J. Harris: The “New Cases and Date” data above might be the most important area data. We now have a greater average of active Covid cases in this area than much of Texas, bases on population. Nevertheless, our hospitals in TSA G have been able to keep up. We owe our Health Care Workers more than we can ever repay. Please get vaccinated when you can and continue to practice caution with make, distance, crowd avoidance, and use lots of soap and water. Note that much of the data runs a day behind, except school data which is about 10 days behind as far as public release is concerned.
Note MISD data from 1/24, which is the most recent available. FYI, the total for that date in Elysian Fields was 11, Hallsville 177, Harleton 46 on that date. This is difficult data to extract. J. Harris
A global study of nearly 44,000 found that the COVID-19 vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson is 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe disease….The study was conducted in the U.S., Latin America and South Africa. The vaccine did better at preventing disease in the U.S. – 72% — and less well in South Africa – 57% efficacy. The efficacy seen in Latin America was 66%.
HOPKINS SUGGESTIONS:
1. Time to Double or Upgrade Masks As Coronavirus Variants Emerge, Experts Say(Washington Post) The discovery of highly transmissible coronavirus variants in the United States has public health experts urging Americans to upgrade the simple cloth masks that have become a staple shield during the pandemic. The change can be as simple as slapping a second mask over the one you already wear, or better yet, donning a fabric mask on top of a surgical mask. Some experts say it is time to buy the highest-quality KN95 or N95 masks that officials hoping to reserve supplies for health-care workers have long discouraged Americans from purchasing.
2. Biden Announces Purchase of 200M Vaccine Doses (CNN) President Joe Biden announced a series of measures on Tuesday aimed at ramping up coronavirus vaccine allocation and distribution, including the purchase of 200 million more vaccine doses and increased distribution to states by millions of doses next week. With those additional doses, Biden said there would be enough to fully vaccinate 300 million Americans — nearly the entire US population — by the end of summer or early fall.
3. With All Eyes on Covid-19, Drug-Resistant Infections Crept In (New York Times) As Covid-19 took hold over the last year, hospitals and nursing homes used and reused scarce protective equipment — masks, gloves, gowns. This desperate frugality helped prevent the airborne transfer of the virus. But it also appears to have helped spread a different set of germs — drug-resistant bacteria and fungi — that have used the chaos of the pandemic to grow opportunistically in health care settings around the globe.
(J. Harris: This Atlantic article is part of an educator oriented series that I will try and send out. This magazine is (and has) providing a variety of good reads.)
(J. Harris: Read this NYT version of this article; it’s easier to understand. Some troubles are occurring with some of the Mutants–this data changes daily and little of this information has been published yet–it is current. Nevertheless, these Mutants are worrisome. We need some Zombies to emerge from the Black Lagoon to eat them)
Ultra-absorptive Nanofiber Swabs for Improved Collection and Test Sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 and other Biological Specimens (Nano Letters) In this study, we report a new class of nanofiber swabs tipped with hierarchical 3D nanofiber objects produced by expanding electrospun membranes with a solids-of-revolution-inspired gas foaming technique. Nanofiber swabs significantly improve absorption and release of proteins, cells, bacteria, DNA, and viruses from solutions and surfaces. Implementation of nanofiber swabs in SARS-CoV-2 detection reduces the false negative rates at two viral concentrations and identifies SARS-CoV-2 at a 10× lower viral concentration compared to flocked and cotton swabs.
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J. Harris: This morning, KSLA says they have 9,000 doses of Vaccine to use. Check the KSLA site. They apparently have two Hubs, for today at least. One is at a church, the other at the Fairgrounds, I believe. Christus-Shreveport is doing the work.
HOPKINS SUGGESTS:
1. COVID-19 Cases and Transmission in 17 K–12 Schools — Wood County, Wisconsin, August 31–November 29, 2020 (CDC MMWR) In a setting of widespread community SARS-CoV-2 transmission, few instances of in-school transmission were identified among students and staff members, with limited spread among children within their cohorts and no documented transmission to or from staff members. Only seven of 191 cases (3.7%) were linked to in-school transmission, and all seven were among children. Mask-wearing among students was reported by teachers as high, which likely contributed to low levels of observed disease transmission in these 17 K–12 schools.
2.Monoclonal Antibodies Protect Against COVID-19 in a Second Study (Science) A second company has provided preliminary evidence that proactively infusing healthy people with monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 prevents them from developing noticeable symptoms of COVID-19 if they are exposed to the coronavirus. In a press release today, Regeneron revealed that when it gave a cocktail of two of those antibodies to 186 people living in a house with someone who had COVID-19, none developed symptomatic disease.
