117693/2021/04/10/latest-covid-19-news-week-ending-apr-10

Meanwhile in B.C. Canada…

B.C. shatters records with 1,293 new COVID-19 cases, pushing average over 1,000 per day — https://globalnews.ca/news/7746859/b-c-shatters-records-with-1293-new-covid-19-cases-pushing-average-over-1000-a-day/

COVID-19 Vaccinations by Race/Ethnicity

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While the data provide useful insights, they also remain subject to gaps, limitations, and inconsistencies that limit the ability to get a complete picture of who is and who is not getting vaccinated. For example, data gaps and separate reporting of data for vaccinations administered through the Indian Health Service limit the ability to analyze vaccinations among American Indian and Alaska Native people and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Moreover, some states have high shares of vaccinations that are missing race/ethnicity or that are classified as “other,” limiting the ability to interpret the data. For example, in Alaska, over 30% of vaccinations were among people classified as “other” race, and race was unknown for over 30% of vaccinations in Virginia. Four states were not reporting vaccination data by race/ethnicity, including Georgia which halted reporting its data in March. Comprehensive standardized data across states will be vital to monitor and ensure equitable access to and take up of the vaccine.

Latest Data on COVID-19 Vaccinations Race/Ethnicity — https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/latest-data-on-covid-19-vaccinations-race-ethnicity/

Meanwhile in Oklahoma…