Category: Corona Virus

Ochsner Health System, Louisiana's largest, said it will delay vaccine appointments for thousands of patients after receiving zero new doses in its regular shipment this week, complicating the health systems mass vaccination plan that has more than 100,000 appointments on the books.

After receiving tens of thousands of doses through the first four weeks of the states vaccination effort, Ochsner didnt get any new doses for patients earlier this week, when shipments typically come in, the Louisiana Department of Health and top officials at Ochsner confirmed Friday. Second doses are still flowing in, meaning patients will still be able to get the required second shot, officials said.

Ochsner will continue to use the doses it has on hand to vaccinate people between now and Wednesday. From Thursday until the following Monday, Ochsner CEO Warner Thomas said patients scheduled for vaccinations will be told their appointments are postponed. Hospital officials declined to say how many appointments are affected, but said the number is in the thousands.

After Ochsner told the Louisiana Department of Health about the high volume of appointments it had booked, the agency said it decided to re-route about 2,000 doses originally allocated to other providers but not being used that were at the states distributing warehouse in Shreveport. Health Department spokesperson Aly Neel said after Ochsner told the department about the volume of appointments it had, the agency on Thursday shipped out 780 doses, and on Friday made the decision to send another 1,280 to the health system. It was unclear if any had arrived as of Friday.

Still, thats a fraction of the 9,450 doses Ochsner received the previous week. To date, Ochsner has administered 67,000 doses, Chief Medical Officer Robert Hart said, and had scheduled roughly 113,000 appointments for vaccinations. An Ochsner spokesperson said the new doses re-routed by the state dont change the health systems plan to delay appointments.

Thomas said Ochsner hopes to get an influx of doses in future weeks, but said appointments beyond those dates may also have to be delayed. He said the system is working to try to find doses going unused at other providers that could be used to inoculate Ochsner patients.

The Health Department makes decisions on where to have federal shipments delivered each Thursday, Neel said. Last week, as the agency was making that decision, officials saw Ochsner had significant remaining inventory.

While we have very limited vaccine made available to us ... its really important that were able to get vaccine where its needed most, she said.

We certainly cant redirect or distribute vaccine thats already allocated to another provider, Neel added. But if there is vaccine that becomes available we want to do what we could to help. She said the roughly 2,000 doses re-routed to Ochsner were originally slated for providers who could no longer use them.

Thomas, of Ochsner, said the state felt like there was going to be a much larger allocation of vaccine from the federal government than it actually received. This week, Louisiana was allocated 55,775 doses, nearly 19,000 of which were diverted to a federal program to immunize nursing home residents and staff. The Louisiana Department of Health said Friday it expects about 58,000 doses next week, and none of them are being diverted to the federal partnership.

Everyone was going on certain guidance and assumptions of what we thought was going to come from the federal government, Thomas said in an interview. The state was making those assumptions, we were making those assumptions, and thats not what happened. So weve had to adjust.

Once the state opened up vaccinations to people 70 years and older and an expanded list of health care workers, Ochsner set out on an ambitious vaccination schedule, putting roughly 113,000 appointments on the books, officials said. Meanwhile, demand exploded, with elderly patients flooding phone lines of pharmacies, many of which started waiting lists.

Louisianas vaccine program is administered by hundreds of providers, many of them pharmacies who have received about 200 doses so far. The Health Department said all of the 210 pharmacies and other providers getting doses for elderly patients and health workers will be resupplied next week, if they arent still working through their current inventory.

The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, which includes Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, took a different tack than Ochsner. Instead of opening up the online scheduling system to its 60,000 patients who meet the criteria, Dr. Jimmy Craven, president of the systems physician practice, said staffers are manually calling patients to schedule appointments because of the limited supply from the state.

Our concern is an inability to access the vaccine, he said in an interview Thursday. How do you schedule someone for something not knowing if you have it to deliver on what youre scheduled for?

Baton Rouge General said Friday it was doubling its capacity to administer vaccines to about 1,500 per week. The hospital has opened up its scheduling system to the public via phone or website. Spokesperson Katie Johnston said the hospital is filling additional appointment slots with people on a standby list who meet the current criteria.

Hart said Ochsner will immunize thousands more patients between now and Wednesday. The hospital would not immediately schedule a new appointment date for those patients.

Were not giving them a new date right now, Hart said. Not knowing what our vaccine supply will be, what we dont want to be doing is cancelling and rescheduling over and over for the same patient.

Thomas added Ochsner is evaluating whether to change how it handles appointments given the lack of doses this week.

The zero shipment of doses to us this week was definitely a surprise, Thomas said. We did not anticipate that.

Staff writers Andrea Gallo, Ben Myers, and Emily Woodruff contributed to this report.

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Ochsner to delay thousands of coronavirus vaccine appointments after getting no new doses in regular shipment - The Advocate

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Fifteen more COVID-19 deaths were reported, as active cases in the state remain below 5,000. The last time South Dakota had fewer than 5,000 active cases was on October 8.

On Friday, 425 new total coronavirus cases were announced bringing the states total case count to 104,937, up from Thursday (104,512). Total recovered cases are now at 98,576, 406 from Thursday (98,170).

The death toll is now at 1,629. New deaths reported on Friday were six men and nine women in the following age ranges: 50-59 (1), 60-69 (2), 70-79 (6) and 80+ (6).

Active cases are now at 4,732, up from Thursday (4,728).

Current hospitalizations are at 227, down from Thursday (247). Total hospitalizations are at 6,023, up from Thursday (5,998).

Total persons negative is now at 284,571, up from Thursday (283,660).

There were 1,336 new persons tested reported on Friday. Fridays new person tested positivity rate is 31.8%.

The latest seven-day all test positivity rate reported by the DOH is 10.8%. The DOH calculates that based on the results of the PCR test results but doesnt release total numbers for how many PCR tests are done daily. The latest one-day PCR test positivity rate is 11.1%.

40 South Dakota counties are listed as having substantial community spread, while 17 South Dakota counties are listed as moderate community spread and 9 South Dakota counties are listed as minimal community spread.

Vaccine tracking is now being reported by the state. As of Friday, 27,997 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 25,778 doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered to 41,755 total persons. Theres been 9,605 persons completed two doses of the Pfizer vaccine and no one has completed two doses of the Moderna vaccine. Vaccine data does not include vaccine given to South Dakota Indian Reservations because that is federally allocated.

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COVID-19 in South Dakota: 425 total new cases; Death toll rises to 1,629; Active cases at 4,732 - KELOLAND.com

After COVID-19 has devastated his family, Karl-Anthony Towns announced on Friday night that he had contracted the coronavirus himself.

The Minnesota Timberwolves star who already lost his mom and six other family members to the coronavirus revealed he had contracted the coronavirus just hours before they were supposed to host the Memphis Grizzlies in Minneapolis.

That game was postponed by the league, marking the 13th postponement so far this season. All but one of those has come in the last week.

Towns, he wrote on Twitter, is now isolating.

I pray every day that this nightmare of a virus will subside and I beg everyone to continue to take it seriously by taking all of the necessary precautions, Towns wrote on Twitter. We cannot stop the spread of this virus alone, it must be a group effort by all of us. It breaks my heart that my family, and particularly my father and sister continue to suffer from the anxiety that comes along with this diagnosis as we know all too well what the end result could be.

Towns, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas said, is one of two people who returned positive tests within the organization in the past two days.

For him to have to go through this its heartbreaking, Rosas said, via Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. It hurt. Karl is the most important part of this organization. For what hes gone through and Karl Sr. has gone through, its heartbreaking.

Towns suffered perhaps more than anyone else in the sports world last year.

The 25-year-olds mom, Jacqueline, died in April due to the coronavirus. Jacqueline, a nurse, was placed into a medically induced coma something that first prompted Towns to urge Americans to start taking the pandemic seriously.

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He later revealed that six other family members, including his uncle and his grandma, had also died due to the coronavirus.

Naturally, basketball didnt seem very important to him after that.

I dont even recognize most of my other games and years Ive played and how I felt those days, Towns said last month after dropping a double-double in their season-opener. If I can be honest with yall for a second, I mean, I dont really recall or really care. I only understand what happened from April 13th on.

Because you may see me smiling and stuff, but that Karl died on April 13. Hes never coming back, I dont remember that man. Youre talking to the physical me, but my soul has been killed off a long time ago.

