COVID-19 Update, Thursday, March 25th

Double mutant variant, vaccinated and unvaccinated in the same house,

1. A double mutant variant has been found in India. A double mutant variant is when variant 1 and variant 2 get together to make variant 3. Somewhere they met up inside someone and combined into one. What does this mean? We don't actually know for sure. Is the new combined variant more deadly? Currently under investigation. It was only a matter of time until this happened and it will most likely continue to happen until more people are vaccinated than are not.

2. Some folks are wondering if the vaccine is what is driving down cases or if the virus is just "running its course" and a study recently published out of Israel says it's the vaccine. You can read the study here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2101951

3. I got asked a great question this morning so I wanted to share the answer here as well. The question was regarding a specific article that talked about how to handle it when vaccinated parents/caregivers live with unvaccinated minors (because children can't really be vaccinated yet). Don't overcomplicate this, but do keep a few things in mind. a) children, in general, are low risk. b) when around other vaccinated people there is a very low risk to the children-minimal really. c) when around unvaccinated people there is a low/moderate risk to the children. d) the younger the children the lower the risk. 10 seems to be the "magic" number where risk starts to increase a bit. Finally, remember that while children have a lower risk, they are not risk-free. So if you are vaccinated and are having people over, just think through the children element. If your children are going to day-care or have sitters who are vaccinated, the risk is very low. The exception to all of this of course is if your child or your guest is high risk. When the child or guest is high risk, maintain all precautions. As with everything we have discussed, assess your risk, look at how you can modify/reduce those risks, and act accordingly with what is reasonable for you and your family.

4. Do you remember at the beginning of all this when people were saying that doctors were listing "everything" as COVID related? There were accusations that people were dying in car accidents and being listed as COVID deaths, remember? Well, the data told us that wasn't true - only 6% of all deaths in those early days were attributed to COVID. But people warned you not to let fear rule you and not to let fear cause you to give in and mask-up because it was all hype. There were all sorts of shaming and fancy slogans regarding not being afraid or worried about it. Now those same people are trying to generate that fear and hype to prevent vaccinations. People are attributing every accident, illness, or injury to the vaccines. Everyone knows someone who knows someone who got the vaccine and then stubbed their toe 4 days later - obviously, the vaccine is at fault. Hyperbole obviously, but you see the picture. Be very careful in drawing conclusions that are not there and do not allow fear to prevent you from getting vaccinated. Be hesitant, ask questions - lots of questions. You absolutely should do those things. And If you then opt not to get vaccinated that is your choice and I support it completely. But make the decision based on genuine facts and information. It's ok to be nervous. It's ok to be afraid. Just don't let that fear control your decision. Check out my last post for known side-effects from the vaccines. There are some and they are real but every illness and injury that happens after someone is vaccinated is not attributable to the vaccine just as every illness or injury at the beginning was not because of COVID.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I was so tired today that I just wanted to lay down on the floor of the shower because standing there washing seemed like a lot of work. Then breakfast seemed like too much effort, so I skipped it. Which I immediately regretted when I hit about the second mile of my run. Yesterday was fraught with computer issues which for me = extreme frustration and falling way way behind. Which caused more frustration. In the midst of it, I had to record a presentation for a virtual conference in which I was to discuss self-care during a pandemic. Today, I found out I had to redo it (thanks a lot computer issues). But then the irony of it all washed over me like that shower this morning. Here I am contemplating if I should lay down in the shower - and then I'm offering self-care tips to other public health people. But we tend to do that, care for others and ignore ourselves. Today, I want to once again remind you to fill your own bucket, put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others, lay on that hammock (not the shower floor if you can help it). Take time to do nothing. Absolutely nothing. Because that is really something. And right now, we all need a little something.