I rarely write articles if I am pissed off for the simple reason logic tends to fall by the wayside, but in this instance, I forgo that rule as I am roundly and soundly pissed off. To be absolutely clear, in case you’ve been under a rock for the last two years, Pfizer, Moderna, J&J and every company capable of producing treatments have been developing and manufacturing Covid therapies classified by government regulatory agencies as vaccines.

They are not! Full stop, end of sentence, end of debate. These medicines they have developed are a million miles away from a vaccine. They mitigate symptoms, a significant contribution to public health and an amazing response to SARS-COV2. In other words, if you have been immunized, you are far less likely to die from developing Covid after being infected with the SARS-COV2 virus. Vaccines, as best accepted by the public, prevent you from contracting or developing a disease like, for instance, polio. These “so-called” – as a popularized term Covid “vaccines” don’t do that. You still get sick.

Vaccinate, inoculate and immunize are three words that describe the “jab” people get to guard them against serious infectious illnesses. Harmonious – yes – but each offers a different consumer expectation. Did we select the right word to describe these breakthrough medicines? We did not.

Two years into the pandemic, the fallacy continues and has a foreseen side effect, an effect that anyone with sufficient intelligence could easily have and did foresee. By incorrectly calling and labeling these treatments vaccines, people have now associated everything attached to the Covid treatments with other vaccines. In the short span of two years, we may have undone a level of trust in vaccines that took generations to establish.

The public was led to believe by a cascade of voices that the vaccine would likely prevent infection and contagion. When people “fully vaccinated” fell ill, tested Covid positive, and passed the virus along, the belief bar in vaccines as preventive approaches to other deadly and debilitating viral illnesses began to fall. What was lost as the power public health message was that far fewer people who received a “shot” became seriously ill and hospitalized.

Fewer People Trust Vaccines Thanks to Mislabeled Covid Vaccines

In the UK, doctors are encouraging polio boosters as polio makes a reemergence for the first time in two generations. Measles and mumps are on the upsurge as parents shy away from basic, trusted vaccines with a long-established safety history. Thanks to the misconception that Covid treatments as designed to fully prevent viral contagion and fall short of that mark, too many parents have put a knee down on all vaccines. I cannot blame them as I have empathy for their rationale – but not for their action.

World’s Largest Clinical Trial Still Underway

We are engaged in the largest clinical trial the world has ever seen! There are problems with the Covid treatments, not the least of which is the fact that we are still generating long-term data for their safety. These were an urgent effort by governments, economists, public health officials and drug developers to answer the call to action and the needs of a population willing to lower the bar on longer-term standard safety protocols in favor of a quick-fix “I don’t want to die” solution. Billions of people have been jabbed, millions experienced side effects, and we continue with the madness while positioning and selling these incredible disease mitigators – treatments – as vaccines.

Risk versus risk has to be returned to medicine. There are risks associated with drugs and risks associated with not taking a medication. Make no mistake, these treatments have a place in the Covid world, for instance, for those at risk of death from comorbidities. But, we must come to terms that the risk may outweigh treatment benefits for some – PARTICULARLY IN CHILDREN.

And now, ironically, it is the children paying the price. As they again fall prey to diseases once eradicated, we have no one else to blame by abandoning good scientific processes – that includes taking sufficient time to study the data. Hopefully, this will work out for the best. If it doesn’t, let’s remember, we did this to ourselves.

The post Real-World Repercussions of Mislabeling Treatments as Vaccines appeared first on Medika Life.

Approximately 1 in 3 Americans 65 and older who completed their initial vaccination round still have not received a first booster shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers have dismayed researchers, who note this age group continues to be at the highest risk for serious illness and death from covid-19.

People 65 and older account for about 75% of U.S. covid deaths. And some risk persists, even for seniors who have completed an initial two-dose series of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or gotten one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Among older people who died of covid in January, 31% had completed a first vaccination round but had not been boosted, according to a KFF analysis of CDC data.

The failure to boost more of this group has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives, said Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. “The booster program has been botched from day one,” Topol said. “This is one of the most important issues for the American pandemic, and it has been mismanaged.”

“If the CDC would say, ‘This could save your life,’” he added, “that would help a lot.”

Although the initial one- or two-dose vaccination course is effective at preventing hospitalization and death, immunity fades over time. Boosters, which renew that protection, are especially important for older people now that covid cases are rising again, more transmissible omicron subvariants are proliferating, and Americans are dropping their masks, Topol said.

Some older people, who were prioritized for initial vaccination in January 2021, are now more than a year from their last shot. Adding to the confusion: The CDC defines “fully vaccinated” as people who have completed an initial one- or two-dose course even though a first booster is considered crucial to extending covid immunity.

Numerous studies have confirmed that the first booster shot is a critical weapon against covid. A study of older veterans published in April found that those who received a third dose of an mRNA vaccine were as much as 79% less likely to die from covid than those who received only two shots.

A central question for scientists championing boosters is why rates have stalled among people 65 and older. Surveys have found politics and misinformation play a role in vaccine hesitancy in the population at large, but that’s not been the case among older people, who have the highest initial vaccination rate of any age group. More than 90% of older Americans had completed an initial one- or two-dose course as of May 8.

By contrast, 69% of those vaccinated older Americans have gotten their first booster shot.https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/7X0hm

Overall, fewer than half of eligible Americans of all ages have received a booster.