J. Harris: I’ve been looking at this article for a few days. I don’t know the author and couldn’t find out much about him. Nevertheless, it is a historical/futuristic piece that considers Covid and Influenza to be very close kin, but it clearly points out the differences, especially where virulence is considered. Read this if you’re curious, but it may make you sad, and frightened. I agree that we will be forced to deal with Covid for some time to come. Fortunately, we can handle Covid — and will. Vaccines, upgraded vaccines if necessary, monoclonal antibodies, and antiviral drugs will continue to be developed and improved. In addition, our national health and delivery systems will become functional as our Federal, State, and County governments learn how and when to work together on health issues.
SOME GOOD NEWS FROM HOPKINS, CURRENT:
“It is becoming more clear that the US has passed a peak in terms of daily incidence, and the current average is less than what it was prior to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. In light of fluctuations in reporting over the winter holidays, it is difficult to determine when the daily incidence actually peaked; however, the peak in terms of reported incidence was 248,706 new cases per day on January 8. In addition to daily incidence, we are beginning to observe an associated decrease in hospitalizations at the national level.”
Sanofi to Help Produce 100 Million Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine Doses(Reuters) Sanofi will fill and pack millions of doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine from July in an effort to help meet the huge demand for the U.S. drugmaker’s shots. The French company will aim to help supply more than 100 million doses of the vaccine this year from its German plant in Frankfurt, CEO Paul Hudson told Le Figaro newspaper on Tuesday.
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(J. Harris: Bring up the site, type in the name of your town or nearby towns. Facilities that offer Covid Vaccinations will light up. Most of them in our area are out of vaccine, but a quick way to check for new vaccine, is to point and click on the various sites to see if vaccine has come in. This is faster than the telephone. I’d get on the waiting list at several area Hubs or sites (mostly drug stores) and continue being careful with masks and distance. The Vaccine is coming. It should become better and remain steady for the next several months. Help you family and friends get signed up. Help people who may be alone sign up. We’re all in this together and we’ll all get out of it together.)
1. Israel’s Early Vaccine Data Offers Hope (New York Times) Initial studies show a significant drop in infections and hospitalizations after just one dose, and very few cases after two. Experts caution that the results are preliminary.
2. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in First Responders and Public Safety Personnel, New York City, New York, USA, May–July 2020 (Emerging Infectious Diseases) Of 22,647 participants, 22.5% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies. Seroprevalence for police and firefighters was similar to overall seroprevalence; seroprevalence was highest in correctional staff (39.2%) and emergency medical technicians (38.3%) and lowest in laboratory technicians (10.1%) and medicolegal death investigators (10.8%).
(J. Harris: A very understandable article about the eventual necessity of vaccinating children against Covid after proper studies have been done and to
J. Harris: The numbers are slow coming in today. Trend in Texas is fewer new cases, fewer covid hospitalizations, more ICU beds in our area G, and increased deaths statewide.
J. Harris: Harrison County patients are directed to get shots in either Gregg or Smith County Hubs. Get on the lists. (https://vaccinate.christushealth.org/)
(J. Harris Anaphylaxis revisited: CDC identified 21 case reports out of 1 893 360 first doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. That’s a rate of 21/1893360 or 11 cases per million vaccinations. 4 were hospitalized. No one died. That’s about as safe as a shot of anything can get.)
(J. Harris: Rare reactions, no deaths with the Moderna vaccine in this study.)
From Hopkins selections”
1. The Proportion of SARS-CoV-2 Infections That Are Asymptomatic(Annals of Internal Medicine) Sixty-one eligible studies and reports were identified, of which 43 used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of nasopharyngeal swabs to detect current SARS-CoV-2 infection and 18 used antibody testing to detect current or prior infection. In the 14 studies with longitudinal data that reported information on the evolution of symptomatic status, nearly three quarters of persons who tested positive but had no symptoms at the time of testing remained asymptomatic. The highest-quality evidence comes from nationwide, representative serosurveys of England (n = 365 104) and Spain (n = 61 075), which suggest that at least one third of SARS-CoV-2 infections are asymptomatic.
FEMA Leads Whole-of-Government COVID-19 Response Update FEMA is helping identify and fill resource gaps, using federal funding to accelerate state vaccination efforts and working to establish vaccine sites, in alignment with President Joseph R. Biden’s COVID-19 response plan. FEMA established a new Interagency Vaccination Task Force in FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center and is deploying FEMA staff to vaccination sites in support of state requests. This new task force is developing data dashboards to track personnel movement and vaccine distribution. (FEMA, 1/25/2021)
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1. CHRISTUS IN MARSHALL WILL NOT LIKELY HAVE MORE VACCINATIONS UNTIL A BIG HUB IS ESTABLISHED IN MARSHALL IN ANOTHER FACILITY (LIKE THE CIVIC CENTER?). THIS WILL HAPPEN WHEN SUPPLIES OF VACCINE ARE AVAILABLE. NO NEED TO CALL THEM. CHRISTUS LONGVIEW IS IN THE SAME SITUATION. WATCH THE PAPERS AND THE NET.
