All About Vaccines

[WestPhillyPunisher]

There seems to be a lot of new data on asymptomatic spread as we're seeing the NFL changing their rules a bit and healthcare facilities as well. We're learning as we're going.

CDC Releases Emergency Guidance for Healthcare Facilities to Prepare for Potential Omicron Surge
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2...r-omicron.html

EVERYBODY is learning as they go when it comes to COVID, which means no guideline will be written in stone, nor should it. As situations change with the virus, guidelines will change as well. But, at the end of the day, I still trust the science when it comes to steering the world through this ongoing crisis.

[JB]

EVERYBODY is learning as they go when it comes to COVID, which means no guideline will be written in stone, nor should it. As situations change with the virus, guidelines will change as well. But, at the end of the day, I still trust the science when it comes to steering the world through this ongoing crisis.

Agreed, and that's ultimately how science works. Something proven until something new is proven and things change.

[Tami]

Omicron Variant Might Help Defend Against Delta, Lab Study Suggests

People who have recovered from an infection with the new Omicron coronavirus variant may be able to fend off later infections from the Delta variant, according to a new laboratory study carried out by South African scientists.

If further experiments confirm these findings, they could suggest a less dire future for the pandemic. In the short term, Omicron is expected to create a surge of cases that will put a massive strain on economies and health care systems around the world. But in the longer term, the new research suggests that an Omicron-dominated world might experience fewer hospitalizations and deaths than one in which Delta continues to rage.

“Omicron is likely to push Delta out,” said Alex Sigal, a virologist at the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban, South Africa, who led the new study. “Maybe pushing Delta out is actually a good thing, and we’re looking at something we can live with more easily and that will disrupt us less than the previous variants.”

Independent scientists said that the results of the South African experiment, though preliminary, were sound. Carl Pearson, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the findings were consistent with what is now happening in England.

“Omicron arrives and grows rapidly, and the Delta trend switches to declining,” he said.

Delta, which came to prominence in the summer of 2021, had mutations that gave it both a superior ability to spread and a moderate ability to evade antibodies. Vaccines still remained effective against Delta, but not quite as much as they had been earlier in the pandemic.

When Omicron emerged in November, it spread faster than even Delta had. Researchers suspected that its speed had two sources. Somehow it was able to transmit quickly — perhaps by replicating in large numbers or by spreading more easily from one person to the next. Omicron was also able to infect vaccinated people and those who had gotten sick with earlier variants.

In an earlier study this month, Dr. Sigal’s team, as well as a number of other research groups, confirmed Omicron’s ability to dodge antibodies from vaccines and earlier variants. To do so, they analyzed blood from people who were either vaccinated or had recovered from Covid, and mixed it with different variants.

Time and again, antibodies that were very potent against Delta and other variants did a poor job against Omicron. This helped to explain why so many vaccinated and previously infected people were coming down with bouts of Omicron, albeit milder than Delta infections.v

[JB]

Omicron Variant Might Help Defend Against Delta, Lab Study Suggests

A very possibly positive development. Omicron is spreading like wildfire but thankfully still bringing on mild symptoms.

[JB]

Why CDC doesn't require testing at end of isolation: Director
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/live-u..._abcn#81984630

The newly updated CDC guidelines don't require testing at the end of isolation because PCR tests can stay positive for up to 12 weeks, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told "Good Morning America" Wednesday.

"So we would have people in isolation for a very long time if we were relying on PCRs," Walensky said.

So it’s possible someone can be shown as “positive” for up to 3 months even if the virus has left their system or knocked down enough to not be contagious.

That would partially explain why after December 31 the CDC will be withdrawing the request for Emergency Use Authorization of the PCR tests from the FDA.

[Tami]

Speaking of Testing

Rapid COVID tests are hard to come by. So why is there a shortage in N.J.?

Some of the rapid test shortages can be chalked up to basic supply and demand. Tests are flying off the shelves in the Garden State, but other states — like Florida — are able to make them readily available at county library events.