The discrepancy for seniors is likely due to changes in the way the federal government has distributed vaccines, said David Grabowski, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. Although the Biden administration coordinated vaccine delivery to nursing homes, football stadiums, and other targeted venues early last year, the federal government has played a far less central role in delivering boosters, Grabowski noted.

Today, nursing homes are largely responsible for boosting their residents, relying on pharmacies they traditionally hire to administer flu shots, Grabowski said. And outside of nursing homes, people generally must find their own boosters, either through clinics, local pharmacies, or primary care providers.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, a former CDC director, said that, in theory, shifting responsibility for ongoing covid immunization from government-sponsored clinics to individual providers might seem logical, given the privatized design of U.S. health care. In reality, Frieden said, that approach is not working because “our primary health care system is life-threateningly anemic” and not set up to readily take on a public health mission.

Most health care providers don’t have the technology to securely track which patients have been vaccinated and schedule follow-up shots, Frieden said. Nor are there financial incentives for doctors to get their patients vaccinated and boosted.

Even before the pandemic, 28% of Americans didn’t have a regular source of medical care.

Grabowski said nursing homes in particular need more support. Although fewer than 1% of Americans live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, they represent more than 20% of covid deaths. He would like the Biden administration to resume coordinating booster delivery at nursing homes through mass vaccination efforts. “I would have these centralized clinics go back to get residents and staff boosted all at once,” Grabowski said. “That strikes me as a no-brainer.”

The Biden administration has touted its continuing efforts to vaccinate older people. For example, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has sent quality improvement teams to advise nursing homes with low vaccination rates. The Medicare program has mailed letters to all 63 million beneficiaries to encourage them to get boosters and has sent millions of emails and text message reminders.

Still, many health advocates agree that the country has lost the momentum it had during the first months of the covid vaccination campaign.

“There doesn’t seem to be the urgency that we saw with the initial shots,” said Lori Smetanka, executive director of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, an advocacy group.

Some researchers attributed the slowdown to the initial disagreement among health leaders over the value of boosters, followed by a staggered rollout. Boosters were approved in stages for different age groups, without the fanfare that typically comes with a single major policy change. The CDC recommended booster shots for people with weakened immune systems in August; then for older people in October; for all adults in November; and for kids 12 and up in January.

In addition, although advertisements for vaccines seemed to be everywhere a year ago, government agencies have been less vocal about encouraging boosters. “I felt like we were all getting hit over the head originally and all roads led to vaccines,” Grabowski said. “Now, you have to find your own way.”

For many older people, the barriers that can make private health care difficult to access in non-pandemic times also exist for boosters. For example, many seniors prefer to walk in to receive a vaccination, without an appointment, or to make appointments by phone, even as pharmacies increasingly turn to online-only scheduling that requires customers to navigate a multilayered system. Some seniors also lack ready transportation, a sometimes-towering obstacle in rural areas where health clinics can be 20 to 30 miles apart.

“If people have to take two buses or take time off from work or caregiving for their family, people are less likely to be vaccinated,” Smetanka said.

Dr. LaTasha Perkins, a family physician in Washington, D.C., said she has worked hard to persuade her family in Mississippi to get vaccinated. Her grandmother agreed to get her first shots in the fall, just as the CDC approved boosters for all adults.

“We finally got to a place where we got people to get two shots, and then we said, ‘Oh, by the way, you need a third one,’” said Perkins. “That was jarring for a lot of communities. They would say, ‘You convinced me to buy in, and now you’re saying that two shots aren’t good enough.’”

Although national leadership is important, Perkins said, local connections can be more powerful. Perkins has given talks about vaccines at her church. Congregants are more likely to trust her medical advice, she said, because she’s a tithing member whom they see every Sunday.

Some communities have done a better job of overcoming reluctance than others. Minnesota has boosted 83% of vaccinated residents ages 65 and older, a larger share than in any other state, according to the CDC.

Minnesota’s Dakota County has boosted a greater percentage of vaccinated people 65 and older than any other U.S. county with at least 50,000 seniors, according to a KHN analysis of CDC data.

Christine Lees, an epidemiologist and public health supervisor for Dakota County, said her department hired an agency to provide booster shots to residents and staffers in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The health department runs vaccine clinics at lunchtime and some evenings to accommodate working people.

The department drew on money from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act to purchase a mobile vaccine clinic to bring boosters into neighborhoods and mobile home parks. “We ran it all last summer, and we’ve started it back up again,” Lees said. “We went to food shelters and libraries. We went out at least once a week to keep those numbers high.”

Community health workers paved the way for vaccine clinics by visiting residents in advance and answering questions, Lees said.

Dakota County also used funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to provide $50 incentives to people receiving initial vaccines and boosters, Lees said. The incentives “were really important for people who might have to pay a little extra to travel to a vaccine site,” Lees said.

Topol, at Scripps, said it’s not too late for federal leaders to look at what’s working — and not — and to relaunch the booster effort.   

“It will be hard to reboot now. But an aggressive, all-out campaign for seniors — whatever it takes — is certainly indicated,” Topol said. “These people are the sitting ducks.”

Phillip Reese, an assistant professor of journalism at California State University-Sacramento, contributed to this report.

The post Why Won’t More Older Americans Get Their Covid Booster? appeared first on Medika Life.

With figures quoted in past weeks for those recently hospitalized for Covid-19 infections, one clear trend is emerging. It’s the unvaccinated that are taking up beds and developing severe and often terminal cases of Covid-19. Take this staggering statistic.

