The pandemic is not going to be over for a while. I am hoping that we will see progress by next summer. The John Hopkins dashboard shows that the U.S., with over 4% of the world's population, has more than 25% of the infections and nearly 20% of the deaths. The CDC reports that the most frequent underlying medical conditions in individuals getting COVID 19 were hypertension (55.8%), obesity (48.5%), diabetes (41.2%), and cardiovascular disease (32.5%). Among children hospitalized 52.0% had at least one reported underlying medical condition such as obesity (37.5%), neurologic disease (13.3%), and asthma (11.3%). A little over two percent of the US population has had COVID 19 and ninety-three percent have survived. Seven percent of the patients have died from either COVID 19, pneumonia or the flu. Stay safe we will get through this.
News about the vaccine
We currently do not know how effective this vaccine will be for the new strains of the virus nor do we know for how long the vaccine will be effective. The more contagious the virus strain the more deadly it becomes because it infects more people. Even though you get vaccinated does not mean that you cannot get COVID. We do not know how long antibodies will last once you are infected. Some people have been reinfected after having the virus once. You still must wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands frequently and stay at home as much as possible. Dr. Fauci is currently recommending double masking because of the more contagious strain.
Your second vaccine shot should be within a month of your first shot. There may be a third recommended shot for the new variants of the virus. Side effects of the vaccine include pain and/or swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, chills, diarrhea, and fever. Before getting vaccinated drink plenty of water. Apply a cold towel at the injection site if you’re having pain. Taking an Epsom salt bath (2 cups) can also be helpful. Antoxidants such as Vitamin A, C, D, zinc and probiotics can help with side effects.
Travel
When traveling internationally and coming back into the US you will have to get tested for COVID within 3 days of your travel date before boarding an airplane. The test can be an antigen test or the PCR test. You will have to show the airline documentation of the negative test. Once back in the US even though you had a negative test you will have to quarantine for 10 days. The current tests for COVID 19 may not be effective for the new strains of the virus. We are seeing a lot of false-negative tests.