Towns, who is in his sixth year in the league, has played in just four games this season for Minnesota while dealing with a lingering wrist injury. The former No. 1 overall pick averaged 26.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game last season.

The NBA postponed three more games on Friday due to the pandemic, bringing the grand total up to 13 less than a month into the 2020-21 season. All but one of those postponements came within the last week which prompted the league to introduce new health and safety protocols.

Despite Towns and others pleas, the pandemic is raging throughout the United States like never before. The country recorded more than 238,000 new cases on Thursday alone, according to The New York Times, and nearly had 4,000 new deaths. More than 4,400 people died on Tuesday, an all-time record.

Its a lesson for all of us, Rosas said, via ESPNs Malika Andrews. Basketball is a microcosm of society right now ... This virus is powerful.

Towns then ended his post with a pledge to his family.

To my niece and nephew, Jolani and Max, I promise you I will not end up in a box next to grandma and I will beat this, he wrote.

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Karl-Anthony Towns tests positive for COVID-19 after losing mom, 6 other family members to the virus - Yahoo Sports

Update: The Wizards next two games, both against the Cavaliers, have been postponed.

NBA release:

The National Basketball Association games scheduled for Sun., Jan. 17 and Mon., Jan. 18 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards at [in Washington] have been postponed in accordance with the leagues Health and Safety Protocols.

Because of ongoing contact tracing within the Wizards, the team does not have the league-required eight available players to proceed with the scheduled games against the Cavaliers.

Two Wizards tested positive for coronavirus. Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner were out due to health-and-safety protocols. Then a third Washington player tested positive.

Now, its up to four and five.

Fred Katz of The Athletic:

This is a number of simultaneous team confirmed coronavirus cases we havent seen.

The Mavericks recently had four positive tests. The Nets had four positive tests, including Kevin Durant, in March. The Suns reportedly had four or five cases, including Ricky Rubio and Aron Baynes, around the time the bubble started in July. A 2020 Western Conference playoff team reportedly had four cases in June but before teams regathered from the hiatus.

Which is a good reminder: These five Wizards didnt necessarily give it to each other. Coronavirus is spreading throughout the surrounding community. Until recently, NBA players were permitted more contact with people not regularly tested.

However, it appears increasingly likely there was intra-team transmission. Washington shouldnt be playing until the situation is under greater control.

The Wizards game against the Pistons, originally scheduled for tonight, has already been postponed. A Sunday-Monday series against the Cavaliers in Washington already appeared to be in jeopardy.

The NBA requires a team have eight players to play. Five Wizards are now out at least 10-14 days with coronavirus cases. Thomas Bryant is out for the year with a torn ACL. Russell Westbrook might return from his quad injury by the time this gets sorted out. But thatd leave just 11 players from Washingtons roster before contact tracing. It doesnt leave much margin for error.

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Report: Fourth and fifth Wizards player tests positive for coronavirus - NBC Sports

Docket Number: FDA-2020-D-1138 Issued by:

Guidance Issuing Office

Center for Devices and Radiological Health

FDA plays a critical role in protecting the United States from threats such as emerging infectious diseases, including the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. FDA is committed to providing timely guidance to support response efforts to this pandemic.

FDA is issuing this guidance to provide a policy to help expand the availability of coagulation systems for measurement of whole blood viscoelastic properties that are used to assess hemostasis, for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

This policy is intended to remain in effect only for the duration of the public health emergency related to COVID-19 declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on January 31, 2020, effective January 27, 2020, including any renewals made by the HHS Secretary in accordance with section 319(a)(2) of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) (42 U.S.C. 247d(a)(2)).

Given this public health emergency, and as discussed in the Notice in the Federal Register of March 25, 2020, titled "Process for Making Available Guidance Documents Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019,"this guidance is being implemented without prior public comment because FDA has determined that prior public participation for this guidance is not feasible or appropriate (see section 701(h)(1)(C) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) (21 U.S.C. 371(h)(1)(C)) and 21 CFR 10.115(g)(2)). This guidance document is being implemented immediately, but it remains subject to comment in accordance with the Agencys good guidance practices.

You can submit online or written comments on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR 10.115(g)(5))

If unable to submit comments online, please mail written comments to:

Dockets ManagementFood and Drug Administration5630 Fishers Lane, Rm 1061Rockville, MD 20852

All written comments should be identified with this document's docket number: FDA-2020-D-1138.

01/14/2021

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Coagulation Systems for Measurement of Viscoelastic Properties: Enforcement Policy During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Public Health...

Nurses statewide face long hours and heavy personal risks. Now some hospitals are finding it hard to fill nursing position vacancies.

SEATTLE As the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations remains high, the number of nurses is moving in the opposite direction. Hospitals say staffing shortages are having an impact.

COVID-19's impact on nurses was a focus during Friday's state Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee meeting. Two nurses spoke candidly, telling lawmakers how the ongoing pandemic is leading to burnout and causing some nurses to leave their jobs.

Like so many places, Central Washington is seeing nurses working overtime to keep up with the demand the virus is creating.

"The number of COVID patients we have in the intensive care unit actually remains very high," said Dr. Jason Lake, the Chief Medical Officer at Confluence Health in Wenatchee.

Lake says what's making matters worse is they have 85 open positions throughout their health system, mostly for inpatient nurses. Due to staffing shortages, there have been occasions when the hospital has had to divert COVID patients to other hospitals in Western or Eastern Washington.

In order to deal with the deficit, nurses already working 12-hour shifts have been asked if they can do more.

"The more short we are, the more overtime shifts they're working, and the more stress it places on them," Lake said.

Danielle O'Toole, a registered nurse in Pierce County, also described the physical, mental and emotional stress.

"We have all become so exhausted working shift after shift with no breaks, caring for more patients than is safe with less support staff... that nurses stopped coming in for extra shifts because we were trying to preserve our own health and mental well being," O'Toole told lawmakers at the hearing.

Paul Fuller, a registered nurse in Chelan County, told lawmakers about nurses quitting.

"It has burned out a ton of our nurses. In a smaller hospital like ours, we have lost 12 nurses since the beginning of this pandemic," Fuller said.

The nurses told lawmakers that they want worker protections, like rapid COVID tests for nurses. And if they are exposed to the virus, they don't want to use their paid time off to quarantine.

Jayson Dick, with the Washington State Nurses Association, said that increased pay could help address some of the issues.

"Another thing that we drive for is we need to incentivize the nurses to pick up the additional shifts in recognition of the heroic efforts that they're making," Dick said.

Lake at Confluence Health said that's been a consideration. Lake added that Confluence Health provides counseling services to its staff, including nurses, if they need that during the ongoing crisis.

"We have talked about incentives both financial and non-financial incentives, really to show them how much we appreciate them and, and to try to get them through this crisis," he said. "We really do depend on the care that they deliver."

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Burnout takes toll on nurses, as Washington hospitals face shortage in pandemic - KING5.com

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Watching the markets with an eye to the main chance, Raymond James strategist Tavis McCourt sees both risk and opportunity in current market conditions. The opportunity, in his opinion, stems from the obvious factors: the Democrats won both Georgia Senate seats in the recent runoff vote, giving the incoming Biden Administration majority support in both Houses of Congress and increasing the odds of meaningful fiscal support getting signed into law in the near term. More importantly, the coronavirus vaccination program is proceeding, and reports are showing that Pfizers vaccine, one of two approved in the US, is effective against the new strain of the virus. A successful vaccination program will speed up the economic recovery, allowing states to loosen lockdown regulations and get people back to work. The risks are also coming from the political and public health realms. The House Democrats have passed articles of impeachment against President Trump, despite the imminent natural closure of his term of office, and that passage reduces the chances of political reconciliation in a heavily polarized environment. And while the COVID strain is matched by current vaccines, there is still a risk that a new strain will develop that is not covered by existing vaccinations which could restart the cycle of lockdowns and economic decline. Another risk McCourt sees, beyond those two, would be a sharp rise in inflation. He doesnt discount that, but sees it as unlikely to happen soon. product/service inflation is only really a possibility AFTER re-openings, so the market feels a bit bullet proof in the very near term, and thus the continued rally, with Dems winning the GA races just adding fuel to the stimulus fire, McCourt noted. Some of McCourts colleagues among the Raymond James analyst cadre are keeping these risks in mind, and putting their imprimatur on strong dividend stocks. Weve looked into Raymond James' recent calls, and using the TipRanks database, weve chosen two stocks with high-yield dividends. These Buy-rated tickers bring a dividend yield of 7%, a strong attraction for investors interested in using the current good times to set up a defensive firewall should the risks materialize. Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) Well start in the energy sector, a business segment long known for both high cash flows and high dividends. Enterprise Products Partners is a midstream company, part of the network that moves hydrocarbon products from the wellheads to the storage farms, refineries, and distribution points. Enterprise controls over 50,000 miles worth of pipelines, shipping terminals on Texas Gulf coast, and storage facilities for 160 million barrels oil and 14 billion cubic feet of natural gas. The company was hurt by low prices and low demand in 1H20, but partially recovered in the second half. Revenues turned around, growing 27% sequentially to reach $6.9 billion in Q3. That number was down year-over-year, slipping 5.4%, but came in more than 6% above the Q3 forecast. Q3 earnings, at 48 cents per share, were just under the forecast, but were up 4% year-over-year and 2% sequentially. EPD has recently declared its 4Q20 dividend distribution, at 45 cents per common share. This is up from the previous payment of 44 cents, and marks the first increase in two years. At $1.80 annualized, the payment yields 7.9%. Among the bulls is Raymond James' Justin Jenkins, who rates EPD a Strong Buy. The analyst gives the stock a $26 price target, which implies a 15% upside from current levels. (To watch Jenkins track record, click here) Backing his bullish stance, Jenkins noted, "In our view, EPD's unique combination of integration, balance sheet strength, and ROIC track record remains best in class. We see EPD as arguably best positioned to withstand the volatile landscape With EPD's footprint, demand gains, project growth, and contracted ramps should more than offset supply headwinds and lower y/y marketing results" Its not often that the analysts all agree on a stock, so when it does happen, take note. EPDs Strong Buy consensus rating is based on a unanimous 9 Buys. The stocks $24.63 average price target suggests an upside of 9% from the current share price of $22.65. (See EPD stock analysis on TipRanks) AT&T, Inc. (T) AT&T is one of the markets instantly recognizable stock. The company is a member in long standing of the S&P 500, and it has reputation as one of the stock markets best dividend payers. AT&T is a true large-cap industry giant, with a market cap of $208 billion and the largest network of mobile and landline phone services in the US. Its acquisition of TimeWarner (now WarnerMedia), in a process running between 2016 and 2018, has given the company a large stake in the mobile content streaming business. AT&T saw revenues and earnings decline in 2020, under pressure from the corona pandemic but the decline was modest, as that same pandemic also put a premium on telecom and networking systems, which tended to support AT&Ts business. Revenues in 3Q20 were $42.3 billion, 5% below the year-ago quarter. On positive notes, free cash flow rose yoy from $11.4 billion to $12.1 billion, and the company reported a net gain of 5.5 million new subscribers. The subscriber growth was driven by the new 5G network rollout and by premium content services. The company held up its reputation as a dividend champ, and has made its most recent dividend declaration for payment in February 2021. The payment, at 52 per common share, is the fifth in a row at current level and annualizes to $2.08, giving a yield of 7.2%. For comparison, the average dividend among tech sector peer companies is only 0.9%. AT&T has kept its dividend strong for the past 12 years. Raymond James analyst Frank Louthan sees AT&T as a classic defensive value stock, and describes Ts current state as one with the bad news baked in. [We] believe there is more that can go right during the next 12 months than can get worse for AT&T. Throw in the fact that shares are heavily shorted, and we believe this is a recipe for upside. Large cap value names are hard to come by, and we think investors who can wait a few months for a mean reversion while locking in a 7% yield should be rewarded for buying AT&T at current levels, Louthan opined. In line with these comments, Louthan rates T an Outperform (i.e. Buy), and his $32 price target implies room for 10% growth from current levels. (To watch Louthans track record, click here) What does the rest of the Street think? Looking at the consensus breakdown, opinions from other analysts are more spread out. 7 Buy ratings, 6 Holds and 2 Sells add up to a Moderate Buy consensus. In addition, the $31.54 average price target indicates ~9% upside potential. (See AT&T stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for dividend stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Coronavirus update: Biden calls for 100 million vaccinations, $121 billion for health care to fight COVID-19 - Yahoo Finance

SALT LAKE CITY A much more infectious mutation of COVID-19 has been confirmed by state health officials to be in Utah.

The "UK variant" of COVID-19 was found in a Salt Lake County man between the ages of 25-44 who had not traveled outside the state of Utah recently, the Utah Public Health Laboratory said. The man experienced mild symptoms and the B117 variant was found in a genetic sequence of a COVID-19 test.

It was something the Utah Department of Health had been anticipating. The man involved is not believed to be the only one with it in the state.

"If we detected it this quickly since we were looking for it, it indicates to us it is more widespread than this one individual," said Dr. Kelly Oakeson, the director of the state public health lab.

RELATED: What makes the UK coronavirus strain more contagious?

State epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn said what makes this particular strain different is it is much more contagious. The UK variant spreads the same as other forms of COVID-19 (through droplets and the air) but it is more infectious.

"What has changed,is how easy it is for the virus to cause you to be sick. So for every individual that is infected with this new variant, theyre able to spread it to more individuals," she said.

That has the potential to further overwhelm Utah's hospitals, which have been operating near capacity since Christmas when many disregarded health guidelines and gathered. But the good news is the vaccines available do work against the UK variant.

"Now more than ever, we really need to be practicing good public health by wearing a face mask, staying home when sick, avoiding large gatherings and physical distancing as much as we can," Dr. Dunn said.

The state is now in a race to try to vaccinate more people as the new UK variant spreads. Recently, FOX 13 reported the Utah Department of Health yanked vaccine doses from hospitals, who have spent the past month inoculating frontline health care workers, to give them to long-term care facilities with vulnerable adults. That leaves lower-tiered workers without a shot for now.

"This is a hard time to have a more contagious strain given that its winter, people are inside more, the holiday season just passed and people are quite frankly fatigued with all the public health recommendations that weve made," Dr. Dunn said. "That in combination with not enough vaccine to go around is concerning. But i will say that the vaccine gives us hope."

Governor Spencer Cox has ordered vaccination efforts to speed up in Utah. He has even volunteered the Utah National Guard to help local health departments.

The Utah Department of Health said it would not recommend further restrictions in the state. Gov. Cox has kept in place a statewide mask mandate and health orders limiting capacity in restaurants and businesses.

Reacting to reports that the federal government may not have a reserve of COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Cox's office told FOX 13 in a statement: "We continue to work with the outgoing and incoming administrations to gain more clarity on the amount and rhythm of vaccines coming to our state. We are hopeful that we will see an increased amount of vaccines soon."

RELATED: How is the COVID-19 variant different from the virus we already know?

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'UK variant' of COVID-19 confirmed in Utah - fox13now.com

Simpler schemas are less likely to be gamed by the privileged. The C.D.C. has recommended that everyone over 65 be eligible for vaccination, and that requires nothing more than an ID or a declaration required for proof were not going to get overrun by 20-year-olds showing up pretending they are 65.

While the exact order of vaccine recipients may vary by state, most will likely put medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities first. If you want to understand how this decision is getting made, this article will help.

Life will return to normal only when society as a wholegains enough protection against the coronavirus. Once countries authorize a vaccine, theyll only be able to vaccinate a few percent of their citizens at most in the first couple months. The unvaccinated majority will still remain vulnerable to getting infected. A growing number of coronavirus vaccines are showing robust protection against becoming sick. But its also possible for people to spread the virus without even knowing theyre infected because they experience only mild symptoms or none at all. Scientists dont yet know if the vaccines also block the transmission of the coronavirus. So for the time being, even vaccinated people will need to wear masks, avoid indoor crowds, and so on. Once enough people get vaccinated, it will become very difficult for the coronavirus to find vulnerable people to infect. Depending on how quickly we as a society achieve that goal, life might start approaching something like normal by the fall 2021.

Yes, but not forever. The two vaccines that will potentially get authorized this month clearly protect people from getting sick with Covid-19. But the clinical trials that delivered these results were not designed to determine whether vaccinated people could still spread the coronavirus without developing symptoms. That remains a possibility. We know that people who are naturally infected by the coronavirus can spread it while theyre not experiencing any cough or other symptoms. Researcherswill be intensely studying this question as the vaccines roll out. In the meantime, even vaccinated people will need to think of themselves as possible spreaders.

