What If My Child Is Used To Wearing A Mask By Now Can’t I Just Rely On That For Prevention
Masks have proven to be a key tool for preventing outbreaks in schools, but some experts point out that indoor masking can’t go on forever.
“We actually have to open back up,” Dr. Hayley Gans, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist at Stanford University and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, said during the FDA advisory meeting. “We can’t forever have mitigation â particularly in schools â and children need to return to a more open life, as we all do.”
As cases continue to drop across the country, mask mandates may be lifted, which could increase the likelihood that â especially unvaccinated â kids could get COVID-19.
Fully Vaccinated People With Covid
Although the risk that fully vaccinated people could become infected with COVID-19 is low, any fully vaccinated person who experiences symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should isolate themselves from others, be clinically evaluated for COVID-19, and tested for SARS-CoV-2 if indicated. The symptomatic fully vaccinated person should inform their healthcare provider of their vaccination status at the time of presentation to care.
Myth: Mrna Vaccines Can Alter Your Dna
Neither of the country’s approved mRNA vaccines messes with your DNA.
The confusion is understandable: DNA and RNA are often mentioned side-by-side in biology classes. DNA stores and transfers your body’s genetic information, while RNA helps your body create amino acids and proteins.
Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines work by sending messenger RNA, or mRNA, into your body’s cells. The mRNA instructs those cells to make a harmless form of the “spike protein” found on the virus that causes Covid. Your immune system then recognizes that protein as foreign, and creates brand-new antibodies ones that it’s never needed before to fight the protein off.
In essence, the vaccines help your body create a blueprint for fighting against Covid, so that if you’re exposed to the virus, your immune system can immediately ward it off before it takes root.
No DNA involved.
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Greater Goods Guide To Well
Practices, resources, and articles for facing COVID-19
Appealing to our shared vulnerability may also be important, says Larson, as a continuing pandemic thwarts goals everyone shareslike reopening businesses and strengthening our weakened economy. If we can tie mass vaccination into peoples sense of unity and common purpose, it could make a dent in vaccine resistance.
One of the things about COVID vaccines, which is very different from childhood vaccines, is that it matters to everybody, says Larson. Its not just about you. Weve got to do this together.
Reason : Vaccine Side Effects
For some, the concern is the vaccine itself and particularly the side effects that can come with it. These concerns can be about something the vaccine really causes, like a day or two of aches, fever, and fatigue or, in extremely rare cases, potentially blood clots. But they can also be about things that arent real or proven, like other long-term health risks or unproven claims about, for example, infertility.
Some of this comes down to getting the right information to the vaccine hesitant. Officials, media, and experts can continue to communicate that side effects are almost all mild and dont last very long and are, in fact, a sign the vaccines are working and getting the immune system going. And while wilder ideas spread on social media, theres no evidence that the vaccines have worse side effects in all but very rare circumstances. Blood clots, for example, were found in only 28 of 8.7 million people who got the Johnson & Johnson shot at the time of reporting, and they havent been found in anyone who got the Moderna or Pfizer shots.
But there are more practical considerations as well. Some people focused on side effects might worry, for example, that a day or two of fatigue and fever will keep them out of work putting their job at risk or, at the very least, costing them pay thats needed for bills. Fixing that will simply require getting more employers to offer paid time off or a bonus not just for getting the shot but the recovery period too.
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I Believe In Individual Liberty He Said We Should Be Able To Decide If We Want Something Put In Us But What Happens When Individual Liberty Begins To Harm The Common Good
For example, unvaccinated people can keep the virus spreading to those unable to get vaccines, like kids or those with weakened immune systems. Does he worry his individual decision can harm others?
“Government does have a role to play in community safety,” he said. “We should have a police force, a military to protect people, food and water safety. But that’s a bit different than requiring the masses to take something.”
And what about those who can’t get vaccinated, like kids, shouldn’t we protect them?
“How many kids were killed in car accidents versus kids killed by COVID,” he asked. “Should I be out there driving? There is always some risk. I feel more at risk by driving my car around.
“I don’t want to see any kids die I’ve actually had a child who died. If I believed me taking this vaccine would stop kids from dying, I would take it.”
Medical experts agree that vaccines and masking can help control the spread of the virus, including to kids.
In 2019, 612 children younger than 13 died in motor vehicle traffic crashes and more than 97,000 were injured.
The American Academy of Pediatrics said that as of July 29, almost 4.2 million children have tested positive for the virus, nearly 72,000 of them in the last week. That’s almost twice as many as the 39,000 infections from the previous week. Since May 2020, more than 17,000 kids have been hospitalized with COVID-19 358 have died.
