COVID-19 March 2021 Update: The Light at the End of the Tunnel

There seems to be a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel as the vaccine rollout, however disjointed  and chaotic it may seem to be, is finally getting vaccine to the people. All my staff have been  immunized (as have I). All of us had minor local reactions and are completely confident in the science  behind these remarkable products and the ability of these vaccines to protect us. 

The vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson has been given Emergency Use Authorization,  joining the products from Moderna and Pfizer in the fight against SARS CoV 2. A similar vaccine  produced by Astra Zeneca should follow suit in a few weeks. In addition, a completely different vaccine  from the company Novavax should also have data presented to the FDA in April or so, and may also  receive EUA from the FDA, making a total of 5 vaccines available to the public. By this May to June, all  in the US, and hopefully around the world will have access to these vaccines. If we as a society can  come together and get the vaccine, we can end this epidemic quickly and get back to a more “normal”  existence. While getting back to a “pre-COVID” normal may not happen for a year or two, certainly we  can get close. But it all depends on how many of us get the vaccine, as “herd immunity”, or the percent of the population that needs to be immunized in order to stop the spread of SARS CoV 2 is estimated to  be between 75%-85%. 

Already the naysayers and anti-vaccine forces are mobilizing against science and common sense. Please  do not be swayed. I am happy to answer any question you may have about the vaccines, side effects,  what we know and don’t know, use in children and when that could potentially happen, and any other  concerns you may have. The bottom line is the same: get the vaccine if and when you have a chance. It is the only way out of this situation, and I ask each and every one of you to spread this word so that the  more people who get this, the closer to “Herd Immunity” we get, and the closer to normalcy we get. 

New Virus Strains

One of the negative things that has happened in recent weeks is the emergence of new strains of SARS  CoV 2. It is only natural that the virus will mutate. This is what viruses do. This is being tracked  throughout the world and there are varying opinions as to how the vaccines will hold up to the new strains. So far, it looks pretty good and the current vaccines should work well with only a small amount  of reduced effectiveness. However, that could change. This is why it is so important to immunize  quickly now to combat the current strain so we will not have to do boosters later to catch the mutated  strains. 

Kids and the COVID-19 Vaccine

Many of you have asked about children getting the vaccine. Where we stand now is that two  companies, Moderna and Pfizer, are in the middle of trials for kids, but only for older kids (12-18 years  old). These studies should be completed in about 2-3 months, with data collection and analysis to  follow. We are all anxiously awaiting the results. If good, then expect EUA for these also. Following  this, expect trials for kids <12 years of age (and one started last week). Given this timeline, it is  reasonable to assume that vaccines for older kids will not be available until late summer or early Fall,  and for those younger than 12 not till 2022. Stay tuned. 

So please be safe, mask up, physical distance, stay away from large gatherings. And, please, please get  your vaccine if you can!