“99.2% of U.S. COVID deaths in June were unvaccinated people”

In countries where there are vaccine shortages, the problem is even more pronounced. South Africa has vaccinated around 3 million of its 60 million people and a third wave is now sweeping the country, with hospitals at capacity. There simply are not enough vaccines available.

America doesn’t have this problem. They suffer from an even greater conundrum, one that has had the Federal government scratching their heads. How to overcome vaccine hesitancy in a country beleaguered by conspiracy theories and radical fringe elements bent on discrediting the scientific community.

Arguably a community that during the course of the pandemic, has often proven at times to be its own worst enemy.

Currently, large swathes of America — notably in Republican territories — remain unvaccinated and their intent is clear. To remain so. As the Delta variant gains a new foothold in states like Texas, Florida, and Mississippi, and hospital numbers again begin creeping upwards, health care insurers are on the verge of providing the impetus for covid vaccination the federal government has to date been unable to supply.

And sadly, for the unvaccinated, it’s not just their healthcare insurance but life cover too that will be affected.

Vaccinate or pay up

Various scenarios are going to emerge over the coming weeks. I’ll deal with the most likely and least controversial first and for those considering this an immoral use of pressure to ensure vaccination, please consider this. If you were a house and you were unvaccinated this what you currently look like to insurers.

If you build a house in an area prone to flooding, your home insurance is going to be adjusted for the risk. Choose higher ground, where it’s safer and the premium drops to reflect the lesser risk. Health and life insurance are no different. If you smoke or drink heavily, your premiums reflect it. More risk.

1. Increased premiums from private insurers

If you are not able to provide proof of vaccination to your healthcare insurer, expect your monthly or annual premium to skyrocket. There is clear statistical data now available for healthcare insurers to develop risk models for the two scenarios. Covid-19 vaccinated versus the unvaccinated.

Understand you’re not being forced to take the vaccine, you’re merely being penalized for not taking it. Like building that house on flood-prone land. If you’ve been vaccinated you pose far less risk and therefore will benefit directly by not facing increased premiums. Hell, they may even give you a discount.

This is a sound business move and in an industry that can ill afford to increase the risk they carry, passing it back to you in terms of increased premiums will be the most immediate response. Look at it along the lines of gentle persuasion. Help us and we’ll help you.

2. Refusal of coverage, or exclusions

The alternative option is one of refusal of coverage, and one that may well be favored by some companies, and may possibly even affect Medicaid should a desperate government be able to address changes to the Affordable Care Act. In other words, if you are not vaccinated against Covid-19, you will not be eligible for medical coverage for Covid-19.

Various models can be explored under this scenario. Increased payment from the insured (larger excess payments for the unvaccinated) is one possible solution all though many insurers may simply choose to void coverage entirely.

Life insurance premiums

Exactly the same logic applies to your life coverage. Like it or not, pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine, your personal life cover is based on risk. Without the vaccination, your risk of death is increased. If you already suffer from related conditions likely to aggravate a Covid-19 infection, obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, and other diseases considered comorbidities, expect a massive hike if you’re unvaccinated.

Conversely, those vaccinated may well be in for a small premium reduction to reward them for playing ball, so to speak, in terms of managing their risk profile. Again, for the conspiracy crowd, this isn’t a coercion tactic. It’s about simple business and risk models. Stop smoking and drinking, shed fifty pounds, and watch what happens to your premiums.

In exactly the same way your address affects your insurance premiums, so too, your Covid vaccination status.

The post Vaccinate or Pay up. Healthcare and Life Insurers are About to Solve Vaccine Hesitancy appeared first on Medika Life.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine met the FDA’s safety and efficacy criteria to expand the emergency use authorization. Until now, the Pfizer vaccine was approved for use in people 16 years and older.

Pfizer previously announced in a press release highly encouraging results from their Phase 3 clinical trial. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was 100% effective and generated a high antibody response in children aged 12–15.

The Phase 3 study included 2,260 US participants. The research detected only 18 cases of Covid-19, and all were in the placebo group. None were in the study participants who received the vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine was 100% effective in preventing Covid-19 in this age group.

The side effect profile in children was similar to those in adults. Injection site pain, fatigue, headache, chills, muscle pain, fever, and joint pain were the most common side effects.

Until recently, infection rates in children have been low. Children are often asymptomatic carriers but can pass the infection on to parents, teachers, and grandparents. The rise of variants such as B.1.1.7 is changing the way we view Covid-19 in children.

A March outbreak linked to youth sports in Minneapolis was a public health wake-up call. Health policymakers noted how fast Covid-19 infections in children can spread to the general public.

The FDA press release reports the CDC has confirmed 1.5 million Covid-19 cases in children age 11–17. The American Academy of Pediatrics data shows over 3.85 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic.

Fortunately, most children infected with SARS-CoV-2 do well. Children account for only 0.00%-0.21% of all Covid-19 deaths. 

Vaccinating children helps prevent the further spread of Covid-19 and helps the US move closer to herd immunity. 

Like the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines, the Pfizer vaccine does not contain a live virus. One cannot catch Covid-19 from these vaccines. The mRNA vaccines do not enter our cells’ nucleus and do not alter vaccine recipients’ DNA.

These vaccines do not use an adjuvant to enhance vaccine efficacy. An adjuvant is an agent used to provoke a more robust immune response. These vaccines do not make use of adjuvants.

Immunity does not come immediately after vaccination. It takes time for your body to build up protection. The Pfizer mRNA vaccine requires two doses. The first shot primes the immune system to produce protective antibodies. The second dose kicks it into high gear.

Here is what we know about post-vaccine immunity with the two Covid-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S.: In phase 3 clinical trials, the Pfizer vaccine showed a 95% efficacy seven days after the second dose. The Moderna vaccine offers 94% immunity at least 14 days after dose number two.

Two weeks after completing the vaccination course, recipients can breathe a sigh of relief. Their risk of severe disease from Covid-19 is very low. But we must remember that the risk is not zero.

The post FDA Approves Covid-19 Pfizer Vaccine for Kids Age 12–15 appeared first on Medika Life.

The concept of breakthrough is when a fully vaccinated person later gets an infection. It is important to remember that not everyone responds to vaccines equally. The flu vaccine is a good example. Older people, for example, usually do not develop as great an immunity as do younger people. That is why in recent years the flu vaccine is given in a higher dose to those over 65. Still, the boosted vaccine does not prevent all flu infections. My wife and I learned from experience. A few years ago, a couple of months after getting the flu vaccine, we were at our favorite sushi restaurant and sitting at the sushi bar. The owner came by and said to us that they had a lot of their chefs developing what seemed to be the flu and she had sent them home. But there we were sitting directly across from where the chefs were working. A few days later we both woke up and knew exactly what we had.

The influenza vaccine, in a good year, tends to be about sixty percent effective. Meaning that about forty percent of people can still get infected if exposed even though they have been vaccinated. Fortunately, those who do get infected usually develop a less serious infection. That is still good. And even though the vaccine not 100% effective, it is still considered very valuable. It not only prevents infection in at last half of exposed persons but it also limits the spread so that many fewer get exposed.

In considering breakthrough infections, remember that the person who has been vaccinated almost certainly has some level of immunity. Therefore, the breakthrough infection is likely to be mild or even asymptomatic.

The COVID-19 vaccines are very effective. They prevent most people from getting a mild or moderate infection and they almost always prevent the development of an infection severe enough to lead to hospitalization and death. Many experts would say that these vaccines are way more effective than what was hoped for or even dreamed of nine months ago as the start of the large phase III trials.

To date, almost eighty million Americans have been fully vaccinated and less than ten thousand breakthroughs have been detected. Of course, that is so far. More will occur. If we look back to the original clinical trials that were presented to the Food and Drug Administration, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had a ninety-five percent efficacy rate, the Moderna ninety-four percent, and the Johnson & Johnson sixty-six percent. AstraZeneca and Novavax will probably be presenting their data in the near future. Those vaccines will likely have very good efficacy rates as well.

Pfizer has now updated its information at six months. Remember, the data presented to the FDA in December had at least two months of information but now, at six months, the Pfizer vaccine is still doing well at ninety-one percent. To look back at the specifics, at two months the Pfizer large phase III clinical trials of some 44,000 volunteers found that, beginning two weeks after the second shot, in the placebo group there were 162 coronavirus infections whereas in the vaccinated group there were eight. Now at six months, the numbers are 697 in the placebo volunteers and fifty in the vaccinated group. So, there were some vaccinated individuals who developed infection, called a breakthrough infection, during those clinical trials.

What is your risk of a breakthrough? Low but real.

It is important to understand risk calculations. A 95% vaccine efficacy does not mean that five of every 100 vaccinated people will become infected. Remember that those Phase 3 clinical trials enrolled many thousands of individuals. In the Pfizer trial, for example, some 22,000 got the placebo and an equal number got the vaccine. At two months, 8 of the vaccinated volunteers developed symptomatic infection and by six months 50 have become infected, none with a need for hospitalization and no one died.

The first question to ask is, in this group, what was the risk of becoming infected? For the placebo patients in the Pfizer trial, it was about 0.8%. In other words, not all that many volunteers were exposed and hence were liable to become infected. Maybe, since they were volunteering in a study, they were also very careful to follow the guidelines for avoiding infection like masking and social distancing. But for those who were exposed. The vaccinated individuals had a very much lower (0.04%) but not zero risk of infection than did the placebo volunteers, hence the observed breakthrough infections.

The second question is to assess your own risk. Your risk would likely be higher if you are taking a medication that inhibits your immune response. Your risk might be somewhat higher if you frequent crowded bars, areas where the air exchange is limited or if you and others around you do not wear a mask or social distance. You might be living in an area where the infection is rampant versus someone living in an area where relatively few people are becoming infected. The risk is obviously going to be higher in the former than in the latter.

What are the numbers?

So far in the United States, most of the breakthrough infections have been mild but there have been a serious ones. In Washington state, as of March 30, after vaccinating 1.2 million individuals, there were 102 breakthrough infections or a risk of developing a breakthrough infection of 0.01%. Certainly, a small number. Of those 102, most were mild but eight people were hospitalized and two died. It is a message that says even with the vaccine, it is possible to become infected and it is possible, although remotely, to have a very severe infection.

In South Carolina, as of April 12, the Health Department has reported 155 breakthrough infections out of about 950,000 fully vaccinated residents or a rate of about 0.02%. In Oregon, as of April 8th, breakthrough infections occurred with three deaths among 700,000 fully vaccinated individuals for a rate of 0.024%.

