Marsh states that COVID-19 is very unlikely to cause herd immunity.News, sports, work

Wheeling — West Virginia’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator does not believe that COVID-19 will cause herd immunity.

Dr. Kramersh said last week that overlooking that threshold was less important for those who rejected the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s about people who aren’t currently vaccinated, that is, children.

Only people over the age of 16 can get the Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna vaccine is only approved for people over the age of 18. Vulnerable children may be vaccinated, but a significant proportion of the US population remains, which will not be shot and will still be prone to illness.

“The absolute definition of herd immunity for a virus with a reproductive or infectious rate that this virus makes is about 80 percent.” Marsh said. “And we don’t think we’re immunizing children, so I don’t think it’s up to 80 percent as a country. Now that enough people can get infected to replace it. , It is possible. “

Marsh said it further exacerbated the need for those who could receive the vaccine, and those who might be wary of the vaccine should not.

Marsh, Vice President and Executive Dean of WVU Health Sciences, has been in the Mountain State since the pandemic first took root in West Virginia. “Emperor Coronavirus.” He was about as ubiquitous as Governor Jim Justice about updating the Governor’s virtual COVID response three times a week. He is one of West Virginia’s leaders and teaches game plans on how to tackle the disease.

So far, the state’s strategy has been successful. Just a few weeks ago, the Health and Human Resources COVID-19 alert map was almost completely red, indicating the highest risk category of the map. On Friday, there were no red counties on the map, and only seven orange counties, the second most risky category on the map.

In the first six weeks of 2021, COVID-related deaths fell by 72% weekly and COVID-related hospitalizations fell by more than 70%, according to Marsh. Few COVID patients are in the intensive care unit, and the number of cases in nursing homes and long-term care facilities has dropped to almost zero.

He believes that the key to these successes is the availability of vaccines, and it does not take even two doses to perform the trick.

“I think it’s the main reason the vaccine went down for me.” He said. “A single dose of the vaccine has been found to be very effective in reducing death and serious illness after 15 days.”

West Virginia is one of the most effective states for quickly weaponizing vaccine doses. As of Friday, according to DHHR, the state administered 87.7% of the first dose assigned and 94.2% of the second dose. That is, 285,654 West Virginia residents are at least partially protected from the virus, and 183,537 are fully protected.

Still, the population of states hesitating to vaccinate is quite large. This is also found in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, where the state’s most vulnerable people live. Approximately 85% of the residents and 63-65% of staff at these facilities have agreed to the vaccination, according to Marsh.

This is better than the national average — according to Marsh, 72-73% of residents and 35-38% of staff, but still 15% of West Virginia residents and 35% of staff are vaccinated. Is not …

He has also seen hesitation among hospital staff. Much of it comes from young women who have heard that vaccines can cause infertility, Marsh said. “Absolutely wrong.”

“People are scared of vaccines” He said. “(They) think it was too fast. Many women hesitated to take it because there were some false claims that it could cause infertility in women. It’s unfounded. And many people thought it could give you a virus, and it can’t do that. I think there’s some distrust. The good news is , I saw it really change. “

Marsh believes that COVID-19 may have existed in the world for a very long time and is pleased to see the change. It may not disappear completely, but the vaccine may help control severe illness and death. More than 500,000 people have died from the virus in the United States and 2,291 in West Virginia.

“COVID is very likely to get endemic.” He said. “It could be with us forever and get the same flu shot every year for COVID. At least for the time being, that’s probably true.”

To get ahead of the game, Marsh wants West Virginia citizens to do two things. The first is to pre-register your vaccine on the state website vacuumate.wv.gov, or Monday through Friday from 8 am to 6 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm 1-833-734 To call -0965. According to Marsh, the system currently has 250,000 to 300,000, but it’s actually slowing down.

“You can’t vaccinate someone who isn’t in the system.” He said. “We want to register every citizen as much as possible to keep track of what we’re doing and make sure we know who’s there. You’re there. If you don’t know, you can’t include you in your priority list. “

The other thing, he said, was to dispel the fear of side effects of the vaccine. Asepticity is not dangerous. Neither has a full-fledged COVID.

By choosing to take a shot when it is offered, West Virginia citizens can be hit hard against the disease.

“These vaccines are miracles.” Marsh said. “They aren’t scared. It’s not dangerous to take it. It really shows what biomedical sciences mean for our future, and this is what really great public health does.

“The biggest thing other than clean water and public health was the vaccine.” He continued. “This shows how powerful vaccines are. These vaccines are changing what is happening at COVID in our world, our country, and our state. Really wants people to choose to take them. It not only saves the lives of those who take them, but also slows down their transmission, thus saving the lives of those who do not take them. “