Category Archives: COVID-19

COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests: One negative test result inadequate

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“If there is concern you’re infected, and you want to make sure you’re not infected, one or two [home rapid antigen] tests is not enough. Do three tests to make sure you’re not infected.” ~ Dr. Apurv Soni, assistant professor of medicine at Chan

Performance of Rapid Antigen Tests for COVID-19 varies over the course of an infection. Anyone who gets a negative result for COVID-19 from an at-home rapid antigen test shouldn’t assume they’re not infected, and should keep testing, according to a safety recommendation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The guidance is based on research conducted by University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and partners supported by the National Institutes of Health. The study included more than 5,000 people nationwide over age 2.

The study finds that if repeat testing isn’t done, an infection may be present and you could unknowingly spread COVID-19 to others, especially if you’re not experiencing symptoms.

Repeat testing, at least two, is recommended after a negative test for those who show COVID-19 symptoms and for those who are asymptomatic, but may have been exposed to the virus, at least three test are recommended.

For participants who do not have symptoms (asymptomatic), the study found that two additional tests – the first taken 48 hours after the negative result and the second 48 hours later – are more likely to detect COVID-19 during the first week of infection.

For those who were symptomatic, one additional test taken 48 hours after a negative test, the rate of detection was more than 90% when testing started within the first week of infection.

Among the asymptomatic that had an infection lasting at least two days based on PCR testing, repeat testing three times at 48-hour intervals, the rate of detection was 79% when testing started within the first week of infection.

What this means is to optimize detection of COVID-19 infection with home antigen tests, people should test twice at least 48-hours apart if they are symptomatic and three times at 48-hour intervals if they were asymptomatic.

“On a personal level, this study speaks to when antigen tests are useful and not useful, and how to use them,” said Dr. Apurv Soni, assistant professor of medicine at Chan and the study’s lead investigator.

Wear a face mask

Anyone suspected of contracting COVID-19 without showing symptoms should exercise caution by wearing a face mask and stay away from crowds, the study said.

They should continue that practice for at least six days until three at-home antigen tests taken 48 hours apart have been completed.

“If there is concern you’re infected, and you want to make sure you’re not infected, one or two tests is not enough,” said Dr. Soni. “Do three tests to make sure you’re not infected.”

References:

  1. Henry Schwan, At-home COVID tests: One negative result not enough, study says, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, August 12, 2022. https://news.yahoo.com/home-covid-tests-one-negative-161544916.html
  2. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.05.22278466v1

Merck’s Oral Antiviral Pill Reduced the Risk of Hospitalization or Death by Approximately 50 Percent

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A five-day course of Merck’s experimental oral anti-viral drug (Molnupiravir) to treat COVID-19 reduced the risk of hospitalization and death in half in a Phase 3 randomized trial the pharmaceutical company reported. The results were so astounding that the trial is being stopped early, and Merck plans to apply for emergency use authorization from Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

If approved by FDA for emergency use authorization, Molnupiravir, a joint effort between Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, would become the first orally taken antiviral medicine taken for COVID-19.

In a Phase 3 study, 7.3% of patients taking Molnupiravir were hospitalized, while 14.1% of those taking a placebo had to be admitted to the hospital. Merck also reported that no participants using Molnupiravir died through the first 29 days of the tests, while eight patients using a placebo died.

“This is a phenomenal result. This is a profound game-changer to have an oral pill that had this kind of effect, this magnitude of effect in patients who are at high-risk who are already symptomatic,” says Scott Gottlieb, former Commissioner, FDA.

References:

  1. https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and-ridgebacks-investigational-oral-antiviral-molnupiravir-reduced-the-risk-of-hospitalization-or-death-by-approximately-50-percent-compared-to-placebo-for-patients-with-mild-or-moderat/
  2. https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2021/10/01/Merck-Ridgeback-coronavirus-antiviral-drug-molnupiravir/6021633090401/
  3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/10/01/pill-to-treat-covid/

The Delta Variant: What You Should Know

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Delta variant is causing vaccine breakthrough infections.

The Delta variant is an example of how the virus that causes COVID-19 can change as it spreads and has caused nearly 75% of the current infections in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New evidence is showing that the delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and this has prompted U.S. health officials to consider changing advice on wearing masks.

The CDC is encouraging all Americans to get vaccinated, recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health care providers.

