COVID and Monkeypox updates - June 30th, 2022 UPDATED

Quick update on some COVID vaccine-related things and a Monkeypox update.

1. As time passes we are better equipped to manage COVID and its different variants. One downside to this is that the vaccines we originally created did their jobs very well, but are weak in two ways: a) they wear off quicker than we would like, and b)they aren't working quite as well against the new emerging variants. They do still reduce the risk of severe COVID and death -but they aren't quite as good at preventing illness as they were with earlier variants. This said, there are several vaccines in the works that are more "generic" in that they work against a wider variety of variants. Pfizer and Moderna are both working on that so it shouldn't be too long. These things just take time.

2. The first documented case of a person getting COVID from a cat has now been recorded. While we knew that this was possible and probably happening, there was no evidence previously but now there is. A veterinary in Thailand caught COVID from a cat he was treating.

3. The WHO is investigating several reports of Monkeypox among children. Monkeypox is traditionally endemic in Africa so it is pretty rare to see it outside the African continent. We have now seen around 3,400 cases and 1 death outside of Africa. There have been an additional 1500 cases and 66 deaths within Africa. The US is expanding access to the vaccine. The vaccine is well established and has been on the shelf for some time. If you are vaccinated against smallpox you will have some protection against monkeypox but that protection is not complete (depending on how long ago you got the vaccine), so you could still get it. Original cases from this particular outbreak were primarily among men who had sex with men, but that is no longer the case. So far the cases among children do not appear to be severe. The WHO has not yet declared a PH emergency but that may be in our future so don't let it surprise you. Stay tuned as this is not going to go away anytime too soon.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Yesterday was a rough day for me so I used my phone a friend option and I was glad I did. She gave me really good advice. She listened as I vented my hurt and frustration and when I was done she offered some words of encouragement and then said, "wait for these feelings to pass - don't make any decisions until Friday." Not really an exact quote, but the idea. And of course, she was right. I often remind my children that feelings are not facts and should not be confused for facts. That doesn't mean feelings aren't valid, or that they shouldn't be acknowledged. Feelings are very real and very powerful. It just means that we can feel one way when the facts point a different way. My friend was essentially encouraging me to accept my feelings, work through them, and then focus on the facts. It was good advice. Today I share it with you. Feelings are powerful and amazing and they propel us in a host of directions. But we are wise to distinguish between feelings and facts.