CORONAVIRUS INFO PROVIDED BY DR. JIM HARRIS – 8/20/2022

This chapter for the Covid saga is fading locally. Harrison County is back in a “Low Danger” Zone.

Have a nice weekend, but don’t monkey around.

FROM EPIDEMIOLOGIST:

Why older people are at higher risk for severe COVID-19

(J. Harris: A brief, concise review of immunology that even I can almost understand. Incidentally, I think I’ll keep my nasal iodine solution handy. Anyone can sign up for this informative series.)

HOPKINS’ COVID WEBB SITE (CLICK)

J. Harris: Anyone can sign up for Hopkins viral sites. Free! They are quick to read and very thorough and the most complete and extensive source of information. They send out news several times per week. We haven’t talked about Hopkins’ services to humanity in the last couple of years.

FROM HOPKINS SUGGESTIONS:

1. In an Effort to Address its Missteps During Covid, CDC Plans an ‘Ambitious’ Agency Overhaul (STAT News) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency that has had its reputation battered by a series of missteps in the Covid-19 pandemic, and a slow response to the monkeypox outbreak, will undergo an “ambitious” overhaul, Director Rochelle Walensky announced Wednesday. In an email to staff, Walensky said the renewal effort will focus on making the agency more nimble and responsive to needs that arise in health emergencies. The priority will be to gather data that can be used to rapidly dispense public health guidance, rather than craft scientific pape

FROM BECKERS:

1. Pfizer’s antiviral drug could result in ‘Paxlovid mouth’

2. Century-old tuberculosis vaccine may protect against COVID-19, study finds

”A tuberculosis vaccine that’s 100 years old and costs less than a dollar per dose could have a shot at preventing COVID-19 infections, according to researchers from Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital…

In a 15-monthslong trial conducted before COVID-19 vaccines were available, the researchers administered three jabs of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine, which was first introduced in 1921, to 144 patients with Type 1 diabetes. The vaccine garnered 92 percent efficacy, according to an Aug. 16 press release….

The results, which are published in the Cell Reports Medicine journal, also showed high efficacy in combating other infectious diseases. The researchers hope to start a larger trial to further test the tuberculosis vaccine’s efficacy among patients with Type 1 diabetes, a group that has a high risk for severe illness from COVID-19.”

FROM TIME MAGAZINE:

Your Kid’s School Needs Better Ventilation to Help Keep COVID-19 in Check

”…some parents and experts are trying to improve ventilation in schools, since better air quality in buildings can reduce COVID-19’s spread and even improve other health outcomes. But, despite readily available resources—including millions of dollars in funding from the federal government—many schools have not invested in upgrading their air quality…. experts recommend that classroom ventilation meets the threshold of six air changes per hour, meaning new, clean air is circulating through the room every ten minutes. …School leaders need to learn more about air quality issues in order to understand how important they are, experts say. Even if an administrator recognizes the value of better ventilation, they likely need to hire an HVAC expert to examine existing building systems, then vet that expert’s recommendations and evaluate potential upgrades—all of which may be “far beyond their area of expertise..”

TO ANSWER A QUESTION MANY ARE ASKING:

Do You Need a Polio Booster Shot?

AND LAST BUT NOT LEASED: