Week of July 26, 2021
I have a renewed appreciation for the power of media this week. During my Friday clinic, one of my most ardent vaccine-refusing patients cited images and testimony on their favorite news channel (that rhymes with box) as the source of their now begrudging willingness to get vaccinated. In their mind, the risk of getting ill is now more significant than the risk of the unknown, undiscovered side-effects from the vaccine. I am fascinated that I, the patient's long-standing dialysis nurse, nor the data were convincing enough. Only news segments about severely ill unvaccinated patients begging for the vaccine made the difference. In 18 months of tragic stories and horrible events, why these images? Why believe any data now? I offered to accompany the patient to get vaccinated. But, like my kids, the patient told me I would be too embarrassing in public.
------
U.S. Hotspot Map via N.Y. Times
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html
CDC Weekly Review of Data and Variant Tracking
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html
-----
My take on the Delta variant data is evolving - but not settled. I strongly suspect many states will be masking indoors again, even for vaccinated individuals. While vaccinations are protective, I am increasingly uncomfortable being indoors, unmasked, and in the company of unvaccinated people for prolonged windows of time. To be sure, there is data (linked below) suggesting that there is a low, but not zero, risk of viral spread amongst infected _vaccinated_ individuals.
Here are related articles about the politics of vaccination from N.Y. Times. It appears a media blitz has started in earnest - all of these are from just Saturday, July 24.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/us/covid-vaccine-hesitant.html
and
http://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/world/phil-valentine-hospitalized-coronavirus.html
and
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/technology/joseph-mercola-coronavirus-misinformation-online.html
A loyal reader alerted me to several excellent articles and posts this week.
John Burn-Murdoch's Twitter thread and an article about interpreting the data on vaccinated patients becoming ill. The Twitter thread points are:
Vaccines don't work 100%.
Without the vaccines, the total number of sick and dying patients would be much higher.
We should all feel pretty good about how effective the vaccines are.
https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1418952126244478977?s=21
And the excellent follow-on article on a similar theme: https://www.ft.com/content/a8c0f5f2-d27c-4b13-a1a4-440710bc6967
Eric Topol highlights a variety of comforting data on vaccinated individuals and the Delta variant.
https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1419390174878867456
Here is a thoughtful blog post anticipating what the Fall will be like with a Delta-variant-fueled resurgence. I am concerned it will be sooner, given the slope of the case rate graphs.
https://stephendinan.substack.com/p/why-we-are-headed-for-a-brutal-fall
Here is data from Israel regarding the viral transmission rate amongst vaccinated individuals. "[Around 80%] of immunized COVID-19 infected patients did not spread the virus to anyone else while at concerts, restaurants, gyms or event halls. Another 10% spread the virus to one other person, and 3% infected two or three others. [It is unclear if the remaining 7% were responsible for infecting others]."
https://www.timesofisrael.com/80-of-vaccinated-covid-carriers-didnt-spread-virus-in-public-spaces-report/
More zoo animals infected by the homo sapiens?
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unvaccinated-snow-leopard-san-diego-zoo-catches-covid-19-n1274945
If bipedal primates were to blame, the primate-infector probably wasn't a physician:
https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-survey-shows-over-96-doctors-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19
Infographics!
July 22 was National Mango Day. He is the requisite chemistry of mango infographic:
https://twitter.com/compoundchem/status/1418573338293768196/photo/1
Dear lord! Another way to peel a mango with some semblance of dignity:
https://twitter.com/naresh_zaveri5/status/1418144999355478017
The frequencies emitted by various musical instruments.
http://blog.landr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Instrument_Frequency_Chart.jpg
from https://blog.landr.com/eq-cheat-sheet/
Things I learned this week - the biology oddities edition
Carmine, the food and cosmetic-safe red dye, comes from cochineal, a cactus parasite farmed in Peru (and in South America) for thousands of years.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43786055
In the 1960s, carmine was the source of a Salmonella outbreak. Since then, the FDA has required the pasteurization of carmine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1530191/?page=1
Summer brings perspiration and a new book on comparative anatomy and cultural acceptance of sweating. I have not yet read the Joy of Sweat, but it will be on my list based on this pun-filled review. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/books/review-joy-of-sweat-sarah-everts.html
and
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55298348-the-joy-of-sweat
There is a substance called Ambergris that costs $60K per kilogram. Unfortunately, it is not so simple to unknow things that you probably did not need to know.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/ambergris-whale-excrement-ice-cream
and
http://theconversation.com/ambergris-how-to-tell-if-youve-struck-gold-with-whale-vomit-or-stumbled-upon-sewage-57834
and
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/120830-ambergris-charlie-naysmith-whale-vomit-science
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
I have a renewed appreciation for the power of media this week. During my Friday clinic, one of my most ardent vaccine-refusing patients cited images and testimony on their favorite news channel (that rhymes with box) as the source of their now begrudging willingness to get vaccinated. In their mind, the risk of getting ill is now more significant than the risk of the unknown, undiscovered side-effects from the vaccine. I am fascinated that I, the patient's long-standing dialysis nurse, nor the data were convincing enough. Only news segments about severely ill unvaccinated patients begging for the vaccine made the difference. In 18 months of tragic stories and horrible events, why these images? Why believe any data now? I offered to accompany the patient to get vaccinated. But, like my kids, the patient told me I would be too embarrassing in public.
