April 1, 2021
I listened in on a large townhall Q&A about the vaccine yesterday. The questions were thoughtful and varied - there are many nuances to vaccine hesitancy. But, the volume of 1-to-1 discussions required to overcome reluctance is mind-boggling. It is increasingly clear the healthcare provider is a critical source of information. To be sure, I focus a large portion of my patient's office visits on this discussion (when a patient indicates a lack of interest in getting vaccinated). But when multiplied by all the clinical office visits in the U.S., this means there are many other topics not getting discussed during 15-minute office visits. Face-to-face time with clinical providers is precious and not easily expanded. I wonder what other care the vaccine-hesitant patient may be inadvertently delaying. These discussions need to happen, but I am newly struck by the trade-offs.
Pew Research released some new data on this topic
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/23/10-facts-about-americans-and-coronavirus-vaccines/
-----Latest Data---
CDC National Hospitalization trend data
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#hospitalizations
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustx&areasRegional=usco&cumulative=0&logScale=0&perMillion=1&values=casesf
The U.S. Regionally - N.Y. Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
Vaccine Tracker
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-trends
-----
Data about the Pfizer vaccine's safety and efficacy in children age 12 to 15 was all over the media yesterday. Preliminary data indicates it is both efficacious and safe.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/health/pfizer-biontech-vaccine-adolescents.html
Paper-based over-the-counter coronavirus test strips are also getting closer to market, per this FDA press release from yesterday.
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-continues-advance-over-counter-and-other-screening-test-development
More on this really, really critical development
https://twitter.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1377454976885219330?s=20
Europe is a week or two ahead of the U.S. in this round of COVID surge. France is closing down again https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-france-macron/macron-orders-covid-19-lockdown-across-all-of-france-closes-schools-idUSKBN2BN329
A coffee read for you - insights from research on the adaptability of the humoral immune system. "[Somatic hypermutation] is one of the reasons that your immune system can make up to one quintillion distinct antibodies despite the human genome only having 20,000 or so genes." One quintillion is more than the market cap of Apple.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-immune-system-evolves-to-fight-coronavirus-variants/
And I will leave you with this article, which is probably more provocative than the author intended - Masks Forever?
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/dramatic-drop-in-common-viruses-raises-question-masks-forever
Infographic of the day: Markups
500% markup on cheese added to sandwiches‽ I will need to take this up with my loyal readers who are sandwich pushers. You know who you are.
http://articles.swagbucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/products-highest-markups-5.png
from
https://www.swagbucks.com/shop/highest-markup-infographic
---Bonus Round - Life as We Don't Know It
I am reading The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy. https://www.goodreads.com/it/book/show/52770736-the-zoologist-s-guide-to-the-galaxy
Amongst the various science fiction I fill my head with, it is fun to think about what the science fact may end up being - non-carbon-based life forms with alternate biochemistry. Years ago, I gently mocked someone who received an Ivy League degree in exobiology. I now realize how foolish I was.
Silicone-based life forms:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/researchers-take-small-step-toward-silicon-based-life
Arsenic-based biochemistry on Earth:
https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/02dec_monolake
The "Huh, I want to learn more and am willing to dedicate 10+ minutes of reading down the rabbit hole" link -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothetical_types_of_biochemistry
Clean hands and sharp minds, team
Adam
Back on Monday. Tomorrow, I will be preaching the power of vaccines or fighting kidney disease (depending on who shows up for my clinic).
I listened in on a large townhall Q&A about the vaccine yesterday. The questions were thoughtful and varied - there are many nuances to vaccine hesitancy. But, the volume of 1-to-1 discussions required to overcome reluctance is mind-boggling. It is increasingly clear the healthcare provider is a critical source of information. To be sure, I focus a large portion of my patient's office visits on this discussion (when a patient indicates a lack of interest in getting vaccinated). But when multiplied by all the clinical office visits in the U.S., this means there are many other topics not getting discussed during 15-minute office visits. Face-to-face time with clinical providers is precious and not easily expanded. I wonder what other care the vaccine-hesitant patient may be inadvertently delaying. These discussions need to happen, but I am newly struck by the trade-offs.
Pew Research released some new data on this topic
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/23/10-facts-about-americans-and-coronavirus-vaccines/
-----Latest Data---
CDC National Hospitalization trend data
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#hospitalizations
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustx&areasRegional=usco&cumulative=0&logScale=0&perMillion=1&values=casesf
The U.S. Regionally - N.Y. Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
Vaccine Tracker
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-trends
-----
Data about the Pfizer vaccine's safety and efficacy in children age 12 to 15 was all over the media yesterday. Preliminary data indicates it is both efficacious and safe.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/health/pfizer-biontech-vaccine-adolescents.html
Paper-based over-the-counter coronavirus test strips are also getting closer to market, per this FDA press release from yesterday.
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-continues-advance-over-counter-and-other-screening-test-development
More on this really, really critical development
https://twitter.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1377454976885219330?s=20
Europe is a week or two ahead of the U.S. in this round of COVID surge. France is closing down again https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-france-macron/macron-orders-covid-19-lockdown-across-all-of-france-closes-schools-idUSKBN2BN329
A coffee read for you - insights from research on the adaptability of the humoral immune system. "[Somatic hypermutation] is one of the reasons that your immune system can make up to one quintillion distinct antibodies despite the human genome only having 20,000 or so genes." One quintillion is more than the market cap of Apple.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-immune-system-evolves-to-fight-coronavirus-variants/
And I will leave you with this article, which is probably more provocative than the author intended - Masks Forever?
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/dramatic-drop-in-common-viruses-raises-question-masks-forever
Infographic of the day: Markups
500% markup on cheese added to sandwiches‽ I will need to take this up with my loyal readers who are sandwich pushers. You know who you are.
http://articles.swagbucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/products-highest-markups-5.png
from
https://www.swagbucks.com/shop/highest-markup-infographic
---Bonus Round - Life as We Don't Know It
I am reading The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy. https://www.goodreads.com/it/book/show/52770736-the-zoologist-s-guide-to-the-galaxy
Amongst the various science fiction I fill my head with, it is fun to think about what the science fact may end up being - non-carbon-based life forms with alternate biochemistry. Years ago, I gently mocked someone who received an Ivy League degree in exobiology. I now realize how foolish I was.
Silicone-based life forms:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/researchers-take-small-step-toward-silicon-based-life
Arsenic-based biochemistry on Earth:
https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/02dec_monolake
The "Huh, I want to learn more and am willing to dedicate 10+ minutes of reading down the rabbit hole" link -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothetical_types_of_biochemistry
Clean hands and sharp minds, team
Adam
Back on Monday. Tomorrow, I will be preaching the power of vaccines or fighting kidney disease (depending on who shows up for my clinic).
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