Paper and Threads

There are 73 million children in our country and although they have a low risk of developing Covid-19, it is not a 0 risk.  Delta variant is now spreading widely in unvaccinated adults and children.  The number of new infections in children in the US from the last 3 weeks were: 39,000/wk, 72,000/wk, and now 94,000/wk.   Hospitals are reporting a significant increase in hospitalizations and more severe cases.  It is so sad to hear reports of young children having great difficulty breathing without having any understanding.  I saw two very sick babies on TV this week breaking my heart.  The number of deaths during the pandemic is quoted at or near 400 - significantly higher than flu deaths in children each winter.

In addition, there are a significant number of children who develop "Long Covid," including fatigue, brain fog, and numerous other symptoms like adults.  A small, but significant number of children can also develop MIS-C, an overactive immune response that develops weeks after the active Covid infection and can severely affect any organ in their body.  

Children 12 and over are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, and unless there is a contraindication this group should all be vaccinated prior to returning to school.  They are at great risk of developing Covid-19 if living in a household with unvaccinated people who are at high risk and can transmit the virus to them. 

On Sunday Dr. Fauci said that vaccine mandates for adults are necessary to give children who are currently not eligible  a "shield of vaccinated people."  A study in North Carolina reported only a 1% transmission rate for children in schools if "universal masking is in place in the school (children and adults).  The lower dose vaccination for children 5 - 11 years old is in clinical trials by Pfizer and Moderna and hopefully these vaccines will be as safe and effective, and also available before the end of the year.  We have 8 grandchildren and 5 are vaccinated with #6 turning 12 and getting vaccinated later this month.  The adults in our family are all vaccinated and we will continue to worry about our two youngest grandsons- ages 9 and 10 for the next few months.

Posted by Shirley at 6:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...And vaccinated Americans were looking forward to it.  Then the Delta Variant spread very quickly in every state and case numbers and hospitalizations increased. Samples collected in NYC on 7/24, and then sequenced, demonstrate that 92% of the circulating virus here is the delta variant, and it is much more transmissible.  No vaccine is 100% effective and breakthrough cases are also increasing in number. 

The CDC reviewed the rapid increase of infected cases and revised their guidelines for masks:  (1.)  Vaccinated people in high transmission areas should wear masks again indoors - especially if the transmission rate is >100 weekly cases per 100 thousand people, or unknown.  NYC is classified as high, right now, today.  (2.)  In K-12 schools universal mask wearing should be required for everyone over the age of 2.  (3) Vaccinated people should even consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor venues. 

More Below

The CDC recommends masks with two or more layers of washable breathable fabric and a nose wire.  There should be no gaps.   You can test the mask by demonstrating that you can't blow out a birthday candle when wearing it.  When wearing 2 masks, place the cloth mask over the surgical mask.  In high risk areas, you should upgrade to an N95 or KN95 mask. 

There is no "0 risk" and each of us need to establish what level of risk we are comfortable with.  The elderly may have a diminished immune response and others may have immune deficiency after transplants, when on steroids, or receiving chemotherapy.  There is now evidence that vaccinated people who may be asymptomatic or have mild Covid-19 can transmit the virus to household members, family, and friends. Breakthrough infections in vaccinated people are very rare and most don't require hospitalizations or die.  The most important advice to protect yourself and your family is - Please Get Vaccinated! 

Posted by Shirley at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My son, also a physician, posts Covid-19 information daily on his Instagram page.  Once before I shared his information here.

From Jason:  Let's finish out July with a few statistics to help focus how Covid vaccination has protected those who've gotten it.

Less than 0.08% of fully vaccinated Americans have been diagnosed with Covid,

Less than 0.004% of fully vaccinated Americans required hospitalization due to Covid.

Less than 0.001% of fully vaccinated Americans (10/million) have died of Covid.

There have been 340 million vaccine doses administered in the US, with only three vaccine deaths (all three due to blood clots in J&J vaccine recipients) — that's a 0.0000009% (six zeroes) mortality rate.  I hope this makes clear that my recent worries about delta and increasing case rates is far more about the unvaccinated than it is anything else. There are still 50 million kids in the US who can't get vaccines yet; when vaccinated people mask up, they're protecting the unvaccinated far more than they're protecting themselves. See Below   

Information Added by Me from the CDC weekly MMWR report:

Don't let headlines about breakthrough cases make you frantic, especially the recent headline re: a large cluster of Covid cases in Massachusetts.  This was actually in Provincetown over the big July 4th weekend celebrations.  Sixty thousand people, were in this town of 3000 year round residents.  Headlines said that 74% of the nearly 500 Covid cases occurred in people who were fully vaccinated.  85% of the infected patients were male, with a median age of 40.  Only 5 people required hospitalization - 4 were vaccinated and 1 wasn't.  There were no deaths.  This cluster is being further studied to determine what comorbidities, maybe immune deficiency, were present in the vaccinated breakthrough patients.  

Posted by Shirley at 6:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)