People Of Color Are Especially Vulnerable To Severe Covid
Generations of health inequities have caused Black and Hispanic/Latin Americans and other communities of color to be overrepresented in severe COVID-19 cases and deaths. People of color are vulnerable to COVID-19 risk factors, and are more likely to be working front-line, essential jobs that cannot be performed from home, increasing their chances of being infected. Getting vaccinated can provide protection for you and those you love.
What About Family Members And Caregivers Of Those With Cancer Is It Important That They Get Vaccinated
This is an underappreciated question. If you think about a vaccine strategy, if some people with cancer arent going to be fully protected by the COVID-19 vaccine, one of the best ways to protect them is to give the vaccine to people who will respond well. And that means anybody who they spend time with. So, anybody who is a caregiver, a loved one, or is in close contact with somebody with cancer, its important for them to get vaccinated and boosted, wear masks when out and about, avoid crowds, and take any other preventive measures.
Why You Shouldn’t Rush To Get A Covid
Health experts warn not to jump the gun — or line — in taking a third dose.
In the next month, millions of Americans will get ready to roll up their sleeves for a third dose of the COVID-19vaccine. But when it comes to booster shots, it’s not as simple as ‘more is more’ — it’s also a matter of when.
For severely immunocompromised people, a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is available now. Come mid-September, that option is expected to be open for everyone who got Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, at least eight months after their second dose.
Health experts caution not to jump the gun — or the line — on when you might actually need a booster shot.
With patience, a better immune response
“We have to look at both sides of the equation — the benefits to be reaped and the safety of giving an additional dose,” Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told ABC News. “You’ll get a more robust immune response if you wait a little longer before you get your booster.”
The COVID-19 vaccines continue to be safe and effective against severe disease and hospitalization. And when immunity wanes, it does so gradually, experts say, with current data suggesting all three of the authorized vaccines provide good protection at least six months after initial vaccination and likely longer.
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People Get Covid Even After They’ve Gotten The Vaccine The Vaccine Doesn’t Work
Thats correct. No vaccine is 100% effective.
But remember that the primary goal of the COVID vaccine was to prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death. On that front, the vaccine has been a spectacular success. Most current hospitalized patients are not fully vaccinated or boosted. And nearly all deaths due to COVID are among those who are not fully vaccinated or did not get their booster.
Do You Have Allergies You Can Probably Still Get The Covid
The CDC says people with allergies to certain foods, insects, latex and other common allergens can get a COVID-19 vaccine. If you have ever had a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine, be sure to discuss that with your doctor, who can evaluate you and assess your risk. However, if you are severely allergic to any of the coronavirus vaccines ingredients, you should not be vaccinated.
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The Hpv Vaccine: Why Parents Really Choose To Refuse
Study results suggest safety concerns top the list, and that physicians need to step up their patient education and vaccine recommendations
Researchers explain the reasons for why parents chose not to get their child vaccinated with the HPV vaccineCredit: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Top reasons why parents choose to refuse the HPV vaccine for their childrenCredit: Johns Hopkins Medicine |
The findings, published in the November issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, could help public health officials and professional societies develop new interventions to increase rates of HPV vaccination.
The HPV vaccine has already shown promise in helping to stem long-rising rates of cancers transmitted by the virus, including an estimated 31,500 cases in the United States annually of cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, oropharynx and anus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccinebeginning at age 9in 2006 for females and in 2009 for males. But it wasnt recommended for use in males until 2011 by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the group of medical experts that gives guidance on vaccines for the public. Worldwide studies have shown the vaccine to be virtually 100 percent effective and very safe, with the FDA concluding that the vast majority of side effects are minor, and that benefits continue to outweigh adverse events.
Children Cannot Get Vaccinated
Those 16 and under cannot get a vaccine at this time. “I don’t think we’re going to see it in the first half of this coming year,” Dr. Jose Romero, the chair of the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, said during an interview on MSNBC. “We need to see how the studies progress. We need to see that data in order to make sure that it is safe and effective in children.” So get vaccinated when it becomes available to youand to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Signs Your Illness is Actually Coronavirus in Disguise.
Eat This, Not That!
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What You Need To Know About Covid
Explore top articles, videos, research highlights and more from the AMAyour source for clear, evidence-based news and guidance during the pandemic.
To help parents move from that wait-and-see mentality and calm their fears, two physicians shared what to know about COVID-19 vaccine safety for children.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine received emergency use authorization for children and teens 515 years old. For those 16 or older, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is fully approved. The vaccine for children 511 years old is distributed in smaller dosing and with smaller needles to make it easier for physicians and others to administer. It is one-third the adolescent and adult dose and is given in two doses, 21 days apart. Vaccination was nearly 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 among children 511 years old.
