vaccine hesitancy

Are You Still Thinking About a Booster Shot?

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What worries me is that what we now know in the United States is even if you’ve been vaccinated against Covid, you can incubate and replicate these variants, or even perhaps the native virus, in your nose, because we have incomplete immunity in the nose in someone who’s been vaccinated fully against Covid.

Corey Casper is the CEO of the Infectious Disease Research Institute and a professor of medicine and global health at the University of Washington.

The science behind booster shots – https://www.opb.org/article/2021/08/24/the-science-behind-booster-shots/

Experts say “waning immunity” is concerning, but it isn’t as scary as it sounds. The vaccines still work, and for most people, still provide a high level of protection against severe disease. “It’s been a challenge,” says Mark Slifka, an immunologist at Oregon Health and Science University. “because some people will say, ‘well the vaccines aren’t working.’ And that’s a misconception. Vaccines are still providing 90 percent protection against mortality and hospitalization.” Breakthrough infections have increased but infections are still three times more likely in unvaccinated than vaccinated individuals. Of those infections, only 3.9 percent have led to hospitalization in vaccinated patients compared to 9 percent in those who remain unvaccinated.

Six Questions About Waning Immunity to Covid-19 Answered — https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/six-questions-about-waning-immunity-to-covid-19-answered-180979135/

No political agenda here, no conspiracy theories. I’m just sharing some informative articles and hope you find them helpful as you navigate the Never Ending Pandemic.

Thinking About a Booster Shot?

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Waning Immunity after the BNT162b2 Vaccine in Israel – https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2114228?af=R&rss=currentIssue

The graph shows increases in the numbers of daily severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and new cases of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), on different scales, during the delta variant wave among persons who had received two doses of vaccine.

Waning Immunity after the BNT162b2 Vaccine in Israel – https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2114228?af=R&rss=currentIssue

It may be real nerdy but I like to do my research.

Covid-19 Vaccines and Myocarditis: Balancing Benefits and Risks in Adolescents and Young Adults — The Skeptical Cardiologist

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Two days ago the FDA indicated it will add a warning about rare cases of myocarditis in adolescents and young adults to information sheets for the Pfizer/BioNTech, and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. This followed a decision made by CDC advisor that myocarditis in adolescents and young adults is likely linked to the vaccines, but that the benefits…

Covid-19 Vaccines and Myocarditis: Balancing Benefits and Risks in Adolescents and Young Adults — The Skeptical Cardiologist

Thank you Dr. Pearson.

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.

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…

Quote for Today – 01.30.21

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“In the event that you have the choice to get vaccinated, I’d encourage you to take the vaccine that you’re given,” John Brooks, the chief medical officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid-19 response, said at a briefing Friday.

Additional Covid-19 vaccines bring choices — and complications — to the rollout — https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/29/additional-covid19-vaccines-bring-choices-and-complications-to-rollout/

Let’s get one thing clear: I am not a medical doctor nor is anything you read on this blog to be considered medical advice. Now that we have mutual understanding…

This is NO time to be picky. You can be picky about the brand of coffee you drink (or how it should be brewed). Or you can be picky about which vegan eatery serves up the best tofu in your town. Go ahead. Be picky on pretty much anything in your life.

But when it comes down to a vaccine for a virus that to the best of our knowledge we have no known natural immunity I suggest you take whatever vaccine is available.

Leave the debates about efficacy to experts who know what they’re talking about.

Rant over.

Update on Severe Allergic or Anaphylactic Reactions to Initial Dose of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine — The Skeptical Cardiologist

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A report from two CDC scientists was published online today in JAMA Insights which describes in detail 21 cases of anaphylaxis that were reported to the US Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System between December 14-23, 2020. This corresponds to a very low rate of 11.1 cases of anaphylaxis per million doses administered. 17 of these…

I continue to urge all my patients to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Benefits far outweigh the risk.

Update on Severe Allergic or Anaphylactic Reactions to Initial Dose of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine — The Skeptical Cardiologist

CDC reports more allergic reactions to Covid-19 vaccines, but cases remain few

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at present it looks like anaphylaxis cases are occurring at a rate of about 5.5 per 1 million vaccine doses given, though the agency cautioned that figure may change as the vaccination effort continues.

The allergic reactions do not change CDC’s recommendations on who can be vaccinated against Covid-19, with senior officials stressing that the risk of severe illness and death from the disease still outweighs the risk of developing anaphylaxis after vaccination.

CDC reports more allergic reactions to Covid-19 vaccines, but cases remain few — https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/06/cdc-reports-more-allergic-reactions-to-covid-19-vaccines-but-cases-remain-few/?utm_campaign=rss

Get jabbed.

The Pandemic Will Not End Soon — Over half of U.S. adults ‘unlikely’ to get COVID vaccine under emergency use authorization

/ SupremeCmdr / 6 Comments

The coronavirus vaccine is finally a real thing and millions of people have already received it. While the rollout has the world cheering, researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University finds many Americans aren’t exactly chomping at the bit to be the first in line for the vaccine under an emergency use authorization. Their survey reveals 53.1 percent are definitely, likely, or somewhat unwilling to get the shot under emergency use conditions.

Over half of U.S. adults ‘unlikely’ to get COVID vaccine under emergency use authorization — https://www.studyfinds.org/half-adults-unlikely-to-get-covid-vaccine/

Journal Reference

Willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine with and without emergency use authorization

Published:November 19, 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.11.018

We are so screwed.