CORONAVIRUS INFO PROVIDED BY DR. JIM HARRIS –12/17/2021

LOCAL NEWS:

I am told that a local bank closed early yesterday because many of their employees were ill.

Local “recorded” counts are still low. Most experts say Omicron surge will be very apparent by January.

Omicron infections are mild in vaccinated people. Don’t forget your booster. It will “kick in” rapidly. Use your masks.

What We Should Learn About the Coming Plague

(J. Harris: This is a very good podcast and worth a listen.)

Why Parents Still Hesitate to Vaccinate Their Children Against COVID-19

”…As of early December, more than 2.3 million children aged 5 to 11 years had developed COVID-19 and 209 had died. Although a vaccine that’s 90.7% effective in preventing the illness was authorized for younger kids in late October, these figures apparently aren’t convincing enough to persuade many parents to vaccinate their children…Nevertheless, the CDC reports that more than 90% of US children up to age 24 months are immunized via injection against several diseases, including measles, mumps, and rubella; almost 93% have received at least 3 of the 4 recommended injections of polio vaccine. And approximately 95% of kindergarteners had received state-required vaccines for the 2019-2020 school year.

”So why are parents more hesitant when it comes to the COVID-19 jab? For many, the answer is related to familiarity with the vaccines in question. Shots to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella have been around since the 1960s. But the first COVID-19 vaccine was created last year; it’s still relatively uncharted territory. And unlike parents of the 1960s, today’s parents may be inundated with social media and internet messages promoting misinformation about or mistrust in vaccines…Nevertheless, the CDC reports that more than 90% of US children up to age 24 months are immunized via injection against several diseases, including measles, mumps, and rubella; almost 93% have received at least 3 of the 4 recommended injections of polio vaccine. And approximately 95% of kindergarteners had received state-required vaccines for the 2019-2020 school year.

”… For many, the answer is related to familiarity with the vaccines in question. Shots to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella have been around since the 1960s. But the first COVID-19 vaccine was created last year; it’s still relatively uncharted territory. And unlike parents of the 1960s, today’s parents may be inundated with social media and internet messages promoting misinformation about or mistrust in vaccines…With any unknown, parents are very frightened of doing something to their child that might have long-term ramifications…

”Parents not only worry about how the COVID-19 vaccine may affect their children but also worry about how it may affect themselves…“The biggest concerns are about potential unknown long-term effects and serious side effects of the vaccine…But clinical trial results demonstrate the vaccine’s safety in young children.

”There’s also growing data on adolescents. Since the FDA expanded BNT162b2’s EUA in May for those aged 12 to 15 years, approximately 15.6 million who are aged 12 to 17 had received at least 1 dose as of early December. In November, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their vaccine prevented COVID-19 for at least 4 months among vaccinated youths in an analysis of 2228 clinical trial participants aged 12 to 15 years. Although adolescents have a slightly elevated risk of myocarditis—inflammation of the heart muscle—from BNT162b2, the chance of developing the condition from the vaccine is rare. In fact, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices determined in June that the benefits of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines outweigh their risks, including that of postvaccination myocarditis, for all eligible age groups. (In June, BNT162b2 hadn’t yet been authorized for children younger than 12 years.)…“The real risk is reactogenicity, so it’s going to hurt where they get the shot, and that’s going to last a day or two,”…Other adverse effects among children and teens are similar: mild to moderate headaches and fatigue that resolve within days. Flulike symptoms such as fever and nausea sometimes occur, but they also tend to resolve quickly….

(J. Harris: This article continues with many other good points and is very readable and historical. Send this article to Vaccine Hesitant friends and relatives as a balanced vaccine article.)

Antibody Response and Variant Cross-Neutralization After SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infection

”…Results of this study showed substantial boosting of humoral immunity after breakthrough infection, despite predominantly mild disease. Boosting was most notable for IgA, possibly due to the differences in route of exposure between vaccination and natural infection. In addition, breakthrough sera demonstrated improved variant cross-neutralization, and Delta breakthrough infections in particular exhibited improved potency against Delta vs WA1, suggesting that the protective immune response may be broadened through development of variant boosters with antigenic inserts matching the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

(J. Harris: And none of the immunized folks with breaktrough cases was very sick. The study was done befrom Omicron appeared.)

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines.

Happily: