The USA needs 'clear, consistent messaging' about COVID-19 in order to stop the surge
Federal health experts say precautions should be uniform from state to state, especially to properly inform people about the vaccine -- and what must happen before then.
Lots to catch up on today. And, if you missed yesterday’s edition, here’s the link. A report on Britain starting public vaccinations is among the stories there. Now, for today’s top stories.
The CDC published guidance on how to modify indoor ventilation to reduce COVID-19 risk. Among the recommendations: keep windows open, use fans to increase air flow and reduce the number of people inside.
A review of Head Start child programs in eight states shows that strict implementation of existing guidelines for educational facilities can reduce transmission of the disease in the facilities, a CDC report said.
The CDC updated its COVID-19 toolkit for schools and parents.
The FDA staff scientific analysis of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trial data concludes that the vaccine is effective at preventing infection, even after just one of the two injections, and it is safe.
Among adults under 55, 60% reported fatigue and 37% reported muscle pain after receiving the vaccine.
Side effects were fewer among older people.
FDA advisors meet Thursday, and an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) could come very quickly after that, possibly within hours of the committee’s vote.
White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx says the nation needs “clear, consistent messaging” so that people understand that COVID-19 is spreading from asymptomatic younger people to older relatives and others. She was interviewed at a Wall Street Journal event, where she also decried false information about COVID death rates and other issues that fuel opposition to public health measures.
Birx says everyone should wear a mask indoors or outdoors anytime people other than those you live with are present.
People mistakenly believe they are safe with family, when the data indicates that younger adults without symptoms are spreading COVID-19 among family members and others, said Birx.
NIAID Director Anthony Fauci echoed Dr. Birx’s remarks about communication as he repeated warnings that the current COVID surge is going to get much worse in the next week or two because of holiday gatherings.
“We need to have a unfiorm message that comes from the top right down to every one of the people involved. We've all got to be on the same page telling the American public that we’ve got to pull together.”
Some states and health experts are concerned that a CDC requirement for states to provide names and other personal details about COVID-19 vaccine recipients may deter vaccine acceptance.
Another physician who took care of COVID-19 patients in one of the hardest hit areas has died. Dr. Carlos Araujo-Preza was 51. The Guardian and Kaiser Health News have tallied 1,425 healthcare workers among the USA’s nearly 300,000 COVID-19 victims so far.
Some health departments and others are coming up with more direct messaging about COVID-19 precautions, as resistance to public health protection measures grows. Here are two examples from Santa Clara County, Calif., where one of the first cases of COVID-19 was detected.
EVENT: The American Public Health Association and the National Academy of Medicine are hosting a webinar, Vaccines - the Realities of the Next Steps, on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 5:00 PM EST. Details and registration at https://covid19conversations.org/.
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