Bracing for a "dark December"
More very good news on the vaccine front, but hospitals and others are anxious about a likely surge-within-a-surge after millions travel for Thanksgiving
I hope that you had a safe and healthy holiday weekend. We begin the week with more vaccine news, this time the final data from Moderna before it proceeds to FDA review. The news is really good — several public health leaders who are among the more skeptical describe it as “exciting” and “better than we could have dreamed.”
The Moderna vaccine shows 94% efficacy, according to the company in a news release.
The vaccine totally prevented serious COVID-19. There were 30 severe COVID cases (including one death) among study subjects who received placebo, and zero in the group that got the active vaccine.
The not-so-good news is that some people reported headaches and other side effects - mostly after the second dose of the vaccine. Although these side effects merely indicate the vaccine is working, experts say people need to know about this before they get the shots.
Moderna says it will submit its application for emergency use of its vaccine to the FDA today.
The CDC's vaccine advisory panel meets tomorrow to consider distribution and administration priorities. Unclear how much the White House will follow the panel's recommendations.
A Los Angeles physician writes in the Los Angeles Times that he and other healthcare workers are “tired of hearing lame excuses” for people dropping their COVID-19 precautions, such as being only with close friends or “needing” to have a birthday party. “Stop being crybabies about a little inconvenience. We already have more than 250,000 reasons to weep — and to be thankful we are alive and can still do something about it,” says Mark Morocco, an emergency physician at UCLA. “So avoid crowds. Wash your hands. Stay home. Why is this so hard?”
The Washington Post's Lenny Bernstein reports from inside a Wisconsin hospital during the surge.
An Oregon nurse faces discipline after a social media post boasting of traveling without wearing a mask to prevent COVID-19.
The Transportation Security Administration reports that more people passed through security checkpoints during the past week than any other period since the COVID-19 pandemic began. With the overall odds indicating that, on average, one person infected with COVID-19 will be in any group of about 50 Americans, health officials want those who traveled to act as if they are infected and self-isolate.
The CDC has again updated its guidance for holiday gatherings and provided new “toolkits” for younger adults and teenagers on how to avoid spreading COVID-19. The holiday guidance includes advice on everything from travel to hosting guests and sharing meals. Many other updates were posted to the CDC website since Wednesday.