Source: Baltimore Jewish Life
Vaccination for COVID is around the corner. Here are some facts and items to consider about these novel vaccines.
There will be two vaccines 💉 to start, one from Pfizer, the other from Moderna.
Both use the novel concept of injecting messenger RNA or mRNA into human cells with hopes of inducing lasting antibodies against SARS-CoV2 🦠
Although both are mRNA, they use different plasmids to allow the mRNA to enter the cell. They are also different doses with Pfizer being 30 micrograms and Moderna being 100 micrograms. They are stored at different temperatures and both require two vaccinations.
They are not interchangeable.
Research has shown 95% immunity after two weeks with no uncommon serious side effects. Long term studies will be needed to evaluate for rare side effects. Typically side effects from previous vaccines occur within 6 weeks and out of roughly 70,000 patients studied, there were no serious side effects.
Concerns about safety are valid. They will be addressed by the FDA on 12/10/2020.
Although no pregnant women were enrolled, some ended up being pregnant and there is some data, although small, with regards to pregnancy and vaccines.
Patients enrolled started at 12 years of age and no data on younger children. Because mRNA vaccines are novel, how will this affect us long term?
Lots of ethical questions with regards to who should and when should people receive the vaccine.
Skilled nursing homes and staff as well as frontline healthcare workers will be considered group 1A and will be the first to become vaccinated in the US.
Because it is mRNA and synthetically produced, unlike the typical attenuated vaccines, there will likely be mass production on the way once the vaccination program starts.
What’s important to remember is that vaccine safety is not absolute but relative to not being vaccinated. In this case, the benefit of evening vaccinated significantly outweighs the risk of developing COVID with potential disastrous effects.
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This afternoon Executive Laura Curran shared the following update:
Here’s where we are:
Nassau's 7 day COVID-19 positivity rate is 4.8%.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by 285% over the past 30 days.
To save lives and prevent further restrictions on restaurants and other businesses, we must do everything we can to hold the line.
— Laura Curran (@NassauExecutive) December 8, 2020
Right now hospital capacity is not a pressing threat in Nassau County, but the trend is heading in the wrong direction.
At the peak of the pandemic, we had 2,600 patients hospitalized and 505 intubated.
As of yesterday, we have 337 hospitalized with COVID-19 and 32 intubated.
— Laura Curran (@NassauExecutive) December 8, 2020