The AMAs What Doctors Wish Patients Knew series provides physicians with a platform to share what they want patients to understand about todays health care headlines, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this installment, two AMA members took time to share what parents should know about COVID-19 vaccine safety for kids. They are:
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Our governments have failed to convince many of us to get the COVID vaccine. So theyre now attempting to coerce us into getting it.
Vaccine passports are the latest form of authoritarian approaches by our governments in reaction to COVID-19. And yet, many people remain unconcerned by our governments oppressive reactions.
In fact, in Canada, most people support mandatory vaccines.
Therefore, some Canadian provinces like many nations and regions around the world have instituted a form of vaccine passport. A couple of days ago, Quebec joined Manitoba and Prince Edward Island as one of the Canadian provinces to establish vaccine passports.The premier of Quebec, François Legault, said:The principle behind the vaccine passport is that people who have made the effort to get their two doses should be able to live a semi-normal life. We will give certain privileges to those who have agreed to make the effort to get their two shots.
These privileges include access to non-essential services for vaccinated people. Meaning, unvaccinated people will not have access to non-essential services.
In other words, Quebec has established a system that labels some citizens as essential and other citizens as non-essential. They are separating who they believe are first-class citizens from who they believe are second-class citizens.
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Vaccines: Who Should Avoid Them And Why
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a range of vaccinations for Americans of all ages. These vaccines help prevent dangerous diseases that in the past would sicken countless people each year.
However, these vaccines may not be right for everyone. The CDC advises that certain people not get specific vaccines, or to wait before getting vaccinated. This is because different vaccines contain different components, and each vaccine can affect you differently. Your age, health conditions, and other factors all combine to determine if you should get each vaccine.
The CDC has prepared a detailed list of vaccines that specifies who should avoid getting each one and who should wait to get it. Certain individuals with a compromised immune system are typically advised to wait. And people who have experienced allergic reactions to a particular vaccine are generally told to avoid follow-up doses.
Here are guidelines for those who should avoid or delay some of the more common vaccines.
You should not get vaccinated for if you:
People with a history of should discuss the risks of the with their doctor.
- Mexico
Why You Shouldn’t Get The Shingles Vaccine
- Medical Reviewer: Dany Paul Baby, MD
Medically Reviewed on 5/24/2022
Shingles is a disease that usually presents with a painful rash that affects one in three people in their lifetime. It is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox the herpes virus varicella-zoster. More than 99% of people born before 1980 have had chickenpox and have this virus dormant in the brain or spinal cord.
Shingles activates when your immunity is low, usually with advancing age. The currently used recombinant zoster vaccine is safe and effective. But not everyone who is a candidate for the shingles vaccine should take it. Like all vaccines, the shingles vaccine has benefits and harms. You should know about both and make an informed decision about taking it.
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Will Having My Child Vaccinated Help Us Get Back To Our Prepandemic Lives
In some ways, yes. According to the CDC, once someone is fully vaccinated , they can resume prepandemic activities like playdates and group activities. If your child is vaccinated, it means they’ll have a shorter school quarantine should they be exposed to COVID. And if your whole family is vaccinated and traveling within the U.S., you probably won’t have to quarantine after travel.
With all that said, since there have been cases of people getting COVID after vaccination, along with concerns about new variants of the virus, you should still take precautions to reduce your child’s chances of getting the virus and possibly spreading it to others. Kids should wear a mask indoors in public spaces in areas with substantial transmission risk. They should wear a mask when traveling . And for now, children should pay attention to local rules about wearing a mask in school.
This article originally appeared in Parents magazine’s January/February 2022 issue as “Why Holding Off Isn’t the Answer.” Want more from the magazine?
Side Effects Will Be Mild
For 511-year-olds, the side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine will be like that of those who are 16 or older.
That means pain in the arm where they got the shot, fatigue, headache, chills, muscle aches and pains, said Dr. Loethen.
It is a very specially designed vaccine that helps your body build immunity to COVID, but you’re going to feel certain types of symptoms, said Dr. Seija. Your child could have a fever, they could have some body aches, or they can just feel overalljust icky.
The good news is the side effects onset is within 12 hours and usually resolve within 24 hours of getting the vaccine, Dr. Loethen said. Parents should always reach out to your family doctor or pediatrician if you have any questions or concerns following the vaccine.