2. VACCINATION SITES IN HARRISON COUNTY, TX VACCINATION SITES IN HARRISON COUNTY, TX:
SUPER 1 PHARMACY ON HWY 59 — 903 938 3096
HALLSVILLE BROOKSHIRE PHARMACY — 903 668 1409
3. MARSHALL/HARRISON COUNTY HEALTH DEPT (BEST VACCINE SITE IN MARSHALL AT THIS TIME)
(and click on the sign up for a COVID 19 Vaccine link) THE INTERNET IS BETTER THAN CALLING OVER AND OVER UNTIL THEY ANSWER. SIGN UP. THEY GET VACCINE SHIPMENTS PERIODICALLY, SO DOES GREGG COUNTY.
BROOKSHIRES ON GILMER RD. LONGVIEW 903-297-6963, SUPER ONE ON HWY.80 LONGVIEW 903-753-1964, SUPER ONE ON HIGH ST. LONGVIEW 903-234-2785, AND BROOKSHIRES IN WHITEOAK, 200 W.US80, 903-297-2785, LOUIS MORGAN #4 IN LONGVIEW 110 JOHNSTON ST. 903-730-6580
6. TRY SHREVEPORT, LA. THEY SOMETIME HAVE VACCINE.
NORTHEAST TEXAS PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICT WILL BE DISTRIBUTING VACCINE TO ANYONE WHO QUALIFIES REGARDLESS OF COUNTY OF RESIDENCE. NET HEALTH CEO GEORGE ROBERTS SAID THE HEALTH DISTRICT WILL BE HOSTING VACCINE DRIVE-THRU CLINICS AT HARVEY CONVENTION CENTER IN TYLER EVERY WEEK BASED ON AN APPOINTMENT AND WAITING LIST SYSTEM.
THE NEXT DRIVE IN EVENT WILL BE SOON. THOSE ON THE WAITING LIST BE THE FIRST CALLED ON AN APPOINTMENT. GET ON THE WAITING LIST
THE SECOND HUB IN TYLER IS UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT TYLER: I DON’T KNOW WHEN THIS HUB WILL START DISTRIBUTING VACCINE.
THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES SAID THAT THIS WEEK MOST COVID-19 VACCINES WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO LARGE SITES AROUND THE STATE TO VACCINATE MORE THAN 100,000 PEOPLE. THE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE MORE PEOPLE WITH THE VACCINE AND AN EASIER WAY TO SIGN UP FOR AN APPOINTMENT. ALL PHASE 1A AND 1B INDIVIDUALS ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A VACCINE AT THESE HUBS, NO MATTER WHERE THEY LIVE.
PHASE 1A INCLUDES FRONT-LINE HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND RESIDENTS AT LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES, WHILE PHASE 1B INCLUDES PEOPLE OVER 65 OR WITH A CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITION THAT PUTS THEM AT INCREASED RISK FOR SEVERE ILLNESS FROM COVID‑19.
PEOPLE SHOULD NOT SHOW UP TO A HUB IF THEY DON’T HAVE AN APPOINTMENT. PROVIDERS ARE FOCUSING ON VACCINATING AREAS AND POPULATIONS HARDEST HIT BY COVID‑19, DSHS SAID.
ACCORDING TO THE STATE, VACCINE SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED BUT MORE SUPPLY IS COMING EVERY WEEK.
FOR WEEK FIVE OF THE VACCINE ALLOCATION, NET HEALTH AND UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT TYLER EACH RECEIVED 1,500 DOSES OF THE VACCINE.
APPOINTMENTS ARE FULL AT UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT TYLER, BUT UT HEALTH EAST TEXAS SAID THAT OFFICIALS WILL PUBLICIZE THE NEXT APPOINTMENT AVAILABILITY THROUGH THE MEDIA. APPOINTMENTS HAVE BEGUN, AND PEOPLE USED AN ONLINE LINK TO SIGN UP FOR THESE APPOINTMENTS AS WELL.
I WOULD GUESS THAT THERE ARE DRUG STORES IN TYLER OFFERING VACCINE????