Recommendations For Outdoor Settings
Current data suggest the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in outdoor settings is minimal. In general, fully vaccinated people do not need to wear a mask outdoors. Fully vaccinated people might choose to wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings if they or someone in their household is immunocompromised.
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‘the Astrazeneca Vaccine Could Give Me A Blood Clot’
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been linked to an extremely rare blood-clotting condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome . But the risk is tiny.
You are extremely unlikely to get a blood clot from the AstraZeneca vaccine.
This means that the average number of deaths from TTS caused by AstraZeneca is less than 1 in a million.
Since it was discovered, doctors have become very good at recognising and treating TTS. The chance of surviving it is even better now.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and low risk. You’re more likely to get a blood clot from COVID-19 itself, and from many other things, such as:
- The combined oral contraceptive pill: for every 1 million women who take the pill, up to 1,200 will develop a blood clot.
- Long-haul travel: for every 4,500 flights over 4 hours, there will be 1 incidence of blood clotting.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories : regular use of this common type of pain-relief medicine , can almost double a persons risk of blood clots.
You can still take these medicines or get on a plane. But its important to understand the risks and benefits of anything you do.
Consider Finding A Better Messenger
When faced with disaster, many of us will tend to cling to our identity groups for a sense of safety and support. Unfortunately, that can lead to groupthink, where people discredit information from someone outside of their groupeven if its truehelping to spread vaccine hesitancy within groups.
In the United States, larger percentages of Republicans, white evangelical Christians, and people of color remain unvaccinated, in part because of group distrust of government or scienceor because they lack concern about the virulence of COVID-19. If you are not a member of one of these groups, and youre trying to convince people who are to take the vaccine, you might be doing them a disservice trying to convey pro-vaccine messages.
For example, one recent study found that Republicans who were hesitant about vaccinations were more willing to change their minds if they heard pro-vaccine messaging from Republican figuresand were less willing if the message came from Democrats. Large-scale surveys of Black and Latino communities suggest it may be better to point people of color to pro-vaccine messengers within their social-identity groupsa trusted doctor, pastor, or public figure within that community, who likely understands their worldview and has some clout.
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‘my Friend Told Me Not To Get Vaccinated’
Its not their decision its yours.
You should follow the advice of doctors and public-health experts with decades of experience not that of unqualified people, even if they mean well.
Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 will not only protect you, but also your family and your community. It will protect others who cant get vaccinated, such as young children.
If youre not sure about COVID-19 vaccination, speak to your doctor. Make an informed choice.
Why Dont We Get Our Shots
On the whole, adults in the United States are not getting vaccinated as much as they should, according to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices , which wrote the report.
Only 20 percent of adults over the age of 19 have had an updated Tdap vaccine, which guards against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis .
About 44 percent of adults the same age has had a flu shot.
And 20 percent of those ages 19 to 64 who were at risk for pneumonia had the pneumococcal vaccine, while 60 percent of those over the age of 65 had gotten it, the report stated.
One barrier to getting vaccinated is insurance, Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, a general internist in Atlanta and American College of Physicians liaison to the ACIP, who served with the vaccine work group, told CBS.
She said that insured Americans are two to five times more likely to receive their vaccines. Misconceptions about vaccines can also cause people especially parents to question or avoid them.
Dr. Michael Brady, the associate medical director at Nationwide Childrens Hospital, and member of the hospitals Division of Infectious Diseases, told Healthline that many parents avoid having their children vaccinated because they hear inaccurate reports about side effects.
One vaccine parents may have their families skip is the flu shot.
In past years, reports have emerged that the shots werent effective, or even caused the flu.
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The Tyranny Of ‘and’: Good Health Vs The Vaccine
There’ve been a few reports circulating online about people who didn’t get vaccinated because they were generally healthy and didn’t think they were susceptible to severe COVID-19, only to get hospitalized or die from the coronavirus. These serve as tragic reminders of our mortality, and also of the cruel lottery a virus like the coronavirus inflicts. And while most of us appear to be born with at least a little sense of immortality, those most likely to say they “definitely” won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine are also the most likely to think they won’t get a serious case of COVID-19, or that the vaccines pose a worse threat to their health than the virus itself, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
At the Coalition discussion on Thursday, a nurse called in and posed a question: If certain health conditions predispose a person to severe COVID-19 , why are doctors championing the vaccine instead of lifestyle changes that will make a person healthier?
Dr. Reed Tuckson, a co-founding member of the Black Coalition Against COVID-19 and the former commissioner of public health for Washington DC, said that while taking care of your overall health is important, it doesn’t mean you don’t need to get vaccinated.
