The AstraZeneca vaccine proves worthy
Recently released results show that the AstraZeneca vaccine was 79% effective at preventing COVID-19 and 100% prevention of hospitalization. They have presented the information to the FDA and rapid acceptance is anticipated. Here is the Astra summary if you want a deeper dive.
The vaccine is a series of two shots given 8-12 weeks apart.
The good news is that the four vaccines available in the US are the four best vaccines that have come to the public so far. All appear to be very safe and effective and vaccine administration can continue to accelerate.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has already been administered in Europe with a few starts and stops that proved to be of no concern.
When the train derailed…March 2020
It was one year ago this week that the Great Shutdown started. More than 30,000,000 proven cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the US over the last year and over 550,000 people have died.
Early in this pandemic people were saying the yearly flu was worse. That statement has been clearly born out to be false, given that 3-5 times more people have had COVID-19 than were tested.
Here is a statement from the CDC about influenza occurence over the last 10 years.
While the impact of flu varies, it places a substantial burden on the health of people in the United States each year. CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010.
Across all cases of COVID-19 2% of people have died. However <0.1% of those under age 20 have died from COVID-19 and over 40% of those over the age of 80 have died from it.
Here is an interesting graph from the CDC. It takes the 5-17 year old category as the “baseline group” and spells out the risk of infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 for all other groups compared to this younger age group.
At present there are three (and soon to be four) good vaccines available in the US to help prevent COVID-19. All appear to be safe and effective. The two-shot series from Pfizer and Moderna have so far proven to be excellent vaccinations. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has shown equal safety so far and very good effectiveness. Still it is a excellent single-dose alternative to the other two.
We continue to see the virus mutate into new strains. This is normal for all viruses. How these new strains will be addressed by vaccine manufacturers is yet to be seen, but there will likely be booster vaccines from all manufacturers based on the effectiveness of each vaccine on these new strains.
Estimates are that one in six Americans have been fully vaccinated in the US so far.
Eyes are also on several states that removed almost all restrictions recently. So far the rate of new COVID infections there continues to fall and stay lower than pre-opening levels…for now.
“I have a good immune system and therefore don’t need to get a vaccination.”
Your immune system is only as good as the infectious organisms you have been exposed to in the past.
Since no one has been exposed to this virus before the last year, no one has any immunity to it. You may have a great immune system, but nobody has natural immunity to this virus UNLESS you have been sick with COVID-19 or been vaccinated.
Although natural immunity from having had COVID-19 appears superior to vaccine-induced immunity, it is still recommended to get vaccinated even if you have had the illness. I recommend waiting 3-6 months after your illness to get a vaccine to allow those who are more vulnerable to get theirs.
Can you now travel overseas?
European travel has not really opened up yet because of irregular vaccine adoption among the different countries.
Leaving the US is not a problem, but you may need a COVID test 72 hours before leaving and definitely need one 72 hours before coming back into the US.
There was some hope that the card verifying vaccination would be your “get out of jail free” card for travel. Unfortunately so far it does not allow easier travel than for folks who have not been vaccinated.
However the European Union is considering a “digital green card” for those who have been vaccinated or recovered from the illness. It is early in this idea and it is not clear whether it is intended for travel only within the EU or would apply to visitors from outside the EU. An LA-base company wants to do the same in the US.
The bottom line
If you have not had COVID-19, get a vaccination.
If you have had COVID-19, wait for 3-6 months after you have recovered to get the vaccine to allow others who have no immunity to gat a vaccine. All available evidence supports the findings that individuals who have had COVID-19 have measurable immunity for at least 6-9 months and probably longer.