If you are fully vaccinated, your risk of infection is lower, but some people can still spread the Delta variant. When “breakthrough cases” of COVID-19 do occur in vaccinated people, nearly all are avoiding serious illness, hospitalization, or death. cdc.gov/coronavirus

To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

For schools, CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place.

References:

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Delta Variant Infecting Unvaccinated

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Only about 46 percent of the U.S. population is vaccinated. Politico

In the U.S. Midwest and South, the highly transmissible Delta variant is spreading quickly among the unvaccinated population, according to federal health officials.

But many people who are not vaccinated are also resistant to wearing masks and are ignoring recommendations to avoid crowded indoor spaces, heightening the virus spread. Only about 46 percent of the U.S. population is vaccinated, and the number of doses administered has fallen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The federal government will try to convince hesitant Americans to get vaccinated by communicating the benefits of the shots. But, President Biden’s team is not confident that a new campaign will change hearts and minds of the reluctant.

Additionally, the Biden administration acknowledged that the U.S. will not reach its goal of having 70% of adults vaccinated by the July 4th Holiday.

Delta variant

New Covid-19 infections have increased by more than 50 percent over the last two weeks in under-vaccinated states. Many of the cases are tied to the Delta variant, which the CDC says now accounts for one-fifth of new infections nationwide. The Delta variant, which was first identified in India, is more infectious than previous coronavirus strains.

“Based on the data that we have right now, the Delta variant is more transmissible than Alpha,” the strain that has predominated in the U.S. this spring, said Summer Galloway, a senior adviser at CDC.

The CDC is currently in the midst of conducting studies to pin down just how well the current vaccines protect against Delta and what impact it has on the unvaccinated population, particularly children. Additionally, the CDC is studying whether the Delta variant leads to more severe infections in undervaccinated communities.

Ending COVID-19

The hope was that once the nation reached herd immunity, the virus would die out. As a result of the Delta variant, the current level of vaccine immunity is insufficient to end the pandemic in the United States.

The higher the contagion, the larger share of the population must be immune. To end the pandemic, a majority of the unvaccinated in the United States must gain immunity, and the best way is through vaccines

The good news is that recent data shows the Pfizer vaccine is nearly 90 percent effective against Delta, making vaccination one of the most effective ways to stop the variant’s march across the U.S.

The CDC continues to encourage people who are unvaccinated to wear masks and avoid crowded indoor gatherings.

Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s World Emergencies Programme, said the Delta strain should make the world “more cautious, more diligent, and more dedicated to” following health protocols.

References:

  1. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/26/white-house-vaccination-delta-variant-496343
  2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/06/25/who-urges-fully-vaccinated-people-to-continue-wearing-masks-as-delta-variant-spreads-but-no-word-from-cdc/amp/
  3. https://khn.org/morning-breakout/perspectives-delta-variant-spreading-rapidly-among-unvaccinated-steps-to-avoid-another-pandemic/

U.S. COVID-19 cases hit lowest point

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New COVID-19 infections are down in the U.S. to the lowest level since March 2020.

For the past 56 weeks, COVID-19 infections have been tracked nationwide. Currently, the case counts are low and the virus infection rate has been effectively contained.

By the numbers: The U.S. averaged roughly 16,500 new cases per day over the past week, a 30% improvement over the week before. according to the CDC. New cases declined in 43 states and held steady in the other seven.

The official case counts haven’t been this low since Americans went into lockdown in March last year. Overall, roughly 33 million Americans — about 10% of the population — have tested positive for COVID-19 and about 595,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S. since March 2020.

The virus is under control, nationwide and in every state, thanks almost entirely to the vaccines. Just over half of American adults are now fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

As of May 27, 2021, nearly 133 million people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, and the national percentage of COVID-19 tests that came back positive over the last 7 days was less than 3%. This is one of the lowest rates the United States has seen since widespread testing began.

Effectively, the U.S. was never able to control the virus without vaccines. The risk is still high for unvaccinated people, as reported by the Washington Post. An average of about 500 Americans per day are still dying from COVID-19, almost all of them unvaccinated.

The U.S. has finally gotten the virus down to a level that just about every public health expert agrees is safe. Fewer than 20,000 cases per day, spread across the U.S. population of 331.5 million people, is a relatively low number of cases, and that number continues to improve every week.

