COVID-19 Update: Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Today is heavy and a little on the long side.

Today I divided the news items into two batches, the vaccine-related items, and the disease based items. No particular reason, it just worked for my brain.

Vaccine-Related News:

1. As of yesterday, the UK variant had been detected in 40 other countries/territories; and the South Africa variant in 6, according to the WHO. This is very crucial and something we should all be watching. Both the UK variant and the SA one increase transmissibility - meaning it spreads easier, much easier. When the system is already taxed, more cases are not good. Additionally, keep watching the SA variant in particular, the 6 mutations on the spike protein (the area the vaccine and our immune system target) could mean the vaccine won't work against it. Note the word, could. We don't know yet. The good news is that IF it does mean that, it should be relatively quick to adjust the vaccine(s) (at least Pfizer and Moderna's) or develop a new version that will work. But there are lots of logistical things to consider there. The more the virus spreads the more opportunity it has to mutate.

2. AstraZeneca, Novavax, and Pfizer want you to know there are no pork products in their vaccine.

3. A report came out from MMWR regarding allergic reactions from the COVID vaccine(s) thus far. The report found at the time (December 14-23) there had been almost 2 million vaccines given and only 21 allergic reactions. The majority of reactions happened in the first 15 minutes. This is 11 people per 1 million doses. So while this is a possibility we should all be mindful of, it is rare and will not be experienced by most people. When getting vaccinated, do make sure you are receiving the vaccine from a location that has the appropriate staff and equipment to manage an anaphylactic reaction should it happen.

4. The FDA has said they will not approve 1/2 doses or delayed 2nd doses without scientific evidence to support those actions.

Disease-Related News:

1. Things in LA are getting difficult in some hospitals. Reports are coming out that patients are not unloaded from ambulances for hours, and now they are being asked not to bring in patients who cannot be resuscitated or are not expected to recover. Some areas are also reporting running out of oxygen, which is essential to severely ill patients. Oxygen shortages won't just impact COVID patients, but any ill patient who needs it. Similar issues have been faced by other nations. On Monday LA county saw nearly 73k new cases, a new one-day record.

2. A WHO team was blocked from entering China to investigate the origins of the pandemic. This has raised some eyebrows and the WHO has issued a rebuke. Most people are hopeful that this will be resolved.

3. About 25% of people who lose their sense of smell due to COVID still hadn't recovered it after 60 days, in fact, the new standard of expectation is 6 months. Some may never recover it. Interestingly, this symptom (loss of smell) is more common among milder cases than severe cases.

4. We are gaining new insights into the possible long term complications of COVID in regard to neurological issues. These include a possible increased risk for Alzheimer’s, and a recent letter to the New England Journal of Medicine reported inflammation and blood vessel leaks resembling a “series of tiny strokes.” Other potential issues include seizures and psychosis. Remember, while some may not become very ill from the disease itself, long term health issues are just starting to reveal themselves.

5. The most common severe COVID complications are pneumonia, kidney failure, and sepsis. Some people seem to remain confused about the cause of death being COVID when the person, who had COVID, developed pneumonia and died. So I wanted to offer a refresher on that. A few important things to note, a) cause of death criteria is well established and is international - it is not something we came up with but is used by all UN-affiliated nations around the world. b) if a person has COVID that develops into pneumonia - both will be listed on the death certificate. But COVID can cause pneumonia - so saying the person is a COVID death is completely appropriate. The same is true for Kidney failure, and sepsis, or any other complication that develops as a result of having COVID. Mortality data can be complex and people use technical terms that are 100% appropriate in the field but sometimes misunderstood by those who don't work in this field. That sometimes causes confusion. For example, COVID related deaths and COVID deaths are two different things. Both need to be measured. COVID deaths are the ones you see reported on the trackers and what would be reported on a death certificate.

6. A group that calls themselves "America's Frontline Doctors" is actually made up of a majority of doctors who haven't treated any COVID patients. You may recall they made a video over the summer (remember the alien sperm?) well they are producing more videos so just be on the watch for those.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Well here we are....a year later. If feels like we linked arms and have been playing Red Rover with a dragon. (Tell me you remember that game?) Most days my final thoughts are really what I need to hear, and a year later - what I need to hear is that this is nearing the end. But I can't really tell you that. We could be. We could see relief by summer, but that depends on us. Another thing I would like to hear is that everyone has finally let go of the wild conspiracies and delved deep into the truth...but I try not to lie to myself. So I guess I have to turn to the bright side of all this. The bright side is that we are still alive, not all of us, but at least those reading this. We have learned to manage this much better in our day to day. We have developed new habits, forged new friendships, and figured out how to connect in new ways. Everyone delivers these days, I like that. And you can completely avoid the grocery store, if, like me, that is a chore you don't care for. Somedays my house is a mess and I assure myself it is ok because no one is going to just drop by unannounced - so that's a win. But most importantly, there is hope in all of this. There is light and beauty and people all over the world have been amazing examples of the resilience and compassion of the human spirit. So while there is so much to discourage us, today I chose to see the beauty in those around me and all the good that people have done throughout this global tragedy and I encourage you to do the same.

Sorry, this is so incredibly late today - it has been a very full day.