Coronavirus News Summary, March 20-March 26

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“Pfizer has begun testing the COVID-19 vaccine in children under the age of 12.” I’m writing Apoorva Mandavilli In the New York Times (Pfizer vaccine is already approved in the United States for children aged 16-18). Moderna has also begun research on the COVID-19 vaccine in children under the age of 12. “Both companies are testing vaccines in children over the age of 12, and we look forward to those results in the coming weeks,” reports Mandavilli. According to the US National Institute, children under the age of 18 make up almost a quarter of the US population, which is sufficient for the US population to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (also known as herd immunity). It turns out that vaccination is essential to generate immunity. Of the health infectious disease doctor quoted in the story of 3/25/21.

In STAT, Matthew Harper coverage Pfizer’s study of the COVID-19 vaccine in 6-month-old children shows that children aged 12 to 15 years will be vaccinated with COVID-19 by this fall when school resumes after summer vacation in the United States. It suggests scenarios that you may receive. It depends on how the study data is known and when and when the US Food and Drug Administration approves the COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in this age group. For young children, authorization probably won’t come until early next year, the story says. In Pfizer’s tests on children aged 6 months to 12 years, researchers may focus on antibody levels as an indicator of defense rather than symptoms of illness, Harper reports (3 /). 25/21).

A study of 100 patients with “long COVID” in 21 states in the United States found that 85% of these people experienced four or more neurological problems months after the initial infection. It became clear. Pam Bellac reports At the New York Times (3/23/21). Reported symptoms include headache (68%), tingling (60%), myalgia (55%), olfactory dysfunction (55%), blurred vision (81%), dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, etc. ..With the story Survey, Published on 3/23/21 in The Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. The story states that none of the study participants have been ill from COVID-19 enough to be hospitalized (this is typical of most people infected with SARS-CoV-2, the study states. I have). The findings emphasize “a new understanding that for many people a long covid can be worse than the first attack of an infection,” Bellac wrote.another Survey Posted online this month, but not yet evaluated by outside experts. One-third of people with long-term Covid symptoms were fine for the first 10 days after a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Doctors at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center say the symptoms can be caused by an inflammatory response to a virus that can affect the brain and body.

People who have been vaccinated with COVID-19 can become infected with SARS-CoV-2 even after it takes up to two weeks for strong protection to begin. Catherine J. Wu writes In the Atlantic Ocean (3/19/21), but these cases are a “disappearingly small percentage” of all vaccinated people. As she explains, “The goal of vaccination is not eradication, but the coexistence of humans and viruses, and the risk of illness is acceptablely low.” Each individual’s immune response to vaccination is strong. May be slightly different. Think of COVID-19 vaccination as “a protective layer, like an umbrella, which in some situations may be more protective than in other situations.” Based on the insights of virologists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Wu writes: New York. In many situations, “vaccines are best combined with safety devices such as masks and distances, just as boots and jackets help buffer someone in a storm,” the story says. I will.

According to data and research, in the first two months of COVID-19 vaccine deployment, SARS-CoV-2 infections were found in nursing home workers and residents of the United States, and in some hospitals in the United Kingdom and Israel. It decreased rapidly among the workers. Featured by Melissa Bailey and Shoshana Dubnow on Kaiser Health News (3/15/21). However, the COVID-19 vaccine is not required in most US nursing homes. Bailey and Dubnov Report.. And the story suggests that some nursing home workers do not yet trust the vaccine. According to a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited in the article, the combination of vaccines and “effective infection prevention and control programs / practices” has led to a reduction in infections at such US facilities. Johns Hopkins University Infectious Diseases Experts Advising Nursing Homes on COVID-19 Responses Emphasize the Hard-earned Immunity Role and Vaccine Role of SARS-CoV-2 Infectious Survivors in Long-term Care Facilities .. “Even if there are one or two vaccinated people in the building, the infection can be delayed,” experts say.

The US Medicare & Medicaid Service Center was published on 3/10/21 Guidelines for Nursing Home Visitors With a few exceptions, we allow indoor visits regardless of vaccination status.

Here are some useful double masking tips This 3/17/21 guide By Tara Parker-Pope and Dani Blum of The New York Times, specifically: 1) To minimize the side gap, wear a cloth mask over the surgical mask instead of wearing two surgical masks. 2) If you are wearing N95 or KN95, you do not need to wear a double mask.

James Hamburglin’s latest work on the Atlantic Ocean (3/11/21) focuses on the remaining uncertainties about the future of the COVID-19 pandemic. He writes: “Today, the experts I trust most are those who seem uncertain during the pandemic process and have learned the humility that should be forced on us all.” Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. Marc Lipsitch (currently about 40% talked about), who accurately predicted that SARS-CoV-2 would infect 40-70% of the United States, said in July last year: Forecast out of business “, Write a hambrin, MD and Lecturer at the Graduate School of Public Health. The work suggests that the pandemic will end with a whisper rather than a roar.

You may enjoy this 3/22/21 “Midnight with Seth Meyers“sketch.