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How Do We Think About Risks And Benefits
We make decisions every day about risk without thinking about it. But when the decision is more important, like whether to get a COVID-19 vaccine, understanding how our unconscious thinking patterns and biases affect our decision-making can help us make good choices. Human brains use mental shortcuts all the time to enable quick decision-making. However, these shortcuts can skew our perception of how risky an activity is, or how likely a certain outcome might be.
Here are some examples:
- Overestimating risk: we often over-estimate the chances that a rare, but serious, event might occur. If that rare event is all over the medialike cases of TTS, the blood clotting syndrome linked to the AstraZeneca vaccinewe tend to overestimate those chances even more.
- Choosing to do nothing: sometimes people want to avoid a sense of regret and are more willing to accept an outcome if its the result of doing nothing , rather than a result of taking action . We are extra-cautious if we think theres a lot of uncertainty involved.
With this in mind, lets consider some of the other risks and benefits of COVID-19 vaccination.
More Vaccinations For Covid
After over a year of coronavirus pandemic closures, cancellations and postponements, everyone is eager to think about returning to work, school, sports, family celebrations and social activities. Though no one is sure when the pandemic will be over, every person who gets protection from the coronavirus by getting a vaccination helps us move closer to normal life.
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And What About Those Who May Be Undergoing Treatment Soon Such As Somebody Just Diagnosed With Cancer Or Whose Treatment Has Been Delayed By The Pandemic
The best approach is to get the vaccine as soon as you can. However, we do recommend delays for patients undergoing stem cell transplant and those getting CAR T-cell therapy. In addition, cancer patients who are about to undergo surgery should wait a few days to up to 2 weeks after surgery to get vaccinated. This helps doctors know whether any symptomsfor example, a feverare due to the surgery or the vaccine.
If Youve Already Had Covid
A indicates that if you had COVID-19 before and are not vaccinated, your risk of getting reinfected is more than two times higher than for those who were infected and got vaccinated.
While evidence suggests there is some level of immunity for those who previously had COVID, it is not known how long you are protected from getting COVID-19 again. Plus, the level of immunity provided by the vaccines after having COVID-19 is higher than the level of immunity for those who had COVID but were not subsequently vaccinated.
Getting vaccinated provides greater protection to others since the vaccine helps reduce the spread of COVID-19.
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Natural Immunity Survivable Disease
Many Canadians also told CTVNews.ca they aren’t getting vaccinated against COVID-19 because they either already had the disease and believe they have sufficient antibodies to protect themselves, or they said they are healthy enough to survive the disease should they contract it.
Annalisa Cannella, who is from Montreal, said she refuses to get the vaccine because she and 15 members of her family contracted COVID-19 in late 2020 and now believe they have a “natural immunity” against the disease.
Cannella said she thinks that the antibodies she has after being sick “should be more reliable” than those generated from a vaccine.
Cannella acknowledged that her family “had it pretty good” in that none of them had severe symptoms with COVID-19 infection and all recovered.
“The average cold affects me more than when I had COVID. My five kids had it and most didn’t even have symptoms,” she wrote.
Because her family survived, Cannella said she doesn’t see the point in getting vaccinated.
“With the vaccine you can still transmit the virus to others and get it,” she wrote. “So honestly I see no benefit to getting this rushed experimental injection.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada says the risk of getting COVID-19 is “evolving daily and varies” between communities, genders and ages.
However, the agency notes that the risk to most Canadians “remains high” and recommends anyone who is eligible get vaccinated.
You Can Get The Vaccine If You Have These Types Of Allergies
However, if you have a history of severe allergic reactions not related to vaccines or injectable medicationssuch as food, pet, venom, environmental, or latex allergiesget vaccinated, they encourage. People with a history of allergies to oral medications or a family history of severe allergic reactions may also get vaccinated.
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How Do You See The Approach To Vaccination And Booster Shots Changing Over The Coming Months And Years
We know that immunity to coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, wane over time. Additionally, viral variants like Omicron have emerged which are better able to escape our immune responses. For these reasons, I think that yearly boosters may be needed. Further research into the frequency and timing of additional boosters is ongoing, as are studies looking at more variant-specific boosters.
- March 8, 2022
If you would like to reproduce some or all of this content, see Reuse of NCI Information for guidance about copyright and permissions. In the case of permitted digital reproduction, please credit the National Cancer Institute as the source and link to the original NCI product using the original product’s title e.g., COVID-19 Vaccines and People with Cancer: A Q& A with Dr. Steven Pergam was originally published by the National Cancer Institute.