In the Los Angeles area, two large health care providers, UCLA and USC, started doing weekly nasal swab tests on a proportion of their healthcare workers. Then, after some 15,000 staff at the two institutions were fifteen days post their second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and with 4,167 of these tested weekly, there were seven individuals who tested positive for a rate of 0.05%. Some were asymptomatic and some symptomatic; none were serious.

The Centers for Disease Control, in a report dated on April 15th and which will be updated regularly, notes that with more than seventy-seven million Americans two weeks after full vaccination, 5,814 breakthrough infections have been reported across the country for a rate of 0.008%. The CDC points out that it is probable not all breakthroughs have been reported, certainly not all asymptomatic infections and probably not all mild infections. Still the risk rate is very low. It is worth noting however that most people have only been vaccinated for a few months at best. So, it is possible and in fact likely that, over more time, more of these breakthrough infections are be expected. Among the 5800 individuals, 396 were admitted to the hospital and 74 died although nine died for reasons other than from Covid-19.

Why do breakthroughs occur? The reasons are murky at best.

Certainly, older individuals and immunocompromised individuals may have a reduced immune response to the vaccine. The big clinical trials excluded those with a known suppressed immune condition so their responsiveness to the vaccines was not evaluated. But vaccines in general are known to be less effective in older individuals with lessened immunity, those on immune suppressing drugs and those with diseases or conditions that limit a strong immune response to a vaccine. An early study of kidney transplant patients showed that there was a very limited antibody response to the first dose of the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine with most having no measurable response at all.

Some people may come in contact with a person exhaling a very high viral load which would be especially dangerous in a confined space. This might occur in a setting such as an elevator where someone who is infected is transmitting the virus in large numbers and this overwhelms the recipient’s immune response.

It is also possible that some of the variants such as the ones from the United Kingdom, South Africa or from Brazil are more transmissible and more dangerous in causing disease among vaccinated individuals. The authorized vaccines have been generally effective against the variants but not quite as good. Still, it is possible that breakthroughs may turn out to be more common with some of the variants. Only time will tell. The Centers for Disease Control is trying to determine for each person who has a breakthrough whether or not it is due to a variant or to the original strain.

For many, especially younger individuals with no underlying risk factors, the reasons why a breakthrough occurred are just not clear. As of now, many if not most people, cannot determine where they might have “caught it.” This means they are surprised and often stressed when they develop infection. As one person said, “I was supposed to be safe.”

Meanwhile, the CDC has posted recommendations on what fully vaccinated people should consider with regard to breakthroughs.

Should you worry? No.

But you should be proactive. Case counts are not down enough to be complacent; unfortunately, they are rising in many areas of the United States. This is just another reminder why it is still important to wear a mask, do social distancing, avoid crowded settings, avoid areas where there are limited air exchanges (like that elevator) and do wash your hands frequently. And if you are immunosuppressed from disease, frailty, medications, or advanced age, be extra careful. For all of us, it is important to remember that you are following these precautions for your own sake for sure but you are also doing it for the sake of others, especially the most vulnerable. We all need to be good neighbors.

The post Coronavirus Breakthrough Infections Are Not Common appeared first on Medika Life.

In this document

How Vaccine Distribution is planned in Texas

The information below is provided by the Texas Department of Health

“All providers that have received COVID-19 vaccine must immediately vaccinate healthcare workers, Texans over the age of 65, and people with medical conditions that put them at a greater risk of severe disease or death from COVID-19. No vaccine should be kept in reserve.”

DSHS Commissioner John Hellerstedt, M.D.

Category 1A

If you are a Front-line healthcare worker or resident of a long-term care facility, since 14 December 2020, you are eligible to receive the vaccine. If you are a healthcare worker, contact your employer. If you are a long-term care resident, contact your caretaker.

Many of the people included in this category have already received their first doses of vaccine.

Category 1B includes

• People 65 years of age and older
• People 16 years of age and older with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19, such as but not limited to:
• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
• Solid-organ transplantation
• Obesity and severe obesity (body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or higher)
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

What do the numbers look like for Texas?

How many people are in the queue ahead of you? We used the Vaccine Allocation Planner for COVID-19 to check on the data held for Texas. You can use the tool too, it’s an open resource to model vaccine distribution in US populations.

According to the tool, and it’s worthwhile pointing out (screenshot below) that they do not include older people in Cat 1B unless they reside in care homes, there are 4,510,487 ahead of you. The problem now is that there is no vaccine available.

H-E-B Pharmacies had been focusing solely on delivering vaccinations to healthcare workers (28000 to date) and intends to shift its focus to the public next. They have the capacity to vaccinate 100 000 Texans a week, The problem, though is that they don’t have any vaccines to vaccinate with.

Texas has allocated approximately 1.2 million doses to providers across the country so far, an iffy figure based on numerous revisions and the problem doesn’t stop there. Part of the issue lies with the tracking system ImmTrac2, built to keep record of how many people have been vaccinated.

The reporting tool reported only 262 000 people as being vaccinated last week, falling terribly short of actual vaccinations. Health officials are trying to fix data entry errors in the system, which likely resulted in a major overestimation of available doses. According to an article from the Texas Tribune;

“More vaccine had been administered than was being revealed by the registry system,” Howard told The Texas Tribune. “I think [the decision to allow the 1B group to get vaccinated] was done before we had all the information we probably should’ve had, because there wasn’t the capacity to meet that new edict.”

Williams, of the Texas Hospital Association, said members of her association reported similar problems.

“With regard to state data on administered doses, we have no certainty it is accurate at this point in time,” she said. “The number of doses administered is higher than what’s indicated.”

Technical errors are just one facet of Texas’ vaccine struggles. Shipments from the federal government, which distributes doses of the vaccine to providers, have arrived damaged or late, Howard said. In some cases, expected distributions never arrived.

Vaccine Provider Location Map

Please visit the Texas COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Locations map (shown below) to see vaccine providers near you. Do not show up at a hospital or clinic looking for the vaccine as you know now they aren’t there yet., instead please check their website for information about vaccine availability. Call the DSHS if their website doesn’t answer your questions. Dial 2‑1‑1, then choose Option 6.Hours: 24/7

Local Vaccination resources in Texas

We’re still busy collecting this data

Information for Vaccine Providers in Texas

On the list and not sure what happens next or when you’ll be receiving your stocks of the vaccine? Check the information page for providers by the Texas Department of Health. There is also a link for an excel spreadsheet that shows the actual daily distribution of vaccines in Texas and clicking this link will download the spreadsheet

CDC Covid Vaccine Information

• COVID-19 Vaccines and Allergic Reactions
• What to Expect after Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine
• Ensuring the Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States
• Reporting an Adverse Effect to a Covid-19 or other Vaccine
• General Vaccine Safety Main page

FDA Covid Vaccine Information

• COVID-19 Vaccines (general overview and links)
• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
• Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
• Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The post Texas; Covid Vaccination Resources appeared first on Medika Life.

In this document

How Vaccine Distribution is planned in Illinois

The information below is provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health

According to their website, the IDPH is working with local health departments and providers across the state to provide COVID-19 vaccinations that resemble larger versions of yearly flu clinics, rather than the mass vaccination activities of the past.

If you aren’t a healthcare worker or resident in a care home (see Cat 1A below), you’re going to have to wait for the vaccine. Based on our estimates it will take weeks still to reach the public. There is no clear indication on the IDPH website about how they intend to categorize and prioritize the distribution of the vaccine into the general populace or even when it will start.

The table below is from the IDPH working document and seems to indicate a clear delineation which is then disputed by statements on the IDPH website,

Medika would recommend bringing pressure to bear on your elected officials. Your state has had months to prepare and still have not decided who should be prioritized. It is unacceptable and places the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions at risk from the virus.

Speak out using the websites we’ve linked to in the right-hand column (or below if you’re on your phone) and make them pay attention.

Category 1A

Illinois has been very specific in categorizing the first recipients of the covid vaccines. The category 1A has been broken down into four groups and those who are eligible within these groups. If you are in one of these groups, you will already have received, or will shortly receive, your first covid vaccine.

Hospitals

Nurses and Nursing Assistants
Physicians / MD, NP, PA
Respiratory Technicians
Pharmacists
Environmental Services Staff
Reception Staff
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Fire Department Staff acting as EMS
Air Medical Transport (Rotor & Fixed Wing)
X-Ray Technician
Phlebotomist
Infectious Waste Workers
COVID Sample Lab
Organ Harvester
Students on Clinical Rotations
Dietary staff
Clergy/pastoral/chaplains
Interpreters
Crisis intervention staff
Laundry or security staff

Non-hospital Health Care

Nurses and Nursing Assistants
Physicians / MD, NP, PA
Respiratory Technicians
Dentists and Hygienists
Pharmacists
Plasma and Blood Donation Staff
Morticians
Public Health Nurses
Home Health
School Nurses
Optometrist
COVID Testing Staff
Dermatologist
Dialysis staff
Urgent care workers
Corrections nurses/aides
Medical/flight transport
Physical/occupational/speech therapists
Vaccine clinic workers

Long-term Care Facilities

Nurses and Nursing Assistants
Physicians / MD, NP, PA
Respiratory Technicians
Dentists and Hygienists
Long-Term Care Facility Staff
Pharmacists
Mental health clinicians
Environmental Services Staff
Reception Staff
Residents
Medical Facility Surveyor
Dietary staff
Interpreters
Laundry or security staff

Other Congregate Care

• Nurses and Nursing Assistants
• Physicians / MD, NP, PA
• Respiratory Technicians
• Group Home/Residential Staff
• Pharmacists
• Environmental Services Staff
• Reception Staff
• Home Aide/Caregiver
• Corrections nurses/assistants
• Congregate Care Surveyor
• Hospice/palliative care staff
• Community health workers when acting as health aid or health translator

Category 1B

• Persons aged 75 years and older
• Frontline essential workers, defined as those workers who are essential for the functioning of society and including the following:
  • First responders: Firefighters (including volunteers) & Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs). (EMS personnel are considered under Phase 1a)
  • Corrections Officers
  • Food and Agriculture Workers
  • Postal Service Workers
  • Manufacturing Workers
  • Grocery Store Workers
  • Public Transit Workers
  • Education sector, including teachers and Support Staff
  • Daycare Workers

Phase 1c

(further updates to be released for Phase 1c for the context of Illinois)

• Persons aged 16 to 59 years old with medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19. Conditions include obesity, diabetes, pulmonary disease, heart condition including hypertension, kidney disease, cancer, immunocompromised, sickle cell, and pregnancy.
  (Note: As of the date of this plan, only Pfizer has been authorized for those under 18, from the age’s 16 & up, whereas Moderna is 18 & up)
• Persons aged 65 to 74 years old

Sorry folks, no information is available yet on the IDPH website about the dates and finality of groups 1B and 1C, despite months of time to plan for the vaccinations. We will check back on a daily basis and update you as to when groups and dates for public vaccinations are announced.