IF YOU KNOW OF FRIENDS OR RELATIVE OR ACQUAINTANCES WHO MIGHT HAVE TROUBLE FIGURING OUT HOW TO SIGN UP FOR VACCINATION, PLEASE TRY AND HELP THEM.
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“Our interim analysis indicates that vaccine candidate Ad26.COV2.S is safe and immunogenic in both younger and older adults. This finding, in combination with the results in preclinical challenge studies,12,13 has supported our decision to proceed with two phase 3 trials …to evaluate the efficacy of either a single-dose or two-dose regimen of the lower dose…”.
J. Harris: This is the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and it looks very safe and effective. We will know soon.
“…Merck will instead focus its Covid-19 efforts on an experimental antiviral drug known as molnupiravir. Originally designed for influenza, it has shown promising effects in studies on animals and in early clinical trials. The trial is set to finish by May, although preliminary results could come out as early as March.”
From Hopkins selections:
1. BAMLANIVIMAB Eli Lilly announced that its neutralizing antibody treatment bamlanivimab can reduce the risk of developing COVID-19 disease…The researchers found that prophylactic use of bamlanivimab was associated with an 80% decrease in the risk of developing COVID-19 disease after 8 weeks. The full data have not yet been published publicly nor peer reviewed, but the company indicated that it intends to publish the data in the near future…bamlanivimab is not a replacement for vaccines, but rather, it could be an option for emergency prophylaxis following known or suspected exposure. The drug could potentially mitigate the risk of disease when there may not be enough time for a vaccine to stimulate a sufficient immune response…”
(J. Harris: Since I can neither spell nor pronounce “bamlanivimab” I plan to call it the “Wham Bam” medicine [neutralizing antibody].)
2. CHINA QUARANTINE China continues its response to an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in Shijiazhuang, a city in the northern part of the country. Last week, the Chinese government imposed a “lockdown” on Shijiazhuang and Xingtai. The lockdown then expanded to include other cities across 11 regions in 3 provinces—including Langfang, which is located just south of Beijing. In total, the lockdowns now affect an estimated 22 million people. Additionally, the Chinese government is rapidly constructing a COVID-19 quarantine center outside Shijiazhuang that could house more than 4,000 individuals. The plan is for this facility to host close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 patients as a part of the country’s expansive COVID-19 contact tracing program. The Chinese government has expressed a sense of urgency to control the spread of the pandemic, particularly as the country prepares for increases in travel and large gatherings coinciding with the Lunar New Year in February.
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EMAIL ADDRESS FOR MARSHALL-HARRISON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT: At times they have vaccine shipments. Get on their waiting list. Email better than telephone.
1. Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Lineage — United States, December 29, 2020–January 12, 2021 (MMWR) Modeling data indicate that B.1.1.7 has the potential to increase the U.S. pandemic trajectory in the coming months. CDC’s system for genomic surveillance and the effort to expand sequencing will increase the availability of timely U.S. genomic surveillance data. The increased transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 variant warrants universal and increased compliance with mitigation strategies, including distancing and masking. Higher vaccination coverage might need to be achieved to protect the public. Genomic sequence analysis through the National SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance program will enable a targeted approach to identifying variants of concern in the United States.
(J. Harris: “Genomic sequence analysis” means that we have the ability to analyze the genetic material, including genes and DNA to determine the composition and identify the structure of the various mutations of the Covid-19 viruses as they mutate and spread. Then we can track the types of nuisances that they make of themselves and figure out how to kill or control them.)
2. Emerging Coronavirus Variants May Pose Challenges to Vaccines(New York Times) The steady drumbeat of reports about new variants of the coronavirus — first in Britain, then in South Africa, Brazil and the United States — have brought a new worry: Will vaccines protect against these altered versions of the virus? The answer so far is yes, several experts said in interviews. But two small new studies, posted online Tuesday night, suggest that some variants may pose unexpected challenges to the immune system, even in those who have been vaccinated — a development that most scientists had not anticipated seeing for months, even years.
(J. Harris: We need to get as many people vaccinated as we can as soon as we can. If the mutants become less susceptible to the vaccines, we’ll worry about it then. Antibiotics and antibodies will be found that will control and kill the pests, and watchful governmental/medical agencies will be “toned up” to prevent future pandemics.)
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The 21 January story in the Washington Post caught my eye. I immediately thought “Another dumb decision by some bureaucrat.” My second thought was, “That person’s head should roll.”
I worked for the Navy for 32 years. One to the Navy traditions is that managers must be held responsible for bad decisions. It seemed like a simple thing to find the highest level person that decided to move the National Guard to a parking garage.and take action after a review of the situation. It seems like something that could be quick and simple.
When it dawned on me that in the United States of America in 2021 nothing is simple. It’s all political.
