Breakthrough...

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new report on Tuesday, detailing just how many breakthrough infections have happened in the U.S. in people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

The report found that 10,262 COVID-19 breakthrough infections were reported to the CDC from 46 states and territories between Jan. 1 through April 30, 2021. 

There were some trends:

• 6,446 (63 percent) were female

• The median age was 58 years old

• 2,725 (27 percent) of cases were asymptomatic

• 995 (10 percent) of patients were hospitalized

• 160 (2 percent) of patients died.

Of the patients who were hospitalized, 289 (29 percent) did not have symptoms or were hospitalized for reasons other than COVID-19. 

The median age of patients who died was 82, and 28 (18 percent) of those who died did not have symptoms or died from a cause that wasn’t related to COVID-19. 

Findings...

 

Immunity to the coronavirus lasts at least a year, probably much longer.

Two  new studies suggest that most people who have recovered from Covid-19 and who were later immunized will not need boosters. 

Vaccinated people who were never infected most likely will need the shots, however, as will a minority who were infected but did not produce a robust immune response.

Both reports looked at people who had been exposed to the coronavirus about a year earlier. Cells that retain a memory of the virus persist in the bone marrow and may churn out antibodies whenever needed, according to one of the studies, published Monday in the journal Nature.

The other study, found that these so-called memory B cells continue to mature and strengthen for at least 12 months after the initial infection.

“The papers are consistent with the growing body of literatures.

We need a new look at the natural immunity for the young. Just a thought.

Ironic

 

During her first public appearance as presumptive Democratic vice presidential nominee, the senator from California compared the novel coronavirus, which has infected over 5.1 million and is linked to 165,000 deaths in the United States, to the Ebola outbreak in 2014. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, only "eleven people were treated for Ebola in the United States during the 2014-2016 epidemic."

"It didn't have to be this way. Six years ago, in fact, we had a different health crisis. It was called Ebola. And we all remember that pandemic. But you know what happened then? Barack Obama and Joe Biden did their job. Only two people in the United States died. Two. That is what is called leadership," Harris said.

From Jan. 20 to April 28, Biden's first 14 weeks in office, the CDC reported 156,096 new COVID-19 deaths. John Hopkins reported 160,540, because it uses a slightly different methodology.  And that is after the availability of the Corona Virus Vaccines.

Ironic Huh. Just a thought.

Adjust...

 

Heart to Heart...

 

They're known for having the 'healthiest hearts ever studied', but now an Amazonian tribe may also hold the key to slowing down ageing.

The Tsimane indigenous people of the Bolivian Amazon experience less brain atrophy as they age than their American and European peers, researchers have found.

It suggests that sedentary lifestyles and diets rich in fats and sugars could be making people in industrialised nations more vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease.

By contrast, the 16,000-strong tribe are extremely active, traditionally hunting and foraging for their own food, and consume a high-fibre diet of vegetables, fish and lean meat.

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.