The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is delivered as a shot in the arm, like other typical vaccines. The injection wont be any different from ones youve gotten before. Tens of thousands of people have already received the vaccines, and none of them have reported any serious health problems. But some of them have felt short-lived discomfort, including aches and flu-like symptoms that typically last a day. Its possible that people may need to plan to take a day off work or school after the second shot. While these experiences arent pleasant, they are a good sign: they are the result of your own immune system encountering the vaccine and mounting a potent response that will provide long-lasting immunity.

No. The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer use a genetic molecule to prime the immune system. That molecule, known as mRNA, is eventually destroyed by the body. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that can fuse to a cell, allowing the molecule to slip in. The cell uses the mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus, which can stimulate the immune system. At any moment, each of our cells may contain hundreds of thousands of mRNA molecules, which they produce in order to make proteins of their own. Once those proteins are made, our cells then shred the mRNA with special enzymes. The mRNA molecules our cells make can only survive a matter of minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is engineered to withstand the cell's enzymes a bit longer, so that the cells can make extra virus proteins and prompt a stronger immune response. But the mRNA can only last for a few days at most before they are destroyed.

That doesnt mean we should ignore equity concerns, but we should address them by proactively working to provide access. As Mr. Biden emphasized in his speech on Friday, data shows that African-Americans and Hispanics the people working at low-wage jobs that keep society running and allow the rest of us to just stay at home have been suffering and dying disproportionately at younger ages. To ensure equity, we should go to those populations, rather than expecting them to compete with others to navigate the barriers weve set up a competition they are most likely to lose to those more privileged who have the time, experience and resources for jumping over such hurdles.

We can set up vaccination clinics in neighborhoods or workplaces with many African-Americans or Latinos, and set a lower age limit, say 40 or 50 the exact number can be calculated based on vaccine availability. Simple schema like grouping days or hours by the first letter of peoples last name can avoid overcrowding. Lines can be added for the elderly to help them get through more rapidly.

There is also an important technical concern about distribution. The two vaccines authorized in the United States, by Moderna and Pfizer, must be transported or kept in deep freezers or refrigerators, and used shortly after being thawed. They are transported in cumbersome containers for example, the Pfizer vaccine is shipped in boxes of 4,875 doses, divided into pizza boxes of 195 vials, all of which is topped with 50 pounds of dry ice. Under those circumstances, vaccination is most efficient if the vaccine is distributed in large numbers, inoculating people in at neighborhood locations rather than having to go back and forth in batches to meet strict eligibility priority.

For workplaces, it makes sense to vaccinate everyone whos there whos eligible, perhaps with only age as a criterion, simply because if were there, it makes sense to just roll it out rather than attempting to go back again in some future. Hospital? Yes, vaccinate everyone, perhaps only subject to an age limit. Food warehouse, or grocery store? Yep, vaccinate them all, again perhaps only with an age cutoff. Plus, many essential workers live in multigenerational households, and vaccinating them will prevent their bringing the disease home to their more vulnerable relatives.

Given all this, we need a national mobilization, as Mr. Biden called for. The National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency can be directed to set up tents, especially in poorer neighborhoods, retirement communities, public housing and parking lots. Schools many of which are closed and have parking lots and playgrounds can be turned into vaccination clinics. Drive-through vaccination spots can be opened up around the country, all public health clinics mobilized, pharmacies involved.

Health care workers are overwhelmed, and in short supply everywhere. Thats why we should mobilize everyone we can. All states should do what some have done, authorizing professionals like podiatrists, dentists, dental hygienists, veterinarians, advanced emergency medical technicians, emergency medical technicians with intramuscular epinephrine administration training and any paramedic to help administer the vaccine. We should immediately direct more funding to this effort, not just rely on volunteers who have valiantly shown up.

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Opinion | Speed Up Covid-19 Vaccinations and Reduce Red Tape - The New York Times

They did tests for heart or stroke stuff, but it did turn out to be COVID and the two strains of flu, Roberts told KXAS. We thought of it because of her age, of course, and thats why we were completely surprised and happy when they said shes doing great!

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104-year-old Texas woman recovers from coronavirus and flu - KIRO Seattle