COVID-19 Update: Tuesday, April 27th

J&J, new mask guidance anticipated, long-term issues, possible changes in recommendations, and misinformation.

1. The J&J vaccine has been approved to resume but here are some things you need to know. "As of April 21, the total number of blood clot cases rose to 15, with three deaths. Seven patients remain hospitalized, including four in the ICU, while five were discharged home. Thirteen of these cases were in women ages 18-49, with two in women older than 50. Based on these data, Tom Shimabukuro, MD, of the CDC, estimated that the rate of TTS was 7.0 per million doses in younger women and 0.9 per million in older women. Seven of the 15 cases were among women ages 30-39. The median patient age was 37, with a median time to onset of 8 days following vaccination. While 12 cases were CVST, three were other forms of thrombosis. Seven patients with CVST experienced intracerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain)."

The vote to resume the vaccine was 10-4 in favor. Of those who voted against, their primary concern was regarding the language/warning and not on resuming use. They wanted women under 50 to be adequately informed of the risk and given options to get another vaccine. So I will offer that information. If you are a woman under the age of 50 please understand the risk associated with the J&J vaccine. The risk of developing a serious blood clot is rare (about the same as having an allergic reaction to the vaccine) but in the event that you do develop a clot, it is very serious. Should you experience a severe headache within the first 14 days after vaccination, you should seek emergency assistance and be sure to let them know you recently received the J&J vaccine.

If you can get another vaccine - you should weigh your personal risk before deciding which one to get. I know that some people say you can't pick or shouldn't but that simply is not true. Use the vaccine finder site I shared last week and you can indeed pick which one you get - and you have every right to do so.

2. New mask guidance is expected regarding not needing masks outdoors. This is quite logical and to be honest, I am surprised it hasn't happened sooner. When outside, you don't really need a mask unless you are in a large group/crowd.

3. Things in India are pretty grim. Cases are soaring as are deaths. As a result, the US has vowed to send our AstraZeneca vaccines to them, should the vaccine get approval for use.

4. People who get COVID are developing Parkinson's, heart issues, and neurological trouble, and even gum disease as long-term consequences. About 1/3 of people who get COVID are reporting issues within 3 months of "recovering" from COVID. Remember, death is not the only measure of severity.

5. People who have had COVID may only need 1 dose of Pfizer or Moderna. Essentially the vaccine process results in activation of the T-cells (first shot) and antibody response (2nd shot) but for those who have had COVID, they seem to have both effects after the first shot. So you may see those recommendations change. You can read more here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.21.440862v1.full.pdf

6. You may recall that there has been some discrepancy between CDC recommendations and OBGYN recommendations for vaccinating pregnant women. The CDC did not recommend the vaccines due to a lack of research to support them, but that may change soon. New research supports the idea that they are safe during pregnancy. You can read that study here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2104983

7. Misinformation: "NO: A “Stanford study” did not find that masks are ineffective at reducing the transmission of COVID-19. NO: Wearing masks also does not cause “health deterioration and premature death.” YES: An article making these claims was written by a self-described “clinical exercise physiologist” (who is not affiliated with Stanford University) and appeared in Medical Hypotheses, a journal that has published fringe science hypotheses in the past." AND NO: There is no link between messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for COVID-19 and autoimmune diseases or lung damage. NO: The mRNA vaccines do not alter your DNA. YES: The underlying science for the vaccines was under development prior to the pandemic. YES: These false claims were pushed last week in a viral video featuring Sherri Tenpenny, an osteopathic physician and major spreader of vaccine misinformation, I actually use one of her anti-vaccine videos in class for my students to practice their fact-checking skills and have for years. You can read more about these and other misinformation campaigns here: https://newslit.org/educators/sift/the-sift-2021-press-freedom-ranking-vaccine-misinfo-teens-floyd-video/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=everyaction&utm_campaign=the-sift-april26-2021&emci=bd08bf7c-c4a6-eb11-85aa-0050f237abef&emdi=17a32702-dba6-eb11-85aa-0050f237abef&ceid=9835506

FINAL THOUGHTS: Weeks have ticked off into months which have become years and here we are. We have learned a great deal from those early days. We have learned about the disease and ways to prevent and treat it, but we have also learned a great deal about each other and ourselves. I have learned that I really don't mind staying home, that I am a bit more competitive than I thought, that social media isn't really someplace I want to be, that I am more of a hugger than I realized, and that people who lie drive me batty. I have learned a good deal about those around me as well. I have seen character traits revealed and watched as strength and perseverance were tested. I have seen people resort to name-calling and childishness out of fear, frustration, and uncertainty. I have seen kindness and compassion and self-sacrifice. I have witnessed strangers coming together for the common good and toilet paper flying off shelves in panicked desperation. I have held the hands of those who have wept, tried to offer feeble words of encouragement to those who waited, and been encouraged by the kindness of others as I myself struggled. My views of people have shifted, some for the better, some for the worse. But I have learned, and as a professor, that is precious to me. Wherever you stand today, know that there is hope and healing. That even amid the darkest days, there is light and that eventually, this too shall pass.