------
U.S. Hotspot Map via N.Y. Times
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html
CDC Weekly Review of Data and Variant Tracking
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html
-----
My take on the Delta variant data is evolving - but not settled. I strongly suspect many states will be masking indoors again, even for vaccinated individuals. While vaccinations are protective, I am increasingly uncomfortable being indoors, unmasked, and in the company of unvaccinated people for prolonged windows of time. To be sure, there is data (linked below) suggesting that there is a low, but not zero, risk of viral spread amongst infected _vaccinated_ individuals.
Here are related articles about the politics of vaccination from N.Y. Times. It appears a media blitz has started in earnest - all of these are from just Saturday, July 24.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/us/covid-vaccine-hesitant.html
and
http://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/world/phil-valentine-hospitalized-coronavirus.html
and
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/technology/joseph-mercola-coronavirus-misinformation-online.html
A loyal reader alerted me to several excellent articles and posts this week.
John Burn-Murdoch's Twitter thread and an article about interpreting the data on vaccinated patients becoming ill. The Twitter thread points are:
Vaccines don't work 100%.
Without the vaccines, the total number of sick and dying patients would be much higher.
We should all feel pretty good about how effective the vaccines are.
https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1418952126244478977?s=21
And the excellent follow-on article on a similar theme: https://www.ft.com/content/a8c0f5f2-d27c-4b13-a1a4-440710bc6967
Eric Topol highlights a variety of comforting data on vaccinated individuals and the Delta variant.
https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1419390174878867456
Here is a thoughtful blog post anticipating what the Fall will be like with a Delta-variant-fueled resurgence. I am concerned it will be sooner, given the slope of the case rate graphs.
https://stephendinan.substack.com/p/why-we-are-headed-for-a-brutal-fall
Here is data from Israel regarding the viral transmission rate amongst vaccinated individuals. "[Around 80%] of immunized COVID-19 infected patients did not spread the virus to anyone else while at concerts, restaurants, gyms or event halls. Another 10% spread the virus to one other person, and 3% infected two or three others. [It is unclear if the remaining 7% were responsible for infecting others]."
https://www.timesofisrael.com/80-of-vaccinated-covid-carriers-didnt-spread-virus-in-public-spaces-report/
More zoo animals infected by the homo sapiens?
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unvaccinated-snow-leopard-san-diego-zoo-catches-covid-19-n1274945
If bipedal primates were to blame, the primate-infector probably wasn't a physician:
https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-survey-shows-over-96-doctors-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19
Infographics!
July 22 was National Mango Day. He is the requisite chemistry of mango infographic:
https://twitter.com/compoundchem/status/1418573338293768196/photo/1
Dear lord! Another way to peel a mango with some semblance of dignity:
https://twitter.com/naresh_zaveri5/status/1418144999355478017
The frequencies emitted by various musical instruments.
http://blog.landr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Instrument_Frequency_Chart.jpg
from https://blog.landr.com/eq-cheat-sheet/
Things I learned this week - the biology oddities edition
Carmine, the food and cosmetic-safe red dye, comes from cochineal, a cactus parasite farmed in Peru (and in South America) for thousands of years.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43786055
In the 1960s, carmine was the source of a Salmonella outbreak. Since then, the FDA has required the pasteurization of carmine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1530191/?page=1
Summer brings perspiration and a new book on comparative anatomy and cultural acceptance of sweating. I have not yet read the Joy of Sweat, but it will be on my list based on this pun-filled review. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/books/review-joy-of-sweat-sarah-everts.html
and
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55298348-the-joy-of-sweat
There is a substance called Ambergris that costs $60K per kilogram. Unfortunately, it is not so simple to unknow things that you probably did not need to know.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/ambergris-whale-excrement-ice-cream
and
http://theconversation.com/ambergris-how-to-tell-if-youve-struck-gold-with-whale-vomit-or-stumbled-upon-sewage-57834
and
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/120830-ambergris-charlie-naysmith-whale-vomit-science
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
Comments
Post a Comment