Florida

Florida has more total cases per day — about 1,800, on average — than any other state. But again, that’s spread over a state with over 20 million people, and its numbers are improving just like the rest of the country’s. Florida’s daily case counts fell by 25% just this week.

The bottom line: Cases in the U.S. are low, and they’re likely to stay low. The FDA approved for emergency use vaccines work. They’ve brought COVID-19 infection cases to their lowest levels, and because that improvement is the result of vaccines, there’s no reason to believe the virus will start gaining significant ground again any time soon.

References:

  1. https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-cases-infections-vaccines-success-fa7673a1-0582-4e69-aefb-3b5170268048.html
  2. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

2021 Modern Wealth Survey | Charles Schwab

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“The past year has of course caused Americans to focus on their health, in particular their mental health, along with the health of their relationships. But the pandemic and the significant impact it had on the economy and stock market also taught us a valuable, and in many cases difficult, lesson about the importance of financial health and preparedness, including the importance of having a plan and emergency savings.”  Rob Williams, vice president of financial planning, Charles Schwab

A majority of Americans (60 percent) are feeling more optimistic about the state of the United States overall, including the economy, the stock market and their personal financial prospects, according to Schwab’s 2021 Modern Wealth Survey. And, more than half feel positive about the U.S. job market, economy and role as a global economic power.

Schwab’s 2021 Modern Wealth Survey is an annual examination of how 1,000 Americans think about saving, spending, investing and wealth. The online survey was conducted from February 1 to February 16, 2021, among a national sample of 1,000 Americans aged 21 to 75.

Recalibrating Priorities and Redefining Wealth

“More than half of Americans were financially impacted by COVID-19 in 2020”

According to Schwab’s survey, more than half of survey participants were financially impacted over the past year, whether the economic environment strained their finances (31 percent), they faced a salary cut or reduced hours (26 percent), or they were laid off or furloughed (20 percent).

In lieu of this recent reality, more than two-thirds (68 percent) of Americans have reprioritized what matters most to them, with 69 percent saying mental health is more important than it was before, followed closely by relationships (57 percent), financial health (54 percent) and physical health (39 percent).

Being financially comfortable

“Americans lowered the bar for what it takes to achieve “financial happiness” and to be “financially comfortable” in 2021”

When it comes to achieving financial peace of mind, Americans say you only need a net worth of $624,000 to be considered “financially comfortable.” That’s down significantly from the $934,000 net worth that Americans cited as the minimum needed for financial comfort last year, according to the Survey.

Additionally, the survey finds that Americans have also revised their perspective on what it takes to be wealthy. It takes $1.9M to be viewed as wealthy, more than double the national average, but down from 2020.

U.S. households had an average net worth of $748,800 prior to the pandemic, according to The Federal Reserve’s 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances. However, the median, or midpoint, net worth of all families was much lower, just $121,700 in 2019.

Some lessons learned or relearned from the pandemic include the importance of being financially prepared and being mindful (and more aware) of your financial, physical, mental and emotional health.

References:

  1. https://www.aboutschwab.com/modern-wealth-survey-2021
  2. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/17/net-worth-americans-say-you-need-to-be-financially-comfortable.html
  3. https://content.schwab.com/web/retail/public/about-schwab/schwab_modern_wealth_survey_2021_findings.pdf

People fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can travel safely within the US

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Health officials say travel risk is low for those fully vaccinated

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that people who are fully vaccinated can travel within the US with a low risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

The new guidance recommends that travelers continue to wear masks and socially distance, and advises that fully vaccinated travelers entering the US from overseas continue to test for infection.

The shift comes as new studies have shown that Covid-19 vaccines have been effective in real-world conditions at reducing the risk of infections with or without symptoms.

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CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that fully vaccinated people don’t need to get a COVID-19 test before or after domestic travel—and don’t need to self-quarantine following travel. Travelers who have been fully vaccinated also don’t need to get tested prior to international flights unless that is required by the destination, and they don’t need to self-quarantine when they return to the U.S.

References:

  1. https://www.wsj.com/articles/cdc-says-travel-is-low-risk-for-fully-vaccinated-people-11617376809?mod=e2tw

COVID Vaccine is 100% Effective in Kids Ages 12 to 15

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Pfizer said its coronavirus vaccine was 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children ages 12 to 15.

In participants aged 12-15 years old with or without prior evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 demonstrated 100% efficacy and robust antibody responses. The results exceeded those reported in trial of vaccinated 16-25 year old participants in an earlier analysis, and was well tolerated, according to Pfizer. The trial enrolled 2,260 participants in the United States.

There were 18 confirmed COVID-19 infections observed in the placebo group and no confirmed infections in the group that received the vaccine, the company said. That resulted in a vaccine efficacy of 100%. The vaccine was also well-tolerated, with side effects generally consistent with those seen in adults.

Vaccinating children is crucial to ending the pandemic, public health officials and infectious disease experts say. Children make up around 20% of the U.S. population, according to government data. Between 70% and 85% of the U.S. population needs to be vaccinated against Covid to achieve herd immunity, experts say, and some adults may refuse to get the shots.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the company plans to submit the new vaccine data to the Food and Drug Administration and other regulators “as soon as possible,” with the hope that kids in the age group will be able to get vaccinated before the next school year.

All participants in the trial will continue to be monitored for long-term protection and safety for an additional two years after their second dose.

References:

  1. https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-biontech-announce-positive-topline-results-pivotal
  2. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/31/covid-vaccine-pfizer-says-shot-is-100percent-effective-in-kids-ages-12-to-15.html

Which COVID Vaccine

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The best COVID-19 vaccine for you is the vaccine you can get in your arm the soonest. 

There are three vaccines approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration and some people are tempted to shop around. Some people may want the convenience of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose shot and its low rate of side effects. Others may be interested in the extremely high efficacy of the Pfizer and Moderna two-shot mRNA vaccines.

Which Covid vaccine is best for you? It's the one you can get the soonest.

Bottom line: You should get the vaccine that’s available soonest. All three vaccines approved for emergency use have been shown to be safe and effective against severe complications of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In clinical trials, all three vaccines prevented hospitalizations and death, the worst outcomes of the virus. While these were not the primary outcomes measured (symptomatic infections were), this effectiveness continues to play out in post-vaccination studies. Very few people who have been fully vaccinated are getting sick and even fewer are hospitalized.

All three vaccines produce side effects in patients — but not all patients. Although, there are slight differences in side effects. People who get the J&J vaccine tend to experience fewer of them, but each vaccine produces side effects, mostly mild, in some patients. These side effects are short-lived.

The most common side effect is pain, redness or swelling at the injection site. Other people experienced tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever or nausea. But most of these side effects were mild to moderate and went away quickly.

Remember, these side effects are a sign that your body is reacting to the vaccine and building immunity to the virus (if you don’t have side effects, that doesn’t mean the vaccine isn’t working), according to Dr. Andrea Klemes, the Chief Medical Officer of MDVIP. They’re a small price to pay to get that protection. They’re also rarer in the general population than they were in clinical trials participants with a higher frequency after the second dose. About 372 out of every million administered doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines lead to a non-serious reaction report, according to the journal Nature. The most frequently reported side effects are headache (22.4%), fatigue (16.5%) and dizziness (16.5%), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The bottom line: You’ve waited this long for the vaccine; you shouldn’t shop around when the opportunity to get the vaccine presents itself. The faster everyone gets vaccinated, the faster we will be able to return to normal.

References:

  1. https://www.mdvip.com/about-mdvip/blog/which-covid-vaccine-should-you-get
  2. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7008e3.htm

What to Expect after Getting a COVID-19 Vaccination

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Adverse reactions are usually mild to moderate in intensity and resolve within a few days following receipt of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDC. The most common adverse reactions reported after vaccination in clinical studies included:

  • Pain at injection site (92.0%)
  • Fatigue (70.0%)
  • Headache (64.7%)
  • Muscle pain (51.5%)
  • Joint pain (46.4%)
  • Chills (45.4%)
  • Nausea/vomiting (23.0%)
  • Axillary swelling and tenderness of the vaccination arm (19.8%)
  • Fever (15.5%)
  • Injection site swelling (14.7%)
  • Injection site redness (10.0%)

It takes time for your body to build protection after any vaccination. COVID-19 vaccines that require 2 shots may not protect you until about 2 weeks after your second shot.

After receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, the side effects you may experience are normal signs that your body is building protection and they should go away in a few days.

References:

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect/after.html