For several weeks experts warned us of rising Covid-19 Delta Variant cases sweeping across North Texas. The Delta variant, SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta), was first identified in India in late 2020. This strain rapidly spread worldwide and is now the dominant variant in the United States, including Texas.

The CDC reports that the Delta variant accounts for 93% of current US Cases. The Delta variant is the most contagious so far. It passes easily and quickly from person to person. Children also catch the delta variant at a higher right than the original Covid-19 virus. A mutation in the spike protein makes the virus more “sticky.” It is more contagious and spreads in children faster than the original Covid-19 strain.

All Texans want children back in school, but we disagree on how to do it safely. 

Governor Abbot, who typically advocates for local control, has switched gears and taken a top-down approach. The Governor’s May Executive Order mandated no mask mandates. Abbott took control away from superintendents and consolidated his power in Austin. 

Parents in Dallas and Tarrant County are faced with tough decisions. How do parents send their children to school safely in the middle of a North Texas Covid surge? 

So far, 52,555 Texans have lost their lives to Covid-19. Many people are still in the mindset of “this won’t happen to me.” Now is the time to shift our thinking and face reality in our communities.

The University of Texas Southwestern, located in Dallas, provides updated data to help parents guide their decisions. The medical school publishes publically available projections an epidemiological model. 

Three weeks ago, I had zero patients with Covid-19. This weekend I cared for seven pregnant patients with the virus. The three local hospitals where I work are full of patients in the ICU. 

The UT Southwestern data demonstrates the exact rise that I am seeing working as a local physician. The projections for the next few weeks are alarming. 

UT Southwestern is projecting a substantial increase in the number of hospitalizations over the next few weeks. Hospital admissions are up 99% in two weeks and 346% in the past month. 

Check out the blue line in the chart. The blue line is the estimate of hospitalizations for the next three weeks. If cases continue at this pace, we will be dangerously close to surpassing available hospital capacity in Dallas and Tarrant County. 

In our hospitals, more young people are coming in with severe Covid infections requiring hospitalizations. UT Southwestern data reports that people under 65 represent the largest share of hospitalizations.  

The data also shows the overwhelming majority of patients with severe disease requiring ICU care are unvaccinated people. 

The UT Southwestern projections also show the people of Dallas and Tarrant County have the power to change the course of the virus. 

In this chart, the data scientists show the effect of basic mitigation strategies. If we increase the rate of vaccination locally and keep our masks on, we can save lives. 

The orange line shows what happens if we do nothing different. The green line shows how quickly we can make a substantial difference by covering our faces and getting as many people a life-saving Covid-19 vaccine as possible. 

There are three FDA-approved vaccines for Covid-19. The two messenger RNA vaccines from Moderna and Phizer offer 95% protection against Covid-19. The Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna use messenger RNA (mRNA). A single strand of mRNA delivers instructions to human cells to produce an antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

The Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen vaccine offers 72% protection against infection and 86% against severe disease. The Janssen vaccine uses Adenovirus 26 (AD26) as the vector to deliver DNA material into our cells to provoke an immune response.

The FDA expanded the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer messenger RNA Covid-19 vaccine for kids age 12–15 years old after Phase 3 study data showed the vaccine was 100% effective in preventing Covid-19 in this age group.

None of the vaccines contain a live virus. One can not catch Covid-19 from a vaccine. The vaccines do not enter the nucleus of the cells and do not alter our DNA. 

The Covid vaccines are not linked to miscarriage or Infertility. Research indicates most pregnant people who contract Covid-19 do well but have an increased risk of ICU admission and preterm labor.

The American College of Obgyn and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommends all pregnant women get a Covid-19 vaccine. The protective antibodies can save women’s lives and help protect the newborn.

Vaccines are available everywhere. They are free. We can help protect children going back to school by increasing vaccination rates.

Children who are 12 years old and older can get their Pfizer vaccine today. Adults can help protect the community by getting any of the three available Covid shots.

Children under age 12 are counting on us to protect them. We can slow the spread of Covid-19 by getting vaccinated. 

Protect yourself. Protect others. Protect the children. 

Get your shot today.

The post Dallas UT Southwestern Paints an Ugly Picture for Covid Projections appeared first on Medika Life.

Cornell University plans to require vaccination for students for the Ithaca, Geneva, and Cornell Tech campuses for the fall semester.

President Martha Pollack and provost Michael Kotlikoff issued a joint April 2 statement outlining the plans and the rationale. Like Texas and many other states, New York plans to reduce the age of Covid-19 vaccine eligibility starting April 6 to those 16 years and older.

Cornell college officials believe enough students and faculty will be fully vaccinated, allowing a safe return to in-person classes.

Cornell University’s proactive stance is in line with other colleges, such as Rutger’s Univerity in New Jersey, requiring staff and student vaccination. Cornell plans to help students qualify and schedule appointments through its vaccine support program. The school is also working to find a solution for enrolled students coming in from other states who have not been vaccinated.

Based on current data, the academic plan is to continue current Covid-19 mitigation strategies. Students and staff are required to wear high-quality mask-wearing. Classes are arranged with special seating to allow social distancing. The campus has worked to improve classroom ventilation.

Current Covid-19 surveillance testing will continue. This data tracking will Cornell to track campus immunity through the Daily Check tool. All faculty and students and faculty must register on the app by April 15th.

The University will monitor the data to determine when the campus reached 50% herd immunity. The leadership anticipates meeting this threshold allowing the camping to return to all in-person learning. If herd immunity is not reached, then the campus will reopen with a remote option.

Cornell University’s decision is in line with the March updated guidance for College campuses from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC recognizes people attending school in congregated settings are at an increased risk for catching and spreading Covid-19.

The CDC asks each institute of higher learning to implement a Covid-19 screening strategy before the beginning of each term. The CDC asks each school to work with local public health authorities, so that campus policy fits with the disease prevalence in the surrounding area. A universal screening strategy is recommended if sufficient testing capacity is not available for SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19.

Many campuses are implementing rapid testing protocols. Rapid antigen testing detects the fragmented pieces of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that trigger an immune response. Like PCR testing, antigen testing detects an active infection but can be done much faster.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has approved rapid antigen testing. These FDA-approved tests are a highly accurate way to detect Covid-19 in patients with symptoms. Symptomatic individuals have high viral loads allowing rapid tests to accurately diagnosis Covid-19.

Rapid antigen testing is not as accurate in asymptomatic individuals or those with very low viral loads. The CDC has published a protocol on how to interpret test results.CDC recommends the use of the rapid antigen algorithm.

There are three FDA-approved vaccines for Covid-19. The two messenger RNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer offer 95% protection against Covid-19. The Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna use messenger RNA (mRNA). A single strand of mRNA delivers instructions to human cells to produce an antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

The Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen vaccine offers 72% protection against infection and 86% against severe disease. The Janssen vaccine uses Adenovirus 26 (AD26) as the vector to deliver DNA material into our cells to provoke an immune response.

The Moderna and Janssen vaccines are approved for those 18 years old and up. The Pfizer vaccine is approved starting at age 16.

All three vaccines are highly effective in preventing death.

The post Cornell University Requiring Covid-19 Vaccine for All Students and Faculty appeared first on Medika Life.

Teachers in Texas are now eligible for Covid-19 vaccination. Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) released new guidance moving teachers up to the 1B category. 

The Biden administration sent all states notice to change the vaccine categories. Texas vaccine providers may now vaccinate teachers and childcare workers, according to a DSHS news release.

Educators who work in all school systems and those employed in daycare centers and Head Start programs are eligible for vaccination.

Covid-19 vaccination access is improving. The enactment of the defense production act allows pharmaceutical giant Merck to help Johnson and Johnson to produce the Janssen vaccine in massive amounts. We are on track for every adult American by the end of May.

Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies is the vaccine arm of Johnson & Johnson. The Janssen vaccine is now approved for use in people 18 years and older. It only requires a single dose to be effective. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines continue to be available. 

There is some confusion about which vaccine to take. The most important thing to know is all three vaccines are very effective.

Each approved vaccine has different efficacy rates. The Janssen vaccine is 72% effective at preventing infection and 86% effective at preventing severe disease. Pfizer and Moderna quote a 95% efficacy rate. 

It is important to remember these numbers are not direct head-to-head comparisons. Scientists performed the clinical trials for each vaccine in different parts of the world at various pandemic stages.

Protecting our teachers through vaccination access is critical to the safe reopening of schools. 

Every parent wants children back in the classroom. Teachers long to see the children’s smiling faces. Grandparents count down the days until they can cheer on the basketball teams, band concerts, and choir performances.

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 challenging to navigate. The Texas Department of Health released an interactive tool today to help.

Check it out here.

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