Hold on to Hope
MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH UPDATE
Yesterday I got my first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine!
It was an emotional moment. Joy, relief, and gratitude overcame me as the needle plunged into my arm. I didn’t actually feel any pain. I was mostly thinking about all the suffering we’ve experienced over the last nine months—all of the loss, trauma, and grief. And how grateful I am to have received this life-saving, pandemic-busting shot of hope.
Today I feel well. Normal! My arm is a wee bit sore if I mash on it. So I’ve decided not to mash on it.
Mostly I’m having a ball envisioning little snippets of mRNA (the coronavirus’ genetic code) dancing through my blood like Santa’s elves, instructing my cells to make antibodies to fight the REAL coronavirus. All I want for Christmas this year is antibodies.
In nine more days my immune system will be primed: I’ll be over 50% protected from coronavirus. In three more weeks I’ll get the second “booster” dose. Five to seven days after that I’ll be 95% protected—essentially immune to COVID-19.
I’m already excited to WORRY LESS. To not have to quarantine!! To not wonder if every throat tickle, toe switch, and tummy turn is coronavirus. To hug my mom and dad.
This is a triumph of science. A modern miracle. And a reason for hope.
You can click HERE to read my blog post from Monday about the vaccine, and I’ll dig in more here.
How long will immunity from the vaccine last? We don’t know yet. For example with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, a clinical trial revealed no indication that immunity subsides within two months of vaccination, but more data (and time) is needed to see whether the protection eventually wanes. Specifically, we need to see if vaccinated people, when put into the real world, get sick after a year, two years, ten years. Ongoing study of vaccine recipients will tell us for sure.
How long will we have to wear a mask after getting vaccinated? We also don’t know the answer to this question, but likely well into 2021. We do know the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are over 94% effective at preventing COVID-19. But we don't know whether the vaccine prevents people from asymptomatically carrying and transmitting the virus. We will only know the answer to this question once we see if vaccinated people are the source of infections in other people—and that will take more time and careful contract tracing. So for now (and until we achieve herd immunity), we all need to wear masks, including people who have had the vaccine.
When will YOU get the vaccine? It depends on who you are: your occupation, age, and underlying health conditions. The CDC has prioritized front-line healthcare workers and nursing home residents. I was elated to see people in long-term care facilities getting vaccinated yesterday. We will know more over the next few weeks about how much vaccine is available, and when you might get yours. Dr. Fauci thinks most people will have access to the vaccine in April 2021.
Who shouldn't get the vaccine? People who have a history of anaphylaxis to any component of the vaccine (listed in the prescribing information) should not get the vaccine. And anyone who has had anaphylaxis to any other vaccine or injectable therapy should consider the vaccine with caution and should talk to their doctor. The vaccine is safe, however, for people who have allergies to foods, pets, insect bites, pollen, dust or other seasonal/environmental allergies.
What about pregnant and lactating women and people with a compromised immune system? Currently there is no data to suggest a safety issue with these groups. The only issue for people with weak or suppressed immune systems is the possibility of a less robust immune response to the vaccine.
What about people who have already had COVID? Research shows that people who have had COVID-19 are very unlikely to get reinfected in the first 90 days after recovering from the illness. This means that the immunity from natural infection lasts at least three months if not longer. Some studies suggest the people who have had COVID-19 are immune for five or six months. Therefore people who have had COVID-19 can wait to get vaccinated until other, non-immune people have had the shots. After that, yes. People who have had COVID-19 should eventually get vaccinated.
How is the shot given? The Pfizer vaccine is administered as two shots into the arm muscle, ideally given 21 days apart. (You can take the second dose as early at 17 days after the first, and if you can’t get the second dose until after 21 days, you don’t need to “start over.”) Yesterday after my injection I had to wait in a holding room for fifteen minutes—as anyone will do after getting the vaccine—to make sure I didn’t have an immediate allergic reaction. I assure you my only reactions so far have been joy, gratitude, and enduring faith in science.
Tomorrow is yet another exciting day for science. After an expert panel recommended Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine today, the FDA is expected to approve it for emergency use. The mechanism of action is akin to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and is similarly safe and effective. It will be easier to distribute because it doesn’t require ultracold storage. Another key difference is that Moderna’s vaccine is supposed to be given 28 days apart (instead of 21 days like the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine).
As soon as next week, we will have TWO excellent vaccines and will be able to immunize 150 million Americans by the middle of 2021. We will begin to reclaim our lives and build a better future while continuing to mourn the losses from the pandemic.
Hope is alive, and help is on the way. There’s light at the end of the tunnel. But the tunnel is still long and treacherous. The death toll in the US is well over 300,000 as the virus continues to tear through our country. So let’s double down on our risk mitigation measures a la MOSHPIT. This is not the time to let down our guard.
For more vaccine information, join me and Dr. Clay Ackerly for our 10th COVID Q&A on Monday, December 21 at 8 pm ET on Facebook LIVE. Bring your questions!