For starters this story was reported by the Washington Post and on CNN. For four years Trump has been brainwashing people to believe that everything in the Washington Post is “fake news” and cannot be believed. That means 30% of the people in the country will not believe the story. This leaves only the Democrats, the Independents, and Mitt Romney to believe the story.
I must admit I was wrong once more. Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy, rested after trying to overturn the last election, decided that it was time to blame the Democrats since they had been in power for a day. Ok, let me cut him some slack – they have been in power for a day and a half.
Using our government’s official form of communications, Twitter, Mr. McCarfthy blamed Democrat Nancy Pelosi for ordering the National Guard into the parking garage.
I have never thought of Mr. McCarthy is a mental giant but surely he knows that the Secretary of Defense does not report to the Speaker of the House and the National Guard is in the Department of Defense’s org chart.
To be perfectly fair to Mr. McCarthy, I am not sure Speaker Pelosi knows that the Secretary of Defense does not report to her. After all she did call the Joint Chief of Staff to express her concerns about Donald What’s His Name having the nuclear codes. Fortunately, What’s His Name no longer has a football and only carries golf balls these days.
Hell – after listening to many members of the House of Representatives speak, I feel fairly confident that fewer than 10% of them know the Secretary of Defence does not report to the Speaker of the House. Let me make one correction. Since more women joined Congress after the last election, let me say now 15% of the Representatives know that the Department of Defense does not report to the Speaker.
Since some of you might feel I am being a little hard on McCathy and Pelosi, I would like to conclude by saying that Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Mitch McConnell have outlived their useful service life and should be put out to pasture with Pelosi and McCarthy. It’s time for them all to develop an exit strategy if one of them knows what an exit plan is.
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CORONAVIRUS INFO PROVIDED BY DR. JIM HARRIS – 01/22/2021
1/22/2021
HOPKINS RECOMMENDS
1. Eli Lilly Says Its Monoclonal Antibody Prevented Covid-19 Infections in Clinical Trial (STAT News) Eli Lilly said Thursday that its monoclonal antibody prevented Covid-19 infections in nursing home residents and staff in a clinical trial, the first time such a treatment has been shown to prevent infection. Lilly released the results in a press release, although it said that it would publish the data in a research paper as quickly as possible.
2. Current, Deadly U.S. Coronavirus Surge Has Peaked, Researchers Say (NPR) The devastating fall and winter wave of coronavirus infections that is causing so much misery across the U.S. appears to have finally peaked, according to several researchers who are closely tracking the virus. While another surge remains possible, especially with new, more infectious variants on the horizon, the number of new daily infections in the current wave appears to have hit a high in the past week or two and has been steadily declining in most states since, the researchers say.
3. Factors Associated With US Public Motivation to Use and Distribute COVID-19 Self-tests (JAMA Network Open) We found that the majority of survey participants were motivated to distribute COVID-19 self-test kits and to use self-test kits. Motivation is a prerequisite for voluntary behavior,5 and our findings suggest that the secondary distribution of COVID-19 self-test kits may be associated with increased test uptake and case detection. However, individuals with lower socioeconomic status reported lower motivation and may be less likely to distribute test kits and self-test; behavioral interventions may help increase motivation in this population.
4. Drop in Vaccination Causes Surge in Global Measles Cases, Deaths(JAMA Network) Failure to vaccinate children against measles has led to a 556% surge in the number of reported cases and a 50% increase in deaths from the disease since 2016, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Although global measles vaccination efforts have saved an estimated 25.5 million lives since 2000, a joint report from the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that the worldwide proportion of individuals protected by at least 1 shot of the 2-shot measles vaccine increased from 72% in 2000 to 84% in 2010 but it has since plateaued at about 85%.
DON’T TAKE YOUR FLU SHOT TOO EARLY (Waning vaccine effectiveness against influenza-associated hospitalizations among adults, 2015-2016 to 2018-2019, US Hospitalized Adult Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network):
“…. Maximum VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS was observed shortly after vaccination, followed by an absolute decline in VE of about 8 to 9% per month. Rate of decline was similar across influenza subtypes. Among older adults, we observed a slightly faster rate of decline of 10 to 11% per month.
“The public health implications of these findings warrant closer examination because even a 1-2 month delay in annual vaccination could improve VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS by 10 to 20%. If such an approach does not encroach on the annual influenza season, delay vaccine delivery, or reduce vaccine uptake, it could lead to appreciable gains in public health benefits given the large burden of influenza morbidity and mortality annually in the US.
(J. Harris: Around here usually late Sept./Oct. is a good time for Flu shot, most years. Your doctor can advise you.)