Category 2

Still under review by the ACIP

Where will you be able to get vaccinated when the time arrives? According to IDPH,

Initially, hospitals will provide COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel. As more vaccine is distributed by the federal government, several thousand vaccination providers will be available, including but not limited to doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies, hospitals, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), across the state.

Want to know who’s holding things up? According to the IDPH site, a body called the ACIP decides who gets vaccinated and when. Shockingly, they still haven’t decided, after months of preparing for exactly this moment. Here’s what the website states about 1B, in contradiction to the above list, gleaned from their working document.

ACIP is a group of medical and public health experts that develop recommendations on how to use vaccines to control diseases in the U.S. ACIP decides on vaccine prioritization recommendations by reviewing the FDA information, clinical trial data, and other information.

The highly questionable strategy of holding back vaccines or “hoarding” to allow for second shots, also reduces the immediate coverage, cutting it in half effectively. States like Texas are following Federal and CDC guidelines and using all allocated vaccines immediately on delivery, thereby doubling the coverage people in Illinois currently enjoy.

We call bulldust and so should you. Get in touch with your local health departments and elected officials using Resistbot and 5 Calls. Delays now cost lives later, particularly in the at-risk sectors of your communities. Let your state’s governance know you are holding them accountable.

Local Vaccination resources in Illinois

We’re still busy collecting this data as none have yet been made public.

Information for Vaccine Providers in Illinois

There is very little information available at this point. You may however find this page useful. SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Planning Guide as it includes details on the propesed rollout. In terms of Providers being able to order vaccinesm the following is provided.

“The IDPH Immunization Section will use established I-CARE protocols to coordinate ordering and tracking use of the pandemic vaccines from the CDC, or from the designated vendors. Providers will log into I-CARE to order the vaccine. IDPH staff will approve orders in I-CARE and transmit requests into CDC’s Vaccine Tracking System (VTrckS). LHDs will be the first to order while vaccine is scarce. IDPH will work with LHDs to determine which providers should be prioritized in their jurisdiction. Once the supply of vaccine increases and later phases are entered, orders can be processed directly with all providers.”

CDC Covid Vaccine Information

• COVID-19 Vaccines and Allergic Reactions
• What to Expect after Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine
• Ensuring the Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States
• Reporting an Adverse Effect to a Covid-19 or other Vaccine
• General Vaccine Safety Main page

FDA Covid Vaccine Information

• COVID-19 Vaccines (general overview and links)
• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
• Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
• Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The post Illinois; Covid Vaccination Resources appeared first on Medika Life.

Frontline healthcare workers and those categorized as 1A started receiving vaccines on December 14th. 

In Texas, category 1B candidates are eligible for vaccination starting today. Public confidence in vaccination is growing. The problem is no one seems to know where to get them. 

Texas category 1B candidates include:

• People 65 years of age and older
• People 16 years of age and older with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19, such as but not limited to:
• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
• Solid-organ transplantation
• Obesity and severe obesity (body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or higher)
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

The vaccine rollout program is confusing and difficult to navigate. The Texas Department of Health released an interactive tool today to help. Check it out here. 

The map allows users to type in their zip code to identify locations offering Covid vaccinations.

We tested the accuracy of the locations by calling several of the listed entities on the map. While each of the listed providers was aware that the health department listed their service site, none of them had any available vaccines for category 1B users.

Senior citizens need to know you qualify for vaccination now. Unfortunately, you are going to have to take a proactive stance until distribution improves. Call various locations and get your name on the lists.

Remember, a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine will not help us get through this winter. Each Pfizer and Moderna vaccine requires two doses with full immunity effective about three weeks after the second dose..

The faster you get your first dose, the closer you are to hugging your grandkids. 

Everyone in the world must continue to fight the virus. While we wait, we must continue to do what works to slow the spread. Public health entities must continue to identify exposures, isolate those at risk, test, and treat.

Each American must follow the mitigation strategies to protect themself and others. Stay at home. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. And remember wearing a mask is the easiest thing we can do to slow the spread of coronavirus and save others’ lives.

The post Texas Provides a Useful Tool For Covid Vaccination Sites appeared first on Medika Life.

If you want your arm all over social media, reach out to us via email at vaccinechallenge@medika.life and we’ll make you famous (sort of). The #vaccinechallenge is all about highlighting the safety of the covid vaccine and restoring faith in the vaccination process. Your voices and contributions make a massive difference, don’t underestimate their importance. We’d also like to add that no elves were injured in the construction of this page.

So without further ado, welcome to our gallery of medical warriors without whom we’d be lost.

Dr. Julie Grimes, OBGYN, Austin, Texas

I am doing this because I want 2021 to be the year of the hug! So thankful for science and cooperation to make this happen for all of us

Jessica McNeills, Certified Nurse Midwife, Parkland Hospital, Dallas, Texas

Thankful to have access to healthcare options that can protect my life and others, and hopeful for the future

Veronica Oviedo, Labor and Delivery Nurse, Baylor Scott and White, Irving, Texas

I am proud to be a frontline worker and make decisions to improve/save lives #thankful

Dr. Andrea Arguello, OBGYN, MacArthur Medical Center, Grapevine, Texas

Have never been so excited to get one of these! Sleeping a little more soundly tonight knowing my daughter, family and patients are a little safer.