Demand for testing in New Jersey hit an all-time high on Dec. 22, when more than 100,000 tests were administered. Daily new cases have skyrocketed as well, topping 15,000 cases reported in a single day for the first time ever last week. (Cases were likely higher during the start of the pandemic, but it was nearly impossible to find a test at that point, Silvera noted.)

But some usages of the rapid tests go above and beyond what should be happening, public health experts say.

Not only are people testing in response to symptoms or to sniff-out infections before seeing high-risk individuals, but tests are now being used as a way to justify risky behavior — and that’s not what the system is designed for, Dr. Perry Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, told NJ Advance Media.

“They’re using the testing to legitimize their bad behavior, and that’s the biggest problem on the system,” Halkitis said.

But with the arrival of the omicron variant and colder weather, even well-meaning fully vaccinated people want to take precautions as scientists learn new information about the transmission of the omicron variant.

“I think on an individual level if somebody is vaccinated and boosted, they should be showing a healthy level of concern,” Silvera said.

It’s a different story for unvaccinated people.

“If you are not vaccinated right now, you should be very anxious,” Halkitis said. As of Dec. 6, only 1.16% of vaccinated residents — 68,913 people — experienced a breakthrough case this year, the state reported. And even fewer, 1,513 people, had to be hospitalized.

[JB]

I wouldn't have believed this if a friend didn't send me a clip of Dr. Wen saying on CNN, "Cloth masks are not appropriate for this pandemic. It's not appropriate for omicron, it was not appropriate for delta, alpha, or any of the previous variants either because we're dealing with something that's airborne."

Why Health Experts Recommend Retiring Cloth Masks in the Fight Against Omicron
https://people.com/health/why-health...ainst-omicron/

With the omicron variant of COVID-19 continuing to spread at an alarming rate, some medical experts are urging everyone to reassess what masks they're choosing to wear.

"Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There's no place for them in light of omicron," CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, said last week.

"We need to be wearing at least a three-ply surgical mask," she also said, referring to the standard disposable face covering available at most pharmacies and general goods stores. "You can wear a cloth mask on top of that, but do not just wear a cloth mask alone."

The call to nix cloth masks conflicts with the mask-wearing recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which encourage masks that "have two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric" for the general public.

[Tami]

I wouldn't have believed this if a friend didn't send me a clip of Dr. Wen saying on CNN, "Cloth masks are not appropriate for this pandemic. It's not appropriate for omicron, it was not appropriate for delta, alpha, or any of the previous variants either because we're dealing with something that's airborne."

Why Health Experts Recommend Retiring Cloth Masks in the Fight Against Omicron
https://people.com/health/why-health...ainst-omicron/

I heard that too, also that the only appropriate mask is the N95. I can't remember who I was watching on the news say it, but when asked about the availability of N95s he said that they were available but there are issues in getting them out to the public. Also the cost is much higher, too high for most people to afford. Local, State, and eventually federal Government might hand masks out for free, ,eventually.

Some news that might help

Ring in the New Year wearing N95 masks: ‘A simple one-layer cloth mask does not provide nearly enough protection’

It’s not surprising then that searches for “mask,” “N95” and “particulate respirator type” were trending on Google GOOGL on Monday morning. Indeed, “where to buy N95 face masks” was one of the top 10 most Googled “where to buy” searches of the past year.

A box of 20 N95s is running about $40-$45 on Project 95’s site. Similarly, a 10-pack goes for just under $20 at Home Depot and elsewhere.

Seriously, Upgrade Your Face Mask Omicron is everywhere. Dr. Abraar Karan explains why cloth masks don’t cut it anymore.

How often can you reuse them? Does the electrostatic charge that attracts the particles wear off?
Peter Tsai, the scientist who invented the material used in N95s, has said that you could reuse them for a while and recommended buying seven masks and using a different one each day while letting the others sit out. Exactly how long the charge lasts, I think, really depends on the environmental conditions — humidity and sweat and things like that. But it’s up to the government to figure out how long an average person could use it. I think these are things that the CDC really should have been looking into. They’ve had a year and a half now. It’s crazy.

This NIOSH-Approved N95 Face Mask Will Arrive Before Christmas If You Order Soon

The Honeywell Surgical N95 Respirator, which comes in a pack of 20 on Amazon, is NIOSH-approved as an N95 respirator that filters at least 95 percent of airborne particles. For a full list of NIOSH-approved filtering facepiece respirators, head over to the CDC's website to avoid purchasing a counterfeit mask.

NIOSH-approved N95 Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators

[Gray Lensman]

I wouldn't have believed this if a friend didn't send me a clip of Dr. Wen saying on CNN, "Cloth masks are not appropriate for this pandemic. It's not appropriate for omicron, it was not appropriate for delta, alpha, or any of the previous variants either because we're dealing with something that's airborne."

Why Health Experts Recommend Retiring Cloth Masks in the Fight Against Omicron
https://people.com/health/why-health...ainst-omicron/

The cloth mask doesn't protect the wearer, it protects people from the wearer. The N95 mask protects the wearer - I have a 2-3 layer cloth mask with a paper filter in it, but it isn't an N95 mask.

[tarbabe]

No, the guidelines are solid and based on nearly two years of study. There are still recommendations for wearing masks and testing.

Then why are emergency room doctors and nurses calling foul on these new guidelines?
Even the CDC admits these new guidelines are to help businesses.

[Gray Lensman]

Then why are emergency room doctors and nurses calling foul on these new guidelines?
Even the CDC admits these new guidelines are to help businesses.

I'd still take the advice of an epidemiologist over your everyday doctors and nurses.

[JB]

I heard that too, also that the only appropriate mask is the N95. I can't remember who I was watching on the news say it, but when asked about the availability of N95s he said that they were available but there are issues in getting them out to the public. Also the cost is much higher, too high for most people to afford. Local, State, and eventually federal Government might hand masks out for free, ,eventually.

Some news that might help

Ring in the New Year wearing N95 masks: ‘A simple one-layer cloth mask does not provide nearly enough protection’



Seriously, Upgrade Your Face Mask Omicron is everywhere. Dr. Abraar Karan explains why cloth masks don’t cut it anymore.



This NIOSH-Approved N95 Face Mask Will Arrive Before Christmas If You Order Soon



NIOSH-approved N95 Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Thanks for these links. Very helpful info as they're going to be flying off the shelves now.

I'd still take the advice of an epidemiologist over your everyday doctors and nurses.

Yeah I think the data on asymptomatic spread coming out is very much a good thing, it's just going to understandably take people some time to get used to it.

[JB]

NY Obliterates Single-Day Case Record With Nearly 70K New Positives; Hochul Warns Peak Yet to Come
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coro...tives/3471191/

Florida shatters state daily COVID-19 record again as cases explode
https://www.wesh.com/article/florida...ecord/38636846

I'm praying they're right about omicron remaining mild in terms of symptoms, and that hospitals don't start getting overloaded again.

[Tami]

NY Obliterates Single-Day Case Record With Nearly 70K New Positives; Hochul Warns Peak Yet to Come
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coro...tives/3471191/

Florida shatters state daily COVID-19 record again as cases explode
https://www.wesh.com/article/florida...ecord/38636846

I'm praying they're right about omicron remaining mild in terms of symptoms, and that hospitals don't start getting overloaded again.

Hospitals already are overloaded. Though it could actually have been much worse if there was no vaccine and no precautions.

[JB]

Hospitals already are overloaded. Though it could actually have been much worse if there was no vaccine and no precautions.

The staff shortages play a big part in it also. I think that's a big part why the CDC looked closely at shortening the isolation time period for healthcare workers.