Herd Immunity...

 

The Belt...

 

On May 1, the CDC transitioned from monitoring all breakthrough COVID-19 cases to monitoring only those where patients were hospitalized or died, a move that is wise. It’s important to shift from looking at cases to only looking at serious disease, as the vaccination of high-risk individuals has decoupled cases from hospitalizations and deaths what flattening the curve was initially about.

Many of those who were hospitalized and died from a breakthrough infection were elderly or immunocompromised, and that confirms the notion that people who fall into those categories “should take the belt-and-suspenders approach” because their immune systems don’t respond as well to the vaccine. 

The recommendation: “Get vaccinated, wear a mask, avoid large groups and continue to be careful.”

Dr. John Sellick, an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo, tells Yahoo Life that the average person shouldn’t worry about breakthrough infections. 

“For those of us who are of average health, are fully vaccinated and don’t have severe underlying medical problems, breakthrough infections are unlikely to be a huge problem,” he says.

 “But highly immunosuppressed people have to be careful, just in case.”

Lymph Nodes...

 

While the mass COVID-19 vaccination effort over the past four months is bringing closer the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, it is not without a cost.   

 But the cost here will be in terms of added patient anxiety and financial due to potential of additional, needed tests.   

There have been several alarms in peer-review literature and radiology societies that the COVID-19 vaccines cause temporary inflammation and swelling of lymph nodes in some patients. 

While the experts say this is normal, it can be a major cause for concern if physicians, radiologists and patients are not aware of this vaccine presentation and assume it is a sign of infection or cancer, leading to additional diagnostic testing or followup exams. 

The most common inflammatory type is lymphadenitis, producing swollen or enlarged lymph nodes. However, it is causing alarm on mammograms of recently vaccinated women and can lead to additional tests and imaging if found in patients who undergo CT scans for any reason. 

The development of lymphadenopathy after being vaccinated for COVID-19 is a sign of the body's immune system gearing up in response to the vaccine and will go away, the experts say, It has been seen with other vaccines, but the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID vaccines appear to affect a much larger number of people. 

In the clinical trials for the the Moderna vaccine, axillary swelling or tenderness was reported in 11.6% of patients (5% with placebo) after dose 1, and 16% (4.3% with placebo) after Dose 2. 

This greatly concerns radiologist who look at mammograms and review exams looking for cancer, or monitoring cancer treatment in patients. 

Lift...

 

Teens...

 

U.S. health officials are investigating a potential rare side effect from COVID-19 vaccines - an inflammation of the heart muscle called myocarditis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory  has received more than a dozen reports of this condition appearing four days after vaccination.

It seems to happen  more often in Teens and Young Adults - and for some reason in more men than women. [Please note that the Covid-19 Virus had no impact on these young people]

Symptoms of myocarditis include fatigue and shortness of breath and it often goes away without any complications, but still the CDC is investigating and alerting doctors to be on the lookout for this.

The CDC says the cases they're tracking involve the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines Approved for Emergency Use Only.

J& J Covid Vaccine was approved for Emergency Use Only, paused then resumed with a Warning to women ages 50 years old or younger.  Astra Zeneca is not approved in the States but has the same issues of J & J.

So when you send your young to be vaccinated, please check with your doctor if Benefits outweigh the RISK.  Just a thought.

Restrictions...

 

New Jersey will no longer require restaurants, retail stores, gyms, churches, and other businesses to keep 6 feet of social distance between patrons or groups starting Friday  the same day the state will stop mandating that people wear masks at indoor public places in most circumstances, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday as he outlined a set of sweeping moves to life.

Dance floors at bars and restaurants in the state can also reopen Friday, while patrons will no longer be required to stay in seats while ordering and eating or drinking.
And large outdoor venues, such as MetLife Stadium and minor league baseball parks, will be allowed to have full crowds starting the same day.
All those moves will come just in time for Memorial Day weekend, traditionally considered the unofficial beginning of summer.
New Jersey will then end all indoor gathering limits on June 4.

Shooting...

 

The statistics are grim: 1,480 shootings in New York City, almost double the 748 logged during the same period last year.   

 The city is expected to finish 2020 with a 14-year high in that category of violence, according to Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.

Meanwhile, murders are up 40%, from 312 in 2019 to 436 so far, NYPD records show.

There are names, devasteated families and different ethnicity behind each in this statistics.

Victims range from a 1-year-old boy shot at a barbecue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a 29-year-old father gunned down as he walked hand-in-hand with his young daughter while crossing a street in Claremont and a 60-year-old woman struck by a stray bullet in Brownsville.

Police commissioner, police unions and lawmakers blame the increase in shootings on bail reform enacted by the state Legislature. 

So, who is shooting who? Not asking for color as the Media always try to make it.

Why is the most restricted gun sales in the country in New York, failed miserably compared to other States where buying gone is legal and easy.

What do you think when you see two people attack a Jewish man for no reason but because he is a Jew? If the attackers thought he has a gun, how would they behave?  Just a thought.

Herd...

 

New York City Subway System

More Americans are vaccinated against Covid, but that's not the only reason coronavirus cases in the U.S. keep falling, Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Friday.

The former Food and Drug Administration commissioner said additional factors contributing to declining infection levels include warming weather and the fact that a portion of the unvaccinated population has already been infected with Covid.

The percentage of Americans who have some immunity against coronavirus is higher than the vaccination rates, Gottlieb said, estimating that at least one-third of the population has been infected. 

"So, if you assume that the percent of prior infection among the unvaccinated population is more than that third, and it probably is, and you assume that we've given at least one dose to around half the population right now, we're approaching pretty high levels of immunity," said Gottlieb, who led the FDA from 2017 to 2019. He now serves on the board of vaccine maker Pfizer.

Relief...

 

The CDC statement:

• If you are fully vaccinated, you can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.
• Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
• If you haven’t been vaccinated yet,  depending on your age and your doctor's advise, find a vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

These recommendations can help you make decisions about daily activities after you are fully vaccinated. They are not intended for healthcare settings.

Final thought:

Thee Media, and the politicians played a big role in talking instructions and advise for something they we didn't know much about then and now. Let us listen to the CDC.

Wheelie...

 

With more people using bike lanes and with cycling injuries on the rise, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday he’s open to the idea of license plates for bikes.

 Frequently, one man riding down the middle of the road the wrong way on a one-way street, totally ignoring the bike lane. Another man was in the bike lane, but going in the wrong direction, skirting a police car and a taxi.  And then there is the “red lights don’t mean anything to me” crowd. Lots of them.

Thursday was just another day in “Cycle City,” as cars, trucks and those who prefer to get around on two wheels struggle to share the streetscape.

The bike lane is not used for regular bike, its all motorized for delivery.

The street adjacent to the parks are closed, but not too many enjoying it

The Bus Lanes in Manhattan is used to park traffic cars, commercial cars etc while the bus lane is not helping the buses to move faster.

The solutions provided by this Mayor is just not helping any one and on the other hand rezoning and high rise buildings are destroying the quality of life of the New Yorkers for the benefits of those who donate money to the politicians' campaigns.   Just a thought.