“There is the tyranny of the ‘and’ which we have to deal with. We need to be vaccinated and take care of our overall health,” Tuckson said. “But one does not substitute the other.”
What Does It Mean Now That The Pfizer Covid
On 8/23/2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine and will now be marketed as Comirnaty , for the prevention of COVID-19 in people 16 years of age and older. Comirnaty is the same vaccine as the Pfizer vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is also still available under emergency use authorization for people ages 12 through 15.
Compared to an EUA, FDA approval of vaccines requires even more data on safety, manufacturing, and effectiveness over longer periods of time and includes real-world data. The full approval by the FDA means that the Comirnaty vaccine now has the same level of approval as other vaccines routinely used in the U.S., such as vaccines for hepatitis, measles, chicken pox, and polio. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was the first vaccine to receive emergency authorization, which is why it is the first to have enough data to receive full approval. It does not mean anything about the safety and effectiveness of the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
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Understanding Opposition To Vaccines
Opposition to vaccines
Health and medical experts have hailed vaccines as being one of the major achievements in the 20th century, but not everyone agrees.
In the past few years, opposition to vaccinations has been discussed more frequently in the news. Concerned parents are opting to forgo vaccinations for their children for many different reasons.
This has resulted in a surge of infectious diseases that had been previously or nearly eradicated.
‘protect Not Just Me But Also Relatives’
Intensive care nurse Sebastian Schmidt also wants to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as he can. “I see coronavirus-related deaths every day at work and see how patients suffer, how seriously ill patients are because of this virus, and I definitely want to get vaccinated against it,” he tells DW. “Also not only to protect myself but also my relatives. I have a responsibility to do my bit to protect others.”
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Video: The Importance Of Vaccine Trust In Black Communities
Refusing a vaccine when one is available is known as vaccine hesitancy. In recent years, vaccine hesitancy has increased worldwide so much so that the World Health Organization considered it a top 10 global health threat in 2019. Misinformation is a major cause of vaccine hesitancy, and there is much misinformation about both COVID-19 and its vaccine because they are new.
Well go over common causes of vaccine hesitancy and explore some ways to handle it, as well as provide some reliable sources of information.
‘ill Wait For A Different Vaccine’
If you wait for your preferred vaccine, it may be too late. Its best to get vaccinated before an outbreak starts so youre well protected from COVID-19.
Also, it takes 7 to 14 days after your second dose of either vaccine before youre fully protected from COVID-19. So dont delay.
To book your vaccination, contact your doctor or use the Vaccines Eligibility Checker. If you don’t have a GP, find one near you using the Service Finder.
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Many Doctors And Nurses Have Antibodies
A nurse at a hospital in Brandenburg, who spoke to DW under the condition of anonymity, said he was skeptical of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, of which he had already received the first dose. “It does not prevent infection with the coronavirus. It only prevents the actual outbreak of the COVID-19 disease. So I can imagine that others prefer to wait for other vaccines.” Many doctors and nurses, he adds, have already been infected with the virus, recovered, and have formed antibodies. And therefore do not need the vaccine.
But in his work environment, he says all colleagues would get vaccinated. “We have seen too often in the last few months what the virus can do.”
Meanwhile, the overall willingness to be vaccinated has increased in Germany. The monthly Deutschlandtrend poll records 54% of those polled as saying they want to be vaccinated. That is a marked rise compared to last November.
Added to this are 21%, who say they’d “probably” want to receive the vaccine. German scientists have said over 60% of the population needs to be vaccined to achieve the so-called herd immunity. This, in turn, would be enough to contain the pandemic.
This article has been translated from German.
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What The Polls Say
White evangelical Christians and people who’re under 65 who don’t have health insurance are the most likely to say they “definitely” will not get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a July poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation. How people identify politically also matters, according to the foundation, as Republicans make up 58% of the group who said they definitely won’t get vaccinated. White Americans polled were much more likely to be adamantly against the vaccine than the people of color that were queried, who made up 40% of the group who say they want to “wait and see” before they get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Younger adults age 18 to 29 are also more likely to give a hard “no” to the vaccine, as are adults living in rural areas.
The way the poll splits hairs between people saying they “definitely” won’t get the vaccine and them saying they want to “wait and see” draws the line for the way we might define vaccine resistant versus vaccine hesitant. The way people identify and respond to a questionnaire about why they’re holding out on a shot appears to have a lot to do with their personal or community history and what kind of information and media they’re exposed to. It’s hard to put everyone who doesn’t want the vaccine in a single box, because it’s a diverse community with many different reasons.
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