Hujefa Vora, Internal Medicine, Arlington, Texas

Overwhelmed. Exhausted. Fatigued. These are the emotions that have defined our existence on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last 9 months. We have watched helplessly as many of our patients and loved ones have slipped away. We have held the hands of patients who have passed on in respiratory isolation, their loved ones on the phone and miles away. But I have seen joy when the infection overwhelms, and the body and spirit fight on, conquering the virus and returning our patients to health. We have seen families reunited after long battles in the hospital or at home in quarantine. We have seen hope. We have known Love. I have seen the fantastic power of the human spirit. I have seen God’s love and the power of prayer. There were moments when I felt that I could no longer fight for myself or anyone else, when the exhaustion would creep in and leave me battered, bruised, and almost beaten. But we are physicians. And we work with amazing powerful nurses, medical assistants, medical techs, administrators, therapists. So I saw unexpected acts of bravery that I may never see again from my colleagues and friends. I saw us fight an unknown adversary. Courage and honor as we wrapped our patients in an armor of hope. I have seen hands that are raw from washing and sanitizing and wringing, but there was never any giving up or giving in. And today, at the hospital where I have seen and experienced all of this, there was a moment where my hope was recovered, where I became recharged and ready to step back onto the battleground. I saw the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, the sun peaking over the horizon at the end of a cold dark night. The promise of a new day. The vaccine. I want to thank all of my colleagues and compatriots who have shared this year with me and my family, and my staff without whom none of this is possible. We have shown that together, we are stronger, and we will overcome…

Sarah Vignali, RN, Fort Worth, Texas

Moritz Bartels, OBGYN, Tacoma, Washington

The beginning of the end of the pandemic. I’m so grateful to be able o do this

Dr. Ethan Nguyen, Anesthesiologist, Texas Health Resources, Euless, Texas

Hopefully this is the beginning to the end of the pandemic. So grateful to get it.

Elf on a shelf, LaborUnit, Bayer Scott and White, Irving, Texas

As per Santa’s directive, I’m safe to wrap presents. Anyone missing a syringe?

Dr. Danielle LeBlanc, Plastic Surgeon, Fort Worth, Texas

So grateful to get my first round of Covid-19 vaccine today

Judy Busch, Labor & Delivery Nurse, Baylor Scott and White, Irving, Texas

Taking care of me so I can take care of you

Jennifer Willoughby, Surgery Technician, Texas Health Resources

Round 1 of my vaccine…here’s to the beginning of the end of this awful pandemic!

Dr. Mitch Carroll, Geriatrician Dallas, Texas.

As a Geriatrician, I am proud to get the Covid-19 vaccine today. This step helps keep my family and I safe and allows me to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to my high-risk patients. I trust the science!

Tracy Speight, OBGYN, Health Central Women’s Care, Dallas, Texas

It’s a better day today!

Jay Patel, Interventional Radiologist, Baylor Scott and White, Irving, Texas

Just got the #covid vaccine and it feels like a new chapter has begun.

Dr. Julian Escobar, Fertility Physician, Irving Texas

COVID vaccinated. What else would you want more in 2020 when you interact with dozens of people daily? Thank you, Scientists. Thank you, Virologists. Thank you, Immunologists. Thank you Health Care.

Sarah Abbott Chang, Internal Medicine Physician, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

Here’s to hope – Team Vaccine!

Dr. Naomi Levy, Pediatrician, Memorial Herman, Houston, Texas

Felt a mixture of overwhelming relief, joy, hopefulness, gratitude, and awe as I received my first Covid vaccine today

Carissa Brown, RN, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago

Best Christmas present ever – thanks Science. Covid does not care who you are. It does not care where you live. how old you are or who you voted for. Covid does not care if you think it is real or not. With Covid you may have a mild cold for a few days, you may struggle with a loss of smell or taste for months; you may die. I have seen friends, family, and coworkers on all ends of this spectrum over the last several months, which is why I feel so lucky to be able to receive this vaccine. As healthcare workers, we will sleep a little easier knowing our patients and those we love are safer due to these advancements.

April Wilson Bleich, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Fort Worth, Texas

Got my shot today. Thankful for modern medicine and all the researchers that made this possible. One step closer to beating this sucker.

Dr. Greg Tichenor, ER Physician, Texas Health Resources, Euless, Texas

I am so thankful I was able to get my first dose of the Covid Vaccine Wednesday. This week, two of the patients I’ve admitted for Covid-19 have died and I attended (via live streaming) the funeral of a co-worker who died of Covid. Special thanks to my hospital system, Texas Health Resources, and the whole staff at Texas Health HEB for doing everything they can to protect staff.

The post Medika’s #vaccinechallenge: Add your photos here appeared first on Medika Life.

Doctors, Nurses, and other frontline healthcare workers can share their video vaccination links with us via DM on Twitter (@medikalife) or email them to vaccines@medika.life. We’ll add them as we receive them and we’ll keep this page up as a reminder of a turning point in the battle you’ve all been fighting so bravely. Feel free to add your name, area, and hospital details to the tweets or email. Medika will do the rest.

For those of you who want to submit photos instead of video, we’ve set up a separate page which you can find here

Dr. Hesham A. Hassaballa proudly kicks us off below. Any other frontline healthcare staff out there want to share their vaccination videos? Send them in, we’ll add them to the page, let’s help rebuild trust in vaccines.

The post Healthcare Workers Show Their Faith in the Covid Vaccine #vaccinechallenge appeared first on Medika Life.